I don't find the first shave with most blades that great. I am guessing the edge is still a bit 'jagged' at the microscopic level. I usually find a sweet spot with most blades at shaves 2 and 3 and then notice a fall off around the 4th so I toss most of mine at around 3. I am pretty impressed with the Rapira Platinum Lux blades at the moment so I might try and seek out the edge of it's service life at some stage.
Blade frequency - one and done.
- Thread starter dk-109
- Start date
Jamesspo
Contributor
Originally posted 11-13-2014
Why: There have been a number of posts on "above average" blade life in the Blades forum, and elsewhere. These include the legendary "One blade in February" threads, and of course the 100+shave odyssey by Mick (Turtle) with a Vintage English Wilkinson Sword. A few folks are clearly getting much more shaves than the average. Mike (mswofford) and I thought it might be a good idea to have a central spot to discuss the topic, both for those that already are achieving long blade life and those that might want to experiment with getting more great shaves from their blades.
No, no... Why? Blades are Cheap! : Sure, they're cheap, and disposable. But that's no reason to throw away perfectly great shaves! Not everyone has lots of disposable income. For some, getting one more shave from a blade may really help their bottom line. For others, getting the most from everything is just in their DNA. The point here is to find out what your real number of great shaves per blade is, instead of just stopping at some arbitrary point. I, and many others get 40+ shaves from lots of different blades. These aren't just cases of light beards - there's a whole spectrum of beard types represented. Prep and technique seem to be common factors here.
Contributor
Originally posted 11-13-2014
Why: There have been a number of posts on "above average" blade life in the Blades forum, and elsewhere. These include the legendary "One blade in February" threads, and of course the 100+shave odyssey by Mick (Turtle) with a Vintage English Wilkinson Sword. A few folks are clearly getting much more shaves than the average. Mike (mswofford) and I thought it might be a good idea to have a central spot to discuss the topic, both for those that already are achieving long blade life and those that might want to experiment with getting more great shaves from their blades.
No, no... Why? Blades are Cheap! : Sure, they're cheap, and disposable. But that's no reason to throw away perfectly great shaves! Not everyone has lots of disposable income. For some, getting one more shave from a blade may really help their bottom line. For others, getting the most from everything is just in their DNA. The point here is to find out what your real number of great shaves per blade is, instead of just stopping at some arbitrary point. I, and many others get 40+ shaves from lots of different blades. These aren't just cases of light beards - there's a whole spectrum of beard types represented. Prep and technique seem to be common factors here.
Last edited:
May be time to give some classic injectors or SE's a try, the injectors blade life is considerably longer, and awesome smooth shaves.
At under 10 cents a blade, no one I've ever met will make a significant difference in their bottom line by getting another shave out of a DE razor blade.
That said - if someone WANTS to try, I hope they have a great time and enjoy themselves!
I'm sure preparation plays a role...but then, if one needs to buy a brush and use special soap and pre-shave products, then the savings on the 9 cent blade goes away fast. There also may well be techniques that work well for extending a blade's life...but that doesn't make them 'good' techniques. Only techniques that extend a blade's life.
A Feather AS-D2 requires different techniques in shaving than an R41. Good technique is adapting to your razor and goals. A guy who gets great shaves from an R41 is not using better techniques than a guy who gets great shaves from a Tech. A skilled workman will know which makes sense for his goals and adjust accordingly.
Last edited:
I wonder how often I should change blades since I shave my head almost everyday as well. Maybe keeping a log would help.
I do too. I simply count a head shave as another face shave. Typically I shave both six times a week, so I switch blades after every 2nd session.
The reality is, there are many people in todays economy working minimum wage jobs living paycheck to paycheck. You can't buy blades one at a time for 10 cents. That few dollars for a package of blades might be needed somewhere else. If extending a blade, to sometimes as many as 20 shaves can help, it may be worth a try even though it's only a few dollars. If someone gets only a couple of shaves out of a blade, and can extend its use to say 20, it can be a savings of up to $45 every three months.
I don't believe anyone said that special soaps or anything else was necessary. If someone uses them to enhance their shave, that's fine. If someone uses a technique that enhances their shave or provides a higher quality shave, then I would say that is a good technique for them. It may work well for them and maybe not so well for others, as everyone is different.
There are many of us who for many reasons simply wish to see how long a blade will provide a quality shave, and has nothing to do with finances.
The bottom line is, those of us who choose to extend blade life, use a blade until it no longer provides a quality shave and then discard it.
