What do you think the future of traditional shaving will be?

What the... gunslinger1108, you go through a blade every 3 shaves?!!!!
Does your blades deteriorate that quickly?

If mine does that, I will be going electric. I used to get 4 to 6 weeks out of a Woolworths Homebrand 3 bladed cartridge and complained if it didn't last at least 3 weeks. This was shaving once every day and using the electric shaver as a touch up.

I've only had my DE razor less than a week and this will be the 5th shave out of it. There has been no deterioration in performance as of yet.
The last thing I want to do is exclusively use an electric shaver, the result is crap compared to a DE but in the end it comes down to dollars and cents for me. I moved to DE shaving because Gillette and Schick got too greedy and my favourite Homebrand razor blades were no longer available.

 

Everyone's beard is different and will use up a blade at different rates. When I use DE's I routinely get 5-6 shaves out of all my preferred blades. I don't know of anyone that can coax 4-6 weeks out of a DE blade.

 

Wide variation depending on beard type. I get 7 days out of a Feather, but just 3 days out of an Astra SP. And I can only get 3-4 days out of a cartridge, too.

If you can get 4 weeks out of a cartridge, count your blessings! You must have a finer beard type. The only DE blades I have ever heard of lasting weeks at a time are the long discontinued Personna 74's, which go for over $1/blade when they occasionally come available. But, really, cost is relative. If it costs me $30/year to get an inferior shave, or $40/year to get a superior shave that I enjoy, guess which one I am going to choose?

 

I don't expect to get 4 weeks out of a blade but I was hoping for 2 to 3 weeks. I am trying to maximise blade life by drying it completely and leaving no water on the cutting edge. I have had 5 comfortable BBS shaves out of the Merkur blade so far and will keep this blade for as long as possible. Next blade I'll try is Wilkinson Sword because of availability. Has anyone used these before?

As for the future of traditional shaving....
It is sites like these that are inspiring more to take up wet shaving, particularly DE and Straight Blade shaving. These two forms will increase in popularity as the cartridge makers become more greedy. I was tempted to try a straight blade but when I found out that it is best to allow a blade to 'rest' and have one for each day, I baulked at the horrendous price of having 7 expensive German blades. Whilst I love the 'ritual' of straight blade shaving and all it entails, my hands are arthritic and lack the dexterity required for a straight blade. Still, it doesn't stop me admiring the craftsmanship that goes into these instruments.

 

Instead of drying the blade, try dipping it in rubbing alcohol - get the 90% concentration at a drug store instead of the usual 70% stuff. This will get the moisture out at a microscopic level. Really only done by people who enjoy carbon steel blades, but would be superior too, and less likely to damage an edge, versus trying to dry the blade.

 

Hello jeraldgordon, yes, I do use rubbing alcohol and dry it off with a hair dryer. I mentioned it in my introduction thread last week. I was going to use methylated spirits, but saw the rubbing alcohol idea on the WikiHow pages and bought some of that. Curiously, it smells very similar if not the same as the spray-on cleaning fluid you can buy for an electric razor. Anyway, it works very well at evacuating water after I loosen the blade to make sure all the water is gone. I never touch the cutting edge other than shaving with it.

It's 0230 hours in Adelaide, I must retire for the night.

Thanks to everyone for responding.

 

Whomever told you that a straight razor needs to rest was blowing smoke, don't believe it. I use only 1 straight razor for the most part and never have had a problem keeping the edge shave ready. Most men throughout history only had 1 razor if they could afford that and the added expense of a brush and soap, along with a touch up hone and strop made owning these things out of reach, hence the popularity of going to the barber a couple of times a week for a shave. At least that's my viewpoint.

 

Hello WW, it was something I read and heard from different sources and happy for it to be debunked. I particularly like the Dovo razors. Carbon steel seems to be the way to go as it holds it's edge better.

 

Usually the people that perpertrate that myth have a business selling straight razors.

 

I see the existing players continuing to add higher-end products to their line of razors and blades, until a true paradigm shift occurs. For example, a drastic price reduction in cartridge blades, or a new DE requiring a different blade design, might be game changers.

 

Maybe Schick/Wilkinson Sword will see the success of vintage shaving and the Gillette Guard and reintroduce the Wilkinson Bonded razor or something like it with one blade.

 

It will be the revolutionary single blade cartridge that gets 7 shaves at $5 a cartridge

 

They've always undersold Gillette so I believe it would be in the Guard price range.

 

I want to say one word to you, just one word. Are you listening? Plastics.

 

I'd rather not shave if I can't use a straight razor. I was just throwing stuff out there that the masses might be receptive to.

 

I.M.O. we basically started with sharp rocks, graduated to sharp blades,then to sharp blades with handles(DE/SE etc)now we have method shaving and disposable carts with multiple rows of tiny steel blades wrapped in plastic. Perhaps I should have said only the equipment has changed...But since the beginning man has shaved, one way or another...What makes this the "Golden Age" of shaving Mike Hamm talks about again I.M.O. is that now we actually have access to all forms of shaving from rocks to carts and can choose the method/methods we prefer....
And to me at least it looks like "traditional shaving" is gaining quite a foothold and a faithful following in this new world..

 

My concern is that as countries like India and Russia increase their income levels at some point the cross the threshold for Gillette and Gillette can start selling 5 blade cartridges us DE shavers maybe heading for the .... I am to scared to say it. Once these countries can afford the mega carts Gillette will just stop making DE blades to force the billions over to their carts. That is my fear.

 

I hear what your saying and agree. "IF" Gillette could force everyone to buy carts the would do so in a heart beat and the quality of the product would be even worse than it is today...Luckily there are many blade manufactures in many different countries and as long as the "faithful" want DE/SE etc blades these other manufactures will make them at compatible prices and good quality..... Unless of course Gillette was to cut "ALL" of them in on the profit and thats just not going to happen. So I actually think we're pretty safe for now....

 

I try for a week (6-7 days) on a blade. In fact thats one of my criteria for continued use of a blade along with smoothness,closeness and lack of irritation. Getting a blade to last over a week I think is asking alot,but certainly if you can do then "DO IT"...... I also agree with you about straights and while I admire the people who can use them well and love the simplicity and elegance of a straight. For me at my age and with my unwillingness to maintain a straight properly, overcome the learning curve to shave with one and the fact that I love and get "VERY" nice shaves with my DE's and SE's, I'll just admire straights from afar....although I do have a modest collection of them...

Let me say also that I've used Wilkensons when I first started because as you've pointed out they are avalable locally. As a bonus I found them to work well for me. I also liked the Personna's. Put it this way if the only blades I could ever use again we're locally sold Wilkinsons and Personna's I could easily live with that..I dry my DE blades also after every shave using a hair dryer.

 

I agree with you I just need to justify my recent purchase of more super iridiums.