ConsumerWatch: How To Make Razors Last Longer

It's an expensive necessity most men can't get away from - buying razors. There are some clever ways to beat the seemingly common price hikes.

Jeff  Hagen purchased a three-year supply when he feared his favorite razor was about to be updated.

"I went to Costco and I bought a huge inventory," he said. His purchase was a total of 160 Gillette Mach 3 blades. An investment he said was well worth it. "I didn't want to be forced with an upgrade that came with a considerable cost increase. So my view was, 'I'm going to circumvent that and sort of beat the system'," he said.

Hagen is beating the system at the right time. Just a few months ago both shaving industry giants, Gillette and Schick, launched a new line of razors that claim to give a better shave.

Hagen isn't the only one feeling nicked over the fast changes and rising costs. Jose Perez also shaves with a Gillette Mach 3 and he said one blade is good for two shaves. He spends about $20 a month for a pack of 8 blades.

"I just don't get it," he said. "They were affordable and now it seems the last 5 years they just went up." 

Hagen has found another way to beat the blade industry. It's a special oil that extends the blade's lifespan.

Stan Ades with Pacific Shaving Company said after doing a study he and a group of researches found what dulls a blade.

"We found that it's not so much the active shaving that dulls the razor blade," Ades said. "It's more the oxidation and the exposure to air which corrodes the razor blades."

Ades said the oil is made from safe and natural ingredients and should be applied to the razor after each use. Don't worry about oil buildup.

Ades said once the water hits the razor, the oil will glide right off. At $10 a tube, the oil claims to expand the blades lifespan by 95 percent. For Hagen that's a small price to pay to turn a three-year supply to a six-year supply.

Another trick making its way around the internet is to rub the razor backwards 10 times on the arm. Supposedly the skin acts like an old-fashioned leather strop.