I said: "At under 10 cents a blade, no one I've ever met will make a significant difference in their bottom line by getting another shave out of a DE razor blade."
Hmmm...at 10 cents a blade, changing the blade every day for 90 days is...$9. Most seem to feel there is a drop off around the 4th or 5th shave - so changing every 3 days would give a total cost for 90 days of...$3. At 40 cents each (5 blades shipped from Amazon), the total cost would be...$12. Over 3 months.
If you cannot afford $1/month (or even $4) for blades...then you need to grow a beard. Not sure how you will afford the $30 razor to hold your 10 cent (or 40 cent) blade...
What people do for FUN is up to them. Anyone who wants to try for 100+ uses from a blade is welcome to do so in my book. I just don't think they are using superior technique or saving significant cash in doing so.
Hmmm...at 10 cents a blade, changing the blade every day for 90 days is...$9. Most seem to feel there is a drop off around the 4th or 5th shave - so changing every 3 days would give a total cost for 90 days of...$3. At 40 cents each (5 blades shipped from Amazon), the total cost would be...$12. Over 3 months.
If you cannot afford $1/month (or even $4) for blades...then you need to grow a beard. Not sure how you will afford the $30 razor to hold your 10 cent (or 40 cent) blade...
What people do for FUN is up to them. Anyone who wants to try for 100+ uses from a blade is welcome to do so in my book. I just don't think they are using superior technique or saving significant cash in doing so.
I don't think money is a factor for anyone here. Some people are just predisposed against waste.
If one guy uses 365 blades a year and the other uses 24 and obtains the same quality shaves, it could be said that the first guy is wasting 341 blades per year. Financially that's only about $40-50 per year, but you're still dumping three boxes of blades in the trash every year. It's like leaving your lights on all night, leaving your water running, taking more food than you need and tossing it in the trash.
The mentality of our grandparents -- waste not, want not -- has been forgotten. We live in a disposable, throwaway culture, and that mentality pervades everything we do. The results are visible all around you. It's just flabby and weak.
How do you know.
I used to be in the 5-6 shaves/blade club. Then after doing the One Blade in February and following the Excalibur Club thread I've been "testing" some blade longevity runs. I'm convinced that my best shaves are shaves 2-6 with no change in comfort or closeness. I'm planning on something of a personal challenge of "A Blade A Week" through the rest of 2015. Not for any money or waste reason, just because I don't see any reason to toss a blade that is providing good comfortable shaves.
I provided the math for savings. Saving a dollar a month isn't going to change things for most people who can afford to buy a $30 razor to start with. And personally, my son & DIL have very little free cash, but he doesn't try to save money by making a razor blade last for 6 months.
As for technique - techniques only have meaning when you understand the goal. A technique that is very good at softening hair might be a very good technique for extending blade life. But if that technique takes 5 minutes, then it is a very bad technique for someone who expects his shaves to be over in 7 minutes or less. One cannot evaluate a technique as good or bad unless one defines good or bad for what end.
Those who want to extend blade life into hundreds of shaves are certainly welcome to do so. Those of us who take a more utilitarian view of shaving may prefer a different approach. If someone gets great shaves tossing the blade daily and wishes to do so, I see no moral superiority to those who take a different approach. If I used 365 blades this year, the amount of metal would be dwarfed by all the cans of soda I drink, let alone by one wheel rim bought by someone who wanted nice wheels on his car (not me). Meanwhile, my $2 T-shirts and $15 jeans might be saving money where someone else could not imagine doing so. And the Red Wing boots on my feet as I type were bought in 1990...so I'm saving by wearing 25 year old boots!
As for costs, my horses eat vastly more than my razors do, so to speak...as do my dogs. And don't start me on my daughter's schooling.
I have tried several different blades including feathers and with my technique and prep right now "One and Done" with an Astra SP in my EJ DE89 gives me the best shave. After the first shave EVERY blade I've used seems very rough and scratchy on my skin. I don't have sensitive skin (no problems with any skin products I've ever used), but i do have very thick/tough facial hair, like steel wire. I am looking to get a more aggressive razor to keep from having to do 4 passes to get a BBS shave.
Most days now I'm using a PolSilver. I can go 5 or 6 days, but I usually only do 4.
I'm interested in what you present DonMac, Eeyore too; and yes, it may well be I'm not reading the feedback well because the difference feels like 'a difference' and not "this is what to expect along the way." I know a fresh first passes shave feels very different; and, very different between brands: using the same razor platform adjusted for nearly same (gross) conditions.
