I got tired of paying big $$$ for those multi-blade cartridges, so started searching for alternatives. Came across badgerandblade.com as mentioned above and some other sites. Decided to give double edge safety razors a try again. I say again because that's what was available when I first started shaving. Started on cartridges when a sample Gillette Trac II found its way into my college dorm room mailbox.
Anyway, I picked up a Van der Hagen starter pack one day and liked the shave I got. Figured buying blades was less expensive in the long run than the multi-blade cartridges. Picked up a tube of Cremo original and my shaving world changed! I couldn't believe what a difference a good shave cream could make. I was using Edge shave gel up to that point. Not even close. Suddenly I was getting a very close shave with no ingrown hairs on my neck.
Long story short (sorry - already a bit long here..), my daily driver is a Parker 36C that I bought on a bit of a whim. Along with Cremo orignal with a Wilkinson Sword blade made in Germany, that combination works for me. I highly suggest visiting
www.maggardrazors.com. Wonderful small family run business in Adrian, MI. They have everything you could want/need in the way of shaving supplies. Not always the lowest price, but I like to do business with small businesses like this. Great customer service. Anyway, you can order sampler packs of blades and creams/soaps.
All beards are different, so what's good for mine may not be good for yours. Experiment until you find one that works for you. For blades, if you read reviews, you can get a sense of how the blade handles different types of beards. So you can narrow your search and order appropriate trial packs.
Good luck and fun on your journey!