Good points. I've tried several blades over the years and still have a few good options on hand. However, my best and most enjoyable shaves with DE razors have come from Feather blades. I will try some other blades to see if I can extend longevity. I used to like Derby and Astra blades, and IIRC got more than two shaves from them, which likely speaks to your point about a not-so-sharp blade lasting longer. Eventually, I settled on Feather as my best shave and then purchased them in bulk at a fair price that got me years of shaving from that supply. The most I ever shave is every other day, but usually, every three days. Now that I also use SE Artist Club blades that give me 10-12 shaves per blade, my annual blade consumption is so low I don't think too much about longevity.
Cheapshaver Forum
- Thread starter Quaznoid
- Start date
All the stuff I currently own was 25 euros or less. My favourite TTO Wilkinson DE was 15 euros shipped. I believe it's a rebranded Weishi and all brass plated. Basically a copy of some older Gillette with TTO mechanism.
No brush was over 25 euros shipped. These days I buy synthetics mostly and I've found that you can get some very nice ones for little money.
Soaps and creams I buy mostly local. Nivea cream, Palmolive cream and Vergulde Hand soap all cost less than 5 euros in local drugstores and supermarkets.
Blades are bought online when needed. I don't have a large stash and buy BIC blades mostly. They're not too expensive, sharp and last for about 7 shaves.
I no longer have a real interest in the high-end high-priced items I sometimes see in the SOTD posts. I found my happy place so to say.
25 euros is my personal threshold. I won't buy anything more expensive. And for creams and soaps I've always been happy with the cheap 'usual suspects' like Palmolive. I won't pay more than 10 euros for soaps and creams and local availability is very much preferred.
No brush was over 25 euros shipped. These days I buy synthetics mostly and I've found that you can get some very nice ones for little money.
Soaps and creams I buy mostly local. Nivea cream, Palmolive cream and Vergulde Hand soap all cost less than 5 euros in local drugstores and supermarkets.
Blades are bought online when needed. I don't have a large stash and buy BIC blades mostly. They're not too expensive, sharp and last for about 7 shaves.
I no longer have a real interest in the high-end high-priced items I sometimes see in the SOTD posts. I found my happy place so to say.
25 euros is my personal threshold. I won't buy anything more expensive. And for creams and soaps I've always been happy with the cheap 'usual suspects' like Palmolive. I won't pay more than 10 euros for soaps and creams and local availability is very much preferred.
I went through that thread once with exactly that goal in mind. Turns out, I already do all the things these guys are doing which they think allow them to achieve great blade life, but for me comfortable blade life has basically decreased over the years until I rarely use a blade past 2 shaves, and most blades are one-and-done.
There's definitely things that can have a negative impact on blade life if you don't do them (e.g. shaving un-prepped whiskers - although why anyone chooses to shave without prep is a mystery to me) but ultimately I think it comes down to how close / complete a shave someone is undertaking and what their skin / hair will tolerate. For example, if I was a daily, one pass WTG shaver, I might reasonably be able to say that I was getting 5 shaves from a blade, rather than being someone who does 2.5 passes and gets 2 shaves from a blade. That number might even go slightly higher, as I think ATG passes are tougher on the blade than WTG.
I also wonder how many "Excalibur" guys are only doing partial shaves, due to having facial hair. That is going to make a HUGE difference to blade life, since for most guys the chin and moustache area is some of the toughest growth. I suspect that not shaving that area of my face might as much as triple my blade life.
So, if I was a one pass shaver with a 'stache and goatee, I might suddenly go from two shaves a blade to 15 shaves a blade, simply because there is a completely different notion of what constitutes "one shave", but that kind of essential background information often doesn't get shared in this context - people just throw around numbers without establishing whether or not they are really comparing apples with apples.
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Your reasoning makes sense.
Personally I am a 2 pass shaver and I get minimum 10 shaves from a quality blade. Maximum I got recently was 24 shaves. I don't chase BBS and I get a very nice shave at the end (DFS) .
As I said it is just shaving and blades are relatively cheap.
Looking Forward to AZ WET SHAVE MEETUP on 2/17,bhopev it goes well like 2023's, I came home with Bag of Free SAMPLES. 
Didn’t go through the entire thread so apologies if this was already brought up, but Baili has a few excellent razors for $10 or so. My two favorite ones are BD176 (a mild but efficient Tech clone) and BD179 TTO. Both are excellent shavers, very well made, and inexpensive.
Arco stick is another “frugal” choice. I use them because of efficiency, but they are also pretty cheap and last a long time.
Razor blades are generally inexpensive to begin with.
Arco stick is another “frugal” choice. I use them because of efficiency, but they are also pretty cheap and last a long time.
Razor blades are generally inexpensive to begin with.
When is the frugal time to buy shaving gear? Is there a time like Black Friday for shaving vendors? I am looking to dive deeper into the rabbit hole with soaps and creams.
