Factors affecting the life of a razor blade

[TonyGold]

I seem to get many more shaves from my DE blades than what appears to be the 'norm'. Most people seem to quote a norm of 'four or five' shaves per blade, one post I read on B&B recently talked of getting only two shaves from a blade. I get at least ten and possibly even more shaves from each blade.
To flesh out my claim I am nearly sixty nine and have been wet shaving for more than fifty-five years. I am from an English/Caucasian background with (originally) dark, moderately coarse, hair. I am not a silky bearded neophyte. I use: a Gillette Super Speed with Feather/Derby/Persona/et al blades, Palmolive Stick Soap/Wilkinson Sword Blue Bowl soap, badger/boar brush as the mood takes me.
So what accounts for the apparent differences in blade durability?
I guess the shaver's expectation must come into the equation: how smooth is smooth? how much drag are they prepared to put up with before changing the blade? How much they relish the feel of a really sharp blade getting to work.
Blades of some manufacturers will presumably last longer than those of other manufacturers but if the user experimented with different blades they would notice that Brand X lasted longer than Brand Y and all other things being equal would opt for the longer lasting blade.
Shaving technique and razor design will probably be a factor. Does a blade offered at a shallow angle give more or less shaves than one used at a steeper angle? Does an 'aggressive' razor get more shaves from a blade than a 'passive' razor or is it vice versa?
Equipment maintenance might be a factor. Does rinsing and drying the blade after use make it less prone to corrosion and thus maintain its edge for longer?
Is the hardness of the local water supply of any significance? Our water supply comes off the nearby mountains, contains no dissolved calcium and has little mineralisation so the soap lathers up easily and your skin is left open and receptive. When I visit the UK the water there was high in dissolved chalk and it was difficult to get a good lather. Could this influence blade longevity?
About the only other variable I can think of is the soap. I have been looking at various soap recipes and many appear to contain kaolin/china clay. China clay is a 'platey' mineral so it's probably added to impart 'slipperiness' to the lather. It also might also be there as an extender. However depending on the method and quality of its preparation china clay can be associated with fine (10u) quartz/silica particles which are highly abrasive. This would dull blades.

Can you think of any other factors that will affect the number of shaves that different shavers will get from a blade? Frankly I think it just comes down to user expectation!

[Frosty]

Tony wow you've been DE shaving for over fifty years? That's impressive. I fully agree with you that the life of a bladebis a combination of factors as well as users expectations. I recall my dad making a blade last at least a fortnight, so either the blades were better made then, his technique and equipment was much better than these days, or, as I suspect, he just had different expectations.

Now in terms of your own experience what are the three top tips for getting fine consistent shaves?

[ackvil]

My expectation for a shave is the same no matter what blade I use. However, for some reason some blades give me more comfortable shaves than others.

[RSC]

It is my belief that water low in dissolved solids is a big factor in extending the life of a blade. Unfortunately I can't back this up with a lot of data or reasons why this would be so.

At home my water supply is basically snow melt from the mountains. I change blades once a week, but not because I have to. (I'm 61, with a reasonably heavy beard, but have a goatee and mustache, and do only two passes on the cheeks and one light pass on the neck.) When I travel for a couple of days to an area with harder water, I notice that the shaves become much more difficult and I suspect that a week would not be pleasant.

The snow melt water is great. Except for wiping off glue spot residue, I don't have to clean my razor, and working up a good later from soap takes maybe 15 or 20 seconds tops.

[_JP_]

I sum it all up in one three letter word: Use! If you use a blade it will get dull. The only thing that you can do to try to extend the useful life of a blade is to sharpen it.

[OkieStubble]

Spraying them down with a good alcohol between shaves helps also. At least that's what I've read.

[rawface]

I don't use DEs except when rushed or traveling now, but even w/ the disposable multis I used to use, drying the blade added about 30-40% to the life of what they call a blade. Another thing greatly affecting blade life is how the stroke is done. Take a look at the faqs for str8 users on the scything and guillotine strokes - much easier on the edge. I use a guillotine stroke w/ a gillette adjustable DE. I would suspect those who use a slant get better blade life than if they use a square head. Finally, a wonderful guy on srp described what he does for his str8s which I now use for both the str8s and the DEs. Pour 1 tablespoon mineral oil in 1 qt denatured alchohol. Isopropyl works, but it's about 30% water, so denatured is much better. The alchohol evaporates, leaving a thin oil film. The film is so thin it doesn't need to be wiped off - we just strop and shave. For my DE (very irregular use), I remove the blade, rinse, dip in alch/oil, stand it on it's side edge, and allow to air dry. I also dip the head of the adjustable and allow it to dry. Later, I put the blade back in and store. If used daily, I'd probably see if dipping the whole thing and letting dry would work as well.

[Drubbing]

Is all that worth it for a blade that cost a few cents?

