300 shaves on one DE blade!?!!

[kingfisher]

IMO, counting the shaves is where it gets bogus. People get an idea in their mind that 'X blade is only good for 3 shaves,' or whatever, and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What is better, again in my opinion, is to keep shaving with whatever blade you have in your razor until it doesn't shave well, and then bin it.

If you do that, you will find that your preconceived notions will get upended, because blade life isn't a constant, even with a single shaver. Some blades in the tuck are better than others. As you get more experience, maybe you begin to get better blade wear. Maybe your lathering skills change, or you are not using the same soap or cream every day, and so forth.

If you stop counting, you might find that on occasion you end up getting a lot more out of a blade than you expected.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

As I am reflecting on my experiences on this topic, I feel like I see longer and consistent comfort from my blades using milder razors.

I don’t have crazy thick stubble made from kobalt or hardened steel. I have one brand of blade that I am fond of how well it gives me a shave but most of the time is not good during a second shave and gets tossed halfway through. Every so often I get one that I can get 5 or 6 shaves with before it’s exhausted. (Rapira Platinum Lux).

Then there are most other blades. My favorites being Astra SP, and Bic chrome platinums can be put in a razor and be used for a very long stretch, well over a month’s worth of daily 2 pass shaves, only being tossed because I take the razor apart to clean soap scum off. I am currently revisiting some less preferred blades in my den, namely the 7O’clock yellow blades that are quite scratchy and toothy for a first shave and only slightly less so on shave last 2 and 3. However these are sharp blades and give a great shave for me on and after 3rd use.

I think there is some merit to the way blades change as they are used. In my experience they certainly can start out toothy feeling and will smooth out to a nice feeling blade. I suspect this is a combination of the coating, blade steel, and the true sharpness of the blade.

It would not surprise me that good prep, good lather, and the right razor and blade pairing that people can get up to 100 or more shaves from a blade. And for some it may not be possible at all just due to hair type.

My wife uses a blackland vector for shaving her legs most of the time. She’s tall and has long legs. She also comes from a lineage with some coarse thick hair. We anticipated the blades lasting 15 to 20 uses as that is what most report getting from the artist club blades. Surprisingly, she gets nearly 3 months from a blade before she notices the need for a change.

 

[sugardaddy]

I think I've identified a few different types of marathoners here.

# someone who doesn't really think of the number as a stopping point too much, and just shaves until it gets uncomfortable. Sometimes that might mean three shaves or thirty, depending on the razor used or the blade, or other things. Once I someday figure out the maximum number of uses for a particular model of blade, it's likely I will then adopt this style for the remainder of shaves with that model.

# someone who pushes through some kind of uncomfortable wall and then gets to smoother shaves. Now, while I may have some blades that are obscenely high in use count, I've never pushed through an uncomfortable stretch longer than maybe two shaves. Instead of keeping going with the same blade, past that wall, that's when I will change to a more aggressive razor or one with different geometry and give it a shot. I'm not saying that's the right thing to do... It's just the way I have handled it.

# someone who for no real reason other than curiosity is going to go for some big number like a hundred, or the maximum number of shaves they can possibly get. That's where I am with my Nacet. And one little twist to it for me, is that I have done my 333 shaves without flipping the blade. I have no idea what that is actually going to tell us about anything, but to me it seems to indicate that flipping has nothing to do with extending your blade life, for most guys.

So the great thing about our hobby is that there is room for each of these kinds of shavers as well as someone who picks a number like three and just shaves that many times no matter what and then throws away their blade. If that's what they want to do, go for it.

One last thing, I want to quickly address a fallacy that is often thrown around in these sort of threads: "why would you want to shave so many times with a dull blade?"

Well, the answer, if it is an obvious, is that I would not want to shave that many times with a dull blade. The thing is, I'm able to keep going reasonably comfortably... because my blade isn't dull.

