I switch blades on the 3rd or fourth shave, i enjoy variety to much, but i can get 8 to 12 shaves if i push on, i dumped my first personna 74 blade on the 5th shave because i had another untried blade on deck and was not overl impressed with the 74.
I'm retired, I shave only about twice a week. I change the blade every time because I'm mowing down several days of growth and I feel it dulls the blade (my whiskers are like a wire brush) and I really like the feel of a fresh blade. So I'm using about 2 blades a week to get 7 days of growth, about the same as changing every 3 days with a daily shave.
So I'm a little new at this and hope you don't mind me asking. Most of what I know about edges and cutting comes from my other additction .... ooops I mean hobby - collecting and sharpening higher end kitchen knives. That said.... What is it about shaving that would make a blade shave better after the first shave? I realize it's like comparing apples to pancakes but with knives you'll almost always finish a sharpening session with a stropping stroke -- if not an outright strop itself to align the edge properly and remove burrs and wire edges. Depending on the knife, the level of refinement and personal preference some sharpeners will also run the edge through a cork or deburring block. Does this have something to do with the reason a second shave might better, and if so why not run a new blade through a cork or felt deburring block?
I do a 3-pass shave daily. I use one side of the blade for 4 days then the other side for 3. Rarely I'll get a bad blade and change it sooner. More often I'll get a blade that is still usable at the end of the week yet, still, I'll change it on Sunday because that's my routine.
I think your apples and pancakes is the difference. You don't ask a piece of beef how it feels after shaving off a serving. Sharp enough to cut is a spectrum - there's razor sharp, very sharp, down to just sharp enough to do the job. Using you face to judge sharpness, plus choice of soap, technique used to perform the shave, and beard coarseness - these factors combine to refine and deburr a first use blade into a more pleasurable second use blade.
I think it's like using a straight razor you have sharpened with paste, without stropping - the edge may be very sharp but not quite smooth enough. As you pointed out, stropping will refine the edge. You're probably right - you could get better shaves by refining the edge on a new blade (stropping, cork etc) but that would be a lot of work when DE blades aren't bad to start with. I don't think there's a definitive answer on this. The answer is probably whatever you damn well like. If you wanna cork the blade, you for it. One shave and toss it? Yep, why not. Three/four shaves a week and replace it if that's your thing. Or use it for 40 something. If you're insane
Thanks. I certainly see your point. Although many people are surprised how far chefs will go to get and keep an edge to a point where it matches their technique yet still hold said edge and feel. I suppose if I were ripping through 50 lbs of onions in a morning I'd be paying attention too.. Clearly the uses are different, the longevity of the instruments is different, the geometries of the edges are worlds apart... I learned in another thread there are coatings on these DE blades (who knew?) that make stropping them impractical. Yet I still wonder if a run through a cork or felt block might still be of some use. I feel I've also noticed less pleasant shaves my first time on a blade. Maybe I'll give it a shot after I get through this month's 30 day focus. Thank you again. Your help has been, as always, ..... very helpful!
In The 30 Day Group a Focus is a great time to experiment. While a Rule suggests using the exact same set up for a month to reduce variables, a Focus introduces variables in a controlled manner. Take one fresh blade in you razor and shave one side of your face. Then swap in a blade of the same manufacturer that you've corked. Hopefully your prep, lather, and razor handling technique will be the same. That lets you compare the corked VS. straight from the wrapper blade.
I hope you change your underwear like you do your blades. I get 6 5 pass shaves per blade, 3 shaves per edge. And if I did change my underwear like my blades I am not saying.
If you want to do some reading on blades and how some people test them. https://www.refinedshave.com/reviews/razor-blades/ https://scienceofsharp.wordpress.com/
No reason to change blades everyday, unless you just like generating waste... I'll use a six sided Die to keep track of my shave count on a blade. Currently my favorite blade is Bolzano, they are nearly as sharp as the Feathers, but much smoother, and last much longer. Sometimes, if I'm lazy, I'll use a blade past the six mark, they stay smooth the whole way.
