Blade Longevity Tricks

[ever_learning]

So, I got my hands on a Schick Injector last week and have been pretty pleased with it. One thing I noticed was my ability to get mutiple shaves (3 so far) out of a blade. With the DEs, I get one shave and then it drags so bad I can't use it again.

I'm wondering what are the things that prevent me from getting more than one shave with a DE blade? I've heard that moisture on the blade can dull it between shaves and that dunking the razor with the blade in it in baby oil or alcohol displaces the water. I've heard about Storing the blade outside of the razor, or on a towel. I even read in a book about a guy who keeps them in a paper pyramid he made to direct sacred energy onto it (or something like that , a little out there for me but it was interesting at any rate). He claimed that this allowed him to use the same blade indefintely.

My point is, is there any way, in your experience, to prolong the life of a blade? I have a rough and tough beard and it usually takes 3-4 passes plus a touchup to get me DFS or better.

 

[Wingnut]

You've got all of the common ways to extend blade life covered (and a few of the more esoteric ones as well), but in general you won't get the same blade life from a DE blade that you will from either a SE or injector blade. I figure on my SE and injector blades having about twice the life of my DE blades.

I THINK (just a theory) that this has to do with how thin the DE blade stock is. I've got a question for you, though: given how inexpensive a DE blade is ($0.08 - $0.35, in my experience), is it really worth it trying to stretch that blade to one or two more shaves? I can certainly understand if you're really strapped for cash that a few bucks might make a difference, but I just bought a 100 blade sleeve of Astra SP's for less than $9.00 delivered, and that's at least a year's worth of shaving for me.

 

[dundak]

Prep is key.... a hydrated beard is easier to cut than a drier one. A blade will dull faster cutting fine gauge wire compared to celery

 

[Mick]

I typically get 6-8 shaves out of a DE blade. Nothing special. Just shave. I keep my blades outside of the razor between shaves but that is just what I was taught to do when I started shaving.

 

[ever_learning]

Wingnut -

not really a cost issue for me. I'm just curious if there are ways to prolong the life of the blade. Like Turtle said, he gets 6-8 shaves, I and many others from what I've read, get 1. I shave daily so I would need 3.65 packs of 100 blades to get through a year. If i could get just 1 more shave out of each blade, that would halve the already low cost. Not much of a savings, but it would be neat to be able to get 2 years worth of shaves for the price of 2 weeks worth of Fusion carts!

PS where did you buy the Astras?

 

[s_cubed]

PS where did you buy the Astras?

Amazon

 

[Mick]

PS where did you buy the Astras?

Amazon

$9.82 delivered from this URL

http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Prem...=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1363552770&sr=1-2

 

[Mandina]

+1 on prep. Technique must count, too. Once I got these down decently my blade longevity increased on average from 2-3 shaves to 7, including for Feathers.

 

[Wingnut]

$9.82 delivered from this URL

http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Prem...=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1363552770&sr=1-2

Turtle beat me to it, but there ya go!

 

[seagullplayer]

I have always had a heavy beard, the older I get the worst it gets. I got about 7 shaves out of the last blade.

I use plenty of lather and rinse the shaver under running water. I also lay the razor at an angle to allow the water to drain
off after I shake all I can out. I do like a bargain and consider DE to be a savings over what I was using.

I almost never buy anything online, I bought 10 blades at CVS (drugstore) for $2 yesterday.

 

[mistercitizen]

I don't know of any trick other than to CAREFULLY rinse it and clean it good after your shave, strop in on a clean, dry towel and let it sit. I get 3 to 4 shaves easy from any blade.... and about 6 to 7 from blades like Polsilver SI's, Gillette Silver Blues, and Gillette 7 O'Clock SP blacks and blues. No tricks for me.... just that I get better shaves longer with some blades more than others.

Ben

 

[Mad Man]

Call me contrarian and with respect to previous posters I find the extra time and effort to 'carefully do this and that' prohibitive.

As a daily shave-for-work-one-eye-on-the-clock kinda guy I'm more interested in time than cents but I roll different to others. I can still laugh at the Mach 3 flunkies even if I chuck a Feather after a single use and wash a Chubby full of MdC lather down the plug hole after a 2 pass shave.

You're already ahead compared to carts but if you've got the inclination do whatever pleases you. No rules.

 

[Kentos]

Do you do an ATG pass? IMO an ATG pass is the hardest on a blade since the hair angles into the edge. If you can introduce some angle or slide to all your passes so that the edge isn't bashing at right angles into your stubble you might get an extra shave out of a blade. Think "samurai sword slicing" vs "axe".

 

[Mad Man]

Do you do an ATG pass? IMO an ATG pass is the hardest on a blade since the hair angles into the edge. If you can introduce some angle or slide to all your passes so that the edge isn't bashing at right angles into your stubble you might get an extra shave out of a blade. Think "samurai sword slicing" vs "axe".

Kent makes a point; all the baby oil in the World don't help if you've got fine gauge wire for beard or your technique sucks...

 

[bosseb]

Mantic59 has researched the matter of extending the life of razorblades ( http://sharpologist.com/2011/07/video-how-to-extend-the-life-of-razor-blades.html ). I use wiping to achieve one week (6-7 shaves) of blade life. This allows a nice routine of changing at a given weekday.

Bosse

 

[TopperHarley]

My advice would be to prep with a pre-shave oil in order to soften your beard first, thus extending the life of the blade.....maybe also check out the razor pit. I used this product when I shaved with the Mach3 in a previous life. I haven't tried it with DE razors cos they are so cheap anyway, but I believe the razorpit works fine on DE razors too.

 

[ever_learning]

Kentos - I do ATG a few times a week, but not everyday. I've got buffing down pretty good for my chin, but I still haven't tried the slide. I have a fear that I will put a good slice in my cheek with the slide, it looks like you need to be pretty precise from the videos I've seen. I will definitely start working a little faster toward being able to do that though.

Mad Man - My beard is very coarse and wiry AND I have a lot of work to do on my technique... Not good for the longevity department on either count.

TopperHarley - I use Shave Secret. I have AOS Lavender oil, but it seems too thick and sticky for me. Any suggestions on oil? What brand do you use? or do you make your own?

Again, this is not a cost saving question on my part, more of a curiousness as to why I (and some others) don't seem to get as many shaves out of a blade as others do.

Also, I used a Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow for the first time last night, it seemed to be as sharp at the end of the shave as it was at the start - not something I usually experience. I usually get a little drag by the end of the shave. I'm going to attempt to use it again tonight and see what happens. Will report back in tomorrow.

 

[Mad Man]

Those 7OC Yellows are a good sharp blade mate. Like you I've got a lot of coarse beard action (and a few Greys in there too). Even Feathers get 2 shaves and tossed. The 7s give me 3-4...

 

[BotSpanx]

I find my blade life is not dependent on face prep at all. I get just as many uses cold shaving as I do with extensive softening and lathering. Before I shave, I pop the blade out, strop it on my jeans a few times and pop it back in. That's all. I typically get 5-6 smooth and comfortable shaves out of a blade that way. While I don't have the steel wool beard that some here do, it's a significant amount of cutting work. Red Personnas seem to work the best for me with this technique (daily shaving), but when I'm going for as smooth as I can get it, I use a feather, which I admittedly only get 3 shaves out of before I retire it.