Methods to remember how many times you used a blade

Maybe we need zincs on the razors. Lol

 

Only when in storage. Can you see it? A line of razors, linked together with wire, with a big ball of zinc on the end

 

It's all I need indeed

 

I use a blade twice, I see no reason to spend time on a 5¢ blade. Comfort over frugal.

 

I am one of those guys that keeps a spreadsheet in Google Docs to track number of shaves per blade, but I also like to only use one blade at a time. I also like to push the longevity envelope with my blades (see @Bookworm's comments on the B&B Excalibur Club). My best so far is one month of good or great daily shaves (shooting for almost BBS in two passes) on a single DE blade without honing or stropping. (If you focus on improving technique, including good prep and good lather, it is possible to avoid the "plastic deformation" that @Bama Samurai mentioned and get longer life out of a blade.) I keep track for me, because I want to know and because it helps me think about and improve my technique.

At this point, after over a year of daily wet shaves, I think I can get a decent shave out of just about any razor and blade combination. I do find it easier to get good results with some razors than with others. Also, there are blades that give me better results but that comes down to how my skin reacts to different materials. I agree that "technique trumps tools," but I also feel that part of good technique is choosing the right tool. Comfort and ease of use are important (if it doesn't feel right in your hand you are going to have problems), and I find that some razors are more intuitive than others for finding the right angle.

 

Yes! Someone who gets it. Yes, you can make just about any tool work, but the _tools_ themselves do differ.