Switching blade edges?

**adamtodd9** · 01-10-2008, 05:00 PM

Howdy y'all!

A newb question about the double-edged aspect of our double-edge safety razors...

The general consensus around here seems to be that you can get 3-4 shaves "per blade". Is that per edge? Because I would say my beard is coarse, but I got 3 good shaves from just one edge of a Merkur blade.

Should I be using one edge at a time until it wears out? Or should I go back and forth between edges?

**indykramer** · 01-10-2008, 05:48 PM

Welcome to B & B. You use both edges equally. When you shave your face you do a few strokes with one edge then when it gets sufficiently gunked up with cream and cut whiskers you just flip it over and use the other edge.

**btodoroff** · 01-11-2008, 12:05 AM

I'm only ~12 days into this, but I had the same question until I realized that I'm not nearly with it enough to remember which edge I'm using which day.

So I just randomly flip it back and forth as I shave.

**hardwire** · 01-11-2008, 06:24 AM

I shave half of my face with one side, then flip it over for the other half. Saves having to remember which side I used the previous day.
Regarding millage, I usually get about 3 shaves from my Swedish Gillettes but I have a very coarse beard.

**Thebigspendur** · 01-11-2008, 08:46 AM

Not to date myself here but I rember way back when wilkenson started selling stainless DE blades back in the 1960s as I recall and they advertised you could get at least 10 shaves from a blade, and you could. What happened?

**FootAJ** · 01-11-2008, 09:32 AM

I asked this question when I first started too!

It seems the general consensus is to try and give each side somewhat of an equal use. Since I can't remember which side I used last time I shaved, I just try and shave each half of my face with a different side. It doesn't seem like it lasts any longer, but I'd rather get 4-5 shaves using 2 sides than 4-5 using 1, since I'll throw it out after 5 or so anyways.