Well, if this is any help, it's definitely the frugal way to shave, short of a straight razor and leather strop. My DH was in the military many years ago before we met, served in Bosnia, and has both heavy whiskers and sensitive skin, enough so that he was given a special "chit" (not sure what a chit is) to exempt him from daily shaving because it caused him to break out so badly... he was allowed to do it every other day so his face wouldn't be hamburger. He found that shaving with a razor alternating with electric shaver worked best for the skin, but these days, for frugality, he uses the old-fashioned "safety razor" where you twist it to open up the hatch and drop in double-edged razor blades as needed. By twisting the handle, you can tighten the way the holder bends the razor blade. Looser leaves it more straight, and more likely to cut you, and tighter bends it, so that it hits your face at more of an angle, which is safer and more comfortable. We bought ours at Walmart a few years ago, not sure if they still carry them, and we still find the dispensors of double-edged blades at Walmart and elsewhere, so there must be others using them. A perk is, they don't clog as quickly as disposable razors and will shave an overgrown beard (or leg hair) more easily.
Here's a website with a lot of exclusive safety razors and supplies, including a more affordable one by Weishi, but still too expensive imho:
http://www.nashvilleknifeshop.com/merkur-safety-razors-html.html
and here's one featuring many of the same brands, looks cheaper, but still not as cheap as the $5 Walmart Gillette butterfly top safety razor I bought years ago. Who knows, maybe those are out of production? Well even at $20, one of these would pay for itself in a few months over disposable plastic ones, and a better shave to boot. http://www.amazingshaving.com/page/amsh/CTGY/sar
good luck and I hope this helps!
