Oh there are tons of highly corrosion resistant alloys like submarine steel or marine grade alloys but they don't cut well lol.
Is there any reason why I shouldn't leave the blade in the razor?
- Thread starter Ruination
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I leave my blade in until it's time to change blades. I rinse my razor in hot water after I shave, dry the cap & handle, & set in its stand on the counter. I shave daily & regularly get 10+ shaves out of my blades. Blades often smooth out after 3 - 4 shaves. Consider trying your blades for 5 shaves before replacing. Try it with a couple of blades & see how it is for you. If it doesn't smooth out & tugs, then you know you need to be changing your blades more frequent than every 5th shave.
I only remove a blade to clean it every thirty or so shaves, I get quite a bit of soap scum from my hard water and eventually it gums up the edge. I simply swish the razor in the sink and rinse under running water when finished for the day and put it on the shelf.
Modern stainless razor blades aren't going to corrode enough to damage the edge, the rust stains you get where the blade clamps are electrolytic corrosion where dissimilar metals are in contact in a conductive solution. Such corrosion is strictly local, won't affect something as far away as the edge.
I've certainly not noticed any issues, as I routinely get 60 plus shaves on just about all blades. Carbon steel blades require much more care, but I've not used them since I started shaving in the 70's. Those were injector blades, and the carbon steel vanished about that time, only stainless blades were available.
Modern stainless razor blades aren't going to corrode enough to damage the edge, the rust stains you get where the blade clamps are electrolytic corrosion where dissimilar metals are in contact in a conductive solution. Such corrosion is strictly local, won't affect something as far away as the edge.
I've certainly not noticed any issues, as I routinely get 60 plus shaves on just about all blades. Carbon steel blades require much more care, but I've not used them since I started shaving in the 70's. Those were injector blades, and the carbon steel vanished about that time, only stainless blades were available.
Which brand will last that long?
+2! I have had no problems leaving the blade in my razor between shaves!!
(Note that I only use SS blades.)
I take my razor apart after each shave, dry everything and put it back together loosely in the razor stand. Never had a problem with rust doing this. Each to his own.
Some vendors like Treet do still make carbon steel blades. Not very common but just something to look out for is all. There may be some other less well known ones out there as well but none come to mind at the moment.
Thanks, I'll put them on my wish list
I started to take apart the razor, quick rinse & dry and put back in the blade after most shaves.
I found this practice helped prevent tea stains a little bit in my stainless razor. I used to swirl the razor head in rubbing alcohol instead but didn’t think it made a whole lot of difference.
Some days I don’t do anything outside a rinse.
I found this practice helped prevent tea stains a little bit in my stainless razor. I used to swirl the razor head in rubbing alcohol instead but didn’t think it made a whole lot of difference.
Some days I don’t do anything outside a rinse.
I think unless clearly specified there are many HCS blades around.
I know for a fact Super Nacets are CS and I'm pretty sure Astra SP, BIC plats and other blades without the stainless name are just CS blades.
There are only a handful of carbon steel blades on the market. All of the brands you have listed are clearly marked "stainless" on the package if not in the name. So far as I know, neither Russian factory produces any carbon steel blades.
Treet makes carbon steel blades, I think there are a couple other Pakistani carbon steel blades, and possibly an Indian manufacturer (I'd have to check), but they are relatively difficult to find -- carbon steel razor blades lost the market battle in the 1960s to stainless.
Modern stainless razor steels are often harder than carbon steel when properly heat treated, have similar carbide size and distribution, and last at least ten times as long plus do not suffer from corrosion issues, hard to imagine anyone would expend much effort on designing better carbon steel blades.......
Treet makes carbon steel blades, I think there are a couple other Pakistani carbon steel blades, and possibly an Indian manufacturer (I'd have to check), but they are relatively difficult to find -- carbon steel razor blades lost the market battle in the 1960s to stainless.
Modern stainless razor steels are often harder than carbon steel when properly heat treated, have similar carbide size and distribution, and last at least ten times as long plus do not suffer from corrosion issues, hard to imagine anyone would expend much effort on designing better carbon steel blades.......
WhatWhatWhatWhat??? I once used a blade for an entire week and some days (8 shaves), and was super proud, but at that point the blade more or less only removed lather leaving most stubble behind. What is the secret?
If davent is getting 100 shaves from a blade then he likely has very good shaving technique.
Good prep and very good technique will make your blades last much longer. Other factors like the quality of your water and how you treat the blade edge can also make a difference. The razor you're using the blade in may also play a factor as well.
For me the most important thing to blade longevity is technique. Instead of scraping the blade edge across your face and quickly dulling it you're cutting the stubble efficiently and minimizing the wear on the blade with every pass. When my technique got better I found that the blades were getting binned way before they needed to be. I went from three shaves, to six shaves, to twelve, to thirty. I usually bin them at 12 now as I'm using 12 sided die to track the shaves. Could I take a blade to 100 shaves, probably so, but I don't need to. Twelve is plenty for me, from a Feather blade. Given the cost of a blade I don't need to pull every last shave from every blade.
Before this blade i've gone mid 30's with a couple different GSB's but nowhere near 100 with anything before. I look on it as a fluke, i'm not anticipating the next Polsilver matching it but i'll see.
As far as razor, since the end of 2014 have only shaved with a RazoRock SLAB. Only have two soaps and a cream, all bought at stores i can walk to, Maca Root from the Body Shop and tubs of Proraso white and green soap. Proraso pre-shave in the white jar and that's it, a synthetic brush and occasionally a small horse hair. Nothing special or exotic, 3 pass shave, i'll use the same soap for days on end then i might switch for a day and go back or not.
Since the Polsilver today was shave 15 on a Nacet, no reasons to dump it at this point.
dave
Never seen rust on DE blades which will not get changed after maybe 2 weeks + I have the Muhle R89 which are chrome plated zamak I think? Used almost everyday since 2011. But have seen a lot of rust on carts that are staying in the shower at other peoples places. Would definitely avoid letting them sit in there.
I dry, and flip my blades between shaves. And the razor too.
I’ve never seen any rust on them.
Most I’ve got on any blade is 30 shaves. Not much compared to many other gents here. But a personal record for me. I should leave my blade in the razor and only give it a shake to flick off water... and see if it performs as well. Interesting thread!
I’ve never seen any rust on them.
Most I’ve got on any blade is 30 shaves. Not much compared to many other gents here. But a personal record for me. I should leave my blade in the razor and only give it a shake to flick off water... and see if it performs as well. Interesting thread!
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- #38
Something that occured to me just now... I have hard water. Like the kind that will kill your dishwasher after a few years. Im wondering if there will be mineral deposits building up on the blade if I were to do one of these 30-100 shaves without taking the blade out to clean it off. Enough, at least, to negatively impact performance of the blade. This may not be just a rust or corrosion issue.
I have very hard water. If I would not disassemble the razor after every shave and clean every part including the blade, it will get gunked up and look very bad pretty fast.
I have hard water as well but i leave the blade in till i change it. usually 3-4 shaves per blade.
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