This is like asking us why we buy or have so much soap or creams. The difference with blades is that they are a lot cheaper and the variety of blades out there is just insane as with soaps and creams. Most want to find the blade that works best.
Why do so many people have so many blades???
- Thread starter Jeff10236
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You guys are a riot...but nobody has come clean on the real reason for so many blades...and that reason is: the ideal number of blades is at minimum one more than the number of blades you already have on hand. So, of course, buying them in lots of 100 is a more efficient way to keep ahead of the game. 
Heh. For me, I was looking at more sample packs, and the ridiculous prices that most of the companies wanted for sample packs - with the shipping price being one of the biggest absurdities - made me just go ahead and order larger quantities. If I don't like them, they'll be PIFed, or possibly even sold at a less than break even price (like cost of shipping).
Because blades are cheap and they can.
I'm not a blade hoarder (just came off a run of 100 Polsilvers and am now working through samples, so probably have maybe 40 blades in the house) but I could be. So far all of my favorite blades come out of one factory, and if I can't find a comparable blade from another factory I may buy a thousand or so just in case. Not a big fan of single points of failure.
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- #46
I guess I can see why some people end up with more blades than they'll likely use in a lifetime, and still sometimes are buying more.
Thinking back to my pipe smoking days (ended about 2 years ago, won't start back until/unless I hit a weight and/or blood sugar goal), I had a ton of pipe tobaccos. Probably more than 50 tobaccos. Some I only had a tin or two, but many I had several ounces and some I had by the pound. While I usually tried something for the first time by the tin or an ounce or two, anything I liked enough to re-order was bought in bulk. It was often not much more money to buy larger quantities, it was there for when the mood for a change hit, and I was well situated with my favorites if something became hard to get, was reformulated, or came off the market altogether.
I guess blades can be the same thing (and really don't take any more space, maybe less). While I'm buying single tucks of most blades I'm trying, I have bought some that my research suggests I'm most likely to like in quantities of 15-20. At those quantities, I'm spending 40-60% as much as I'd pay for a 100 pack. Once you know you like a blade, I suppose it is far more economical to buy 100 than to buy 20-50 (and if you like them enough to be worth re-ordering after trying them, why would you buy only 5-10 unless you were buying them locally).
At this point, I plan to order 100 of one of my more favorite less expensive blades (leaning towards Astra SP or Shark SC) and 100 of my favorite more expensive blades (leaning towards either Nacet or Israeli Reds as of now) in a month or so, while continuing to try new blades, and re-evaluating every 6mo if I want to add 100-200 of something. If I end up adding one or two blades a year without dropping many from my list, I could end up stocking quite a few in bulk within just a few years.
So, I can see how it can happen.
Thinking back to my pipe smoking days (ended about 2 years ago, won't start back until/unless I hit a weight and/or blood sugar goal), I had a ton of pipe tobaccos. Probably more than 50 tobaccos. Some I only had a tin or two, but many I had several ounces and some I had by the pound. While I usually tried something for the first time by the tin or an ounce or two, anything I liked enough to re-order was bought in bulk. It was often not much more money to buy larger quantities, it was there for when the mood for a change hit, and I was well situated with my favorites if something became hard to get, was reformulated, or came off the market altogether.
I guess blades can be the same thing (and really don't take any more space, maybe less). While I'm buying single tucks of most blades I'm trying, I have bought some that my research suggests I'm most likely to like in quantities of 15-20. At those quantities, I'm spending 40-60% as much as I'd pay for a 100 pack. Once you know you like a blade, I suppose it is far more economical to buy 100 than to buy 20-50 (and if you like them enough to be worth re-ordering after trying them, why would you buy only 5-10 unless you were buying them locally).
At this point, I plan to order 100 of one of my more favorite less expensive blades (leaning towards Astra SP or Shark SC) and 100 of my favorite more expensive blades (leaning towards either Nacet or Israeli Reds as of now) in a month or so, while continuing to try new blades, and re-evaluating every 6mo if I want to add 100-200 of something. If I end up adding one or two blades a year without dropping many from my list, I could end up stocking quite a few in bulk within just a few years.
So, I can see how it can happen.
For me, I have been trying to find the "one." I've tried a lot of blades.
