Blade Sampler, how many Shaves?

[Poppalou52]

Poppalou52​

I purchased a Blade Sampler that is due any day. The Sampler contains 9 different blades that I am anxious to try.
My question is: how many shaves should I give each Blade? I've read that blades change from shave to shave. More or less sharper, smoother etc. Would 3 shaves with each Blade give me a good idea how they will perform for the long haul. I know that my MMV but I'm just looking for a starting point. As always, thanks for your help and assistance!

 

[NorthernSoul]

I'd agree three shaves is a good number unless you find the blade is a total no-go, in which case don't bother or come back later. Most blades actually improve on the second and third shave, with the exception of Feather.

It might be useful to experiment to see how many shaves you can expect to get from each brand. I will usually get around six to eight shaves. Feather, only three or four. Personna Med Prep, eight to ten.

 

[Dave himself]

I agree with @NorthernSoul. I would give each blade a few shaves to see how it preforms for you, unless it's really bad. I would also put blades that don't work for you now to the side and not throw them in the trash. Sometimes coming back to blades that were terrible can be quite surprising. Good luck and keep us informed on how you get on.

 

[blethenstrom]

You do need a few shaves to get the feel of the blade. I personally try to go for five, but if they are bad I cut them short. that way I get a feel for their longevity as well. I definitely agree with @Dave himself to return to the blade at a later date. I found that when I was fresher in my DE journey my technique was not that good and I would deem blades lacking, but then returning to them 6 months into it they performed just fine.

If you are a beginner I would find a blade that works good for you and then stick with that blade for a while, maybe 6 months and then test out other blades. That way you have time to improve your technique and that not becoming a hinderance. Too much change at once, is in my opinion, not always a good thing. Nowadays I try to test blades as a full tuck worth at 7 days a blade to get feel for a new blade.

 

[BigJ]

I use ‘longevity’ as a criterion to evaluate blades. My approach is to use a blade until I feel ‘tugging,‘ unless the blade is totally useless.

Some blades take a few shaves to reach their stride, then deliver one good shave after another. Some of my favorites are routinely good for 10+ three-pass shaves. Examples include Personna labs (or med preps), GSB and Wizamet SI (or Polsilvers).

Other blades are only good blades for 3-4 comfortable shaves. I classify Feathers in this category.

For me, a ‘top-tier’ blade should deliver at least 7 comfortable shaves. But that’s for me!

 

[steve8111]

Poppalou52​

I purchased a Blade Sampler that is due any day. The Sampler contains 9 different blades that I am anxious to try.
My question is: how many shaves should I give each Blade? I've read that blades change from shave to shave. More or less sharper, smoother etc. Would 3 shaves with each Blade give me a good idea how they will perform for the long haul. I know that my MMV but I'm just looking for a starting point. As always, thanks for your help and assistance!

I would agree that three shaves is a good idea

 

[Frito Ray]

…If you are a beginner I would find a blade that works good for you and then stick with that blade for a while …you have time to improve your technique …

This is very important. It is useless to test blades until to nail down your technique.

Single blade testing isn’t ideal either because you could land on a dud blade.

Horrible blades, you will know right away. Useable blades can be used until tugging, weepers, or excessive aftershave burn becomes evident.

 

[Shoegazer]

There's much talk about "useless" blades, especially in the context of a new blade, right out of the package. I would like to get a better idea of what B&Bers mean by this. So much about shaving is subjective, but the more I hear on a particular topic, the more it is possible to generalize around certain commonalities.

What are the characteristics of a useless blade?

Are there some companies that have a markedly higher incidence of such blades?

What do you think causes a blade to be useless?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Frito Ray]

There's much talk about "useless" blades, especially in the context of a new blade, right out of the package. I would like to get a better idea of what B&Bers mean by this…

If you are talking about dud blades, it just happens sometimes. Last time I purchased a sleeve of 100 Astras, two or three of them were just unusable. Manufacturing defects popup once in a while.

 

[Happy Jack]

Some of my favorites are routinely good for 10+ three-pass shaves. Examples include Personna labs (or med preps), GSB and Wizamet SI (or Polsilvers).

