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Blades last for months! For real?

Ok, I'd appreciate some input here. A few years ago it was explained to me that the main reason any razor blade gets dull is due to the oxidation. Whereas the act of cutting the hairs actually works to keep the blade sharp. (I guess sort-of like a strop? :confused:)

Well, the suggestion was to put your blade into bubbles (you know, the stuff that you put a little wand into and then blow?) to keep the oxidation from dulling the blade.

When I told my father-in-law about it, he decide to give it a go. Ever since, he absolutely SWEARS by it. He keeps his (cartridge) blades for MONTHS claiming that they stay sharp and don't pull. :w00t: Thing is, he's pretty darn cheap. Is this for real?

Any informative feedback on this? I know that DE blades are already pretty cheap, but I'm curious if anyone else had heard this or has experience with it.
 
I don't have any experience with it and the reason being is that blades actually are so cheap. At 15-30 cents a pop, keeping them sharp longer than their intended life span is more trouble than they're worth.
 
The cutting edge of the blades is so thin that the impact of the whisker on it must have some deforming effect if nothing else. Given the price of them - even the most expensive ones I've bought are under GBP0.30 each (charitably that's about US$0.45 a go, nearer US$0.40 given the current Forex rate) - I'll pass on making them work for months :smile:
 
I've posted something along these lines in another thread recently, but it seems to fit here, too. My guess is the detergent in the bubbles is helping to eliminate all the minerals in the water, leaving the blade as contaminant-free as possible while it dries.

Rubbing alcohol will do the same thing. When I was still shaving with cartridge blades, I would pour alcohol over the blades after a shave to rinse off the water and all the minerals in the water. I had read somewhere that leaving the blade to dry with just tapwater on it would leave deposits of minerals. I do think that made my cartridges last longer, and I believe I got more shaves out of each one.

But, since I began DE shaving, I just don't bother, since the most expensive blades I've used have cost less than $1 each. That's compared to upwards of $3 to $4 per blade for the latest cartridge fad, and I think you've actually got to work at it a bit to spend $1 for a single DE blade, and my average is probably a lot closer to 20-30 cents per blade.
 
The cutting edge of the blades is so thin that the impact of the whisker on it must have some deforming effect if nothing else. Given the price of them - even the most expensive ones I've bought are under GBP0.30 each (charitably that's about US$0.45 a go, nearer US$0.40 given the current Forex rate) - I'll pass on making them work for months :smile:

I subscribe to that theory myself. All my kitchen knives eventually lose their edge through use, regardless of storage method, so I think using the blade is what dulls it.
 
I have a different technique that seems to work for me. I soak my razor heads (both cartridge and DE) in a container of rubbing alcohol while I clean and rinse my shaving brush. I get about a month's use out of a cartridge (shaving daily) and about a week out of a DE blade. A plus with the DE blades is that they do not rust (I use the Treet carbon steel blades).

I guess the rubbing alcohol removes most of the water from the blade, since the alcohol evaporates quickly. It might also be due to the fact that the alcohol soak gets rid of the hard water (calcium carbonate) deposits on the blade.

-Steve
 
Using ANY blade, be it razor blade, or kitchen knife WILL dull the blade.

The fact is when yoru hairs are dry they are tougher than the edge of the razor.
If you have access to a microscope, i suggest putting a one time used blade under it and take a look.

Google may help you find the picture too.
 
A danish guy actually came up with a patent recently allowing you to extend the life of a cartridge-blade quite drastically. He claims that the cartridge blade life can be extended for a minimum of 150 shaves.

The story goes that he had examined the cartridges under a high powered microscope and could see that the blades were covered in "residue of skin, facial hair and shaving-foam".

Anyway, his invention is a plate of silicone that you apply a small amount of shave cream on to and then run the blade over the silicone a few times to clean the blade.

Here is a link to their site if you want to read more about it - There is also a picture of a cut through of the blades:

http://www.razorpit.com/what-is-razorpit.html

http://www.razorpit.com/how-does-razorpit-work.html

Don't think this will work very well on a double edge blade as it must be quite difficult to get the correct or same angle on the blade and there is no way in hell I will go back to a cartridge razor to test it :tongue_sm
 
Since some cartridge razor blades are upwards of $3 a piece, I'd probably have them in the stuff too........But I'm a DE user and the grass will always be greener over here.
 
Um, fellas you are forgetting a key flaw in the oxidization theory.


Our blades are stainless.:rolleyes:

Stainless means rust resistant not rust proof.
They're are various type of stainless steels and they don't have the same resistance to oxidation.
More the oxidation the fine edge of a razor blades wears down against the abrasive surface of the whiskers which have been compared to copper wire of the same diameter.
 
I shall check with the indigenous population - I'm here by choice, not birth :biggrin:

LOL Had I the wherewithal, it would be my choice as well. Well, along with the house in Provence for some months, and the cabin on Lake Superior for summers...
 
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