Blade life observation

[whistleman123]

Hi,
I just posted this on the Safety Razor Forum and I thought I should post here also.
I've often seen the question "How many shaves per blade?" asked in the forums, but have never read any posts about the old safety blade hones for sale on the auction sites. Doesn't anybody use them?
I know blades are inexpensive, but it seems wasteful to through out a good piece of steel before you have to. So out out curiosity I bought a Goodrich Safety Blade Hone and tried it out.
My daily set up is a Tech with a Super Iridium Blade. Without using the hone I usually get 5-6 shaves out of a blade. After I started using the hone I found I got around 10 shaves before I had to toss the blade out. It actually doubled the blade life.
I will usually shave 3 times on a blade before I use the hone. Then just a couple of passes on each side right before I shave after that.
Does anyone else use them and have a different routine?
Dan

 

[michiganlover]

As I understand it, those hones don't work very well with modern day blades. For one they were designed for blades that were thicker, and for two they were designed for blades that are un-coated. I would think that any attempt at honing the blade would remove the various blade coatings, thereby making the blade much rougher to use.

Blades are so cheap, I don't see any point in bothering with this; no to mention any potential savings from the extended life of the blade, is negated by the initial purchase cost of the honing device.

 

[miket]

Check this out.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/12/03/howard.razor.economics/index.html

Mike

 

[Jim1968]

I don't see the need to hone the blades either. They are so cheap to buy who wants to take the time to hone them.

 

[Rufust445]

From what I've read on other shaving sites, modern machinery can put a much finer edge on a mass-produced DE blade than hand stropping can put on a straight razor.

I would think that would apply to hand stropping a DE blade as well.

I keep my used blades in a stack strung together with two twist-ties. At some point this stack will be held together with a couple of more twist-ties and tossed in the scrap metal bin at a county recycling center down the road.

 

[matt_jr]

From what I've read on other shaving sites, modern machinery can put a much finer edge on a mass-produced DE blade than hand stropping can put on a straight razor.

Rufust445, could you post some links?

 

[Marc59]

Good morning,

Having said that, I would like to add a detail, which I noticed by experience: a blade lasts longer if onse shave with some soap rather than with the cream. Indeed, the soap has a power of softening of the hair much stronger as the cream, where from a better cutting, and a life cycle increased for blades.

 

[sam2g70]

There are way too many blades to try! 2 shaves and toss..

 

[Stubblefield]

I get somewhere between 2 and 20 shaves per blade (depending on the blade). I don't strop, hone, or even bother to wipe my blades.