[njpaddy]

I'm also in my 60's, but one of those who changes blades after 2 shaves. To be honest, I consider 2 stretching it. I would prefer a new blade every shave. I only shave every 2-3 days so I like a fresh blade. I also have hard well water and use creams. If I cleaned the razor and blade and hand stropped after each shave, I may be able to stretch it to 3 or 4, but what's the point. I can afford razor blades and don't want to spend extra time cleaning and stropping after every shave. I find that more than 2 shaves on a blade requires additional passes and touchup to get my usual CCS or DFS. The more passes, the more chance of nicks and irritation. Better to toss one shave too early than one shave too late. Hence my rule of 2 and out.

[BroJohn]

I'm now in my 60's, and as my whiskers turned gray, they became pretty tough.

Anyway, this blade changing issue seems to arise when someone has a fixed notion that a blade should last a week or so, and in fact for them the blade may be past its prime after only two or three or four days due to personal factors. In that case the remaining days are subsequently less than satisfactory, as blade longevity for them doesn't match their expectation or what some other guys report.

Guys here will get 2 to 6 shaves per blade, all depending on personal factors to them. The average is probably 3 ~ 4 shaves or so. Factors are the brand of blade itself, lubrication, sensitivity of their skin, toughness and density of their beard/whiskers, type of razor, number of passes per shave, personal technique, and so on. Only the user can determine when swapping in a fresh blade is needed.

As to when to change blades; at some point, the blade will become 'dull' in that it will not reliably 'shave' the whiskers. 'dull' is relative, because a 'dull' blade is still very, very sharp and can easily cut you.

But the blade will only 'cut' --not 'shave' the whiskers. You will become aware shaving takes somewhat more effort; that the blade is leaving some stubble/uncut whiskers behind after a pass; that there is a little additional 'tugging' or 'pulling' that was not present the day before. So be attentive and change blades accordingly.

The routine I've fallen into is 3 to 4 shaves per blade --that's two blades per week. I don't try to extend this, though I can get two weeks of great shaves with the old Personna*74's. That said, you should always shave with a blade that is in its' prime.

-- John Gehman

[zameus]

I think water hardness has a ton to do with it as has been mentioned. I have very hard water that destroys humidifiers in the winter and brings Kurig coffee machines to their knees, lol. Never mind the minerals that build up on a glass shower door if we don't squeegee after we use it.

Additionally it's a bit tougher to get soaps and hard cremes to lather nicely.
Blades typically last me 3 says and the fourth is a reminder lesson on why I need to change blades as often as I usually do (IOW hair ripping pain and follow up irritation).

I've traveled a bit and had the pleasure of experiencing softer water as some of you mention. Your skin and hair is softer and soap lathers practically by glancing at it with a manacing glare :)

[ChinaCoolStuff]

I've been exercised by this question myself. It's not about, as some seem to think, being stingy; rather, it's about maximising resources, being efficient. For a while, even though it was a bit of a pain, I was hair-drying my blades after use then popping them in the freezer. Now I just pop my entire DE89L in the freezer complete with loaded blade. I have not noticed any diminution in usage. On the contrary, right now, loaded with a Shark (a superb blade btw) I'm about to get my fifth shave from it. Usually I only get 3 from a Derby. So I'm not sure if it's the blade or the freezer; either way, I am impressed as hell that I'm pushing the envelope.

[Bullwinkle]

I have rock hard, iron filled water from my well.. but, with my Kinetico water softener in-line the wife had to learn to lighten up on soaps. (washer, dish washer, shampoo, etc) because we had suds everywhere. Even if you're on 'city' water why not put in a softener? (btw, they all ain't the same)

BTW, I've been using the Medical Prep blades and switch every 4 shaves. Which pretty much covers a week since I retired. Even retired I can handle 25cents a week.

[Mike Schutz]

I get about a weeks worth of shaves out of a blade. I'll change the blade when I start feeling more drag and the third pass is not acceptable to me. I rinse the razor in hot water after use and place in a stand to dry. The quality of the blade has alot to do with how long they last. The Wilkinson Swords from Walmart at $1.57 per 10 are OK and a real bargain but they do not perform as well as a Feather at $4.50 per 10. I'm sure some of that performance is in my head but at about $0.05 per shave, who cares.

[PapaFiveOne]

Many, many, many years ago I read a book :thumbup1:, not the only one over the years but, it was called "They Fought Alone" its John Keat's story about Colonel Wendell Fertig's adventure in the Japanese-occupied Philippine island of Mindanao at the close of World War II, great story, if you get a chance, and have any interest in "leadership" give it a read; anyroad - he kept his DE blades alive by swishing them around in a glass of water! Have not tried it but it is an interesting tidbit ... !

[BlackBard]

Partial quote:

I seem to get many more shaves from my DE blades than what appears to be the 'norm'.

Can you think of any other factors that will affect the number of shaves that different shavers will get from a blade? Frankly I think it just comes down to user expectation!

I agree. I have been using brush and soap for over 40 years, myself. Much to the horror of many B&B members, I have gotten from two weeks to a month of daily shaving from a single Mach 3 cartridge. I generally change a cartridge twice a month - just on general principals.

I recently acquired a Gillette slim. I used it for a week with a Personna medical prep blade. The shaves were comfortable and much better than what I got with a "red tip" a few months ago. I intend to make a switch to using the DE full-time, as soon as my blade sampler arrives.

