Do some blades give "better" shaves after a couple of uses?

The first shave with most blades is a little rough for me, after that they seem to be smoother until the become dull.
Besides dipping your razor and blade in alcohol after and before your shave your post shave ritual can make a big difference. Rubbing your freshly shaved skin with an alum block kills bacteria, closes the pores and works as an astringent, an alcohol based aftershave kills bacteria too and makes you smell good, if you use a balm/moisturizer after that your skin will stay soft and well protected. It's best to rinse of the alum with cold water if you have a sensitive skin, some don't but I found that it dries my face if I leave it to dry on my face.
Post shave routine that works best for me is: warm water rinse > alum block > time to clean my razor and brush and let the alum do it's work on my skin > rinse of the alum with (very) cold water > dry face with towel > alcohol based aftershave splash - let air dry > moisturizing cream or aftershave balm. YMMV
A good prep work and shaving technique can also prevent a lot of skin problems, your post shave routine is just a way to recover from the trauma on your skin.

I sure hope my second shave with the Feather (black label) that I put in my EJ DE89 today is better than my first. No cuts or burns, but it irritated my neck like crazy.

FWIW, the third shave with my Indian Wilkinson Sword was a lot better than the 1st and 2nd shave.

Yep nearly half of the blades you would try will perform better at the second shave. Some get smoother, some get more gliding while losing some of its plating on the edge. For ex feathers, voskhods, rapiras etc.

I don't recognize any difference in 1st few shaves....

Some blades really improve their performance after the first or the second use (pass). My suggestion is: skip the unpleasant first shaves for those blades How?!... by taming them for the first couple of shaves as final 2nd, 3rd or whatever pass in a mild forgiving razor ex. Tech, Weishi, Slim Twist, blue tip SS Slim on 1. After that use them in whatever razor you want and have fun.

I'm not sure a blade gets sharper after use. I have noticed blades becoming more forgiving with use, and if that is the definition of better, I agree. If better means closer shave, then I think the first use is probably better.

For me feathers can do that.

Al raz.

IME most blades provide a more comfortable shave the second time around.

kingfisher said:

IME most blades provide a more comfortable shave the second time around.

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this has been my experiance also.
i usually get my best shaves with 2-3 day old blades

I almost always get a better 2nd shave, no matter what the blade. I guess that means I'm stropping the blade on my skin and beard during the 1st shave ...

Topgumby said:

Some guys will "cork" blades before using them. It involves drawing the edges lightly through a cork before use to remove any burs or rough spots.

Many report smoother shaves on the second or third use vs. the first on some blades.

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Topgumby:
+ 1 and I happen to cork my Shark SC blades 3 times on each side which I feel 'removes' any burs and/or rough spots and gives me a '2nd shave' smoothness on the first shave.

"Life is [like] a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape" Anonymous