In my case, it’s because I prefer it. Razors are expensive, and who has time to shave anyway? I’ve had a beard off and on since college in the 80s, when it made me look about five years older. Now it makes me look about 10 years younger. I’ll take it. :)
They don't have to be! Dual edge safety razor blades are like $10 for 100. You could splurge ($50 for a nice one, or hundreds for a really nice, probably unnecessarily expensive one) on a nice handle that will last you the rest of your life, or get just about as good a shave with one that costs $10. Heck, if you're lucky you could find some old, nice one at a garage sale that's already been around 70 years, and will easily still be working fine when you're dead. Unfortunately, like just about everything else old and good, they've become a bit trendy, so it might be hard to find deals like you used to be able to.
That's fair. You can get a closer shave with more passes, but that's hard on your skin as well. I can't stand having too much stubble. It gets to a point where it itches like crazy. I pushed through the itchy phase once, and having a beard was alright, but I got some pretty crazy acne underneath it.