Dull blade risk?

[I Like it Shaved]

Hey guys, I saw several times that people on the forum mentioned not "risking" shaving with a dull blade. What's the risk involved? I figured that it would be dull, you would realize, and change up the blade. I haven't had a chance to test this because I'm anxious to get through my first blade sampler, but it would be good to know.


Thanks

[mattbikes1]

A dull blade is not going to cut the hair as well so you will end up with more irritation and a greater chance of ingrown hairs. A blade life depends mostly on how coarse your facial hair is and which type of blade it is. Very much a YMMV situation. If you notice a tugging feeling or you are getting irritation from the pass, and your angle and pressure are correct, it is best to load a new blade.

[SiBurning]

Not much risk. You should be able to tell pretty quick, so it's not like you have to go through 4 full passes. Maybe it makes sense for a beginner to just stick to some formula like use the blade twice until they can tell by the feel on their face.

I do have a rule about not using a blade I drop. If the razor falls, the blade gets tossed. It's too easy to nick the blade in a way that will scratch and cut the face immediately on contact, but it's not something you can easily see with the naked eye. This, I won't risk.

[miamimoe]

The risk of a dull blade is that you will apply more pressure and take more passes to get a shave which leads to irritation and razor burn. The added pressure may also cause more nicks, etc.

After having gone through the 9 different blades in my pack, I have come to the conclusion that 3 shaves per blade is it for me.

[flycbyrd]

If the blade is dull it can catch in the hair and will cause, in grown hair,and razor burn, you will not get an effective shave,and you can get bad nicks or even cuts. I would say shave 3 x and throw away. 3 times is a very safe number.

[Go West Young Man]

The biggest risk is that you only realize after you shave that you had pushed that blade a bit too far, and by then you're already suffering from burn/irritation. It's not always immediately apparent that the blade needs changing, especially for newbies.

[Unknownsoldier]

Shaving with a dull blade increases the risk of knicks and knicks that will keep bleeding (knicks from a razor sharp razor will stop in a matter of seconds/minutes, from a dull blade are more like tears [on a microscopic level] and will take longer to stop), and the ingrown hairs thing....

Tom

[taffy]

This comes with your general shaving experiance, like others have said, a dull blade does not cut so good so you tend to apply more pressure to the razor which can cause irritation and a nick or 2 so far better to dump the blade and pop a new blade in.

[Unknownsoldier]

for </> 10 cents a blade is it worth trying to force one more shave out?

[summit_4000]

I am recovering from the effects of a dull blade today. Yesterday I decided against my better judgement to use a Merkur blade on 3 days of growth. I had the blade for a while, and I guess trying to be frugal, I loaded it up. Big mistake. It was tugging but I decided to fight my way through it. Besides some razor burn , I ended up with a nice cut above my lip when, because of using too much pressure, the blade 'skipped' on a patch and landed sideways. Ouch. It is the first time I had to use a styptic pencil in a very long time.

Lesson learned. A sharp blade not only cuts better, but is safer too.

[I Like it Shaved]

for </> 10 cents a blade is it worth trying to force one more shave out?

Definitely not, I was just curious as to which risks were involved.

[I Like it Shaved]

I shaved with a Red Pack Personna yesterday (3rd shave on it) and I ended up with a bit more irritation than usual. I guess 2 shaves is the magic number with Personnas.

[flycbyrd]

I shaved with a Red Pack Personna yesterday (3rd shave on it) and I ended up with a bit more irritation than usual. I guess 2 shaves is the magic number with Personnas.

and when you use different blades you will find out that they have there own numbers, like treets i could get 4 def out of them, and so far astra is my fav i have tried, to each his own

[Gray Wolf]

If I use a dull or poor blade, my face tells me about it for the next 3 days!

[Gammon]

I am recovering from the effects of a dull blade today. Yesterday I decided against my better judgement to use a Merkur blade on 3 days of growth. I had the blade for a while, and I guess trying to be frugal, I loaded it up. Big mistake. It was tugging but I decided to fight my way through it. Besides some razor burn , I ended up with a nice cut above my lip when, because of using too much pressure, the blade 'skipped' on a patch and landed sideways. Ouch. It is the first time I had to use a styptic pencil in a very long time.

Lesson learned. A sharp blade not only cuts better, but is safer too.

+1!

Do as I say, not as I do! If you start to feel like the blade is dull, put the razor down immediately! My best advice is to clean up, put everything away, and come back later with a new blade, preferably tomorrow. I had a brand new Merkur go dull after one pass with 1 day growth, and I went against my better judgement and did 5 passes (trying to get some of that hair to cut:cursing:). I'm really paying for it today! No cuts (!) but severe razor burn.

[Geordon]

In short, ANY dull blade (razor, knife, etc) runs the risk of causing the user to apply an excessive amount of pressure in order to get the desired cutting action. This added pressure can cause the blade to slip away from the desired cutting location, risking a rather unpleasant gash.

Additionally, as has already been mentioned, a duller blade will more likely tear rather than actually cut, resulting in blade drag and uneven edges.

his being said, the LOTH doesn't like when I sharpen her kitchen knives. She says that I make them "too sharp. Then again, I've caught her cutting up veg for dinner with a butterknife before. :cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::angry::angry: :angry::angry:

[flycbyrd]

the LOTH doesn't like when I sharpen her kitchen knives. She says that I make them "too sharp. Then again, I've caught her cutting up veg for dinner with a butterknife before. :cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::angry::angry: :angry::angry:

hahaha. well thats just like a woman; contradicting..... But seriously those butter knives can be very dangerous, when we were younger my little brother tried to cut open a banana with one and he ended up cutting through the web between his thumb an pointer finger all the way to the center of his palm. He had bad nerve and tendon damage. his hand still isnt completely working correctly as some of his fingers cant bend well at all and the accident happened over 15 years ago.