Stropping DE blades

At first glance, I know that this seems like a crazy/silly idea but I was wondering if any of you guys strop your DE blades. With that being said, I am not looking to extend the life of the blade since they are very cheap but I have noticed an inconsistency in the production of some brand name blades. For example, I like derby as they are forgiving yet they work well for me. However, when I change out the blade for a new one it's always a gamble. Sometimes I get a well sharpened smooth edge blade and other times I get a sharpened rough edge blade which usually ends up in a blood bath. Any of you encounter this problem with your favorite DE brands? Any suggestions for easy and quick stropping ideas to combat this issue? Thanks.

 

DE blade stropping... some people swear by it, other swear at it. Many say it's only useful for carbon steel.

 

I use a piece of 1.5 inch wide leather, and strop all four edges before each use. My perception is that this makes the blades smoother. It has certainly never hurt anything.

 

I hand strop all my DE and SE blades before every shave, including the first one.
Figure can't hurt, might help. Takes all of 4 seconds.

 

Thanks for the replies so far. I have been stropping the blades on my forearms prior to shaving but again just wanted to see what other gents are doing. Thanks again...

 

Actually, stropping is very effective in maintaining a keen edge on DE Blades. It will not sharpen a blade, but will maintain the edge, allowing you to get more shaves out of a blade.

For those who look at shaving from a more utilitarian prospective, or for whatever reason don't enjoy tinkering with this area of the hobby, it may not be something they would enjoy. For those like myself, who enjoy shaving not only as utilitarian, but as much as a hobby, and enjoy tinkering with all the accessories and experimenting, it's something to enjoy.

Obviously, considering the low costs of blades, this is not something to do for financial reasons, but simply for fun and extending blade life, obtaining the maximum functional quality usage out of a product.

When I note that the blade seems to be decreasing in efficiency, I will use a strop. I most often strop on a common leather strop, using a Ingersoll Blade Holder. Considering these devices were designed for Carbon Steel Blades where just a few strops would do the job, I usually do about 50 strops on each side which only takes about two or three minutes. I recently took these photos of a blade before and after stropping, to see how effective stropping really is. As you can see, the difference is substantial. The small metal chips on the edge have been realigned, and the edge is overall much smoother.

 

I often palm strop my blades. Might take 10 seconds? I think it is worth it.

 

I arm strop after every shave so my blade is ready for the next shave. Although not necessary I feel it doesn't hurt, it just may help and as has been said, either way it only takes a few seconds of my shaving ritual.

 

Yeah, I do it too -- if it does make any difference it must be slight. As already mentioned; I fail to see any way it could affect your shave negatively -- I think that the most compelling reason not to do it is the risk of injury. There are times when I'm doing this almost immediately upon awakening very early in the morning. To be honest, this thread caught my eye with the hope that someone here would talk me out of it -- tell me it's, at best, a waste of time and, at worst a potential trip to the ER.

I will watch this space . . .

 

I also palm strop my DE blades. Not sure if it's all in my head but I feel that it helps.

 

I've been hand stropping blades and moving them from one razor to the next just about every day for the past 7-8 years. I have never drawn blood. Never. I respect the blade and pay attention to what I'm doing.

 

Usually stainless blades have some kind of coating. I think stropping would destroy that coating. In my opinion, if you want to strop, wait with doing it until the blade becomes dull and you anyway have no coating left.
Personally, i never strop a blade, I just change to a new one.

 

That's exactly what my dad taught me to do with DE blades. I still do it today but still chuck the blade after 3 shaves.

For cartridge blades there's a product called razor pit. I use a cartridge for head shaves. I've managed to make a Bic disposable do over a year ( one head shave a week) using this. (I am not connected with razor pit in any way)

 

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Good work! You are right, of course, but it sounds disturbingly like the driver who hasn't had an automobile accident, and so doesn't need seatbelts.

 

I'm 53, driving since I was 16. Never been in an accident. Always, always, always buckle up.

 

I used to strop my Gillette blue blades with great results but after changing to Wilkinson Sword and now Personna Reds Astra or Crystal, I found no reason to strop. After 3 - 4 shaves I toss them, I've not noticed any inconsistency in sharpness in each brand.

 

I read somewhere that denim can be used to strop blades. Any thoughts?

 

I've heard that, as well. Never tried it myself. I don't put on jeans right out of the shower, but my hand... well, I'm sort of attached to it.

 

It works. making sure denim is on a firm surface