Electric Shaver or Razor Blade: Which Should You Buy and Why?

Electric Shaver or Razor Blade: Which Should You Buy and Why?

Naked Armor

With all the new technologies available for male grooming, it’s understandable that one can get confused with what to use.

Published by Naked Armor

In the shaving industry, for instance, there’s a lot of products and tools being marketed. In the cacophony of the marketplace, it’s easy to be overwhelmed to the point of not being able to buy anything.

The shaving industry is a booming market and despite recent reports that the American market has shrunk because more male millennials are growing out their beards, the prognosis for the rest of the world market is still positive. That’s because even in beard-loving countries like India, there are still lots of demand for grooming products. Having a beard is no excuse to not groom. One needs to use a shaving tool regularly in order to make it look awesome.

So if you’re looking for a tool to help maintain your beard or shave off the unruly, wayward whiskers, you might be confused between an electric shaver or a razor blade. In this post, we’re going to break it down for you to help you decide which of the two would be the best pick for you.

What’s an Electric Shaver and a Razor Blade?
Benefits and Pitfalls of an Electric Shaver
Benefits and Pitfalls of a Razor Blade
Which Should You Buy and Why?

What’s an Electric Shaver and a Razor Blade?

An electric razor is a razor with a rotating or oscillating blade. As the name suggests, it is powered by electricity coming from batteries or an AC/DC outlet. The earliest model was released to the market in 1930 by Jacob Schick.

There are three kinds of electric razor—it can be a clipper, foil, or rotary. Clippers work by sending a series of serrated blades buzzing side-to-side which cuts the hair in a sideways motion. Foil razors, meanwhile, have a thin layer of foil which covers the oscillating blades—this has two purposes. The first is to help lift the hair away from the skin so that it can be cut neatly. The second is to limit blade-on-skin contact. Finally, rotary razors have three to four rotating heads which work by lifting the hair away from the face and cutting it inside one of the rotating components.

Razor blades, on the other hand, have been around since the dawn of civilization. Beginning with the simple copper blades used by ancient Mesopotamians, razor blades evolved along with modern civilization. Today’s razor blades come in three types: the plastic cartridge disposable, double-edged blades used by safety razors, and the single-edged blade by straight razors.

Benefits and Pitfalls of an Electric Shaver

The best reason for using an electric shaver is that it’s fast and convenient.

Because they roll up the skin, forcing hairs up before cutting them, one does not need to go over the same area for a second time.

You also don’t need to prepare lather because the electric shaver can work as well as a dry shaver.

It also costs 30x less energy when compared to a disposable cartridge.

An electric razor runs on 5-6 watts consuming 0.35 kilowatt-hours a year. In comparison, dudes using a disposable razor use a quart of hot water, using 10.4 kilowatt-hours a year.

The downside to convenience is that it doesn’t give a close shave as much as a razor blade. Because of the nature of its blades, you can’t cut close to the hair follicle. It therefore leads to a 5 o'clock shadow appearing sooner.

You also have to make sure that the batteries are fully charged because it runs on electricity. Otherwise, it will die in the middle of the shave and the results will look laughable. That said, an electric shaver that needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet is also not of much use as a portable, travelling shaver.

It’s also loud and heavy, although recent models have been lighter and quieter.

Benefits and Pitfalls of a Razor Blade

A razor blade is more reliable in giving you a very close shave for a longer period of time.

That’s because you can manually control the blade to cut closer to the skin, making it perfect for shaving intimate areas. It also has another added benefit: the blade friction can exfoliate the skin to get rid of the dead follicles.

But in order to achieve this result, you would have to prep up your whiskers with lather and that means investing in lathering products.

Using a razor blade also means that you need to shave your hair slowly and gently. This isn’t necessarily a downside as the ritual of shaving can actually be beneficial for your mental health. There’s a meditative aspect to a wet shaving routine, especially when done regularly each morning before you start the day.

It is also more cost-efficient than an electric shaver. Like most machines, an electric shaver will often need to be replaced with a new model as it depreciates over the years. In contrast, razor blades-particularly straight razors-can actually be long term investments because they acquire value as heirloom pieces over time.

Using a straight razor is the best way to help save the environment from global warming. Because when you use a straight razor, you definitely won’t use electrical energy, the production of which can produce carbon emissions.

— D'Rock, Naked Armor Founder

Which Should You Buy and Why?

If you want something that’s reliable and easier on the budget for a long time, then you should get a razor blade.

Razor blades stay extremely sharp for optimal shaving for longer periods of time. They are not prone to periodic design trends; the basic modern design templates for safety and straight razors, in particular, are still the same since they were first produced in the 19th century. They also give reliable awesome results.

In particular, you would want to pick a straight razor. Among all the three razor blade types, only the straight razor can truly give you a close shave. It’s also versatile because its single blade can be used easily for all kinds of shaving angles.

Using one is also the best way to help save the environment from global warming. Because when you use a straight razor, you definitely won’t use electrical energy, the production of which can produce carbon emissions.

Naked Armor Razor Blade

Here at Naked Armor, we’re extremely proud of our luxury straight razor blades.

Not only are they made of world-class Japanese stainless steel and rare timber hardwood, but their blade design is between a full hollow and a half hollow grind. This makes our straight razors versatile for any kind of shaving or trimming needs. So you don’t only have a luxury heirloom piece, but you also have a kick-ass razor that meets your needs.

Check our site to see more of our razors.

Read Next

How to Get a Close Shave with a Straight Razor


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.