- May 19, 2011
- 20,201
- 14,785
- 136
A few years ago I paid about £150 for a cordless electric shaver (it is a 'wet and dry' one, my wife reckoned it would do a far better job). The consumable bit for it costs about £60 for a genuine part or about half the price for an aftermarket (according to the Internet, people can tell the difference in quality between the two) version.
I'd been putting off the purchase for a while now, but then it occurred to me that buying an entirely new shaver rather than paying the cost of consumables is probably cheaper (though I'd want to get something that does the job properly).
I looked up the cost of the consumable bits for the ancient (corded) shaver my dad gave to me which still works and it's only £25. I can't honestly say I notice any difference between the more expensive shaver and the hand-me-down, the new one was very underwhelming when I tried it the first time.
It looks to me that reasonable brand electric shavers can be bought for £25-£30 and upwards.
Admittedly I hate the idea of our throwaway culture (and while consumables are surely part of that same culture, throwing away the entire shaver is logically far worse IMO), but it doesn't make a lot of sense IMO to be paying £60 or so for consumables.
The only problem with the hand-me-down shaver is the mechanical power switch is a bit hit and miss (though it's been working fine for at least a few months now). I suspect at a pinch I could open it up, clean it out near the switch and it might work properly again. Otherwise it does a perfectly decent job IMO, on par with wet shaving IMO (I've never used a cut-throat razor though, just the standard many-blade safety razors).
Another downside for the cordless one is the covering for the waterproof power button has been breaking apart for ages, whether that will translate into power button issues is another question.
What would you do in my position?
I'd been putting off the purchase for a while now, but then it occurred to me that buying an entirely new shaver rather than paying the cost of consumables is probably cheaper (though I'd want to get something that does the job properly).
I looked up the cost of the consumable bits for the ancient (corded) shaver my dad gave to me which still works and it's only £25. I can't honestly say I notice any difference between the more expensive shaver and the hand-me-down, the new one was very underwhelming when I tried it the first time.
It looks to me that reasonable brand electric shavers can be bought for £25-£30 and upwards.
Admittedly I hate the idea of our throwaway culture (and while consumables are surely part of that same culture, throwing away the entire shaver is logically far worse IMO), but it doesn't make a lot of sense IMO to be paying £60 or so for consumables.
The only problem with the hand-me-down shaver is the mechanical power switch is a bit hit and miss (though it's been working fine for at least a few months now). I suspect at a pinch I could open it up, clean it out near the switch and it might work properly again. Otherwise it does a perfectly decent job IMO, on par with wet shaving IMO (I've never used a cut-throat razor though, just the standard many-blade safety razors).
Another downside for the cordless one is the covering for the waterproof power button has been breaking apart for ages, whether that will translate into power button issues is another question.
What would you do in my position?
Electric will never get as close as blade, but it's so much faster and easier.
Facebook
Twitter