I thought Shark Super Chromes would be it. Nope.
I thought Astra SP would be it. Nope.
Feather? Derby? Personna barber? GSB? Treet Silver? Rapira? All nope.
For sure Voskhod is the "one" for me. Some "maybes" are German Wilkinson Swords, Gillette Nacets, and Med Preps. Possibly even Astra SS blades.
So my blade store now has Voskhod, Wilkies, and a few Nacets and Med Preps.
I thought Shark Super Chromes would be it. Nope.
I thought Astra SP would be it. Nope.
Feather? Derby? Personna barber? GSB? Treet Silver? Rapira? All nope.
For sure Voskhod is the "one" for me. Some "maybes" are German Wilkinson Swords, Gillette Nacets, and Med Preps. Possibly even Astra SS blades.
So my blade store now has Voskhod, Wilkies, and a few Nacets and Med Preps.
My 2 favorite blades are also 2 of the most expensive. Feather and Kai. Much cheaper in bulk. Last tuck of 10 Feathers was 4.50, Kai's in 5 packs were 3.50. That would be 45.00 and 70.00 per 100 respectively. With a little research, you can find 200 Feathers for 40.00, and a 100 Kai's for 32.00.
That's still more expensive than most blades. But they work better for me than anything else I've tried. Buying in bulk makes sense and saves money for me.
Mark
That's still more expensive than most blades. But they work better for me than anything else I've tried. Buying in bulk makes sense and saves money for me.
Mark
I buy in bulk because I don't know what the future may be like concerning internet sales. Many of the blades I love come from Russia, Japan, India, Turkey, etc... Who knows if they will be available in the next decade? I may not be in a financial situation where they are affordable, or they may be discontinued, or the world economic situation may be different so that the money I have is worth less and thus the blades become too costly. Lots of reasons may prevent me from being able to get the blades I enjoy in the future. And So I buy now and hoard the ones I don't want to be without. Plus I start other fellows off in the DE shave world pretty often by giving them starter kits of various blades, a razor, and soaps or creams. I have given away as many as I have used myself at this point. So yes I am one who has more than a lifetime supply. But I don't see it as a problem!
I only buy vintage blades in bulk (Schick Plus Platinum, Schick Super Chromium, Spoilers and Wilkenson Sword). Reasons are increasing cost, dwindling supplies and my general fondness for 60s and 70s blades. I stopped at 2,500 and will probably end up selling a portion at some point.
I buy 100 or more at a time of ones I have found to be favorites. When trying one that has been recommended for me based on my current favorites I always buy 100 because of the deal being better. If they end up not being a favorite I include them in things I may sell or PIF to others. No real lose there when passing on to others to try.
Like others have said, you get a better deal if you buy blades in bulk and its not as if theyre going to go bad, so why not buy several hundred at a time.
Early on, I bought 100 of a blade I would sample and really like. Once I realized how long 1 blade lasted me, I got smaller Qty of blades I liked. I don't have a huge stash, but somewhere around 12 years worth...
I bought 100 counts because it was economically better than the smaller quantities. That is a lot of blades though. I've also noticed that as my technique improved the importance of the brand of blade I used decreased. The blades that work the best for me are really important only for those problem areas of the face like your chin.
I probably have about 600 blades of various brands and a few tucks of others that are mostly holdouts from the sample packs I bought when I first started. Honestly, my Personnas work so well and last so long I could just get a few hundred of those and be set for the foreseeable future but what fun would that be.
Sometimes you just want variety. Sometimes a certain blade just works better in a certain razor. And sometimes the temptation to buy overrides your sensible side. Luckily blades for the most part are inexpensive enough that it won't be too big of a financial burden to hoard a little bit. Plus they store well so it's not like they will spoil or go bad.
Maybe all this talk is just justification for my spending habits?
I probably have about 600 blades of various brands and a few tucks of others that are mostly holdouts from the sample packs I bought when I first started. Honestly, my Personnas work so well and last so long I could just get a few hundred of those and be set for the foreseeable future but what fun would that be.
Sometimes you just want variety. Sometimes a certain blade just works better in a certain razor. And sometimes the temptation to buy overrides your sensible side. Luckily blades for the most part are inexpensive enough that it won't be too big of a financial burden to hoard a little bit. Plus they store well so it's not like they will spoil or go bad.
