This one's hard to believe. There's a local radio consumer advocate here in my area named Clark Howard. Here's what he has to report (two different posts that way pretty much the same thing)...Make your razor last much longer Clark got a tip from a caller last year about how to make a razor last a long time. The caller blow dries his blades and then uses a toothbrush to brush off any sediment. He had been using the same blade for a year. That was a little much for Clark but he dries his blades with a towel after each use. Now, he’s been using the same blade since Spring. The caller, an engineer, said the water left on the blade is what degrades the blade, so keeping the blade dry is what keeps it sharp. Clark now has a lifetime supply of razors because he’s going to go through them quite slowly. Try it out on your razor. Drying your razor blades extends shelf life Back in February 2006 a gentleman called the show and spoke about using the same razor for a year. He revealed that blades don't degrade from shaving, but rather they corrode from the moisture that collects on them once you're done shaving. The fellow explained his ritual of using a blow dryer to dry his razor. His call prompted others to speak up and share their tricks and tips for maximizing a razor's life. Clark got inspired by the whole discussion (and the expense of shaving blades!) and decided to take a single 17-cent razor and make it last for one year. He didn't dry his razor with a hair dryer, but instead took the lazy man's approach of just blotting it dry on a towel. It lasted for a whole year and he was very pleased to not have to throw money away on blades anymore. I've never heard of Howard, but one of the guys I work with told me about this. Said he's been doing it and that it does seem to make a difference. 'Course, he uses an M3. Lifetime supply of DE's...a 5-pak!! Any thoughts?
I'd rather spend the time needed for blotting or blowing my blade on working up a nice lather. Or taking my time while shaving. If this is true, my heart goes out to them. I'm all for being wise about money, but youse got to draw the line.
No point in my view. 12 dollars for a hundred Crystals has me not a tiny bit worried about longevity.. :rofl
OK, Michael. You've done it. You've shamed me into fessing up about my blade worshipping :1respect and the hallowed secrets of the FOOL (Fraternal Order Of Latherers). Here's my shameful routine: 1. Take unopened blade. Bow to the east, west, north, and south with it lovingly outstretched in your hands. 2. Take a one-gallon bottle of Lucky Tiger and pour it slowly over the still unopened blade. This should take at least 3 hours. 3. Wait for a sign. It could be a stop sign, a beer sign, or a sign of things to come. 4. Put on cotton gloves, the kind restorers uses. Gloves can only be used once. 5. Ask the powers that be if you can unwrap the blade. 6. See #3 above. 7. When you get the sign, you may proceed (with the blade, but still wearing gloves) to the the hallowed santuary of worship (aka the bathroom). 8-135. There are a bunch of other steps, but you get the picture. So drying the blade really won't take that much time. You're right. These need to be added to the routine. Oh, all of the above is performed wearing nothing but the cotton gloves and in front of your local police/constabulary station.
Too much work. I just have my horse sneeze on the blade. Good preservative and increases the slickness factor.
I could already get 2 months of shaving out of a M3, shaving 2 locations (or 3 depending on how you count) not including the face, using only ATG passes. Blade longevity isn't on my priority list.
I'm going to do an experiment on this, and strop my Derby that's currently in my FatBoy and see how long I can stand using it... Have put a PostIt in my cabinet and will count the times I use that blade, probably 1-2 times a week in my current rotation.
Blades are cheap... And at 4 a.m., I'm not about to go through all that. If it's dull, I get another and drive on... If I get 1 or 21 shaves from a blade, I get 1 or 21 shaves, dull is dull and I switch... After all I want to... Enjoy my shave...
Many people here in Germany love the Blademaster. They swear that a blades lifetime can be doubled with this. It even works with DE shavers. Just let the razor with the blade rest on the Blademaster after shaving and the magnetism "repairs" the blade. So no additional work has to be done. I don't know where to get this in US but as always there can be found ways to get it.
From my understanding what that thing does is "realign" the blade edge, sound familiar? It's called honing, although the added pull effect may be more efficient. Either ways, all this does is delay the inevitable edge degradation. Given that a DE edge is quite fine it probably won't get as much as a boost as multiblades. At least that's what I think.
Yes ZiggyDeath, your thoughts are right. It realigns the blade edge. But you write honing with a added pulling effect. As I understood you right. Just to make clear. There is no honing movement with the razor. Just the pulling effect of the magnetism.
I would be curious to see if this individual is using a cartridge blade or a double edge blade. Michael Ham once said to me that double edge blades are so cheap there is no real reason to talke a lot of effort to maintain the blade. I have a mem blade which I have been using for over a year and a half. Mem blades are Chineese are were mailed to me free by a pal.
Since this is in the Safety Razor section, the person this excerpt is about is probably using a safety razor not one of those terrible cartridge razors.
