I've been doing str8s recently, but I have 7 DE's in my cabinet and from those I use 3 or 4 frequently. I don't know what the average rotation is though.
Sometimes I use one for first pass, gentle razor, gentle blade, and a different for the second and third pass. more aggresive razor and sharper blade. Other than that I let a whim guide which razor I choose from the rack.
This thread has given me a wonderful "green" idea. Mail me your old dull blades. For $1.25 per blade, I will sharpen your old dull razor into a shiny factory new blade. It's good for mother earth and helps me support my RAD.
Doubtless, the CO2 offset for mailing you my blades, and back, would kill anything "green" in your venture... But good luck! Let us know how it works out!
There should be an easy way to test this theory. If it is the corrosion that dulls the blade then it should get duller over time without actually shaving. So you could take two identical blades, and use one one day then switch and leave the blade on the counter while you shave with the other one. If they dull and close to the same rate, then the corrosion is a factor. If the one that just sits on the counter stays sharp, it must not be the corrosion. Or you could use your wife's hair drier. Ok I edited this bc I just got through the thread paul dog posted and they did this test there. So, in the words of Emily Litella: Nevermind... I don't think it was a sound test though because they did not actually shave with the razor they tested by wetting. So, the coating on the blades would not have been removed.
Yeah, I tried an unscientific experiment (= I tried it with one blade) and got the exact same number of uses. Oh well, back to springing for Crystals & Derbies....
I've got enough blades on hand to last at least 6 months, averaging 3 shaves each. And I still haven't done my first bulk buy. If I go in for any of those vintage Schick or Gillette platinums, I'll be good for the rest of the year. I still haven't picked my mainstay blade, so longevity hasn't come into play yet.
Nice bump. I've been drying my DE blades by towel blotting from the beginning. It just made good sense to me. It has not extended blade life a bit that I can tell. Unless you count two or three shaves per blade extended.
I would totally count that as I don't even get two or three good shaves as it is. What blades and how many shaves?
Blade Storage I remove the blade from the razor after rinsing. I then blot it dry on my towel and place it into an old Altoids container filled w/ desiccant (silica gel) I don't know if it keeps the blades sharper but I'm pretty sure it keeps them dry.
You could always go with this stuff. http://www.razorlast.com/ Supposedly it does help extend the life a bit, I have not tried it but it gets decent reviews on some of th ehead shaving forums I read.
Let me get this straight. It's not exactly my first day on the beach, but here we have a group of folks who wouldn't blink an eye at spending $35 on a tub of shave cream but would try to extnend the life of a $.50 blade? Just don't make sense to me.
I'm currently using Feathers which aren't the greatest blade for me, but I get three shaves. I'm awaiting an order of Gillette 7'oclock black packs. I was getting 4 shaves per blade w/ them. That includes using Rolls stropping technique too.
I would blink at a $35 tub o cream. That is why I am using the VHD <$2 stuff right now. But, I also have to point out that it will take A LOT of shaving to make it through that tub o cream. So, in the long run it is still probably cheaper.
