Most people wet shave with a can of foam, a cartridge razor and tap water. Whatever works for you. Once I learned how to shave with the safety razor I get close almost irritation free shaves on my face and neck. My face feels great afterwards. That was not the case with cartridges and disposables. I can also skip shaving as long as I like and the safety razor cuts through a couple weeks growth just as well as a couple days worth without clogging. I admit it takes longer to shave and requires learning a basic skill but then I don't have to wait for my face to heal like with multi-blade carts/disposables and I havn't had an ingrown beard hair since I started. After the initial investment in a razor and brush the blades are cheap. My razor was a gift from an uncle. The shaving soap I use is Arko. You can buy a case of Arko sticks for 20 bucks online and its enough for 2 or more years of shaving. A good boar brush is under 15 bucks and will last close to a decade with proper care. I'm shaving pretty cheap and getting better quality shaves. I guess I'm pretentious.