While some aspects of traditional vs electric shaving can’t be objectively quantified — be it comfort, the closeness of the shave, or practicality — we can (sort of) present the costs and savings in an unbiased manner.
So let’s talk money.
A little background story first.
The author of this article uses an electric shaver. Chances are you are too (or at least contemplating the idea) since you ended up on this website.
Other men prefer to shave the way most of our fathers and grandfathers did in the old days — and I say most since electric razors are not as recent as one might think.
My shaving journey started during my teenage years with a Gillette Mach 3 and some canned goo. The results were a disaster.
I started educating myself and moved to a safety razor and better shaving products.
The results improved significantly, but shaving was still far from an enjoyable experience. As a last resort, I tried an electric razor.
Things didn’t go so smooth in the beginning, but eventually the improvements in my technique and the use of more suitable electric razors for my sensitive skin finally made a difference and I’m currently a happy camper.
Comfort and convenience aside, another significant difference that resulted from me switching to electric shaving was related to costs.
But let’s see exactly what that means.
What are the typical costs of buying and using an electric shaver?
It’s important to note that dry and wet electric shaving imply different costs; for example, there’s no need for shaving creams if you shave dry.
On the other hand, you won’t be using a pre-electric lotion for your wet shave. For these reasons, we will analyze them separately.
Also, electric shavers that come with a cleaning station imply additional costs for the cartridges and higher costs for the initial purchase, so again they will be depicted separately.
Let’s take a look at the costs to be expected for each different scenario.
Dry electric shaving costs
- Electric shaver (no cleaning station): 1 x Braun Series 3 3040s
- Replacement blades/foil: 1 x 32b Replacement Head
- Electric shaver with Cleaning & Charging station: 1x Braun Series 3 3050cc
- Replacement blades/foil: 1 x 32b Replacement Head
- Cleaning cartridges 1 year supply: 1 x Braun Clean & Renew Refills pack of 4
- Pre-shave products 1 year supply (optional): 6 x Williams Lectric Shave
- After-shave balm 1 year supply (optional): 2 x Nivea Post Shave Balm pack of 3
Let’s see how these costs add up over one and three years.
Dry shaving costs (no cleaning station):
| Item | Costs for the first year | Costs over 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Electric Shaver (no cleaning station) | $50 | $50 |
| Replacement foils and blades | - | $50 |
| TOTAL (bare basics) | $50 | $100 |
| Optionals | ||
| Pre-shave products – 1 year supply (Optional) | $15 | $45 |
| After-shave balm – 1 year supply (Optional) | $30 | $90 |
| TOTAL | $95 | $235 |
Dry shaving costs (cleaning cartridges and station included):
| Item | Costs for the first year | Costs over 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Electric Shaver with Cleaning & Charging station | $100 | $100 |
| Replacement foils and blades | - | $50 |
| Cleaning cartridges – 1 year supply | $20 | $60 |
| TOTAL (bare basics) | $120 | $210 |
| Optionals | ||
| Pre-shave products – 1 year supply (Optional) | $15 | $45 |
| After-shave balm – 1 year supply (Optional) | $30 | $90 |
| TOTAL | $165 | $345 |
Takeaway: for dry shaving, we’re looking at anywhere from $100 for just the shaver and replacements all the way to $345 for the whole shebang over the course of 3 years.
Wet electric shaving costs
- Electric shaver, Wet & Dry use, no cleaning station
- Replacement blades/foil
- Electric shaver with Cleaning & Charging station, Wet & Dry use
- Replacement blades/foil
- Cleaning cartridges (1 year supply)
- Shaving cream (1 year supply)
- Shaving brush (optional)
- After-shave balm 1 year supply (optional)
Let’s now see how these costs add up.