Maybe all this talk is just justification for my spending habits?
I only have around 150 currently of a variety of blades. For me to have that many is because I live in a rural part of the country and things like this are just not readily available here. Our local drugstore does carry Wilkinson Sword Classic which I like. Granted at around $.20 a blade isn't a bad price but the bad thing is they are not always on the shelf. I bought a 5 pack a while back and used them up and even though I had plenty of other blades I stopped in and shelf was empty. Had I been out I would have had to go back to the twin or my Injector. I had just bought a 100 pack of my favorite blade, Gillette 7 o'clock Permasharp. Reason for 100 and not the 50 pack that was available was because of the value. They will surely last me about 3 years and probably closer to 5 with the 50 oddball blades I have. Although I did trade to tucks, 20 blades to my friend for some Wilkinson Classics that will last just as long. So it comes down to value when ordering a larger lot. If you haven't found "the Blade" then buying 100 at a time just isn't practical.
I buy in bulk because I have a problem with going overboard.
I can say it's because I travel a lot, and use each derby blade only once after having one peel a ribbon of skin off after being bumped inside it's protective case a bit too hard... But it's not.
I can claim it's because prices are decent when you buy them 200+ at a time; and it is... Adding $12 worth of blades to one Amazon order a month is easy. Buying several 100 packs at a time from a dealer saves on shipping, right? Buying 100 rather than 5 is a savings per blade, that could be the reason. But it's not.
I could claim it's because I like to have the variety on hand. - I do, but that's not the reason I have so many.
I could even claim that it's the instability of tomorrow that makes me want to get what J like now rather than later. But that's not really it either.
It's entirely down to my tendency to go overboard. Why get a five pack instead of 100, why not buy 200 as it's only a little more than 100. Hey, I don't have those, I'd like to try them out; let's buy a couple hundred of them too...
There's just no good reason. I feel like I should get more feathers because I like them so much... And my fool self was considering ordering directly from the factory so I wouldn't have to order again.
It's a problem.
I can say it's because I travel a lot, and use each derby blade only once after having one peel a ribbon of skin off after being bumped inside it's protective case a bit too hard... But it's not.
I can claim it's because prices are decent when you buy them 200+ at a time; and it is... Adding $12 worth of blades to one Amazon order a month is easy. Buying several 100 packs at a time from a dealer saves on shipping, right? Buying 100 rather than 5 is a savings per blade, that could be the reason. But it's not.
I could claim it's because I like to have the variety on hand. - I do, but that's not the reason I have so many.
I could even claim that it's the instability of tomorrow that makes me want to get what J like now rather than later. But that's not really it either.
It's entirely down to my tendency to go overboard. Why get a five pack instead of 100, why not buy 200 as it's only a little more than 100. Hey, I don't have those, I'd like to try them out; let's buy a couple hundred of them too...
There's just no good reason. I feel like I should get more feathers because I like them so much... And my fool self was considering ordering directly from the factory so I wouldn't have to order again.
It's a problem.
I keep 2-3 types of blades;
one for everyday shave- mild
one for special occasions- usually the smoothest and much sharper
3rd one- pack of blades I wanted to try.
I usually buy 4-5 packs of mild blades because I'm too lazy to go shopping and I have coupons once a year for things I want to buy in Mueller, so it's 30% off.
If only store in my building would start selling domestic creams and any type of DE blades I would not have to go to supermarket which is 5 min of slow walk from my flat.
one for everyday shave- mild
one for special occasions- usually the smoothest and much sharper
3rd one- pack of blades I wanted to try.
I usually buy 4-5 packs of mild blades because I'm too lazy to go shopping and I have coupons once a year for things I want to buy in Mueller, so it's 30% off.
If only store in my building would start selling domestic creams and any type of DE blades I would not have to go to supermarket which is 5 min of slow walk from my flat.
For some it is shock. They are not spending money on cartridges so start to buy in packs of 100. Then they cannot remember when they last bought some blades so they have to buy another 100 pack and it goes on and so on...
There are several reasons running from price advantage to avoiding the possibility of missing my favorite blade if they go out of production (I only use one). But the truth is we often take our hobby to an extreme.
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