Blade life....

So I tried pushing the life of an Astra SP in my Maggard MR5 using a v2 solid bar head. Got a little nicked up. I do cold water shaves and use PSO due to my sensitive skin. This was shave #3 on the blade. Technique is good and I got cut in places where I normally do not get cut (cheek). How many shaves do you all normally get out of these blades?

 

I don't use any blade that I can't get 4 excellent shaves out of. I have some that easily go a week, and one that will go 3 weeks (Personna 74 Tungsten-not made today). It does vary from razor to razor. One razor may love a blade and your next one may not.

 

It will also vary with the coarseness of your whiskers. My husband gets about 4 shaves (face & head) from a Feather blade. We don't worry about increasing longevity because A) it is not worth it to keep a blade past the point when it shaves well and B) they are so cheap anyway.

 

I suspected that. I have coarse hair which can contribute to shortened blade life. Heard the cold water shaves can help the blade life though.

 

Neither my husband nor I do cold water shaves, so we can not address that. Have you tried comparing your blades with cold vs. hot water shaves?

 

I tried warm and got bad irritation. Cold water really helped me out a lot.

 

OK, so much for that experiment.

 

As the blade begins to dull a little I find myself trying to compensate by applying more pressure. For me on shaves 3+ I find it helpful to remind myself on every stroke to watch the angle and no pressure. The same is true for blade not might not be as sharp out of the box.

 

I get three or four. You get two.

 

Fresh Astra SP in on Monday, five 3-pass shaves, toss after Friday's shave.
Str8 on Saturdays.
SEs on Sundays.
Fresh Astra SP in on Monday...

I could go more, but new on Monday, out after Friday and I never have to remember how many shaves are on the blade. And tossing before it starts to tug and pull means I never get an uncomfortable shave.

I also hand strop before every shave.

 

Blades are so cheap, I just toss em after one use.

 

I get 3 shaves out of the Astra SP, the 3rd takes more touch up, The Wilkinson Sword Classic or the Crystal gives me a better shave lasting at least 4 BBS shaves, but that works best for me. The sharper Feather, Bic or Kai may work better for a heavy beard.

 

With good technique the blade won't cut you, nor will it dull quickly. High blades angles cause scraping, which cuts and irritates the shaver; and it also rolls the blade bevel under, dulling it quickly. While you're learning, I suggest two and out, otherwise you are adjusting to a dying blade. Low angle of attack prevents cuts and irritation and will also increase blade life.

To your question, employing the "ride the cap" methodology, Ive had 11 consecutive DFS days on a single Derby, 21 straight on Gillette Silver Blue. However, somewhere around 6-10 is where I usually quit.

 

From most blades, I get around ten shaves.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

That's a cool rotation. When I put my SEs into rotation, I usually do so for 5-6 consecutive shaves. I feel I could easily get more, but like going back to my DEs. I guess ultimately my question is, is there a cause for concern relative to a blade sitting unused for a week relative to something nasty setting up shop (since I don't strop my SE blades)?

 

I put a fresh SE in on the first Sunday of the month, toss after the last Sunday of the month's shave. Hand strop before every shave. Never had an issue.
If there is cause for concern, I don't concern myself with it.

 

Depending on the brand of blade, I get 3 to 5 shaves before I have to replace them. I get 3 great shaves from an Astra and then it tugs.

As previously said, blade life depends on the coarseness of your beard and your technique.

 

I'm in the two and through routine as of late. Some blades I could push to three or even more, but I dislike getting tugging part way through a pass/shave. This way it easy for me to keep track. I know that if there is ablaze in the razor it gets tossed when I'm done with that days shave. Blades are cheap, and I have lots of them.

When I'm wearing a beard then I'm just touching up my neck and a bit on the checks. Then I'll go four or five days on a DE blade.

Injector blades seem to last forever. 7-10 shaves if had to guess. I use an injector once or twice a week to mix things up.

 

Sound like a good plan. Thanks for sharing.

 

It depends. The 2nd or 3rd shave is usually the best for me, but I like to get at least 5 shaves from a blade. Have had to retire blades early before due to bad performance (Tiger blades=junk IMO).