Grooming Calculators
Safety razor vs cartridge.
Put your current razor next to the one you are thinking about. Enter blade prices, blade life and what each handle costs. The tool shows the yearly saving, the saving after 5 years and how many months the new handle takes to pay for itself. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
Two setups
Which costs less
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
You shave 7 times a week (365.25 shaves a year). Setup A: cartridges at $3.00 each, 5 shaves each, no handle cost, no extras = $219.15 a year. Setup B: a $30 safety razor with $0.50 blades lasting 5 shaves = $36.53 a year. Saving = $182.63 a year. Payback = $30 / $182.63 x 12 = about 2 months; after 5 years you are $883 ahead.
How it works
Each setup is priced the same way as the shaving cost per year calculator: running cost per year = shaves per year x (blade price / shaves per blade + extra per shave). Saving per year = current running cost minus alternative running cost.
Payback months = (alternative handle cost - current handle cost) / saving per year x 12. If the alternative is cheaper to buy and to run, there is nothing to pay back. If it costs more to run each year, it never pays back and the tool says so.
Blade life is the most uncertain input. Run the numbers with a low and a high value to see how much it moves the answer. This compares money only, not closeness, comfort or irritation.
Sources and basis (checked 2026-10-05): arithmetic on the numbers you enter. No prices or blade lifetimes are assumed.
FAQ
Is a safety razor cheaper than a cartridge razor?
Usually the blades are far cheaper per shave, so yes after the handle is paid for. The exact answer depends on your own prices and blade life, which is why you enter them.
How long until a safety razor pays for itself?
Extra handle cost divided by the yearly saving, times 12. With a $30 handle and $183 a year saved, about 2 months.
What if I do not know my blade life?
Try 3, 5 and 7 shaves and compare. If the answer only flips at an unlikely value, the decision is safe.
Can I compare an electric shaver?
Yes. Enter the shaver price as the handle cost, a replacement head as the blade price and the shaves each head lasts, and 0 for foam.
Does this include the cost of getting nicks and irritation?
No. It compares money only.