But, the other side of it is longevity of the cutting edge itself. As you rightly note, I wouldn't sharpen my kitchen knives as often as a professional chef, needing the benefits of razor sharp and 16 degrees perfection. Yet, I often accept "just" better than average performance from blades which have (only) been steel'd for weeks.
Those of us who had injectors back when, and then moved into cartridges, forget how expensive single blades were. I do remember how I'd try and keep one going as long as possible. But after coming off these multiblade monstrosities - or leaving altogether for Braun S7 electric quality - old safety razor blades seem extraordinarily inexpensive and worse... easy to buy in huge quantity. So, as many, 'why not toss them early?'
Yet... I'll accept I'm missing something in my experience by not following the rabbit further down the hole to see where it leads.
...I rather think it's going to lead to another acquisition though, as I'll want to see just what happens on the sharp-pointie-end.
"I see a USB electronic microscope in your future, (said the soothesayer to her mark)."
But, the other side of it is longevity of the cutting edge itself. As you rightly note, I wouldn't sharpen my kitchen knives as often as a professional chef, needing the benefits of razor sharp and 16 degrees perfection. Yet, I often accept "just" better than average performance from blades which have (only) been steel'd for weeks.
Those of us who had injectors back when, and then moved into cartridges, forget how expensive single blades were. I do remember how I'd try and keep one going as long as possible. But after coming off these multiblade monstrosities - or leaving altogether for Braun S7 electric quality - old safety razor blades seem extraordinarily inexpensive and worse... easy to buy in huge quantity. So, as many, 'why not toss them early?'
Yet... I'll accept I'm missing something in my experience by not following the rabbit further down the hole to see where it leads.
...I rather think it's going to lead to another acquisition though, as I'll want to see just what happens on the sharp-pointie-end.
"I see a USB electronic microscope in your future, (said the soothesayer to her mark)."
Last edited:
That's hysterical, because I've been shopping USB microscopes for a week, and haven't made up my mind yet on which one would suit my needs the best. I have two microscopes that I prefer to use, a quality tabletop model I've had for many years that goes to 1200X and a hand held model that hits 40X. I have used them in experimenting with different stropping and sharpening methods, and over all blade extended use.
I have one device in particular, a strand razor blade sharpener, that draws the blade across a steel bed forward, as opposed to stropping backward, and it will literally sharpen a dull blade to where you can split a hair. It of course removes the coating from the edge, meaning that the blade must be re-sharpened every couple of shaves which only takes about 15 seconds to do. Not something many would be interested in doing, I just have it for fun. It can literally keep a blade alive and super sharp forever.
In addition to razors, electronics and engineering are my hobbies, so I enjoy the experimentation.
The image I find on Google of a Strand sharpener is one of a very interesting piece of antiquity. Again, back when such fine tolerance was a value sought but difficult to find and maintain.
I was hoping the Celestron products might have been a slam dunk on Amazon, but there seems to be a fair amount of back and forth between previous owners. Then too, like you, I do have an optical alternative... my Nikon with Nikkor lenses and macro settings. And, I could either wifi the imaging or go right from the camera with a cable adapter. This would "just" take a significantly stable platform mount to make the effort worth it....
Ack! simple and new toys or old school and the hard way???
I come back to a question of splitting hairs and wonder; are those shaves the best you get or is it two or three afterward which seem best for face and sanity. I can't help but come back to a teleplay between two characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation when 'Jordie' informs 'Data': "Some times you don't want a perfectly efficient razor, Data."
I was hoping the Celestron products might have been a slam dunk on Amazon, but there seems to be a fair amount of back and forth between previous owners. Then too, like you, I do have an optical alternative... my Nikon with Nikkor lenses and macro settings. And, I could either wifi the imaging or go right from the camera with a cable adapter. This would "just" take a significantly stable platform mount to make the effort worth it....
Ack! simple and new toys or old school and the hard way???
I come back to a question of splitting hairs and wonder; are those shaves the best you get or is it two or three afterward which seem best for face and sanity. I can't help but come back to a teleplay between two characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation when 'Jordie' informs 'Data': "Some times you don't want a perfectly efficient razor, Data."
I was also just thinking about the book: "Alas Babylon" by Pat Frank. Now there was a man who needed to get all he could out of a blade. (Since, apparently, he had very few alternative choices.)
