I recently started wet-shaving with a safety razor, as discussed here.

Shaving with a safety razor definitely has it’s upsides, but there are downsides as well.

As with anything in life, there are tradeoffs. When choosing to shave with a safety razor, you’re foregoing the speed & convenience of a modern shaving cartridge system for a more consistent, higher quality shave.

Some of the downsides of shaving with a safety razor & DE blade:

Downside #1: It takes longer.  When employing traditional shaving techniques, it takes me about 6-8 minutes to shave properly. Contrast this with a modern shaving cartridge, from which I can get a decent shave in under two minutes. One reason that traditional shaving with a safety razor takes longer is because you usually have to do multiple passes with razor.

Downside #2: You have to be more careful.  Safety razors aren’t as forgiving as today’s cartridges, which do a good job of matching the contour of your face.  You have to shave a bit more slowly with a safety razor, contorting your face a bunch of funny ways, or you’ll end up with little cuts all over your face. 

Downside #3.  You need more equipment.  If you do it “the right way,” you’ll need a razor, replacement blades, shaving soap, a shaving brush, a bowl in which to mix your soap, and a container to store your unused soap.  You’ll probably want a styptic pencil, too, at least when starting out. (Definition: Stypic: A short medicated stick, typically containing alum, used to stop bleeding from small wounds.) This equipment costs a little more up front, though in the long run it is actually less expensive than cartridge shaving. The bigger downside is that all of this stuff takes up more space than a razor & can of shaving cream.  If you have limited bathroom space, it could be an issue for you.

Downside #4.  There’s a higher learning curve. It takes time to develop good safety razor technique, and as you learn, you’ll make mistakes. (read: cut yourself.)  If you don’t want to take the time, stick with modern cartridge shaving, if it works for you, and if you don’t mind paying for expensive cartridges.  But if you take the time to learn to use a safety razor properly, you’ll save a lot of money in the long run, and will have cleaner, more consistent shaves.

Getting started with Traditional wet shaving with a safety razor and DE blade.