Blade longevity

[Quaznoid]

I toss my DE blade after 3 shaves. At less than 3 cents per shave w my Lord Plats that rate of consumption doesn’t offend my famously cheap nature
I use Chinese Schick (yellow package) injectors for 6 shaves before I pitch’em. You might find this a better option for your tough beard. Schicks plough through tough beards like nothing else I know of. I get 7 Chicks for about $5.50 but that’s good for 42 shaves or 13 cents per shave. A little more but a tremendous savings over cart shaving. And every shave is BBS
You can go cheaper w Personna or Pella blades but it’s not worth it: they’re as dull as butter knives and the dispenser is unusable.

 

[RayClem]

I toss my DE blade after 3 shaves. At less than 3 cents per shave w my Lord Plats that rate of consumption doesn’t offend my famously cheap nature
I use Chinese Schick (yellow package) injectors for 6 shaves before I pitch’em. You might find this a better option for your tough beard. Schicks plough through tough beards like nothing else I know of. I get 7 Chicks for about $5.50 but that’s good for 42 shaves or 13 cents per shave. A little more but a tremendous savings over cart shaving. And every shave is BBS
You can go cheaper w Personna or Pella blades but it’s not worth it: they’re as dull as butter knives and the dispenser is unusable.

Another + for trhe Chinese Schick injector blades. I purchased a NOS Schick Type L injector since that was what I first shaved with as a teen. It came with some vintage Schick blades, including some of the dual blades. The vintage blades were not quite sharp enough, so I ordered some of the Schick blades, made in China. They were wonderful.

 

[MAK79]

Blades are 3 and done for me regardless if they could go on. They're dirt cheap when buying 100qty packs. My current preference is for Astra Green, Derby Premium, and Rapira SuperStainless. These have been my go to for a few years now after I stopped the sample train.

 

[lancre]

I won't say it doesn't make a difference, but I don't flip my blades and get pretty good longevity.

I've tried both ways and see no significant difference.

 

[lancre]

It does not need to be an overly complicated pre-shave routine, but there has to be some preparation before the shave. And we should know what it is, because otherwise we would try to discuss and solve a problem without knowing all the facts. Does anyone agrees with me on this?

Some prep is necessary IMO. My own is simple. No exotic pre-shave products. Even for this 70+ face.

I shave at the end of my shower. During the shower my beard is almost continually lathered with something. Bath bar, shampoo, conditioner, shaving soap. By the time razor touches face, my face and neck are as well hydrated as is possible, greatly easing the challenge to the blade.

 

[exppii]

A little experiment in the name of science:

I put a Bic chrome in my R41, even though this combination is (much) less than optimal for me. I put one shave on one edge and I will do another one on the same side, for a total of 2 on one side. This is approximating 4 uses on the 2 edges.

When the one side is used up, I will immediately switch to the other side of the same blade, half way through the shave. This way any differences will be revealed immediately.

The reason for choosing a "bad" razor/blade combination is my ability to get an OK shave with dish soap and a steak knife
I need to make the difference more pronounced.

After all it is not about the efficiency or the cost, but the pleasure of dragging blades on one's face.

I will report back.

 

[ERS4]

I will use one blade for two months, mainly for 30 shaved heads (once every two days) + face.
Standard Asian black hair type, no baldness.

I didn't do any flips, palms, or try to extend the blade, just shaving/rinsing/putting back on the shelf.
Usually the blade after at least three times is more in line with my skin preferences, and I did not find a significant decrease in sharpness caused by subsequent use.

Conventional blades: Gillette super blue blades / Gillette super thin
And I have good quality soft water.

 

[JCarr]

I like my blades to last no more than three to five shaves and then I'll replace it to stay fresh even if it feels like it could go longer.

 

[gsurko]

Blades are cheap, so I replace mine every quarter no matter how well they’re shaving. Big shooter like me can do 4 blades a year, no problem.

 

[hrossroth]

Looking at the photos you posted, I see similarities between our beard types. These days I use a blade only once then it’s goes in the bank. Each time I attempt to use a blade more than once, it’s like the edge is gone which results in just a bunch of uncomfortable pulling.

 

[hairless wonder]

I won't say it doesn't make a difference, but I don't flip my blades and get pretty good longevity.

When I first started DE shaving, I didn't flip my blade. After a while, I started flipping my blade after every shave. I noticed my blade lasted longer (by at least a couple shaves) once I started flipping it between shaves.

Take this as one datum point. It's entirely anecdotal only. I'm sure there are other shavers who have different experiences.

 

[Runnin_Ute]

I typically get 28-30 shaves from a Gillette Silver Blue, Astra SP. Feather I can sometimes go that far. But 21 is not uncommon. My face can't handle more rhan two passes and I don't have a bears as heavy as yours. I rotate three razors. A 58 Flare Tip Super Speed, 63 Slim and a 67 Black Handle Super Speed. I have a Feather in the Black Handle right now. Today was #9. I typically change razors every Saturday.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[psfred]

I shave after a shower (and for three decades, shaved IN the shower without soap), use thin, wet, slick lather, and a very shallow shaving angle, as shallow as the razor will let me. I got a couple months of shaves out of a three blade cartridge without soap.

Another thing that will help is a slant razor, there are several in production. More slicing action, less straight through "chopping", less force required and less blade wear. I tend to use the "Gillette Slide) under my chin so it's effectively a slant even though I'm using a FatBoy or Slim most of the time. I have a ferocious looking Bakelite slant that is actually pretty mild, but it does help a lot with shave comfort and life with lower grade blades.