Strangely enough most people who can use blades for 10+ shaves seem to like those particular blades (plus Nacets and a few others). I can only get 3 or 4 good shaves from a DE blade and I don't like any of those mentioned above (I find them all a bit "scratchy"). If anybody can explain why that is I'd love to hear your theory. It's not just sharpness, as I really like Feathers and BIC Chromes.

 

[Happy Jack]

There's much talk about "useless" blades, especially in the context of a new blade, right out of the package. I would like to get a better idea of what B&Bers mean by this. So much about shaving is subjective, but the more I hear on a particular topic, the more it is possible to generalize around certain commonalities.

What are the characteristics of a useless blade?

Are there some companies that have a markedly higher incidence of such blades?

What do you think causes a blade to be useless?

Thanks in advance.

My feeling is that the problem is often something else and people blame it on a rogue blade. I've never noticed am unexpected variation between blades of the same type. I'm not claiming because I've never seen it personally that it never happens, of course.

 

[Shoegazer]

If you are talking about dud blades, it just happens sometimes. Last time I purchased a sleeve of 100 Astras, two or three of them were just unusable. Manufacturing defects popup once in a while.

2-3% YEOW!!!

 

[Shoegazer]

My feeling is that the problem is often something else and people blame it on a rogue blade. I've never noticed am unexpected variation between blades of the same type. I'm not claiming because I've never seen it personally that it never happens, of course.

In my very limited experience there are huge variations in my day-to-day technique, and based on how unimportant a task my shave is, it'll probably always stay that way--if it does not result in copious bloodshed, at which point I start to pay attention.

I've gotten crummy shaves and outstanding shaves from the same blade, in the same razor, only a day apart. I think it's mostly me.

 

[Frito Ray]

2-3% YEOW!!!

100% for German Wilkinson Swords and Bic Chromes, I just don’t get along with those blades. I only had one tuck of each, tried at least 4 blades of each, and just don’t like them. Maybe I had two tucks full of duds, but am not interested in trying them again.

On the contrary, my favorite blade is the Tiger Platinum, which isn’t loved by many folks here.

In total I’ve tried over a dozen brands and all but the first mentioned two are perfectly usable.

 

[mikhou]

I don't know remember the parameters for @dmshaver 's newbie PIFs, but you might keep your eye out and throw your name in the hat when that comes around. I was lucky enough to have my name drawn when I started shaving with a DE razor and he sent me 20 blades. It was a great start to my DE shaving journey.

 

[mikhou]

On the contrary, my favorite blade is the Tiger Platinum, which isn’t loved by many folks here.

My favorite is the Tatra Platinum made in the same factory.

 

[Frito Ray]

My favorite is the Tatra Platinum made in the same factory.

It’s on my list to try as some say it is the exact same blade.

 

[WenC]

I keep using it until it feels like it's dragging. I think my tolerance for "good" is high. I'm on 20th shave with my current Feathers.

 

[pellidon]

I used each blade in my first sampler pack until it tugged excessively, nicked my face or just didn't seem to cut it anymore. I came upon 3 three pass sessions for my beard. Some could go a day or two longer but none past 5. Each of us is different in how our beards respond to blades which can be part of the fun with sample packs. I also found some blades felt like barbed wire on day one but got better on two and three. Must have been the coating. Most of those were Lord Blades.

 

[filedog]

There's much talk about "useless" blades, especially in the context of a new blade, right out of the package. I would like to get a better idea of what B&Bers mean by this. So much about shaving is subjective, but the more I hear on a particular topic, the more it is possible to generalize around certain commonalities.

What are the characteristics of a useless blade?

Are there some companies that have a markedly higher incidence of such blades?

What do you think causes a blade to be useless?

Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't choose the term "useless", I just think of them as blades that don't work for me. The worst so far was the Bic Chrome Platinum. I tried two different blades, for one shave each. It's possible I got a bad batch, there is discussion here about that. The blades seemed very sharp, but not smooth at all, if that makes sense. It felt like the edge wasn't finished properly and was tearing my skin, very unpleasant.
What causes that? They could be a bad batch, or just not a good fit for me. Won't know unless I try them again. Generally, I get good results from the sharpest blades, so it's baffling so far.