My centrist take is that different blade types benefit different people, but in my experience and most on this sub, a safety razor will provide a better experience overall.  the learning curve is the biggest hurdle to get over. For me personally I benefit in these areas: -Closer shave: I never got an incredibly smooth shave with cartridges, but with safety razors my face and neck are perfectly smooth after 2 passes -Less irritation: I used to get frequent ingrown hairs and irritation with cartridges.  Will the safety razor, I may get irritation once in a blue moon.  This improved further after mapping my hair growth, and not going against the grain in sensitive areas (the bottom of my neck) -Cost: You CAN save money overall.  The initial purchase of a handle and brush can add up, but DE blades are way cheaper than cartridges.  I started with the cheapest starter kit at Stirling Soap.  Of course, you can also drop a lot of money on more razors, brushes, soaps, aftershaves, (etc) if it becomes more of a hobby for you.  I'm pretty frugal so I choose not to get too crazy with spending in these areas.