I've read about the DE blades at these forums. I get the idea that they last maybe four shaves. But I can get 8 shaves from a Bic yellow handle disposable. Both a DE and a Bic disposable razor cost about 20 cents a piece. So does this mean that a Bic blade is better than a DE blade? I've been thrown off by my readings.

How is the shave from the yellow handle disposable? With a disposable you are stuck with the blade, and blade gap combo that the manufacturer chooses. With a DE you get to choose from 50 something readily available blades.http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5756 In who knows how many readily available razors. Many people have varying opinions on blades. There are so many variables.
Maybe you could get 8 shaves from a DE, it depends on your beard.
And finally....Are you comfortable with throwing away all that plastic?

Give it a try, and welcome to the obsession?

Different brands of blades have different life spans. I get around 10-12 shaves with a Schick or UK Wilkinson but only 3-4 with a Crystal or Dorco. Other people have different experiences.

I've used a BIC disposable about four times in my life when I traveled overnight unexpectedly and had to buy a drugstore razor. I never got more than one shave from a BIC and a fairly rough shave at that. Probably there's a trick to using one I never learned.

You can buy decent DE blades for as little as 10 cents in 100 packs but DE shaving nowadays really isn't about saving money. It's a hobby where people pay $15 each for a dozen flavors of shave cream and $150 each for a dozen or more brushes.

Richard

"I get around 10-12 shaves with a Schick or UK Wilkinson but only 3-4 with a Crystal or Dorco. Other people have different experiences."

This summarize it very well.
Even if I could never get 10-12 shaves from a blade, the number of uses for each of my blades differ from brand to brand. Astra, IP and Feather seem to have the shortest life span for me.

Blade longevity is a Very YMMV thing.

I used yellow bic's before and got an OK shave but not even half as close as I get with a DE.

If a Bic Dissposable blade last a year longer then a Crystal in a DE Razor. I would use the Crystal in a DE Razor.

If you think about it, every shave(a three passer say) is really three shaves. So Sunday to Friday is actually 18 shaves on one blade. Which I think is pretty damn good.

Rapira Platinum Lux blades last ten shaves for me.

Off of Midway Island in the Pacific is a spot where all the ocean currents eventually push all the flotsam and jetsum of human activity. A japanese american research student managed a rare visit to this still restricted military base. She spoke locally some years past with a slide show. There was a floating island of plastic estimated to cover the size ot TEXAS. Plastic will soon outwiegh the total mass of all living creatures in the world oceans and approach the salinity ratio. It is constantly ground up into ever finer particles and commercial tuna is considered no longer safe to eat; not from mercury as all large alpha pelagic fish are, but of plastic components leached into their very flesh.
Recyclable plastic products have a recycling number. This system shows the STAGE of reuse until you get to those lovely SEARS patio furniture sets,LEGOS star wars toys and ahem, disposable razors. The industry is not set up to further process post consumer waste and if it misses incineration or a landfill winds up replicating Austin in @ seven years of ocean travel off of Midway.
I'll grub my face out with a MERKUR before ever touching a disposable again.

Hello,
There are several reasons for using a DE safety razor. I'll list a few. As far as lasting, that depends on the person. Beards are much tougher on razors than shaving legs. A mans beard is equivalent to copper wiring of the same diameter.

I'm one of those people that tend to get very red and irritated skin when I shave. I also tend to get a pretty painful patch of razor bumps from ingrown hairs resulting from a cartridge razor. Using a DE razor eliminates both the bumps and irritation. This makes me very happy.

I also get a BBS shave, which makes my wife happy.

There is also the ecology to consider. Plastic remains in the earth or ocean, a constant reminder of shaves long past. A DE blade can easily be recycled, or erode with time. I'm not a tree hugger by nature, but this is the only planet we have and using a DE blade makes Mother Earth happy.

Everyone is happy!

The thing is, I'm not telling anyone else what they should use, that's not for me to do. Besides, everyone is different, maybe you a better results with a cartridge, but I don't. I'll stick with a DE blade. Hope this answered your question.

Wishing everyone happy shaving!

BIC disposable...


Gillette 1917 Single-ring...


'nuff said.

I'm a 4 pass shaver and toss the blades after tow shaves = 8 shaves per blade.

Right, might as well. When I used disposables years ago, with my beard, I never got more than a few days anyway.

The OP hasn't been here in 5 years.

Yes, but it was still worth addressing for any interested parties.

Anyone ever tell you ... you might have a future in movies. Something about that face, a natural.

Who's kicking up all those ancient threads?

Wow!! This has been resurrected from the dead!! Lol!!

Bic disposables suck. Bottom line.

Most DE razors last a lifetime (or more, actually), are cheaper in the long run, and give better shaves.

I say let him. People always get grief for not searching the archives. Plus, it's been fun watching people answer ten year old questions.

The earth wanted plastic.

When folks talk about getting 3-4 shaves from a DE blade, they're usually referring to multi-pass shaves -- 3 passes are typical. About 3-4 single passes is what I was getting from cartridges before I switched. One reason, for me at least, was I could not go against the grain with a cartridge and, as a result, never got as good a shave.

Well, I normally do 7 shaves and change blades, but I have been working on this Personna Supper for 45 shaves so far. Number 46 tomorrow... I hand strop it after each shave, but that is all. Still getting good shaves. I think most folks change blades because they can and they are so cheap compared to cartridges. When I stop getting a good shave, I will change this one too. It is just an experiment.