[Go West Young Man]

he kept his DE blades alive by swishing them around in a glass of water! Have not tried it but it is an interesting tidbit ... !

Stropping and honing DE blades was popular back in the days before thin coated blades were introduced. If you tried it today, you would just scrap off the coating and ruin the blade.

[omazzoni]

Thanks!!

[Thebigspendur]

Funny post here. If you have peach fuzz for a beard sure a blade can last a very long time or if you shave once a week. For normal to tough beards this has been discussed by probably thousands of shavers on this site, 2-3 shaves per blade.

This reminds me, one day I had some folks over to the house and as I was brewing some coffee this dude seemed horrified as he watched me pitch the grounds to the coffee. He told me he saves the grounds and uses then a few times. He said it tastes just fine by him. Enough said.

[talibeard]

I am 'just' two decades into DE shaving and I have one simple rule for changing a blade; when it starts tugging in my neck and draw blood I took one shave too many from that blade.

In my neck the grain of my beard is all over the place and my skin much more sensitive than on my face and jaw line; a lot of brands don't even make it there on the 1st shave. Three is my average number but the blade is then probably good enough for another 3 shaves on my face; it simply ruins my neck area. Damn, $0.15 down the drain too soon.....:001_rolle

[JimmyD]

Hmmm... the comments in this thread regarding water hardness now has me wondering about using some distilled water tomorrow morning as a "lather experiment" (considering my home does not have a water softener yet and we have incredibly hard water in our area).

EDIT: To stay on topic though.... I can get away with changing my blade once every 7 or 8 days.

[SiBurning]

I think coating material and the quality of its application on the blade is at least as important as how sharp or smooth the blade feels.

Feathers may be sharp, but the coating is applied in large chunks, and it flakes off easily. When chunks break off, some hang over the edge, while others expose bits of the blade material. The result is that the blade feels sharp, but not smooth. This also mitigates the friction-reducing properties of the coating, one of the main reasons to apply it. The other, of course, being to reduce blade wear, whether from physical abrasion while shaving or chemical reduction (e.g. rust).

Another blade with a more consistent coating might give a smoother feeling edge, and lower friction. The downside is that the coating has a thickness that reduces how sharp the edge is.

At the extreme, there seems to be two questions. 1. Whether you prefer the sharpness of a raw edge or the reduced friction of a neatly coated edge. 2. Whether you prefer a smoother edge or can put up with irregularities in the edge. Your preference dictates how many shaves you get before changing the blade, not to mention how this affects your choice of blade. Of course, your other factors also apply.

There's some sample pictures starting around post 18 in my microscope thread that show used feathers, and further on a bunch of new blades.

[diverdoug]

I use feathers, and after my shave, I shake the razor vigorously, and also try to blow off as much water as I can. About a month ago I started dipping my razor in isopropyl alcohol prior to my drying process, and it has decreased the amount of rust staining I see on the blade when I change it. Not sure if this improves the shave quality though.

[Slivovitz]

The most shaves I've gotten from any blade is 15 from a Schick Twin Injector, and I've taken a Schick single injector to 12. Most from a DE blade is 8 from an NOS vintage Gillette Super Stainless. Modern DE blades I've never taken past 5.

I decided long ago to come to my own conclusions on how long a blade will last. If the last shave with it was a good one, and I don't see it rusting, then it's good to at least start one more shave. If there are problems during the next shave, then I change blades as soon as I notice. I don't know why some people claim to get 14 shaves from blades that last me for 3, or 3 shaves from ones that last me for 10. It's one of those things where you just have to gather your own experience, and then trust it, no matter what other people may tell you.

The only thing I do to preserve the lives of my stainless blades is to put the razor in a position where the blade can easily dry out. On the advice of others, I treat my carbon steel SE blades with mineral oil to inhibit rusting, and take them out and pat them dry between shaves.

[rajagra]

I used to make a cartridge last for weeks with no obvious reduction in quality. Maybe that shows how bad they were to start with, but I have no doubt I could get better shaves, for even longer, using a DE. Knowing what I know now about good prep, I bet I could make a cartridge or DE blade last months if I had to.*

Even though modern blades are stainless steel with coatings, every point that suffers wear becomes vulnerable to rust. The coatings are worn off there, and the blade edge is so thin that even stainless steel can corrode fast enough to be a problem.

My cartridge method was to use shaving oil with aloe vera gel on top. The gel stopped the razor from clogging, and let me rinse it easily after the shave. The oil reduced razor wear and protected the blade between shaves.

Soaps - though more enjoyable than oil - may not be best for blade life. Don't be too quick to assume people who make blades last are peachy-faced youths (I'm not.) Maybe they just do things differently.

(* No, I haven't tried, and I don't plan to.)

[SiBurning]

Don't be too quick to assume people who make blades last are peachy-faced youths (I'm not.) Maybe they just do things differently.

(* No, I haven't tried, and I don't plan to.)
I think it has more to do with your face and technique than the hair. Irritation happens to your skin, not your beard. As I eluded to in my previous post, it's not just how much irritation your skin can take, but there's also different kinds of irritation. A smooth blade irritates different than a jagged edge. Just one reason I use a different razor for each pass.