Men's Life Today: Expert Q+A

I've always used disposables in the interest of cost savings. But my girlfriend says a cartridge razor is ultimately more economical. Is she right?

Girlfriend wins this one. Replacement cartridge razors are more economical (not to mention better for the environment). Here’s my math: Per unit, cartridges cost about 30 cents less than disposable razors. Assume that the average male shaves every other day (182 days per year) and that a razor blade, on average, is used for three shaves. That means he uses approximately 60 razors per year. In other words, he can save upwards of $18 a year by switching from disposables to cartridge replacements, which definitely makes up for the cost of the reusable razor (a starter pack with 2 cartridge razor blades costs about $8.50). The savings may not seem like a lot, but when you consider you’ll be shaving for many decades to come, switching to a reusable could potentially score you a sweet new audio system. -- As told to Caroline Kinneberg