Hmmmmmm...... Well, I flip my straight razor over every time I change side of my face so I guess the answer is "yes"!
After each shave I hand strop each edge on one side, flip the blade, and hand strop each edge. Been doing that for the last 10-11 years. Figure can't hurt, might help. Does it make a difference? No idea.
Funny. I think that was a double-edge blade question! If the edge of the blade is worn from shaving, I can't see how flipping it over would make any difference. There's only one edge on each side of the blade, so flipping the blade over in the razor probably wouldn't do anything. Dull is dull. Stropping the DE blade might extend its life a few shaves. There were lots of solutions for that in the days of olde... there was a European doodah that was a little box with strings sticking out both ends... you close the DE blade in the little box and see-saw the strings back and forth to strop it. There was also a little booklet solution with a concave half-cylinder of abrasive material (you put the blade in the gully and wiggle it around with your finger). Those ideas didn't pan out or last. Blades then were a lot thicker, too, so they might have worked in those days. Today, blades are so cheap (an so sharp), why bother? When a blade stops performing, I pitch it and grab another. Changing blades often lets you try a lot of different blades, too. Win-Win! - Bax
Over the years, I've seen many opinions both for and against flipping and/or stropping the blade. Personally, I do neither (stropping does seem to help with the initial shave of SE blades and vintage DEs tho). It probably all comes down to YMMV (your mileage may vary) and maybe even placebo effect.
I palm stropped multiblade disposables all the time and felt that it was tremendously beneficial in extending the life of the razor.
Hasn’t worked for any knives I’ve used, so I think nope. but you must know that I’m a one and done with my blades……… my face is worth more than ten cents.
One and done? I usually go 4-5 days, sometimes a week on each blade. My ugly mug must only be worth 2.5 to 3.5 cents. ;-) - Bax
With thousands of DE blades on hand, mostly the fantastic Voskhod DE blades and lots of Feather blades, the only ones I use more than once are my SE blades and my vintage NOS blades such as my 1960s Schick Super Stainless Steel Krona DE and injector blades and my Personna 74 "in disguise" DE and injector blades.
I don't see a point in flipping, corking, stropping etc. I just use my blades until they are done. Have 1,000's but see no point in wasting them. I also don't feel I should be the companies final step in production and so if a blade needs stropping before I can use it I move to a better blade. Just my feelings which has served me since 2007......
I was responding to what this original post was about ...... do I physically open open my razor and flip the blade over between uses. If you slice (using a knife in you right hand) at a 30° through a carrot or a parsnip; it doesn't get sharper by flipping the blade to the other side by slicing at the same angle with your left hand.
@Enrico Gotcha. But the OP was about getting "more milage" out of a blade, making it last longer, not trying to get it sharper. That's where the discussion of pros and cons of stropping comes in. To your analogy, spot on.
It doesn't get any sharper but it does promote more even wear on the cutting edge and extends the time it takes for the edge to burr, thus prolonging a blade's usefulness. Skin is leather is it not? a degree (even if only minute) of stropping does indeed take place in the process of shaving. You wouldn't strop only one side of a blade now would you?
