So are the cartridge guys getting the better blades?

I'm hooked on DE but a buddy made me think the other day when he commented that he routinely gets "a couple months give or take" on his cart.

Jeze, some guys on this board can't get more than one shave on a DE blade!

What gives?

How often does he shave? How coarse is his beard compared to yours?
Some guys here get 20-30 shaves per blade routinely too.

We have higher standards!

For what its worth, my brother (before he switched to DE) was certain that the cart makers were deliberately putting dull blades in the older 2 and 3 blade models in order to try to force people to the models with more blades.

Couple things going on here: (1) since the cart blades cost $6.00 each people use them well past their prime....I know I did. (2) I pay about $0.10 per Derby blade and it lasts about 3 days, so I spend $1.00 per month for great shaves... a cart would have to give me 6 months of great shaves to be equal. Summary: no they aren't getting better blades with carts.

I think that's the thing right there. When doing a durability test in my Rapria 'Go To' blade, it was comfortable after 2 weeks of shaving. But for the cost, why stretch it? If I swap a blade every 3 days, I know they'll always be fine and worry-less. That, and 2 weeks 'Guck' on my razor ain't pretty. This way it kind of forces me to run a brush and toothpaste over my razor every 3 days since the blades coming out anyway.

If you don't care about the quality of your shave, you can use a cart indefinitely - once it's dull it's dull, it doesn't get any worse.

I used to get about 2-3 months out of my Hydro 5 shaving once every 2-3 days, but like Hogtown said I pretty much used it well past the point that I should have because of the cost. With DE Blades, I can pick up a 5 pack for under $2, and that will give me 25 shaves (or just under 2 months of shaving if ever 2-3 days), and I could honestly get more than 5 saves per blade, but for the price I don't need to stretch it like I did my hydro 5 cartridges.

The past few years I was using an M3 cart for 2 months routinely. I never enjoyed it the way I do the DE wet shave which has become a quality of life thing.

For me it doesn't matter DE or cart 2 shaves and they look dull after that.

Before I knew what was what, I'd use the same cartridge blade for an abnormally long time.

These days, I get 7-10 quality shaves out of aftermarket Atra blades.

I used to be in the same boat, stretching carts for up to 2 months. I also shaved the absolute minimum acceptable amount (twice a week) and use the same one until it made my eyes water. Now that I have been spoiled by far sharper and more comfortable blades, I could never return to that routine. I think I was just in the dark, and assumed that "that's what shaving feels like."

I have no idea what a cart feels like after more than a week. I used to stretch a cart for a week and made a habit of making it six shaves per week just to give me face a break. Put another way, I just couldn't take one more shave out of the cart to complete the week. 6 shaves out of a cart was too many, but I hated the cost..... Now I go three days(shaves) typically with a DE, maybe a rare fourth, and I am happy to shave every day.

When I was using carts, I would use the till it was painful to shave, and then I would switch out. Mostly because of the outrageous cost. I think those who wetshave with DE razors do have a higher standard than those stuck in a rut with carts.

YMMV indeed. I think that those that claim several months on a cart have little more than peach fuzz for facial hair. Me? I have Italian and Native American in my blood, the it comes in fast and thick. The best I can remember is getting a month from a fusion, but if was stretching it two weeks too long if you catch my drift. I think it's all about what you make the blades cut.

Cynomys said:

We have higher standards!

For what its worth, my brother (before he switched to DE) was certain that the cart makers were deliberately putting dull blades in the older 2 and 3 blade models in order to try to force people to the models with more blades.

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I don't think my Sensor has grown more dull over time. It was always uncomfortable to shave with. That is why I switched to a DE.

My neighbor claims to get one month off of 1 M3 blade - not cart! He doesn't grow a full beard though but still. All I ever did was twice and toss on M3 blades.

As most people point out, how long you can use any blade is more a psychological issue than a physical blade issue. The blade dulls and causes pulling, nicks, ingrown hairs, rough skin but people are willing to put up with a lot when they have to pay an arm and a leg to replace the cart. Someone else posted a thread on an Amazon review where the person claimed to use a Feather up to 70 shaves all the time, but why?

How long of a length of time that people use a cartridge or blade isn't a reliable measure of the longevity of a cartridge or blade, as frequency of shaving is an important component of the equation.

I only shave a couple of times a week, so a month or two of quality shaves wouldn't be some fantastic claim.

I buy Personna Lab Blues in bulk packs for $.14 a piece (including shipping), I get 5 close, comfortable shaves on my coarse, fast growing beard (I might squeeze out one more shave, but would begin to have pulling and knicks). The cost isn't a real issue with me, but based on my experience with cartridges and disposables, I'm saving a lot of money and enjoying shaving much more.

Now that I am a double-edge shaver, you couldn't give me the best, free cartridges for life to shave with!