Blade Rotation

[razorhead63]

I’m one here who likes to do a blade rotation constantly. I have 4 different brands of blades I’m currently using with varying amounts of shaves on them. Using just one blade till it wears out seems really boring to me. I keep a record of it on my wall calendar in pencil. It’s fun to do! Seriously.
Who else here does a blade rotation every shave or two? What are your thoughts about it?
Thanks!

 

[2Vu5_T]

I just happen to have 4 blades in rotation now also. Feather, Kai, Astra SS, and a Personna red. Most are up to 8 shaves. Still getting great shaves.

 

[Esetter]

I rotate between a tuck of Nacets, then a tuck of something else.

 

[Chard52142]

+1 I’m another one here who likes to do blade rotation constantly too. I have 10 different brands of blades I’m currently using with varying amounts of shaves on them too.
I have 45 types of blades brands (and counting, because I am still looking for more).
Using just one blade till it wears out is too boring for me too and I may not have enough time to try all my blades. So I rotated my blades daily.
I too keep a record by marking with a tick on the blades wrapping and on my SOTD journal. I am a daily shaver...if I can shave twice a day even better..LOL. Even while I on the road (I travel frequently) I will bring different blades.

My thoughts...very interesting indeed. I rotate daily my razors as well as with the blades and it's amazing how I can feel the minute changes with different razor blade pairings. I enjoyed the varied process and the results. Most good but some poor.
I will generally ditch my blades by the 5th used except the top tier blades. My top tier is Feather, Astra SP & SS although there are some other blades which to me feels very close to Astra SP & SS.
Nothing beat a Feather though!
Thanks!

 

[Nomad116]

I just happen to have 4 blades in rotation now also. Feather, Kai, Astra SS, and a Personna red. Most are up to 8 shaves. Still getting great shaves.

Very sharp good sir! How do those blades compare to feather in smoothness and sharpness?

 

[RobDoffrey]

My are Astra SP, GSB, Permasharp and occasionally Feather or Polsilver.

 

[ajkel64]

When using a DE I change my blades weekly. I aim for 7 shaves and then change. Always changing to a different blade of manufacture.

 

[GaryTha]

I only use Astra SP's. I also only own one razor (Van der Hagen short handle). I use each blade for at least 50 shaves. I see no reason to tamper with perfection.

 

[Mouser]

Actually when I was using modern blades I'd use one until it was finished, anywhere from three to five shaves. But since I've gone to using vintage blades exclusively I get that same need to change back and forth just for it's own sake. They last so much longer. I keep track in a little notebook. I've been logging everything about my daily shaves since 2013. It's been quite useful. There are aspects that aren't immediately apparent but leap out when you have a continuous record.

 

[mr_houston]

I’ve been doing a sortof rotation with blades lately. I keep 4 DEs loaded at a time and switch between razors. I load all with same blade. When ready, I pick a different blade and load them all up again. This is giving me a feel for how blades work in different razors.

I dont write anything down. The goal is to find blades that work in the widest range of razors.

 

[geneaut]

I currently don’t rotate daily, but I don’t typically repeat blades after I finish one.

I went for a few years mostly using Lab Blues because they simply work well for me . In my Gillette Slim set to a low number they were the equivalent of shaving with a cartridge razor from an ease of use standpoint. That got boring though and now I rotate after finishing a blade.

I sometimes will have two razors setup with different blades at the same time and alternate them day to day. That is usually to compare them but sometimes it’s just for variety.

 

[HomerJay]

I have just completed my first round of retesting blades for the first time in 5+ years. I just went 8 weeks using a different blade every week. I have narrowed it down to 4 blades for a round 2 eliminations match but may just end up rotating the 4 over time.

 

[Galaktus]

I use a blade for (hopefully) a week to 10 days and then go to another blade brand. I rotate razors far less frequently.

 

[RayClem]

My shaving routine is different than most. I tend to have favorite blades in favorite razors. I often shave with four different razors and blades during a single shave. I use a different razor for each pass. For example, I might use a Karve open comb for the first pass, a Karve solid bar for the second pass, an Muhle R89 for the third pass, and finish up with a VDH TTO on the clean-up pass. The razors progress from more to less aggressive, and the blades progress from less to more aggressive.

When the blades get to the point where they need to be changed, I will either use the same blade or one of similar sharpness. I will rotate among about 16 different blades overall.

 

[mr_houston]

I have just completed my first round of retesting blades for the first time in 5+ years. I just went 8 weeks using a different blade every week. I have narrowed it down to 4 blades for a round 2 eliminations match but may just end up rotating the 4 over time.

Which have you selected so far?

 

[md1234]

When using a DE I change my blades weekly. I aim for 7 shaves and then change. Always changing to a different blade of manufacture.

Same here.

 

[HomerJay]

Which have you selected so far?

It's down to Rapira Platinum Lux, BIC Chrome Platinum, Voskhod and Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow in no particular order yet. Prior to testing, Personna Lab Blue was my goto blade and that will stay in the rotation.

 

[Columbo]

Lots of people rotate blades. Lots of people also rotate razors.

One affects the other.

Aggressive razor, more mild blade. Mild razor, more aggressive blade.

 

[Mouser]

Another thing that I found different when I slowly converted to all vintage, blades and razors, was that I found, for me at least, that the "certain blades for certain razors" no longer applied. All went with all.

 

[Fred D]

The top four blades in my rotation are Feather, Gillette Platinum, Voskhod, and Crystal.