Does Anyone Know?

Discussion in 'General Shaving Talk' started by Carson West, Nov 9, 2019.

  1. Carson West

    Carson West Well-Known Member

    Gentlemen, I've read about guys getting incredible numbers of shaves like 50 or even 100 out of single blades, and I'm curious about how this is possible. It's hard for me to believe that a blade can get that much use without wearing down, and I'm thinking that in these cases, they're actually sharpening the blades with each use (the blades are wearing down in a beneficial way). Anyone know of a study where blades are observed under a microscope to see how they're actually wearing?
     
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  2. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Yes...but the images are long gone. There was a thread over on Badger & Blade.

    There is no such thing as "wearing down in a beneficial way." The users in question either have iron faces, sharpen the blades between uses, do single pass shaves, etc. "There is no such thing as a free lunch." (TINSTAAFL). Thank you high school economics class.

    My cousin, ex-military, used to shave with a Mach 3 as he walked from the parking lot to his duty station. Dry. No water or shaving cream involved. He could easily get 50 shaves from any DE blade if he wanted to.

    I get on average, 7-14 shaves per blade, 1-2 passes per shave. I also have a mostly full beard, so I'm only shaving my cheekbones and neck.

    Back when I only had a goatee, using a shake sharp razor, I once got about 20 shaves with one edge of a DE blade. I stopped that particular experiment because I was bored of using the razor, not because the blade was unusable. At roughly .05 cents per blade, not many people care how many uses they get from a DE blade.

    If I remember correctly, it was the blade coating that was damaged after several uses...not the blade itself. This was in reference to Feather DE blades, and I don't remember if that was a seperate thread or not.

    The short answer is yes, there have been studies done.
     
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  3. Carson West

    Carson West Well-Known Member

    POM, your knowledge never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for the generous answer(s).
     
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  4. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    I still get yelled at by my wife for forgetting basic stuff... Wish she would ask me some razor questions, lol.
     
  5. Lancre

    Lancre Well-Known Member

    You'd have the edge, there.
     
  6. Chuck Naill

    Chuck Naill Well-Known Member

    There is a person on B&B that uses a Schick Type O clone that gets 90 plus shaves per blade. There are the double blade type. Back before becoming a hobbiest shaver I would use a blade many times before even thinking of changing. I was shower shaving and not paying much attention to the quality of shave.
     
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  7. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    There was a guy on one of the forums many years ago who repeatedly claimed to have gotten an incredible number of shaves from a Dinosaur blade. It was something like a year's worth of shaves, and the blade was still going strong. I never saw that poster make extravagant claims about anything else, so it is not like he was prone to exaggeration.

    Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum blades seem to last a long time for some people. I get at least 14 shaves from each blade, and remember others getting even more than that.

    Here are some electron microscope photographs of blade wear, although it is not a study: https://thruanelectronlens.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/under-the-microscope-razor-blades/.
     
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  8. brit

    brit in a box

    gillette platinum (blue/white) and gillette spoiler give me 10 shaves without issue.the others gsb/nacet/7oclock yellow /green fall off by 5.i don't shave any differently with them and all are in vintage gillettes..
     
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  9. Carson West

    Carson West Well-Known Member

    Thanks for this X.
     
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  10. Carson West

    Carson West Well-Known Member

    Brit, how do you know it's time to change blades? Is it just a tugging blade, as it is for me, or is there something else amiss?
     
  11. brit

    brit in a box

    just a tugging draggy blade,not cleaning up as well on the final pass.
     
  12. Chuck Naill

    Chuck Naill Well-Known Member

    I'd also suspect those men who do one pass, have facial hair, or have a sparse beard/less coarse could get more shaves from a blade. I would be very suspicious of any legitimate studies being performed as to become a definitive source.
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2019
  13. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    I agree completely. Such studies would be considered highly confidential, and kept under lock and key.

    It is likely that Gillette does this kind of research in their Reading, UK R&D facility. Schick and some of the other manufacturers probably do, as well.

    https://play3r.net/news/articles/behind-closed-doors-at-gillettes-innovation-centre-in-reading/
    https://www.t3.com/news/i-went-to-the-gillette-razor-factory-and-it-was-intense
     
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  14. Dirtfarmer

    Dirtfarmer Well-Known Member

    ICWYDT.
     
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  15. Terry

    Terry Tool Admirer

    Interesting!
    I find one good shave, head and face is about it for a blade. Some blades don't last thst long, it takes 2 of some blades per shave. When I use carts, they start out so dull, they pull and tug right out of the gate. So it's my thoughts that the guys that get theses extended blade lifes, don't have a full face of tough whiskers like I have.
    So I postulate blade uses, may be beard dependant.
    tp
     
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  16. Carson West

    Carson West Well-Known Member

    I'll bet by about the 15th shave, they're using a butter knife.
     
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  17. Terry

    Terry Tool Admirer

    Not sure, I know that I have issues after 2 shaves. Some report much more use from blades than I do. One can never quite know.
    tp
     
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  18. Robert1955

    Robert1955 Well-Known Member

    It is not important to me how many shaves I get, I 99% use straights now and only occasionaly, if in a hurry I will use a DE, when it tugs...it is out...gone...and a fresh one put in, so in length of time, well yes, a blade lasts me a long time, but this is a unfair analysis because I use differrent razors, I could not guess how long it would last just using a DE.
    The subject has sooo many variables it is hard to define one blade over another... I like feathers and derby, nacets and the Indian Gillette is quite good, ones I avoid are shark and Lord, there are others...but it is late and I need sleep :-|
     
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  19. Lancre

    Lancre Well-Known Member

    Glad somebody did.
     
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  20. Carson West

    Carson West Well-Known Member

    Lancre, a thousand apologies. I thought my wife had mailed those Derby blades to you. She just returned from a four day trip and told me they weren't mailed. I'll mail them myself tomorrow.
     
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