Wet electric shaving costs (no cleaning station):
| Item | Costs for the first year | Costs over 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Electric Shaver (no cleaning station) | $50 | $50 |
| Replacement foils and blades | - | $50 |
| Shaving cream – 1 year supply | $30 | $90 |
| TOTAL (bare basics) | $80 | $190 |
| Optionals | ||
| After-shave balm – 1 year supply (Optional) | $30 | $90 |
| Shaving brush (optional) | $10 | $10 |
| TOTAL | $120 | $290 |
Wet electric shaving costs (cleaning cartridges and station included):
| Item | Costs for the first year | Costs over 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Electric Shaver with Cleaning & Charging station | $130 | $130 |
| Replacement foils and blades | - | $74 |
| Cleaning cartridges – 1 year supply | $28 | $56 |
| Shaving cream – 1 year supply | $30 | $90 |
| TOTAL (bare basics) | $188 | $350 |
| Optionals | ||
| After-shave balm – 1 year supply (Optional) | $30 | $90 |
| Shaving brush (optional) | $10 | $10 |
| TOTAL | $228 | $450 |
Takeaway: for wet shaving, the costs over a three year period start at $190 for just the shaver, replacements and shaving cream and can go up to $450, all included.
Necessary disclaimer
It’s important to clarify several important aspects:
- The numbers presented above reflect what yours truly believes to be a relevant selection of products and scenarios for most men out there. We are all different and we have different shaving habits. Some of us shave daily, others shave every other day; some prefer to spend more or less on razors and creams and some don’t use creams at all. There is a great deal of variety of use cases and it’s obvious that we can only address the most common ones.
- The cost estimates are based on average prices from large retailers and will include popular products from their respective categories. For example, Proraso is a very popular choice as far as shaving creams go, while Braun Series 3 is a reasonably priced and popular electric razor. It comes in variants that are suitable for various use cases, like wet & dry or dry only operation; there are also models that come with a clean & charge station.
- Since all the shaving methods that we’ll analyze imply very different up-front costs, it’s fair to present these costs over longer periods. An electric shaver means a high initial purchase price, so the costs for the first year won’t accurately reflect the costs in the long run for the years to come. Given proper care, an electric razor will last for many years. For the sake of this comparison, I consider 3 years to be a relevant period (even though you’ll likely use a good electric razor for a longer time).
- Shaving creams, pre-shave products, and cleaning cartridges are optional for electric shaving and they are depicted accordingly.
- The prices presented in this article are subject to change from the moment of writing.
How does electric shaving compare to traditional shaving in terms of costs?
In order to put things into perspective, we will compare electric shaving to (traditional) wet shaving.
Moreover, we will take into account the costs of both mass-market shaving (multi-blade cartridges, pressurized foam, etc.) and traditional wet shaving (DE razors, quality shaving creams, etc.).
If you want to see a more in-depth analysis on the costs of mass-market and traditional wet shaving, I highly recommend Mike Sandoval’s excellent article on classicshaving.com.
Mass-market shaving costs
- Multi-blade cartridge razor: $10
- Cartridges (8 count): 4 x $25 = $100
- Shave gel, canned (6 count): 2 x $19 = $38
- After-shave balm: $30
| Item | Costs for the first year | Costs over 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-blade cartridge razor | $10 | $10 |
| Cartridges 1 year supply | $100 | $300 |
| Shaving gel 1 year supply | $38 | $114 |
| After-shave balm 1 year supply | $30 | $90 |
| TOTAL | $178 | $514 |
Traditional wet shaving costs
- DE razor: $30
- DE blades (100 count) – 1 year supply: $20
- Shaving brush: $10
- Shaving cream – 1 year supply: $30
- Aftershave balm – 1 year supply: $30
| Item | Costs for the first year | Costs over 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Safety razor | $30 | $30 |
| DE blades (100 count) - 1 year supply | $20 | $60 |
| Shaving brush | $10 | $10 |
| Shaving cream - 1 year supply | $30 | $90 |
| After shave balm - 1 year supply | $30 | $90 |
| TOTAL | $120 | $280 |
Putting it all together
Now that we’ve covered pretty much all the use cases, let’s see how they compare to each other in terms of costs.
| Dry shaving costs (no cleaning station) | Dry shaving costs (cleaning cartridges and station included) | Wet electric shaving costs (no cleaning station) | Wet electric shaving costs (cleaning cartridges and station included) | Mass-market shaving costs | Traditional wet shaving costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 – $235 | $210 – $345 | $190 – $ 290 | $350 – $450 | $514 | $280 |
Looking at the master table above, I think it’s safe to make the following observations:
- Wet shaving with mass-market products will likely cost more than any other option. This is mainly due to the obscenely high price of the refill cartridge blades. There are other disadvantages as well, but this article is solely focused on the financial aspect.
