I have a supply of Astra SP blades and a supply of Feather Yellow blades. The Astra blades just don't work well enough for the for the third ATG pass. My Feathers work great but only last me for 3 3 pass shaves. So this is what I came up with. Load an Astra in my Futur and do 2 passes with it and load a Feather in my Fatboy and do the final pass with it. In this way I only need to put a new Feather in the FB every nine days. And put a new Astra in the Futur every 4 days. That is I am saving the expensive Feathers for the ATG pass only. Have I lost my mind?
Both blades should go for longer than that. I strop the blade on my hand before first use and then strop with the blade in the razor against old blue jeans after drying on a towel.
I think shaving with two razors is way too much of a hassle. I prefer one razor to do the job, but whatever works for you. I do think someone from the outside looking in reading this would probably think you are a little crazy, but I totally understand where you are coming from. I know that my friends who are not into wet shaving that see my set up and all my razors think I'm a little coocoo. But honestly, whatever makes you happy and if you can get a BBS irritation free using that method, then by all means...go for it.
If it works... I read somewhere about a guy who uses 3 different razors and blades, each selected for their ability to perform a given pass perfectly. Why not?
It's good fodder for future justifications, though. Some razors and blades are better for a sort of mid-morning shave, while other combos really come together for those lazy Sunday afternoons where you have the tunes cranked up. . .
I would really just look for a single blade that does it all rather than trying to make two separate blades work for you. For me, the current production blade that puts all others to shame is the SuperMax Titanium. http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/content/10-supermax-titanium-sweedish-steel-blades http://www.razorbladesandmore.com/content/100-supermax-titanium-sweedish-steel-blades
So I just ordered some blades from razorbladesandmore. I got the following: Kai, Polsilver Super Iridium, New Red Pack Personna, and Supermax Titanium. Ten of each. But I think in the mean time I am going to try my 2 razor/2 blade approach. Edit: I will try the stropping on jeans too. Not going to hand strop just yet.
I agree with the above, but you're only prolonging the inevitable - your blades are only going to work for you as long as they work for you, if that makes sense. That is, you're still only going to get x number of passes out of a blade. Unless you hand stop, as Lindyhopper66 said. I hand strop all my DE and SE blades before every shave and I believe it does help make the blade last longer. But as has been said, "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."
I have a desk job and my hands are like butter so I don't know how well that would work plus I'm taking a chance of an accident. I looked at the hand strop video once on the forum. Couldn't find it again though. Does hand strop really make a difference or can I get away with the jeans approach?
You've chosen some excellent blades to try out and I think you'll be happy with them and hopefully find your go to blade. As far as stropping DE blades is concerned, I have tried it and while it seems to result in slightly longer blade life it is also an unnecessary chore. DE blades are disposable, they were meant to last a finite amount of time and to then be disposed of. They cost, on average, about 15 cents apiece. If you absolutely feel the need to strop them, either to save a bit of money or to reduce your usage and your environmental impact, then do what feels comfortable and safe. Using jeans would be similar to using a linen strop and is probably too aggressive for a DE blade, but a few passes across smooth belt would work.
To me, your approach makes sense, GlennConti. Knowing what tool is the fittest for what job is the key for getting good results.
Shave your way , Bud. I found I could get more shaves out of Feathers. If after a shave I rinsed the blade, pat dry with a towel and drop it in a shot glass with olive oil in it. I don't do this anymore though since I found Shark Super Chrome work better for me. They are cheap enough to just throw away after 2 or 3 shaves.
Well, I am a "newbie" ,but I too have found feathers a great shave but for me they also only work for 3 x 3 pass shaves, I have found shark blades just as good, but recently I have been trying Gillette 7 o'clock yellows and for me, they offer good shaves (as good as my feather and shark) but with at least 4 x 3 pass shaves. But as every one says here what suits me might not suit you or YMMV! You have some great kit enjoy your shaves whatever.
How to hand strop... Three schools of thought: 1) It doesn't work B) Even if it does work, blades are so cheap, why bother? Third) It works. It smooths the blade out for a few extra comfortable shaves. I'm in the third group. I've been doing it six times a week for the last four years, have never cut myself.
I'm with you Glenn!! Your not crazy or at least not alone... I've been using not only two different types of blades but different types of razors as well for over a year with great success and having alot of fun doing it..... I use an EverReady 1924 "shovelhead" SE for my first pass and then my EJ89 with Weber BullDog handle for the next two passes and touchup. I also do my touchup pass with only water no soap... The results: Consistant irritation free DFS/BBS shaves, my SE blade lasts longer and I get to use two different types of razors everyday....
Can't add anything that you haven't heard but felt left out and wanted to say something, so... Really, everything is worth a try. Work with it if it works. I just tried the Personna Reds tonight and it's my favorite blade so far out of the 4 that I've now tried.
I get great, smooth shaves from a Polsilver loaded aboard my Fatboy. But I offer no criticism whatsoever to your two razor strategy. If it works for you, it's good enough.