I believe it was earlier this year that I had been fielding so many questions that I decided to write down the information that I had gathered from using a blade so many times. It includes things that I'm pretty sure are true, and also some guesses. If anyone is interested...



(Sent from mobile)

 

[sugardaddy]

Now, regarding pushing through a good number of uncomfortable shaves to get to some promised Land... I think that's quite interesting, and I may try it sometime. but I don't think I would adopt that as a general practice.

(Sent from mobile)

 

[SterFry]

done my 333 shaves without flipping the blade. I have no idea what that is actually going to tell us about anything, but to me it seems to indicate that flipping has nothing to do with extending your blade life
[/QUOTE]
Not the guy with 300 on the GSB, but another dude in that same camp got like 300-something, mentioned that he never flipped or palm stripped. Just wiped the water off the blade and threw it back in the razor randomly.

 

[DougK]

I stopped counting shaves and I just go by how the shave feels. If it's a little rough, I know the blade/cartridge is done. I'm pretty sure I'm getting more shaves out of each blade that way than I used to.

 

[Ravenonrock]

4 years of shaves on a single tuck.......better really like those 5 blades.

 

[StillShaving]

I am amazed that people waste so much time worrying about blade usage. Use a new blade whenever it gets to tugging, usually after 3 or 4 uses. Trust me, a sharpened edge NEVER gets sharper with repeated use.

Sad about that guy's grandfather who was so poor he could only buy one blade a month. I have to wonder what sort of store sold single razor blades. Talk about razor-thin profit margins.

But how much duller is it getting during a shave? That is the question. Is steel not significantly harder than a well hydrated beard?

I have wondered if the dulling of a blade is due more to the hair being cut or soap/skin abrasion. Don't some soaps contain clay for slipperiness, which presumably would dull a blade or potentially act like a stropping compound when doing a long term one blade challenge.

Personally I think a lot of it comes down to beard prep and lather. Tugginess is used a bad word, but there are degrees of that ranging from it-hurts-when-shaving to can-barely-feel-it. IMO tugginess is as much an indication of beard prep as it is blade sharpness. For example I can quickly lather and start shaving and find it tuggy. Wait 30-60 seconds while face lathering and the tug disappears and becomes a smooth shave.

 

[Medivh]

When I started DE shaving 5 years ago i've tried to push every blade as much as I possibly can and I found out that 3-4 shaves is all I can get from most blades. Some might get me to 5 or even 6, but 90% of the attempts end up badly and unless i'm on a vacation or I have some free time and nowhere important to go, I wouldn't experiment, because the chances of getting bad shave are very high and I don't want to look like a 13 years old buffoon who just happend to shave for the first time in his life and got his face all messed up like he came from a warzone.

For me those who push their blades to the limits and beyond are probably (retired) people who are not in a hurry to work or some very important meeting and are not afraid if something goes wrong.

 

[gsurko]

When I started DE shaving 5 years ago i've tried to push every blade as much as I possibly can and I found out that 3-4 shaves is all I can get from most blades. Some might get me to 5 or even 6, but 90% of the attempts end up badly and unless i'm on a vacation or I have some free time and nowhere important to go, I wouldn't experiment, because the chances of getting bad shave are very high and I don't want to look like a 13 years old buffoon who just happend to shave for the first time in his life and got his face all messed up like he came from a warzone.

For me those who push their blades to the limits and beyond are probably (retired) people who are not in a hurry to work or some very important meeting and are not afraid if something goes wrong.

Do whatever you want as I shall.

 

[Medivh]

Do whatever you want as I shall.

I just shared my experience and opinion on the topic with no intend to offend anyone in any way whatsoever. I'm not forcing anyone to see things my way or to agree with me just like I don't want people to force their opinions and views on me. What people do with their blades, lives or whatever is absolutely irrelevant to me.

 

[Mitzie]

As blades dull is there an increase in post shave tingle (very very mild soreness) feeling left behind on the skin? -As the blade begins to 'scrape' more than efficiently cut ?

