Blades not lasting

[DanteShaves]

Hello all,

I find my blades not lasting past 2 shaves.. and that's pushing it for me. I have used merkur blades and Astra SP so far and they will last 2 shaves until they are no good. My question is whether or not this is normal, and could it be that blade longevity is a YMMV type of thing, or perhaps could it be that im doing something wrong that could be hindering the blades ability to last.. thanks.

 

[BSAGuy]

It is definitely a YMMV thing, but most guys here can get 4-5 shaves from a blade and some even nget well into double digits.

If you have especially coarse or wiry beard, that can reduce blade life.

 

[BigJ]

Blade life depends on many issues. The short answer is to check in with the Excalibur forum. Those guys have a ton of suggestions for increasing blade life.

 

[xxvaleria]

+1 Some of the gents on the Excalibur forum have gotten dozens of shaves on one blade. I'm surprised that you only get two shaves on an Astra SP blade. I can usually get around 10 - 12 on one.

 

[DanteShaves]

+1 Some of the gents on the Excalibur forum have gotten dozens of shaves on one blade. I'm surprised that you only get two shaves on an Astra SP blade. I can usually get around 10 - 12 on one.

Where is the Excalibur forum?

 

[xxvaleria]

In the Clubs and Brotherhoods subform under the Shave of the Day forum.

 

[Hoka Hey]

Excalibur- Prepare to be amazed.

Mark

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

So what is occurring after two shaves that is making you think the blade is shot?

 

[troy]

I used to think a blade was done after 2-4 head shaves, now I get 30+ out of an Astra SP or GSB. As always YMMV.

 

[DanteShaves]

So what is occurring after two shaves that is making you think the blade is shot?

Tugging pretty much, although it might be my technique seeing as I've only recently converted to DE shaving. I will have to work on technique, and then time will tell.

 

[DanteShaves]

I used to think a blade was done after 2-4 head shaves, now I get 30+ out of an Astra SP or GSB. As always YMMV.

What changed ?

 

[troy]

I think it was part technique, part getting a better lather, and part just trying to go a little farther. One day I realized that the razor I just used had a blade (GSB) that had 6 shaves on it (just being lazy and not changing it) Anyway it still felt great, so I just kept it going. I took it to 12 then when I was changing the blade I dropped it, watched it bounce around the sink, and said well that ones done. Soon after that I saw a thread for one blade February and signed up. I took that blade to 32 shaves.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

Tugging pretty much, although it might be my technique seeing as I've only recently converted to DE shaving. I will have to work on technique, and then time will tell.

The good news is, technique can be improved. Work on prep and angle. You'll get there. I hope reading around the Excalibur thread will get you intrigued about increasing blade longevity, but if you don't and decide to discard your blades after a couple shaves, you'll be joining a majority of shavers.

 

[matwho]

I find the older I ( 66 ) get the tougher my whiskers get.I use a blade 2 to 3 times then pitch it. Just do what's most comfortable for you. It's your shave, enjoy it.

 

[sjerquinn]

Tugging pretty much, although it might be my technique seeing as I've only recently converted to DE shaving. I will have to work on technique, and then time will tell.

I'm pretty new to regular wet shaving and would experiencing the same tugging after a couple of shaves on a blade. Then I discovered beard mapping. There are a couple of good threads on here that will walk you through a good way to figure out exactly which way your hair grows so you're getting a good WTG first pass. That will drastically improve each subsequent pass and the feel of tugging should really subside. I haven't taken a blade past a couple of shaves but am confident that with my newfound technique, I'll be able to get a very good number of shaves out of my current blade.

 

[sandstone]

FWIW, I have been a 2 shaves and toss shaver for a long time. After two shaves the comfort and quality of the shave really starts to drop. I have been attempting to work on my technique to get more shaves from a blade and I can get up to 6 or 7, but that's really stretching it for me, and for the cost of blades it's not worth it.

 

[BigFoot]

Blades are so cheap, I think they loose smoothness after about 3 shaves...why push it? 100 Med Preps last me a year, I think they are like $30.00 for 100, pretty good value.

 

[DanteShaves]

Blades are so cheap, I think they loose smoothness after about 3 shaves...why push it? 100 Med Preps last me a year, I think they are like $30.00 for 100, pretty good value.

i agree, but at this point it isn't about saving a few extra dollars, I want my technique to be on a good level.

 

[matwho]

I don't know that technique effects how long a blade will last. If you have peach fuzz that the cat can lick off your blade will last a long time. If you have a course whiskers the blade edge will degrade a lot faster. If you are wiping the edge of the blade that can effect the edge also.

 

[Cal]

i agree, but at this point it isn't about saving a few extra dollars, I want my technique to be on a good level.

Check out this post:
128 shaves on a NOS Wilkinson blade