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Blades in the freezer?

I was having lunch with a physician friend of mine this week and began discussing wetshaving. I thought he'd be interested if he didn't do it already. Turns out he has irritation issues and prefers an electric...so whatever. But as I described the blades I'm using and the fact that I can get about 7 good shaves from one blade, he asked if I had ever put them in the freezer. He said that by putting them in the freezer, I should get 9 shaves out of them, saying something about being dependent on what kind of heat treatment they've been through in the manufacturing process. He did his undergrad at MIT, and is one smart fella, so I'm going to try it. Just wondering if the fine folks of B&B have tried the same.
 
I don't know how cold would cause the blade to last longer (perhaps the blade would be stiffer?), especially considering that the blade would warm up considerably just in the trip from the freezer to the bathroom.

Having said that, whether it worked or not, I'll probably pass due to the inconvenience factor relative to the cost savings. If my Voskhods run 10 cents a blade (Ebay) and last for 7 shaves, that's $5.21 a year. If they last for 10 shaves, that's $3.65 a year. For under $2 in savings, I'd probably stick with keeping my blades in the bathroom.
 
Any heat (or in this case cold) treatment only works truly if performed as part of the harding process. Putting them in a householdfreezer weeks/months/years after being made in order to change the structure of the metal belongs in a fairy tale along with stories about pyramids. Utter nonsense.
 
I don't think your house freezer would do anything. There are companies out there that cryogenically freeze cartridge blades so people can supposedly get more shaves out of those overpriced monstrosities, but even reviews on that process are inconclusive.
 
But as I described the blades I'm using and the fact that I can get about 7 good shaves from one blade, he asked if I had ever put them in the freezer. He said that by putting them in the freezer, I should get 9 shaves out of them ...
:lol:
I really like your friend's sense of humor!
 
When blades for knifes or straight razors are forged some craftsman do a freezing treatment of the steel to have certain aspects of the steel structure influenced in whatever way they've experienced turns out to give an advantage in e.g. hardness and long-levity of the edge.

I haven't tried it myself and won't but the temperature difference between room temp and freezer is unlikely do do anything significant. Especially as you start at a temperature where there is no movement anymore.

Give it a try and let us know. I store my razors on a magnet and get an average of 8 to 10 shaves out of a blade but a lot of folks just think it's nonsense. So unless you haven't tried it yourself, you never know.
 
Freezer? Not so sure. But cryo freezing is a different matter.

Or maybe the act of removing and drying your blade before you put it in the freezer will help it last.
 
You are going to take advice from a man who uses an electric because of irritation issues?

+1 to all of the above.
Cryo-treatment might give a more durable edge, 0 degrees F isn't going to do it.
Is it worth the risk to your hands of removing the blade every day and returning it to the freezer?
What is the potential to damage the blade in removing it, wrapping it, and storing it every day?
The most expensive blades are Feathers at maybe $0.40 each and most get minimum 2 shaves from them.
One of the best values is the 100-pack of Personna Blue at about $15.


The only advantage I can see to freezing would be the reduced temperature slows/halts the progression of corrosion... but that is not going to be an issue on a stainless blade where you are going to toss it after a week. I left my last blade in my R41 when I switched to straights 2 years ago and it has not visibly corroded.

If I were living in a cabin with a limited supply of blades and were stuck with carbon-steel blades? Ya... it might be worth it to control corrosion, but in that situation, I'd be better served with a straight and hone.
 
From the science of the matter you get this. The temperature of a thing is determined by the energy of the atoms/molecules that make it up. Cooler(lower energy) molecules move slower and are more tightly bound, or more dense. The more dense a material is, the hard it is. The harder it is, the stronger it is. The stronger the blade it, the longer it last. However, the more densely the molecules are packed, the more rigid it is, and therefore more brittle.
Also, if you place only the blade in the freezer, you will loose and advantage you might gain by the time you load it into the razor. If you place the whole razor in the freezer, you might have some advantage, but the leading edge, being so thin, would warm up to fast and you would loose any advantage you might have gained. Your only alternative would be to shave in the freezer. This means you have to have a walk in freezer. All to save less than $2.
It's completely your call, but I'm going to pass on this one.
 
From the science of the matter you get this. The temperature of a thing is determined by the energy of the atoms/molecules that make it up. Cooler(lower energy) molecules move slower and are more tightly bound, or more dense. The more dense a material is, the hard it is. The harder it is, the stronger it is. The stronger the blade it, the longer it last. However, the more densely the molecules are packed, the more rigid it is, and therefore more brittle.
Also, if you place only the blade in the freezer, you will loose and advantage you might gain by the time you load it into the razor. If you place the whole razor in the freezer, you might have some advantage, but the leading edge, being so thin, would warm up to fast and you would loose any advantage you might have gained. Your only alternative would be to shave in the freezer. This means you have to have a walk in freezer. All to save less than $2.
It's completely your call, but I'm going to pass on this one.

Now that's an idea! Not for the sake of blade longevity, but as the ultimate in cold shaving (and sustained follicle perkiness).
 
Well after I take it out of the freezer, load it into my razor, and then run it under hot water so that I'm not shaving with a cold razor, and then swirl in a sink of hot water every few swipes across my face to get the lather off of it, I'm not sure how that's going to change the result.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
The New Holland Brewery makes great beer and Harley Davidson makes great motorcycles, but I've no desire whatsoever to try a Harley Davidson branded beer.
A degree in Medicine doesn't equate to a degree in Metallurgy, so I think I'd refrain from taking razor blade advice from a physician, particularly one who doesn't use them.
 
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