It's not for everyone, but the straight razor AND a five pack of cartridges cost me about $14....As long as you keep the blade covered between shaves, (the name of the brand is Fromm) and you use it ONLY on yourself, you can get a good 7 to 10 shaves before changing the blade. They're good on the scalp, but dangerous to use on the face.....But based on mine and others opinions, only use a straight razor at your own risk.
I haven't tried straight razors... But i heard from my peers that it can give you the smoothness you want... I guess I will try if i get one good straight razor in my hand.
My Sly is a compromise between cost, time, and safety. The reason King Gillette made a fortune was that the use of a straight razor is a delicate matter balancing the shave effect versus the slash effect. Yes, yes, I'm sure practice makes perfect, but--it's only a shave, and (come on, guys!) nearly any razor will do a perfectly fine job, and Ming is perfectly happy with his seventy-year old safety razor. So why add the whiff of danger to one's day when you can wimp out with a safety? Ming gets enough danger on the road to work.
...think I'll wimp out, too.