Methods to remember how many times you used a blade

Depends on the blade - and no, @wchnu, I don’t entirely agree anymore that a blade is a blade. I can shave with everything I have tried up to now (never having tried the truly stellar Chinese blades like Disobedient Blade or Toothless Tiger or whatever they were called). However, I have certainly noticed differences in longevity of blades.

As a result, I only go 2 shaves or 3 as an absolute max when using my cheap Indian Topaz Platinum blades. So with them, I keep track by whether I am putting a new blade in an empty razor (first shave) or the blade is already in the razor when I pick it up (second shave and I should dump it when done).

Other DE blades are good for an average of 5 to 7 shaves and SE Gem PTFE blades and injector blades are good for 10 or more. So for simplicity, if I am using a single razor loaded with any of them, I just start at the beginning of the week and dump the blade on Sunday - unless it goes bad sooner.

And if I happen to be running a bunch of razors (I have had up to 12 going at a time), I stick a note in my bathroom cupboard with the razor names and the brand of blade in them, and put a hatchmark each time I use that blade.

I know some people use dice. They put a die by each razor and flip it to show a different face each time they use the blade. Of course, that only works if (a) you use a blade no more than 6 times and (b) you don’t have other people or cats around that will play with your dice. (My one Siamese is a snoop and a pest.)

Or you can do the simplest of all, and just use a blade until it starts feeling like it's giving a bad shave and then change it out without worrying about the shave count.

 

I use a blade twice, then toss it.

 

Ive never thought about keeping track of how many times I use a blade. I use it until I get a poor performance shave. By poor performance I mean the "5 O'clock" shadow comes early. The next shave is a new blade.
I only have one razor in play at any time. If I load a new blade into a razor, I use that razor until it needs a new blade. At which point I am presented the dilemma of picking a new razor. During each blade swap out the razor gets a good wipe down/polish.
For me, the blade performance is almost equal in each razor. I think there are factors in shaving that have an impact on blade performance. Factors such as beard coarseness, water, if you use pre-shave oil and the shave soap/cream. The dulling of a safety razor blade is going to happen by use, but are the environmental factors that get left on a blade controllable to extend the life of a blade? I don't know for sure, but I shave, rinse, dry the razor and store for the next use. I get 3-5 days per blade and that's good enough for me.


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I keep it easy, 2 shaves and done.

 

I like to keep it simple. Load a blade into a DE, shave with it three times, and replace. My blades range from about 8 to 22 cents each. It won't break the bank, and this nearly always guarantees that I'm shaving with a fresh blade.

 

Hey, I read your biography!

 

The die is interesting idea. As long as you don't accidentally drop it while moving stuff or during housecleaning. That's a huge razor collection you have there. I can help you reduce the number of active razors you have. You said if they don't give the best shave, you won't use that razor next time. OK, start shaving with Derby, let's see how many active razors you end up with.

Good point about the cat! My aunt had a siamese. The most curious and active cat i 've ever seen. It would open anything that wasn't locked. He would probably eat the dice...

My only problem with the solution of "until i get poor performance", is that you find that out once you 've already started shaving. And i don't want to go searching for new blade with the lather on my face. Plus, i like standardization more. I want to be able to have a database, where i know how many good shaves i can have from a specific razor and blade (i just have 2 razors, so it should be difficult). And then the definition of poor performance...What happens when the 5 O'clock shadow comes at 12 O'clock with a fresh blade? That's me and the Derby!

 

That's where I've devolved. Being an Old School D&D table top gamer I have dice with more than six sides. As I collected up more razors it just got confusing trying to remember which die was counting what blade. Now that I know what a dull blade feels like, it doesn't take but a minute to swap out and relather.

 

I don't try to remember. I toss a blade once I feel it start to tug.

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I've got a tuck or two of Derby Extra and they've given me a good shave. I tried the new Derby Premium and bought a 100 pack (very nice blade for me).

 

Okay at the risk of drawing the ire of my fellow Denizens here it is. Blade goes in on Sunday, comes out on Friday. New blade and razor prepared on Saturday. Some of us have boo-coo razors so I can see the record keeping thing. Some of us are trying to see how long a blade can last. And some of us are overthinking a rather easy process.
Just my 0.2

 

You know, I had completely forgotten about those 26-sided dice for rolling hit points. I used to use them too, long ago when the Earth was young and Men and Dragons were both fiercer than they are now...

 

Ah, but have they given you the "best shave", like you said? And with the same number of passes? That's the interesting part.

 

Or as some people here say: "It's shaving, not rocket science."

 

...And Counts and Noaccounts sat around the castle courtyard slinging cameldung because in those days bulldung was unheard of.

 

My memory and tracking skills ain't the best so I just go by the STOP system...when a blade begins to Scrape, Tug or Pull, out it goes. Some blades, that's new right outta the wrapper.

 

I change my blade every Monday. I've been doing it like that for years.

 

My apologies for the confusion. I believe I've been misunderstood.

I guess I should not have used the word "best". I didn't mean it in the absolute sense.

I suppose I should have phrased that sentence differently. What I meant was; "not the greatest" (comparatively speaking), or "less than average", or "just so-so".

I wasn't intending it to be taken literally.

Sorry for the confusion.