- Electric shaving will be the most economical option for the vast majority of men — especially when compared to mass-market shaving. Also, most men that use an electric razor only shave dry. Again, one of the main reasons for switching to electric shaving is ditching the shaving creams and the associated hassle. As a result, there are no additional costs with shaving creams or brushes. Moreover, dry only shavers also tend to be less expensive, so the initial investment is smaller.
- The increase in expenses with electric shaving has to do with a higher purchase price of the shaver — that only applies in the first year — or the addition of a cleaning station, which again is a convenient feature that only some will pay extra to have it. And even so you can get away with as little as $210 over three years and that’s including the razor, replacement blades and cleaning cartridges. Compared to ~ $500, that’s quite a difference. Costs go up a bit in the case of wet shaving ($190 to $350), but still well bellow mass-market shaving. Just make sure to do a bit of research beforehand and definitely check out our tips for buying an electric razor the smart way.
- Traditional wet shaving, with quality shaving cream, double edge razors and shaving brushes can also be a very economical option. But as a former wet shaver myself, I can tell you with enough certainty that no wet shaving enthusiast can settle for a cheap brush for example. Or just one razor. Or just one tub of Proraso and inexpensive aftershave when there are so many wonderful products out there. The costs will easily add up to a few hundreds of dollars per year more.
Conclusion
As I said at the beginning of this article, after trying pretty much everything that’s out there, it comes as no surprise to me that electric shaving is, in the majority of cases, the most economical solution.
Again, there will be situations where things will be different, like buying premium-priced razors and accessories; and that’s fine too since we are all different and have different needs and budgets.
What matters even more is your personal well-being. Shaving is such an integral part of our lifestyle as men that it makes a lot of sense to try and make it as enjoyable as possible.
Many men hate shaving because it causes them a great deal of discomfort and pain.
And sadly, the use of cartridge blades and poor quality products is still the most popular way of shaving. And as we’ve seen from the tables above, this is not just bad for your skin, but for your wallet as well.
Apart from a less steep learning curve when compared to traditional shaving (with a DE or straight razor), there really isn’t any compelling reason to use multi-blade cartridge razors and canned gels.
I suppose you could argue that there is less work to be done — no shaving mugs or lathering.
But then again, electric shaving gets rid of that altogether, costs less and you’ll be saving more than money in the long run. Give it a try.
I’ve been shaving for 50 years. The costs shown for dry electric shaver are high. A rechargeable electric shaver costs about $100 and lasts for 3 to 5 years. The shaving head is cleaned with a brush. After 3 to 5 years (or more), another electric shaver is purchased, usually when batteries fail. New replacement head/blades were purchases only once for about $20. The costs for dry electric shaving for 3 to 5 years should be $100 plus a dollar or two for electricity.
My father has used an electric razor as long as I remember. When I began shaving, he got me a corded electric razor and on we went. For a brief time when I was 19, I used a manual razor. I’d occasionally cut myself, but not too often. But it quickly became an inconvenience. I was always out of blades or shaving cream and so I’d use my electric razor as a fallback. After several months of this, I just abandoned manual shaving and have been electric ever since. I got my current Li-Ion cordless razor in 2014 and it’s still working fine. Every year or so I spend $50 on new shave heads.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. The replacement head is a bit on the pricy side, but most of the top-tier shavers from the big brands require new heads that cost more or less the same.
Sincerely,
Ovidiu