All that said, dense, very coarse beard hair is going to wear out blades faster. They will also wear off the PTFE coating on the blade faster, and I suspect many shavers think the blade is done when that PTFE is gone. The blade will drag more, but I don't find that a real issue, and the sensation will remain unchanged until the blade actually stops cutting. At that point I find I can't get a good shave no matter how many passes I make.

I used BIC cartridges, but have not yet tried BIC DE blades (because it takes me forever to use one up). Personna blades are also very sharp and last a long time, worth a try.

Whatever you do, don't try to "stretch" your blades, if your shave is uncomfortable, change the blade. Far too cheap to put up with bad shaves. You may not be willing to put up with the blades after the PTFE is worn off due to coarse beard hairs even though the blade is still really as sharp as it was when first used. Just don't respond to the minor pulling sensation by increasing pressure on the edge, as that will result in skin irritation. Keep the increased effort limited to direction of travel to compensate for the higher force needed to cut the hair. A blade too dull to cut your beard will still slice up your face if you use it wron!

 

[ShavingPrimate]

Does it really make a difference to turn a blade over and, if it does, why does it help?

Short answer is, I don't know?

However, I take my blade out of the razor and wash it off under running water, wiping the blade with my fingers. After which, I blot it dry in a paper towel and set it aside.

When I get back to it later, I turn it over so that my next shave is with the other side up in the razor.

Seeing that shave one was placing pressure on one side of the blade, shave two will now be placing pressure on the other side, maybe equaling it out?

There is no extra step or effort involved, since I already remove and clean my blade after each shave. Is there a clear benefit? IDK?

 

[ShavingPrimate]

Does it really make a difference to turn a blade over and, if it does, why does it help?

Short answer is, I don't know?

However, I take my blade out of the razor and wash it off under running water, wiping the blade with my fingers. After which, I blot it dry in a paper towel and set it aside.

When I get back to it later, I turn it over so that my next shave is with the other side up in the razor.

Seeing that shave one was placing pressure on one side of the blade, shave two will now be placing pressure on the other side, maybe equaling it out?

There is no extra step or effort involved, since I already remove and clean my blade after each shave. Is there a clear benefit? IDK?

 

[Lane101]

I use my blades until I start to notice early signs of wear, typically 4 - 12 two+ pass shaves per blade depending on the brand with Derby Extra at the lower end of the spectrum, Astra SP in the middle and Dorco Stainless & Prime at the top. Over the past year I've changed my technique to use wetter slicker lather with the result that my blades are lasting a bit longer. While still a wide range in performance I've had a number of blades go into the teens and had one recent Derby Extra outlier that went for over 20 shaves.

Among the three brands I've noticed little difference in shave performance beyond differences in blade longevity. Exception is that the Dorco Primes are a bit rougher on the first shave, likely due to the extra coating that needs to be worn off.

I don't flip my blades, just a thorough rinse in really hot water between shaves. Clean my razor when changing blades.

 

[VerbaVolant]

I get 4 to 6 comfortable shaves out of a blade. The most I can push a blade is 10 shaves but it is not pretty.
Unless one has a silky beard, I simply cannot understand how can anyone use a blade 100 times or more.
Regardless, I am quite happy with the number of great shaves I get from each blade, compared to using a cart.
I shave every day.

 

[shupey]

I use Nacet's and can get 3-4 good shaves out of a blade before it starts tugging. Life is to short to use a dull 10 cent razor blade so I just replace it.

 

[CCS]

My experience with my medium to medium light beard is 3-5 shaves no matter the blade. I have zero interest in trying to get more shaves out of a 10-25 cent razor blade. I don't notice all the differences that so many here claim to. Probably, because I don't pay attention to stuff like, is the second shave sharper or duller than the first, etc. I rinse and dry my razor after each use as I do the blade. Flipping/rotating doesn't do a thing IMO so I don't even think about it. I used to pat the blade dry on a bath towel but now I use small microfiber towels (about a foot square) I buy from the Costco auto dept. to both dry the razor and pat the blade dry. Once I'm cleaned up, the razor goes back in the cabinet. I usually have a few razors running and sometimes lose track of what number shave a certain razor/blade combo is on so, when it doubt, I toss the blade and start with a fresh one. I'm almost 72 with something like 1600-1700 blades in inventory and have been shaving since the mid-60's. I know what works for me! My advice is replace your blade as often as necessary to get as close a shave as you can get without issues.

 

[Knuckleballer]

I try to get a good 4 shaves out of every blade I’ve tried and the only one that I couldn’t do that with so far was a Shark SS..the first was tough enough to get through. Tossed it after 2. Not saying it was a bad blade either it just didn’t suit my beard type well, was tuggy and required me to press to cut anything. Some people love them. But other blades from Lord all seem to work well for me. Typically 5-7 uses per blade before I replace. If I notice any tugging I replace it next time I shave.

My beard is not soft at all, pretty thick hairs and average to a little above average density wise depending on the area. I prefer to do two passes these days, with and across the grain on the face, with and against the grain on the neck/under the chin. Then a quick touch up over the problem areas just using water and residual slickness with a light touch. Not interested in chasing the dragon and trying to make it seem as if I don’t grow facial hair, would take too much time and no matter how close I get, will have to shave the next day in order to look clean shaved. So maybe over time I will try seeing if I can push a blade beyond 7 uses and get a comfortable shave. As mentioned earlier I think against the grain shaving is a blade killer.