Flipping Blades

Has anybody ever flipped a blade for extended use? Put the DE blade in and use it like normal...Then flip the blade over on the other side and get more shaves?

Also.......
I got my new Merkur HD and found that when I drop a blade into it it tends to go more to one side then the other. There is a little play in the blade but not enough to get it perfectly even on both sides. I find that when I shave, one side shaves a little more aggressively then the other. Has anyone else ever had this problem? How did you fix it, or did you? I was wondering if I should grind a post down just a bit so I have more play in it to be able to tighten it more balanced.

PBrods said:

Has anybody ever flipped a blade for extended use? Put the DE blade in and use it like normal...Then flip the blade over on the other side and get more shaves?

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For the cost of a blade, you shouldn't feel the need to skimp when running a razor-sharp piece of metal over your face. But to actually answer your question it is generally ill advised to even flip the blade after 1 shave. As the edge on a razor blade is very delicate, your tough-as-nails whiskers will cause it to fold over a bit after every shave --we interpret this as a blade getting dull. It also creates a burr of metal on the opposite side so that if you flip the blade, you'll be running the burr of metal across your face. Uncomfortable at best, a bloody mess and razor burn is more likely.

PBrods said:

Also.......
I got my new Merkur HD and found that when I drop a blade into it it tends to go more to one side then the other. There is a little play in the blade but not enough to get it perfectly even on both sides. I find that when I shave, one side shaves a little more aggressively then the other. Has anyone else ever had this problem? How did you fix it, or did you? I was wondering if I should grind a post down just a bit so I have more play in it to be able to tighten it more balanced.

Click to expand...

If the blade is exposed a little bit more on one side than the other, I just loosen my HD, manually reposition the blade or give it a giggle, and then tighten it down again. This usually fixes any HD-related issues I have with my razor. Could you post a pic?

If you are having a persistent issue with blade exposure or inability to tighten the razor properly you should contact the retailer you bought it from and see about a razor swap or contact Merkur if you bought it used and send it back for replacement.

Rick

I agree totally with Rick: don't bother flipping the blade. I put a new blade in a razor, tighten the razor on it, and leave it, not even loosening the razor, until I replace the blade.

Some HD's have had some problem with uneven blade exposure. One guy took his HD apart and looked down the tube a found a bit of flashing that hadn't been ground away. He used a Dremel to remove that, and it was fine. But I go with Rick's suggestion: if the problem is not solved just by loosening and retightening, return the razor to the dealer for an exchange.

Leisureguy said:

Some HD's have had some problem with uneven blade exposure. One guy took his HD apart and looked down the tube a found a bit of flashing that hadn't been ground away. He used a Dremel to remove that, and it was fine. But I go with Rick's suggestion: if the problem is not solved just by loosening and retightening, return the razor to the dealer for an exchange.

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I'll check the tube...The amount it is offset is minute. I'm an anal person and like things just right. I don't think it warrants sending back but It would be nice to have it shave the same on both sides of the blade.

I think it's very important that blade exposure be the same on both sides, and if you can't do a quick fix, I think it fully justifies return and replacement.

Leisureguy...I just noticed you're from monterey... I used to live there when stationed at Fort Ord. I really miss that area. Beautiful place to live

Has anybody ever dealt with "bestgroomingtools.com" They don't seem to have a telephone number so you can call them and seem to make it a bit difficult to return items. Anyone ever contact them before?

skydivemd said:

it is generally ill advised to even flip the blade after 1 shave. As the edge on a razor blade is very delicate, your tough-as-nails whiskers will cause it to fold over a bit after every shave --we interpret this as a blade getting dull. It also creates a burr of metal on the opposite side so that if you flip the blade, you'll be running the burr of metal across your face. Uncomfortable at best, a bloody mess and razor burn is more likely.

Rick

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Actually, in my imagining of the edge of a razor, at the angle it moves over your face, the way it cuts bristles, surely most deviation is going to be in the direction of your face, so flipping it would avoid this?

With a straight, both sides are used, we don't have this trouble.

I do like Monterey. I think it was not unusual for guys to discover the place through Ft. Ord and then return to settle (e.g., Clint Eastwood). I found it via a book: Finding Your Best Place to Live in America. Worked for me.

Although I don't sail or fish or otherwise actually make active use of the water, I really like living near a large body of water---e.g., the ocean, or Chesapeake Bay. It makes for better weather.

Is it still as nice living there now, as it was in the early 80's? I hope to someday go back for a visit.

Steerpike said:

Actually, in my imagining of the edge of a razor, at the angle it moves over your face, the way it cuts bristles, surely most deviation is going to be in the direction of your face, so flipping it would avoid this?

With a straight, both sides are used, we don't have this trouble.

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While I'm not actually sure if the burr is more likely to form from the fine edge of the blade being folded backwards vs. downwards, because the blade is fixed in the head of the razor for the duration of the shave (3-4 passes with multiple strokes on each side of the blade) enough of a burr should form that trying to shave with it flipped over would cause quite a bit of discomfort. This part I can attest to from my first week or two of shaving with a DE -- I removed the blade, it got flipped, and I got a nasty razor burn on my neck... lesson learned.

While I am unfamiliar with straight razors, I have used knives for many years and sharpen my own (pocket knives, kitchen knives). Correct me if I am wrong, but in both sharpening and stropping the straight you always alternate sides for each stroke? This is to align the teeth of the cutting edge straight. To sharpen or strop all on one side of the blade and then flip the blade would do damage to the edge or the strop?

I can only guess that in shaving with the straight you alternate how you hold the blade for presenting it to the face - first one side then the next. Kind of like stropping, the alternating of sides should keep the edge aligned fairly straight, or at least for the duration of the shave.

Rick

I used to flip the blade all the time- when I cleaned/rinsed the razor out after my shave I would always loosen the silo and gigle it under running water, or pull the blade out and rinse it off if there was too much hair or cream residue (I used to only shave ever 3-5 days quite often before I found out from these boards about pre-shave, post shave and how to use real creams not canned foam.Thanks guys!!)
I never really noticed a difference from flipping the blade, either good or bad. It may have caused me to change a blade sooner than I would normally have by making me think it was dull from a poor shave, I'm not really sure. I can say that ther eis no way flipping the blade will increase the number or quality of shaves- the DE is very different from the straight when it comes to that edge.

I have had some trouble with my HD with the blades being un-even but have been able to fix it by lossening, manipulating, and tightening. And I never flip blades either

It's the same bleeding edge no matter how you turn it. Think of it this way: If you grind off the point on a pin, then which side is the sharpest?