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Is it true?

It's habit for me to rinse off my razor and blade simply because I want it to be clean for my next shave. Also, I would think the blade would cut better if it were cleared of excess hair, anyway. You'll definitely get a cleaner shave if the razor is free of any old, dried up hair, or even piled up wet hair after a pass.

But wiping the water itself off the blades interests me. I was watching bits of the old Charleton Heston classic "Secret of the Incas" where his character goes to "scrape off" for a shave. The shot later comes in on him finishing his shave with what looks like a Gillette Super Speed, and in the process of cleaning up, he removes the blade and pats it dry. My thought is that he was keeping the blade from possibly rusting, but is that a problem with modern blades? Does it make sense to do that nowadays?
 
I never done it and really wouldn't worry about it because I change my blade every 4-5 shaves so I don't think it would rust in that amount of time. It doesn't hurt to remove hair shave gunk from the razor by rinsing and giving it a quick shake and dry with a towel.
 
Blades maintain a sharp edge longer if they are dried off because the main culprit in decreasing sharpness is oxidation, not the work of cutting through the whiskers.

However, the rapid rusting seen in days of yore is no more with the vast majority of modern blades being highly resistant to rust.
 
I find that drying my blades off extends their life up to 20%.


So I go from 3 shaves per blade to 3.6. Not worth the effort, I just bin the blade after the 3rd shave either way.
 
I seem to remember reading somewhere that at least one manufacturer recommends to simply shake the razor dry with the blade still in it, and specifically states NOT to wipe down the blade as the edge is likely to be dulled. Go figure.
 
I seem to remember reading somewhere that at least one manufacturer recommends to simply shake the razor dry with the blade still in it, and specifically states NOT to wipe down the blade as the edge is likely to be dulled. Go figure.

Blade manufacturer that is...
 
Originally Posted by Sammer
I seem to remember reading somewhere that at least one manufacturer recommends to simply shake the razor dry with the blade still in it, and specifically states NOT to wipe down the blade as the edge is likely to be dulled. Go figure.
Blade manufacturer that is...



i can also attest to this. i recently purchased a merkur travel DE which came with one merkur blade, and in its little leaflet it instructed NOT to wipe the blade after use, but simply to rinse and shake out the water.
 
I would think rinsing off the blade may have some benefits, but I'd probably stay away from wiping it. The edges are so fine I'd think that contact with a cloth/towel would do more damage than some oxidation.

Someone told me to dip in alcohol after washing to evaporate the water. Keeps rust away and dries the blade in one shot.
 
Back when the blades were made with high-carbon steel the water could certainly be a problem. But with stainless steel it's not. All the blades I've tried in my Letterk so far say "Rinse clean Do not wipe".
 
It occurs to me that the only reason we are told "do not wipe" is because we might cut ourselves.... and then sue! :001_tt2:
 
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