I have a really slow growing,but coarse beard,so seeing as DE blades are are so cheap,I only ever go for 1 or at the most 2 shaves from a blade.
Personna 74 were made of tungsten steel from I recall. They have been known to last a long time. Great blades but failed due to poor sales, only brought on by themselves. Long lasting blades mean fewer sales. Like to find NOS 74's in the wild.
I count passes at 3-4 per shave and now give blades 3 shaves though if I were critical, some are only good for less than that and some could go more. 12 pass/3 shave is a good compromise but it would depend on your beard.
By now, I trust you've figured out that there is no absolute "right number". It will vary with the blade, your razor, your whiskers and even how much of your face you shave. For example, my husband shaves his face and head. Using Feather blades, he generally gets 3 shaves before tossing the blade. Using the same brand, I can get 2 complete leg shave sessions (softer hair, but more "real estate"- I'm tall.)
Unfortunately it looks like the OP Ed Hobo has gone the way of his name and avatar. Hasn't been seen since September.
I have around 150 Personna blades that were given to me by my grandfather, along with some vintage Gillette blades and the his old Slim, when I told him I was going to start DE shaving.
I use mostly the Astra SP blades and although i could maybe get a couple more shaves out of them i change blade after 6 shaves ..... i always put new blade in with the numbers 1 & 2 facing up and then after 3 shaves i clean blade good and flip it over so numbers 3 & 4 are facing up ... and at $10/100 blades that = 600 shaves which = less than .02 cents per shave .. pretty darn good i'd say
That's getting your money's worth.. I flip every shave. But I'm having trouble remembering to flip and how many shaves I'm getting. Currently I have three razors and each have a blade in them.. Lol I totally fell off the wagon for the 30 day focus
Use a blade until it begins, just begins, to feel uncomfortable. There is no magic formula nor is there a specific answer, everyone' experience is different for a wide range of reasons. Try pushing a blade beyond it's proper useful life and it will let you know with irritation and nicks.
I like this rule of thumb. I learned the hard way today that using a blade too many times will make for a miserable shave. Today was day 4 for my Personna blade, and it was the worst shave I've had since I started using a DE razor. At 0.54 ¢ per blade (for the Personna), it's much better to toss it and have a fresh blade and an enjoyable shave. Lesson learned! Exactly!
Usually 10-15 from most blades. I'm on 25 now with a Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow, so far. I toss when they start to tug, or I get irritation.
For me, the aggressiveness of the razor is most important with blade longevity. Assuming you hydrate your beard for the recommended four minutes, and use enough shaving cream...I can get at least two dozen shaves with a Gillette Adjustable (GSB blade) at #2 sensitivity. That's about the same longevity as a British Gillette Aristocrat Junior.
I just tossed a Gillette 7 O'clock Yellow(my favorites), after 26 three pass shaves. I could have gone longer, with Palm stropping, but I wanted to try some Med Preps that were given to me, I hadn't tried those yet.
I'm starting to think either my grey beard is made of tungsten wire or I should try a pre-shave oil\cream solution as I can not get beyond 4 shaves on a DE blade without tugging. Pre-shave recommendations welcomed.
All the above tried palm, jeans and even a ceramic DE blade device. Did find recently that shaving with a Gem SE blade was much easier after a hot shower. I now reserve Gem SE days to Saturday post shower. Mon-Fri I use my other razors.
