Should I be using one blade for multiple shaves?

[NorthernSoul]

Interesting, news to me!
Is this something certain?
We had previously discussed this on another thread at some point. And what I recall was that straight stainless blades had no coating.

There are very few blades that are not coated with Teflon. These are made of carbon steel, such as the Treet Black Beauty blades. Treet also makes some carbon steel blades with Teflon, though, such as the Dura Sharps.

In general, if a blade is made of stainless steel, it is coated with Teflon, at least. You can't really go by the labeling. Even if it doesn't say "Platinum" or "Chrome", etc. there's a coating of some kind. Maybe the coating doesn't cause you problems.

It’s only a blade-on-blade scratch to verify if your stainless blades are coated with PTFE or air.

So far as I know (which isn’t much), Personna Accutec 95-0068 are uncoated stainless.

Those particular blades are carbon steel, according to the catalog. You can get uncoated stainless GEM blades, but these are made for utility knives, not for shaving with.

 

[Brutus]

So far as I know (which isn’t much), Personna Accutec 95-0068 are uncoated stainless.

Wouldn’t be surprised, because Accutec blades are primarily intended for medical use, aren’t they?
It’s just us shaving geeks who misappropriate them for other uses.


B.

 

[DesertIguana]

No boiler plate answer, everyone’s skin, beard, and growth pattern is different.

Shaving is trail and error, what blade do you use?

All the answer you might have got are right for person replying.

 

[thombrogan]

Those particular blades are carbon steel, according to the catalog.

@NorthernSoul , I was looking at these bad boys:



@Gururajan ,

It really is an issue of personal comfort as to how long you use the same blade so long as you keep it clean and dry between uses and are the only person it touches.

 

[thombrogan]

Wouldn’t be surprised, because Accutec blades are primarily intended for medical use, aren’t they?
It’s just us shaving geeks who misappropriate them for other uses.


B.

I thought their medically intended blades are coated, too. They’re just using less PTFE than their “Comfort Coated” blade and charge more money.

The one I referenced was for industrial use. Edit See the “medical,” too. Ruins the line below:

I take it someone will start using the uncoated stainless Personnas and start bragging their whiskers are so tough they need industrial use blades to get a decent shave.

 

[Brutus]

I take it someone will start using the uncoated stainless Personnas and start bragging their whiskers are so tough they need industrial use blades to get a decent shave.

That would be only one step away from using wire cutters because “my beard is as strong as copper wire”.

image courtesy thesweethome.com

From a 59 year old male, grey beard, after his daily shave.



B.

 

[NorthernSoul]

@NorthernSoul , I was looking at these bad boys...

OK, those are usually sold for medical/industrial use.

I have some double-edge Personna Med Prep blades, SKU 74-0002, that are really good to shave with. These have a coating, though.

 

[LRod]

I'm guessing then that the allergy I had was another coating that affected me. I no longer have the issue.
And I take back then my original response to the OP (the part of uncoated blades that aren't really uncoated).

 

[nlife]

According to a review on Refined Edge, Kai blades are not coated.

"I could not find any information online regarding if and what the coating is, however I contacted the Kai Group and they confirmed that these DE razor blades are not coated."

Kai Razor Blade Review

The Kai DE Razor Blade is very popular with a lot of fanfare. I was very excited when the Kai Razor Blade was voted to be tested next. Kai razor blades seem to have a similar hype as Feather razor …

www.refinedshave.com

I'm not sure what it is either, but some stainless blades really don't work for me. Astra SS and RK come to mind. I couldn't even get through the first pass with the RK blades since they lot me on fire.

 

[gpjoe]

Most blades improve on the second shave, believe it or not. The coating applied at the factory has a chance to wear down a bit.

Depending on the blade, your razor, soaps, etc. you could get 4 or more shaves. I usually get 6-8. Some people get much more. Just experiment -- keep using the blade until it begins not to give you good results. It is a good idea to rinse the blade well between shaves. I make sure mine can air-dry.

This ^^^

I go 5-6 shaves. I could do more but shaving every other day my blade usage is approximately 35 blades per year. At that rate my stock of blades will last at least 40 years.

Some do 1 shave, some do 100. You'll need to decide what works best for you based on performance/comfort, economy, etc.

 

[thombrogan]

@Brutus , every time I force the blade through my copper-like whiskers into my skin, I’m reminded my skin is sensitive, too.

@NorthernSoul , the good news is you’re having Happy Razor Fun Time despite the fluorinated coating.

 

[Wgg2017]

Don't have any mind-blowing insights to add that haven't already been discussed; my experience is like many here.

1. Blades are best on shaves 2-6. After that, some can get a little sketchy. Still, some give great results up through 10-12 shaves.

2. I've never used a blade that was only good for 1 shave. To me that's a defective blade.

3. My whiskers are thick but my beard isn't particularly full.

4. Experiment and find out what works for you. Use a blade until its utter garbage and go from there.

 

[lasta]

According to a review on Refined Edge, Kai blades are not coated.

"I could not find any information online regarding if and what the coating is, however I contacted the Kai Group and they confirmed that these DE razor blades are not coated."

Kai Razor Blade Review

The Kai DE Razor Blade is very popular with a lot of fanfare. I was very excited when the Kai Razor Blade was voted to be tested next. Kai razor blades seem to have a similar hype as Feather razor …

www.refinedshave.com

I'm not sure what it is either, but some stainless blades really don't work for me. Astra SS and RK come to mind. I couldn't even get through the first pass with the RK blades since they lot me on fire.

Just in case anyone didn't read through this very informative thread:

Scanning Electron Microscope Blade Edge Images

I've been brushing up on my SEM skills at work over the last few day and decided to bring in some razor blades to practice with this morning. I ran 6 different Gillette blades at 150X magnification and thought some of you may be interested in these results. I have a ton of different blades and...

www.badgerandblade.com

Pretty much all blades are Chrome coated too.

 

[BigJ]

Most blades improve on the second shave, believe it or not. The coating applied at the factory has a chance to wear down a bit…

+1! Some of my favorite blades, for example Personna labs, require a few shaves to really hit their stride. Then they may go for another 10+ comfortable, close shaves. If I change too soon, I would miss the best part of the blade’s performance. YMMV for sure, especially with blades!!

 

[Rosseforp]

On the subject of coating cutting edges, you can still get un-coated carbide cutting tools for machine shop use too. The coatings we have these days pretty much made them obsolete. I would venture to say the same thing goes with razor blades.

~doug~

 

[DEgeezer]

My view has always been that DE shavers who unnecessarily toss a blade after the first shave don’t know what they are missing.


B.

I completely agree. In my experience most blades that I use are at least as comfortable the second or third shave, as they were the first, and some are noticeably more so.