what to blame - holder or blades

Hi-
Sick of (guilt over plastic-laden) multi-blade shaving, i'm now trying old-school double-edge shaving.
Wanting to limit my risk, i cheaped out- went to Walmart and got a Vivitar kit (12 blades + holder, $10!).  I figured, hey- it's a name-brand, how wrong can i go?
It was awful, despite shaving very lightly/cautiously, i got 3 cuts.
My question is: how likely is it that cuts were due to bad razor-holder design, or to lousy blades?  
Given $50 holders, i'd like to keep the holder!!
Thanking respondents in advance...
Infinice in Vancouver.

Skeleton walks into bar, orders beer and mop.

First off welcome to DFS. Most times you get what you pay for. When you say holder and blades did you mean a handle and cartridges? Most of the razors Walmart sells are national brands and some of their own are generics. If you are just starting out shaving I recommend getting a regular double edge razor and blades. Most blades made today are pretty decent. But try to stay away from Chinese made blades. There are vendors on this forum that sell shaving goods including razors. They also have a great selection of blades. Good luck and again welcome.

It took a second - and a mop!

Its really hard to get a decent shave from crappy razors and blades.  You don't have to spend a fortune to get a decent set up.  It looks like youre in Canada so check out one of these guys

www.italianbarber.com
www.fendrihan.ca
www.topofthechain.ca
www.stonefieldshave.com

I've always been a fan of using the Edwin Jager DE89 as a starter razor because its reasonably cheap (under CDN$50) and then getting a sample pack of blades that all of the above vendors carry.  You can get a decent synthetic brush for cheap too although a properly handled $15 Omega boar from Shoppers is good too.  Soap - look at he vendors, theres a ton of great quality soap on the market .  Check out the Merchant section on DFS for ideas

The next main area you have to focus on is prep - face washed and beard softened with a warm facecloth, take your time and apply lather then shave.  If yo9ure just starting out with the DE I'd say take your time to work up to the three pass shave - with / across / against the grain.  If you get irritation try using an alum block after the rinse then apply a nice post shave product.  Again, have a look at the Merchant section for some good ideas.

There is  a ton of information on DFS and also lots of guys who would be happy to give you advice if you like.  Good luck, you're in for a significant improvement,ent in your shaving routine if you are willing to take the time and try some new things.

Marko

I'm assuming he got this...I would get some quality blades at least

Vivitar, well known for cameras and now , I guess, DE razors