Another dumb newbie question - blade life...

[Salty_Shaver]

So, how long is a piece of string, I know...

What I'm wondering though, is, as a rank beginner, how long would you keep a blade for? I don't really care too much about cost but as I try new blades, I don't want to form an opinion on one that is more due to pushing it past its useful life than anything else. I'm using a Merkur 34c and while I've tried a few blades, I've just done my third shave with a Feather. The first one was a little bit rough, the second was amazing (albeit with a pre-shave Proraso introduced) and today I've done the same routine as the 2nd shave, but it felt a little bit tuggy. Just a bit. A couple of weepers but no big deal.

Lots of variables at play, so I thought I'd stick to the combo of Merkur + Feather + Proraso green + TOBs (various) for a bit. I normally find I can't shave two consecutive days with a Mach3 due to irritation, so today was comparatively good albeit not as close as yesterday. Face was fantastic again, but the throat was middling. I'm looking for something I can use ideally every day.

So, back to my question - is it ridiculous to think 2 and done for a Feather? I've been told by a barber I have coarse hair and I now have more than a few silver foxes in the mix...thoughts?

Thanks!

That’s a depends question and it depends on to many factors. For me with my coarse facial hair two to five shaves. And it depends on the blade. I know what works for me and doesn’t. Every face is different. I been doing this off and on for 40 years. I still have not found my perfect blade. I have my favorites. I have a area on my neck that has a cowlick that no matter what I use it’s always irritated or weeping or nicked because how my hair lays there. So it just depends. Just remember the blades are cheap enough to use a fresh blade every day.

 

[psfred]

Another thing to note that I forgot in my earlier post is that the PTFE (Teflon) coating present on nearly all new blades wears off in a few shaves, typically 5 or so for me, sooner if you have a heavier beard. Gillette discovered in the late 1950s that the perception of a smooth shave didn't have as much to do with actual edge sharpness as it did with the friction of the hair on the blade as it was cut. Coating blade bevels with PTFE, chrome, platinum, or tungsten (and other things) in a thin layer will reduce the friction and make the blade feel "sharper" since it pulls less.

I find that the first few shaves on a blade edge (I use one side at a time) feel very smooth, then when the PTFE wears off I have to work on finding the exact angle that gives the least pulling sensation. From there blade feels much the same -- more drag and pull than new, but not uncomfortable -- until it won't give me a good shave no matter how much I work at it. Really dull blades don't pull for me, they slide easily over my face but leave the stubble. Good blades last around 80 shaves, excellent blades up to twice that much, and not so good blades around 50.

Have some fun with it, plenty of blades and technique to play with. Map your beard so you can get close shaves with minimal passes -- blades last longer and you get less irritation!

I shave exclusively against the grain -- with the grain just puts points on the hairs on most of my face, the only part that grows straight out is my chin. Learned to shave that way in 1974, and for a couple decades I shaved without soap in the shower too, it's all a matter of technique!

 

[Albert V]

3 - 4 shaves each. Found this generally works well for all the blades I have tried. The blade I settled on, and now own a few hundred of, is Perma-Sharp. Nacet perform similar but when I stocked up, after hearing the Russian blade factory was closing, I settled on Perma-Sharp since a pack of 100 was only $10 or 10 cents each. Thats 2.5 - 3.3 cents/use.

 

[Hugh]

Wow! This has been an interesting thread. I actually read thru the entire thing and learned a few things from all these comments. I had no idea that some blades like Feather Blades are so sharp they micro chip and therefore do not last quite as long. Very interesting. For me Feather blades lasted for about 4 shaves. Some others around 6 shaves.

Compared to cartridges DE blades are inexpensive so changing blades is easy to justify. Got into this DE shaving thing to save money and end up spending on new razors and creams. But, enjoying every shave. Your comments are appreciated as I continue to learn more details from you all.

 

[IAMSPARTACUSRTY]

I am with @Guido75 on this one with a little more nuance. I can get maybe 4 shaves out of Feather, 5 is stretching it for me. Also, it depends on growth as well. I noticed I can grab more shaves if I shave every day as oppose to every other day or days between. I might get 2 or 3 shaves with a Feather if I have longer growth.

 

[homeontheshave]

As a newcomer, still finding your various techniques, there is a fair chance that you might render a blade ready for changing faster than someone with good established techniques. The best advise I can give you in these early stages, is that if you gat a rough shave one day, assume it might have at least partially your fault. If the next day's shave is equally bad, then ok, it might be the blade, and put in a fresh one to be sure. It doesn't matter whether that's shave three, or shave twenty three. Two consecutive poor shaves - new blade.

For what it's worth, a Feather blade with either chip out on my in under eight shaves, or it will typically go beyond thirty shaves comfortably. I have been at it a while though, and if three shaves turns out to be a sensible limit for your first few months, that's fine.

Brother, what is this technique that gets you 30 shaves out of a Feather? I need to master that.
I will follow your advice on "two consecutive poor shaves, new blade".
Why did I have to get into this hobby during GRUME? I'm already blue.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Brother, what is this technique that gets you 30 shaves out of a Feather?

Shaving. I don't make 30 shaves happen. I just let it happen.

Keeping the lather slick. Keeping the blade at (but not below) skin level. Knowing the face and whiskers well. Building up the skill set to keep all the right components doing the right thing, at the right time.

 

[blethenstrom]

Shaving. I don't make 30 shaves happen. I just let it happen.

Keeping the lather slick. Keeping the blade at (but not below) skin level. Knowing the face and whiskers well. Building up the skill set to keep all the right components doing the right thing, at the right time.

@AimlessWanderer is right in this @homeontheshave and there is one thing that I would like to add. Once you build gain some experience in wet shaving you will much easier be able to tell when the blade is starting to go south. It will get easier the more shaves you have under your belt.

 

[homeontheshave]

@AimlessWanderer is right in this @homeontheshave and there is one thing that I would like to add. Once you build gain some experience in wet shaving you will much easier be able to tell when the blade is starting to go south. It will get easier the more shaves you have under your belt.

Thank you, Sir.

 

[ButterfaceX]

As stated by some super members...
Once you feel a tug don't shrug / or not smooth...
Replace..
Not even getting into the variables that also impact the life of a blade.
Technique, Safety Razor used, Face, Stubble Type, hair mapping - direction - density , prep , soap, water....& more...

For me, I have found... YMMV...
They are cheap..
I have three brands/types I use ( Feather, Bic, Persona)
After 3 shaves period , they are recycled
For my slants and my r41, I only feed them fresh ones....
Some of my DE's prefer just one type or my others...

Bottom-line..
Find out what works for you...
Use the Shave Feel force, Luke....

Shave smart and have fun..

BFX