Hi guys, when is the right time to say goodbye to a blade? Should it feel irritating? Or should there be a certain number of shaves and then you throw it? I haves used till now four five types of blades including Astra SP, 7'O clock, feather, murker, Gillette and a few more. I am mostly using Astra but I am unable to decide when to throw it out. When I started DE a few months back I did only a couple of shaves with feather/ Astra and threw it away but then I realized that I didn't use them fully and they could give me more shaves. Lately I did almost 8 shaves with one Astra now I am doing my sixth with another Astra. I change blade sides with each shave. Astra has numbered its edges 1,2,3 and 4. If I use side 1,2, I do next shave with side 3,4 and then next one with 1,2 again and do forth. Till date I sm throwing away blades just to throw them, not really feeling why should I not do another shave with it.
Hi & welcome to TSD! A typical number of shaves per blade is between 3 and 7 which will vary for each person. When *you* should change your blade will depend on how it's performing for you. If a blade starts tugging your whiskers or just not doing as good of a job as you would like, then it's time to put in a new one. The numbers on the blades mean nothing for the end user (you) and may have something to do with internal quality controls. Or, maybe they are just put there for us to ask why. Some swear by turning or flipping a blade as it's used, others (myself included) find that it isn't useful. I tend to divide my face in halves and just use one side of the DE per half. But, even if you don't do this, randomness will distribute edge usage sufficiently. happy shaving!
I leave the blade in the razor and rinse with very hot water after shaving, after 2-3 shaves I let it go into the blade bank. I think you should toss it whenever you feel is best, there's no standard you have to reach. If you're on your 4th shave and feel like you would rather be using a new one, go for it
I use a blade 3 times and toss it. If it pulls or tugs on the first shave, it gets tossed immediately. Blades are cheap, no need to keep them longer than necessary.
A lot of people just throw blades away for no real reason other than them reaching a certain shave count. Really, I have found I used to think a blade was done (7-8 shaves out of a Personna injector blade) only to find it shaved well for far beyond that (15 shaves). Some people just rationalize, blades are so cheap why not start with a fresh one after a few shaves? I think that is wasteful and so I don't do that anymore. Blades really last longer than you might think.
I still have some Super-Max Super Platinum that I use sometime, and with them it's 1 and done. With Feathers it's 2 and done because when I pushed it to 3 it starts to pull. I use a very light touch so the blade has to be very sharp. I do hand strop the blade before use, and I take the blade out and rinse it with isopropyl alcohol. I never leave a blade in a razor, as I value them too much, but that's just me.
Me too. Voskhods are my go to blade...they are inexpensive and I have a bunch of them so I toss them after three shaves. Prolly could do more shaves but why not stay nice and smooth. BTW, I did a Voskhod in my Schick Krona today with CRSW Bergmont and Bay soap. Had to check to see if I put a blade in the razor. An absolutely BBS shave. Ed
There is no absolute correct number of times for an individual to use a blade. As you can see from the answers above everyone has a preference. Some people will toss a blade after 1 or 2 shaves, some people like me want maximum use(5+ shaves) of out our blades. I know blades are cheap, but I dislike waste and I like getting maximum use out of things I own. In the beginning I was obsessed with a minimum of 7 shaves before tossing the blade, so I would often times discard a blade that was still shaving fine or suffer through shaves with a tugging, pulling blade just to make my quota of shaves per blade. Now I set nether a lower or upper limit on blade use, I simply use a blade until 1 or more of the factors below occur, be it one shave or twenty. FYI the longest I've ever used a blade was something like 14-16 shaves, the shortest was part way through the first pass. I don't remove the blade(just rinse and dry it) or strop it in between shaves. I'll give my razors a good cleaning when I change blades My criteria for tossing a blade are: 1) when it irritates my skin 2) excessive tugging and pulling 3) nicks While the numbers on the blade(some blades have no numbers) can be used to keep track if you alternate blade sides, they really have no meaning to the shaver and are only for factory use, at least as far as I know..
When I was using a DE before I switched to a SR I used a merkur 10 times once. Normally twice however
Blades are inexpensive, and I can't see any reason to use one once the shave gets uncomfortable, for whatever reason. As to how many shaves that is, only you can tell. Personally I load up a fresh blade after four shaves, or eight to ten passes.
I go 7 days unless the blade starts talking back. Then, it is in the blade bank. Last year I did an experiment with a Shark Super Chrome. I went 19 days with it. I rinsed and hand stropped it after each shave. I could have gone further, but I got bored. I almost forgot...
No rule, I just notice when the shave is not good enough and feels uncomfortable. But when I am blade testing I use it three times before moving on to the next. Longivety is not a criteria for the test itself, just comfort and efficiency. A part from that I use the blade as long as I can or I get "bored" with it
Keep in mind that your "end point" will vary with your technique, razor, skin, beard and brand of blade. If you've been using a blade for a while, you should get an idea of it upper limit FOR YOU. The only way to find out, is to test for yourself. Unfortunately, someone else's limit may be completely different than yours.