 

[loupegarrou]

But how much duller is it getting during a shave? That is the question. Is steel not significantly harder than a well hydrated beard?

I have wondered if the dulling of a blade is due more to the hair being cut or soap/skin abrasion. Don't some soaps contain clay for slipperiness, which presumably would dull a blade or potentially act like a stropping compound when doing a long term one blade challenge.

Posted for info as it relates to the question you ask:

Why shaving dulls even the sharpest of razors

A new study by MIT engineers shows how shaving can damage blades. Human hair, 50 times softer than steel, can chip away a razor’s edge, the engineers found.

news.mit.edu

We see similar in knives where an equally hard steel can be damaged by mundane items such as paper and cardboard, depending on the edge geometry. The sharper you get, (sharper == more acute geometry) the higher the risk of damage.

I have to admit, this has been a fascinating and enlightening thread.

 

[Billy T.]

Well I only got 5 Polsilver blades. Guess I could give this a try....

 

[SterFry]

My theory is the original sharp edge erodes away a little each shave, which makes it uncomfortable and tuggy. Continue on through the discomfort, and the edge gets more evenly eroded, so it seems smoother in use. Of course, the blade will never be as sharp as the original edge from the factory. The eroded edge lasts longer because the metal is thicker than the original edge was. People have simply learned how to shave effectively with a duller blade.

Personally, I have enough blades in stock, I don't feel it's necessary to push it.

I appreciate your acknowledging what this thread was actually created to discuss, rather than throwing out some variation of 'tug bad blade cheap'.

Apparently I didn't do a very good job of communicating that that we simply trying to theorize and that nobody is being asked to reproduce the feat.

 

[EMG06]

From the MIT article: “When he analyzed the SEM images and movies taken during the cutting experiments, he found that chips did not occur when the hair was cut perpendicular to the blade. When the hair was free to bend, however, chips were more likely to occur. These chips most commonly formed in places where the blade edge met the sides of the hair strands.”

This makes it sound like prep (getting hairs to stand up straight) and technique (getting blade to slide through hair perpendicularly) would both play a big role in the number of shaves a person could get from a single blade.

 

[RanTan the Cool]

Should we also run a thread called ‘300 DE blades on one shave’ to see if there are any takers?

Just sayin’...

 

[sugardaddy]

When I started DE shaving 5 years ago i've tried to push every blade as much as I possibly can and I found out that 3-4 shaves is all I can get from most blades. Some might get me to 5 or even 6, but 90% of the attempts end up badly and unless i'm on a vacation or I have some free time and nowhere important to go, I wouldn't experiment, because the chances of getting bad shave are very high and I don't want to look like a 13 years old buffoon who just happend to shave for the first time in his life and got his face all messed up like he came from a warzone.

For me those who push their blades to the limits and beyond are probably (retired) people who are not in a hurry to work or some very important meeting and are not afraid if something goes wrong.

I think it was around 100-150 uses with my Nacet when I began to think that it would not fail by giving me rough shaves or one that cuts me. Instead my guess that it will get smoother and smoother... until it stops giving me close shaves.

(Sent from mobile)

 

[Medivh]

I think it was around 100-150 uses with my Nacet when I began to think that it would not fail by giving me rough shaves or one that cuts me. Instead my guess that it will get smoother and smoother... until it stops giving me close shaves.

(Sent from mobile)

Haven't shaved with Nacets but since i've heard mostly good things about them, I bought 200 and they will arrive next week. If they can get me that many shaves, i'm selling everything else, including my Polsilver stash.

 

[GaryTha]

So, what is the point of it? Is it like climbing Mount Everest "because it is there"? Scientific knowledge? Cheap entertainment? Please enlighten us, Great Carnak.

View attachment 1168746

It is just as valid to ask "What's the point of not doing it?"

I got around 140 shaves out of my last blade. I'm about 80 into my current blade. I've stopped counting. 100 is easy.

My point is "I feel like it." Is there a better reason?