I will try to let the lather sit longer next time. I have a pretty coarse beard myself, so I cannot wait for my FaTip. I figure if it can shave an Italian beard mine stands no chance.
I've been using the Israeli Personna blades for going on 5 years. They give me very close comfortable shaves—between 7 & 8 shave per blade—and they won't break the bank.
Really depends. 3 maybe 4 shaves, 2 passes each. I change to a new blade as soon as the blade state to pull before cutting.
Another fan of the Israli Reds ( they work for me ). Can get about 4-5 shaves. Just ordered a couple of hundred which will keep me going for about 4 years. Find a razor blade that works for you .
Your beard, facial skin, blade type(coated/uncoated), razor type and technique all contribute to how long any particular blade with last. When I first started "traditional" shaving and I was searching for my ultimate blade, one of my criteria was blade longevity, another was price per blade. A blade had to give me at least 5 "comfortable" shaves to be considered worthy of further use. Once I settled on my "favorite" blades, I'd regularly get between 5-8 shaves with a blade, sometimes less sometimes more. I was doing 3 passes per shave, plus touchup. Recently, in the last several months, I no longer worry about or keep an eye on how long an individual blade lasts, I just use the blade until it no longer works, then change it out. I figure whether the blade lasts for one pass or a month it all evens out in the end. I am beginning as a test, to arm strop my blades after my shave, but I'm not consistent or regular with that procedure yet. My top blades, at least as of now are: Israeli Vikings Sword Astra SP Gillette 7 O'clock(Yellow and Black) Israeli Red Personna Blue Birds All you need to do is compare the bulk(100 ct) price of any DE blade to the 100 ct price of any cart(2 blades and up) to understand why shaves per blade although very interesting to research and compare, is pretty much unimportant in the DE world...
Rummaging around in la salle de bain, I found a stash of blades I didn't even know I had. They are all in unopened 5-packs, and, I presume, they are all about 5 years old: 1 pack Blue Birds 2 packs Derby 1 pack in dispenser Wilkinson Sword 4 packs Israeli (red) Personna blades—I thought I was out of these, so I can delay a reorder by as much as 6 months. I get ~ 7 shaves from one of these, depending on the number of passes needed. There were also several generic blades in plain white wrappers in the box. I have no idea what these may be or where I got them. In fact, except for the Personna packs, I have no idea where the others came from either. I was curious about these, so I put one in my Gillette SS E2. The combo provided a shave at least the equal of my Progress with a Personna Red. I'm impressed!
I prefer a fresh blade when I shave. I don't wait until I feel any pulling or tugging, at that point there is at least some level of irritation and I don't use a blade until I reach the number of shave some other person feels comfortable with. With blades costing less than a dime each I see no reason to conserve them and the point is to get the best, most comfortable shave it isn't a contest to see who can get more shaves on a blade. I toss my blades after two shaves.
I have come to learn that if I am doing face only I will use a blade no more than twice. I only shave my head with every other face shave, and I now ALWAYS use a fresh blade on the dome. With my most recent bulk blade order, I will have enough blades to last 3 years shaving every day, or as much as 5.5 years going every other day which is somewhat more common. And even if I use a new blade every single day, I am still saving about 80-90% of what I was spending on Gillette Fusions that got used for a least a week, or more! Hell, as low as 8c per shave, its just not worth risking a rough shave. I have been contemplating just doing a new fresh blade for EVERY SHAVE. Cheap. cheap.
They could be Kai blades, I had some in sample pack and they had no markings on the plain white package or on the blade. I'm sure they could be loads of others as well.
My rule is TSD: as soon as a blade Tugs, Scrapes or does Damage, it's retired with honors. Shave #1 or #5, it don't matter. How many shaves that takes varies from blade to blade and I've never bothered tracking...for me, there'd be no way to suck the the fun out of a shave faster, except for using Pinaud Bay Rum.
Blade change is definitely a YMMV thing. I change blades once every 7-days, shaving usually 5 of those days. However, every once in a while, you get a 7-day old blade that keeps shaving great. When that happens I like to use those blades a little longer.
Too many variables for any one answer. Beard thickness, Beard density, Beard growth, How many passes per shave?, WTG? , ATG? Blade coatings, Blade sharpness. Soap or cream that is used. Angle of razor. And, some will disagree but razor and blade match, Example: my Gillette Teck shave best with a Wilkinson Sword, getting 5 shaves, while the WS will cut me in my Merkur 34c but the 34c shaves best with a Crystal getting 4 shaves blade. Each man must find his own sweet spot to ware the morning shave is a pleasure not a chore and something to look forward to.
I get from 2 to 17 shaves out of a blade. It all depends. Now, my goal is 7 and then it goes in the bank. If it goes before then, so be it. Blades are pretty cheap. The 17 day blade was a Shark Super Chrome that I used during the government shutdown back in October 2013. I cleaned and stropped it after each use. I got tired of using it. It could have gone further.
I tend to use the same blade until it starts to tug or feel dull on my face. I can be very frugal which is why I got into wet shaving. the cost is low for blades so I can see why ppl would want to change them often but im my case if it still works fine after 4-5 shaves then ill keep using it. I think it depends on how u maintain it. I like to pull blade out after shave and rinse n dry the blade off then put a light coat of pre shave oil on the blade.
Cleaning and drying a Derby blade, I was able to get a month of shaves out of it... but back then it was every other day... so about 15 shaves... just to see if I could do it. I wouldn't want to do that all the time though. I have just recently received a variety of 100 Russian blades and so far they are all stellar. I go at least 4 or 5 shaves with those. Two pass with touch up.
