I noticed that my Derby blades have numbers on each side. one side is 1 and 2 and the flip side is 3 and 4. Is this so you can flip the blades and is that a good thing to do or what?
I think the general consensus is that it is for quality control, if there was a problem with an edge, they could easily find where in the process it occured. For a while I marked them with a sharpie to help me keep track of how many uses on a blade, but I started just using a blade until it started pulling rather than a certain number.
It's not necessary to "flip" the blade. Who knows why the manufacture decided to place numbers on the blade. Doesn't really matter. As cheap as blades are, when you start obtaining nicks and cuts (provided you are an experienced shaver and have your technique down) or the blade starts dragging across your face (dull) and you get red irritated skin, change it. After all the object of the game is to... Enjoy your shave... v/r Oscar...
Man...don't listen to these guys. Low numbers always go UP on the Derby blades. Otherwise bad juju gona get you. Unless it is Tuesday, and you just had a rousing game of Fizzben. Then the numbers up would be 3 and 4. New guys...sheesh.
A Derby representative has said in the past the the numbers are there for quality control. They use them to check the calibrations on the sharpening systems in the factory. I find it most interesting that the common assumption about the numbers is for blade flipping.
Actually, I think it is just to cause confusion and consternation among geeks who obsess about the way in which they remove hair from their body. Those Turks, they just love screwing with us!
I never play Fizzben at night! Cause that way whenever I get a King, I get another card! Whereas if you play at night (or when its dark rather), you have to give the card back.
Although I am sure that it only a quality control purpose, when I do strop blades, the 1-2-3-4, help me keep track of which edges have been stropped (do them in order). However, I don't usually do this and Rolls hasn't convinced me that it really is of value with modern blades.
The numbers are part of quality control. In a factory with sharp objects, fingers are occasionally lost and production must stop to clean out the equipment. The numbers 1 to 4 are to remind the works to frequently count fingers. Since the Turkish people don't concider the thumb a finger, the blades don't have a number 5.