Super Iridium question.

[Jack Goossen]

Being rather new to DE shaving, I have a question about the Wizamet Super Iridium.
I used it for a head shave yesterday, BBS in two passes.
My scalp is fully haired, so there is a lot of surface being shaved.
Today, using the same blade, I immediately sensed the blade was rough, not sharp at all.
I loaded a fresh blade, and it shaved very good.
Could this blade dull after one head shave?
Could the extremely hard water in my area play a role, or the coarseness of my hair?
Or should I have dried the blade?
I am very puzzled now.
Your thoughts are highly appreciated.

 

[Multum in parvo]

I use it to shave my face and can get at least 6-7 shaves out of it in comparison to an Astra Blue with 2-3. I don’t have overly hard water.

How do you prep your scalp?
Have you used a fresh blade on your face as well?

 

[emwolf]

That's a good question. As a face & head shaver, I tend to not get as many shaves per blade as many people on the forum. I have hair that grows in a ring around my head with nothing on the top, but I think that hair is a bit stronger than my whisker hair. I just started a shave this morning with a new Wiz in a Timeless Ti. I'll check back and let you know what it feels like tomorrow.

 

[RenoRichard]

I get from about eight to 15 good full passes with clean up, on my mustached face, with Wizamet SI blades- none were spent in less than two full shaves, ~ eight passes. So, I suppose depending upon the amount of territory covered and your particular head/beard topography, it is possible it may be an one and out blade for you.

I did a quick search of one large SOTD 1400 page B&B thread, just out of curiosity, and scrolling down the results, three to four face shaves with the Wizamet SI seemed pretty common, with a few members reporting a couple of weeks from one blade. Since we all shave differently, at different angles, and discard blades at different levels of use, it's somewhat difficult to really compare accurately. Some years ago I recall using a Polsilver SI for several weeks doing two pass shower shaves in a Fatboy, without clean up. Nowadays, I'm more likely to toss a blade earlier, rather than push them.

Cheers, Richard

 

[JPO]

This is after one shave. It felt rough after the first pass.
This is the only blade i have had issues with. It was used in an tatara razor. Prep was shower, the cube MDC soap (well hydrated)

 

[Jack Goossen]

I use it to shave my face and can get at least 6-7 shaves out of it in comparison to an Astra Blue with 2-3. I don’t have overly hard water.

How do you prep your scalp?
Have you used a fresh blade on your face as well?

I used a fresh blade for my face (Personna Blue).
Prep: hot shower plus coconut shampoo (I leave it on while I brush my teeth) and a nice Schafmilch lather.

I use it to shave my face and can get at least 6-7 shaves out of it in comparison to an Astra Blue with 2-3. I don’t have overly hard water.

How do you prep your scalp?
Have you used a fresh blade on your face as well?

 

[Jack Goossen]

That's a good question. As a face & head shaver, I tend to not get as many shaves per blade as many people on the forum. I have hair that grows in a ring around my head with nothing on the top, but I think that hair is a bit stronger than my whisker hair. I just started a shave this morning with a new Wiz in a Timeless Ti. I'll check back and let you know what it feels like tomorrow.

That would be most kind

 

[Jack Goossen]

I get from about eight to 15 good full passes with clean up, on my mustached face, with Wizamet SI blades- none were spent in less than two full shaves, ~ eight passes. So, I suppose depending upon the amount of territory covered and your particular head/beard topography, it is possible it may be an one and out blade for you.

I did a quick search of one large SOTD 1400 page B&B thread, just out of curiosity, and scrolling down the results, three to four face shaves with the Wizamet SI seemed pretty common, with a few members reporting a couple of weeks from one blade. Since we all shave differently, at different angles, and discard blades at different levels of use, it's somewhat difficult to really compare accurately. Some years ago I recall using a Polsilver SI for several weeks doing two pass shower shaves in a Fatboy, without clean up. Nowadays, I'm more likely to toss a blade earlier, rather than push them.

Cheers, Richard

Thank you, Richard. What is the reason you toss blades sooner? Has blade quality deteriorated?

