This morning I started in on shave #4 of a Merkur Platinum blade in my '60 SS. Big mistake. The blade just draaaagged across my skin, resulting in a tender, razor-burned face today. Had to change the blade out for a Personna Plat after the first pass. Night and day difference.
The blades last until I get bored and change it. Most of the time I go 2 or 3 shaves with a blade and am happy. Give it some time and see what works best for you.
I toss an Gillette 7 O'Clock blacks and Astra after 5-6 shaves (enough for the entire work week). Other blades are usually about 3 days.
I change my blade every 3 shaves. They may be able to last more but I've had bad experiences before trying to squeeze an extra shave out of a blade so I just play it safe.
DE 2-5 days depending on the brand Injector 5-8 days depending on the brand Trac II / Atra 2 - 5 days depending on the brand I head shave so I base the Trac II / Atra on the use on my head and the DE / Injector on use on my face.
Good post. I was just wondering this myself as I hit #4.. in my mind wondering, "Is this getting dull? Is it imagined?" I like the 3 shave rule post. I was looking in the special projects area and I like a couple of the ideas on building a little tin with a slot for disposal of these. But I did have another thought that one of my good friends is a paramedic. I can get him to bring home a sharps container from work and that will hold blades for about a year easily.
I put a piece of duct tape over an old vitamin bottle. Cut a slot in the tape. Peeled the label off and wrote "Caution: Blade Bank." on the side. The cap goes back on after I put the old blade in.
You must use the secret formula. beard density + hair toughness + number of passes + brand of razor + brand of shaving creme + hardness of the water + the specific gravity of an orange = toss it the minute you think the quality of the shave has gone downhill. You could use a new blade every day and still shave for less than the cost of a razor cartridge. (Unless you were one of those people who would use it until the lubricating strip was a dim memory).
I'm reading 10, 15, 20, 40 shaves per blade. I've been shaving for quite some time and rarely can I get 5 shaves out of a blade, no matter the brand. The norm (for me) is 3 to 4 shaves per blade. If I feel the least amount of tugging or pulling; out it comes. Blades are so cheap I can't see having an uncomfortable shave. My two cents worth.
I'm with Oscar and normally pitch them after 3 or 4 shaves.... However, I ran into some vintage Wilkinson Swords at a flea market recently and have 10 shaves on the blade. It's not quite as sharp as day one, but it is still sharp and smooth. Just for fun, I am going to see how far it will go.
I use a Muhle R106 with Personna Medical Prep blades and I change every Sunday morning. Since retiring I shave an avg of 4/5 times a week. I sure I could proably go 2 weeks but..
I've made the commitment to hand strop my blades for the next few months.. So, I fully expect my total number of shaves from one blade will decrease, but hopefully in exchange for more peak shaves.. Always seems that my best shaves are on day three through six.. I figure on average I get five shaves from a DE blade..
I guess I'm one of the few that have good luck with Merkur blades. I usually get 5-6 4 pass shaves per blade but the blade before last went 12 shaves and I was still getting good shaves from it. figure that one out.
I've never kept track, just used them until they started tugging. This thread inspired me to actually keep a tally. Got my 16th shave from a Feather this morning. It'll be replaced in the morning. Think I'll try a Shark next.
Why suffer with the tug? That's why I put in a new blade every Monday and toss it on Friday, hand stropping before every shave.
The first 10 or 12 shaves were excellent. The last few were good enough, but as you said, why suffer with the tug. The irony is that the new Shark I put in felt about like the old Feather it was replacing.
I get 3-4 out of one de blade. I use drug store brand de blades. Ten for six. More importantly they're made in USA.