Blade longevity: misconceptions vs reality.

Discussion in 'General Shaving Talk' started by matthewoli98, Jun 29, 2020.

  1. Lancre

    Lancre Well-Known Member

    On average, I get 6-8 shaves from most blades. Wilkies can give me 30-50 each, Feathers 3.
    Sometimes I want to switch just for variety. At the price/hundred, it's not worth worrying about.
     
  2. John Beeman

    John Beeman Little chicken in hot water

    I’m not one to use most blades more than four shaves but I must confess that I painfully squeeze the very last bit of toothpaste from the tube.
    I’ve also been known to wear a pair of socks past their useful life.
     
  3. matthewoli98

    matthewoli98 Well-Known Member

    Yep, its a bit rediculous to be honest. People have called me "cheap" or said i obviously dont have much growth to shave, but the reality is i dont see a need to replace a blade which is still performing as good as it was on its first few shaves.

    Yes it saves money by using blades for longer, but its more about not being wasteful. I'm not saying people cant replace blades way more frequently than i do, just that if a blade is still performing well, theres no real reason to replace it.

    Sent from my Redmi S2 using Tapatalk
     
  4. matthewoli98

    matthewoli98 Well-Known Member

    Ive had the same experience, most people pin that down to the coating wearing at different rates, if you flip it frequently it helps the coating wear at a more even rate giving the impression that its the blades "sharpeness" being improved.

    Sent from my Redmi S2 using Tapatalk
     
  5. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    I’ve learned from experience that 2 shaves is my limit. (But remember how much “real estate” a woman has to cover.)
     
  6. BigMike

    BigMike Well-Known Member

    What you say is true, but I still replace my blades every Monday because it's convenient for me to clean the razor after my Sunday shave. Otherwise I'd probably get about 8 or 9 shaves from a blade. Occasionally I find a blade doesn't make it the full week. When that happens I just change it out ahead of schedule and can usually stretch the new blade to last the remainder of the week plus the whole of the next.
     
  7. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    I use to stretch every shave I could ..... Now I'm a one and done ....... I figure my face is worth at least 10¢ a shave.

    :)
     
  8. '65 G-Slim

    '65 G-Slim Well-Known Member

    I have enough blades on hand to last about 4 1/2 years, probably longer than I'll be around. I shave every other day, each blade used twice, then tossed.

    Two and I'm through.
     
  9. Judoguy

    Judoguy Member

    I have over 3000 blades.....more than enough for my lifetime and now I give them away so I can buy more new ones to try.Its a harmlesd addiction that makes people happy.

    Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk
     
    Enrico, Ron R, Sara-s and 2 others like this.
  10. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    I like to use the blade to its full life extent for great comfortable shaves. When learning to shave I like to keep track of shaves on the blade and I noticed that I get about 5-7> great shaves on a DE blade so I average and do not push most blades pass 6 on averaging( it works well for myself).
    Kai DE SS blades I like to use them no more than 10, they are pricier but they are made of better quality steel or edge is much better!
    With SE blades, Gem Personna SS PTFE blades I can get 8-14 shaves so I average and just do go past 10 then are tossed, they are predicable and one of my favorite blades.
    With DE blades the 2nd and 3rd shave are the sharpest and smoothest for my self.
    I have enough DE blades for 8+ yrs:happy097::love029:.

    Have some great shaves!
     
  11. PanChango

    PanChango Not Cute

    I pitch the blade when the shave either doesn't last as long as it should or is a rough, normally 3 to 5 shaves.
     
  12. matthewoli98

    matthewoli98 Well-Known Member

    I clean my razors and rinse the blade after each use and dab it dry. Putting wet blades back into a razor is perhaps the biggest contributor to lower blade lifespan, but at this price point it really doesn't matter.

    Sent from my Redmi S2 using Tapatalk
     
    Enrico and Ijustmissedthe50s like this.
  13. Bflotom2

    Bflotom2 Active Member

    I follow the if it tugs, drags or otherwise doesn't function well the blade gets pitched. But I will admit to throwing out blades before their time. Sometimes I'll favor one or two razors over others. By the time I get back to the ignored razor I can't remember when the blade was changed and I'll pitch the blade.
     
  14. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    When I am shaving with a DE razor I change my blade every Sunday...just because I can. However, back in the day, when my father was shaving with his old Gillettes he wouldn't change his blade until the blade started giving him grief...i.e. nicks and weepers. He was a Depression era kid and wasted nothing. He knew the value of a dollar. I think we change our blades too frequently...likely because most of us have enough DE blades to last a lifetime.
     
    Lancre likes this.
  15. Tedolph

    Tedolph Well-Known Member

    There is something here I am not understanding. I replace by feel, and it always comes out to the same number of shaves: five to six double pass shaves with a Feather SS single edge blade. This has been the case for years. Why should it change? There are no variables. Same number of days between shaves, same routine and prep. same post blade care after the shave (rinse and open razor, strop both sides of blade across wet towel, put in shave den to dry ). What would be different? Why wouldn't I get exactly the same number of shaves per blade?
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2021
    matthewoli98 likes this.
  16. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    It could be coincidence. I have used Feather DE blades in the past and I found they did not have staying power. I found on the 4th or 5th day they were losing their punch. My go-to DE blades are: Tiger, Gillette Sharp Edge, or Gillette Silver Blue. These have staying power beyond one week, but as I said in my post above, I change out every Sunday regardless.
     
    matthewoli98 likes this.
  17. Troy M

    Troy M Prep: Mephitis mephitis musk

    I seem to change my blade on Saturday or Sunday (depending on which weekend day I take off from shaving) - so I guess I get around 6 shaves per Astra. In the past I have used some blades for up to 20 shaves, but these graying/whitening whiskers are tougher than the old brown ones used to be. If a shave takes more than 2 passes and minor touch ups, the blade gets replaced earlier if needed.
     
    Enrico, matthewoli98 and Lancre like this.
  18. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    I would rather under use a good blade and get a comfortable shave than use a blade to the point of an uncomfortable tug and pull. Even a little tug and pull ruins the entire shave. Hey, for what I pay per blade, it's only 3 cents a shave.

    I've found the blades I use (I've stopped experimenting) are good for maybe 6 or 7 shaves. A new blade goes in on Monday, three passes even day, toss after Friday's shave. Saturdays are for my straight razor, and Sundays for my SEs. Following that routine, I'm pretty much guaranteed a comfortable shave every time.
     
  19. matthewoli98

    matthewoli98 Well-Known Member

    In my case, the amount of uses i could get from a blade comfortably changed because my technique improved. For the average experienced wetshaver, it wont change much.

    Sent from my M2010J19SG using Tapatalk
     
    Enrico, Tedolph and IAmTheJody like this.

Share This Page