 

[Jack Goossen]

This is after one shave. It felt rough after the first pass.
This is the only blade i have had issues with. It was used in an tatara razor. Prep was shower, the cube MDC soap (well hydrated)

View attachment 1371137

Sorry, I am unable to understand the pic.
What does it mean?

 

[JPO]

Sorry, I am unable to understand the pic.
What does it mean?

It means that the edge failed, it should not look this ragged.

 

[Jack Goossen]

It means that the edge failed, it should not look this ragged.

Could it be a dud?

 

[Old Hippie]

Could this blade dull after one head shave?

Like other head shavers, I get fewer shaves out of a blade than those who shave their faces. I tend to be one of those people who sticks with what works once I find it, so I have a lifetime supply of Astra SP blades. I get five pretty good head shaves out of each one (using both edges during the shave, flipping the blade after every shave) followed by a sixth shave that reminds me gently that it's time to bid adieu to the blade and unwrap a fresh one.

I found with Feather Stainless blades that the first shave was sharp, and the second was not. Some people address this by using Feathers as a one-and-done blade because tossing a blade after only one use still means they've had a lovely sharp shave with it. I think I still have an open tuck of the Super Iridium around somewhere. My memory is I had pretty much the same experience with them.

O.H.

 

[JPO]

Could it be a dud?

This was not the first blade that failed. It was the only one i put under the microscope. I have 500 blades and i have taken random blades from different tucks.

 

[Multum in parvo]

I used a fresh blade for my face (Personna Blue).
Prep: hot shower plus coconut shampoo (I leave it on while I brush my teeth) and a nice Schafmilch lather.

What I meant was, have you used the Wizamet for your face and if so how does it hold up there?

 

[RenoRichard]

Thank you, Richard. What is the reason you toss blades sooner? Has blade quality deteriorated?

Most often I toss them just out of the desire to use another brand of blade, although at times they do start tugging. Currently, I'm testing blades in the new Maxwell June razor, so I'm trying all the different brands I can.

In a shaving galaxy long, long ago, like even before Star Wars, blades did seem to have greater longevity. Vintage stainless blades like Gillette Spoilers and Personna 74s are frequently cited as longer-lasting, and I recall the first Wilkinson Sword blades made a big impact. Although, in those days more than one pass for me was an unusual shave.

 

[Jack Goossen]

This was not the first blade that failed. It was the only one i put under the microscope. I have 500 blades and i have taken random blades from different tucks.

Nasty thing, that. I had a couple of superb shaves with these blades before this.

 

[Jack Goossen]

Like other head shavers, I get fewer shaves out of a blade than those who shave their faces. I tend to be one of those people who sticks with what works once I find it, so I have a lifetime supply of Astra SP blades. I get five pretty good head shaves out of each one (using both edges during the shave, flipping the blade after every shave) followed by a sixth shave that reminds me gently that it's time to bid adieu to the blade and unwrap a fresh one.

I found with Feather Stainless blades that the first shave was sharp, and the second was not. Some people address this by using Feathers as a one-and-done blade because tossing a blade after only one use still means they've had a lovely sharp shave with it. I think I still have an open tuck of the Super Iridium around somewhere. My memory is I had pretty much the same experience with them.

O.H.

I guess it is wise for me to use the SI for only one head shave then.
I dont mind tossing a blade after first use. They are not exactly expensive.

 

[Jack Goossen]

What I meant was, have you used the Wizamet for your face and if so how does it hold up there?

I used another blade and brand for the face. This was a fresh IS.

 

[Benoni]

Like yourself, I mostly have a full head of hair. I never try to use a blade again after a head shave. The amount of stubble a blade has to slice off during a head shave is (usually) a lot more than a face shave. I use modern Wizamets btw.

 

[BigJ]

I don’t shave my head, so take this with (at least) a grain of salt.

For me the Wizamet SI and Polsilver SI are top-tier blades that are very long-lasting, often good for 10+ three pass shaves. GREAT BLADES IMO!