Razor blades: carbon steel vs stainless steel

Straight razor users know that carbon steel blades are easier to sharpen. If so, then why are most DE blades made from stainless steel? Rust or corrosion would in my opinion not be the problem since DE blades are binned after a couple of shaves anyway. Straight razors on the other hand are made for a lifetime's use but they're still made out of carbon steel for the simple fact that it's easier to get a really sharp edge. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Rust could easily ruin a shaving edge after the very first shave when a DE is sitting in a humid bathroom.

After about 3-4 days my carbon DE blades start showing rust. And that's after a bath in alcohol (the blade, not me). I'm pretty sure the blades would last even less without the alcohol wash TLC. That might be too short a time period for most DE blade users.

If I could get carbon steel blades for a nickel or less, I would consider them. Then I could use them once and toss them.

forgot to mention - rust will affect the edge before you can even see spots on the blade.

I think stroppers like the Twinplex and Kriss Kross were an essential item back in the early 1900s,especially during the Depression.A lot of men couldn't afford to get 2 shaves out of a carbon bladeThe way the money market is heading,stropping might make a comeback.

Stainless steel blades were introduced in 1962 when Wilkinson Sword finally produced a stainless blade with an edge as sharp as a carbon steel blade. The only advantage the new blades had was that they were good for up to 12 shaves from a blade instead of the 2 or 3 shaves a carbon blade could give. Stainless blades would never have blown Gillette Blue carbon steel blades off the market and forced Gillette to produce their own stainless blades if they had only been good for the 2 or 3 shaves some guys on this board get from them.
Gillette believed guys were happy only getting 2 or 3 shaves from a blade and didn't believe there was a market for a longer lasting blade, that's why even though Gillette actually invented the technical process Wilkinson used they kept on making carbon steel blades.

This is an interesting topic!

I currently have carbon steel double edge blades, but I didn't know the difference.

Brz90, interesing info!

I would like to know how much different are the blades!

Thank you for that info brz90,

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Why would getting many shaves from a blade be a problem if they were good shaves? For me, I had been shaving for several years prior to corrosion resistant i.e. "stainless" blades being available and have used nothing else since and consider them much better their carbon steel predecessors in all factors relating to obtaining good shaves.

Carbon steel blades just dull really fast, you won't even get 2 shaves out of them if you keep them in the bathroom.