The Weishi TTO Gillette Superspeed clones are excellent shavers and great value. If all one wants is a quality and effective razor it's not necessary to spend a lot of money. Over the past 4+ years since returning to DE my Weishi Long Handle has been my primary razor later supplemented by a milder King C. Gillette and most recently by a Razorock Adjust (rebranded Baili) adjustable razor that uses the same type of adjustment mechanism that Gillette used in its classic adjustables in the 1960s-1980's.
You may be interested in Baili's newest adjustable razor for under $15 (under $10 on sale). I purchased one for $7.99 from Razorock last November and it's excellent. Two links below to a general thread with pictures of this razor and my recent review of it below. Note Razorock calls it the Razorock Adjust.
Anyone tried Baili adjustable razor?
I am fairly new to wet shaving after and I noticed on amazon that they baili has a new TTO adjustable called weidi WR-T3. Is it a good modern adjustable razor?
www.badgerandblade.com
Razorock Adjust Butterfly Safety Razor: Review after First Use
Hi everyone, I just posted on my first use of my new Razorock Adjust Butterfly Safety Razor (Rebranded Baili). Review and results from my first shave available via the link below. Copy of the review alone pasted here for convenience: Razorock Adjust Review: Loaded a new new Derby Extra blade...
www.badgerandblade.com
Looking forward to Arizona Wet Shavers Meetup.
Last year I came home with samples of Soap, After Shaves, Blades, goodie bag was full of Freebees.
Last year I came home with samples of Soap, After Shaves, Blades, goodie bag was full of Freebees.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Good to see local folks meeting up!
I’m not posting here a lot because my comments really don’t fit in the content of the thread (DE). But I have done edge longevity tests of different straight razors.
In short, normal double tempered straight razors (familiar like Case XX knives, the double X meant double tempered), about 65 SR shaves. Hard steel like some Swedish, ice hardened, Japanese tamahagane/Yasuki steel, twice that or about 130 shaves.
I will say that at the limit of these blades, the shave performance was still excellent, it was just not a comfortable in-shave experience. Kinda rough. Then you just re-hone them and start over with the same blade for the next few months.
The edge longevity tests are not the way that I’d use a SR in normal use. Normally they’d get a touch up at around 20 shaves depending on the razor.
I’m not posting here a lot because my comments really don’t fit in the content of the thread (DE). But I have done edge longevity tests of different straight razors.
In short, normal double tempered straight razors (familiar like Case XX knives, the double X meant double tempered), about 65 SR shaves. Hard steel like some Swedish, ice hardened, Japanese tamahagane/Yasuki steel, twice that or about 130 shaves.
I will say that at the limit of these blades, the shave performance was still excellent, it was just not a comfortable in-shave experience. Kinda rough. Then you just re-hone them and start over with the same blade for the next few months.
The edge longevity tests are not the way that I’d use a SR in normal use. Normally they’d get a touch up at around 20 shaves depending on the razor.
- Thread starter
- #153
It may be a YMMV phenomenon but my Weishi 9306 doesn’t shave AT ALL.
I recall you mentioning that in an earlier thread. Believe you acquired yours many years ago, mine is just over 4 years old with a second back-up that is a couple years old that shaves the same. Could be YMMV, perhaps Weishi has made their razors more aggressive over time or you have a bad razor. Scrolled through lots of Weishi 9306 B&B posts just now and while there are many who consider it a mild razor I did not find any other posts noting that it does not cut. Wonder if you just have a bad razor with a manufacturing defect.
See the recent 2022 link below with a number of other B&Bers who are able to realize great shaves from their Weishi razors including the OP who sees his new Weishi as more efficient than his other razors.
Link to 2022 Weishi Razor reviews:
Weishi 9306 TTO DE Razor - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/weishi-9306-tto-de-razor.623218/
@ivan_101 has noted in multiple posts that Weishi has started making aggressive razors with more blade exposure in recent years. Example of one of his posts (#25770 in Razor Acquisition Thread) linked below:
Safety Razor Acquisition Thread. - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/safety-razor-acquisition-thread.365061/page-1289#post-12124488
He has 16 Weishi razors and while some are much milder than others he did not not having one that does not cut.
If I count both TTO and 3-piece they are at least 20 now.
Regarding the TTOs. They still make both the mild ones and the ones with more exposure (even different batches of the same model will differ). With the mild ones it is indeed pretty hard for users with very tough whiskers to get BBS. My first 9306F was bought around 2008 and I struggled for a very long time to get something even close to BBS with my whiskers. Then I bought an Omega S-brush, which gives me closer shaves and that solved the problem. So, I kinda get what @Quaznoid means.
I want to add to my post No. 148 about Baili blades. On Aliexpress, these blades are very expensive. 1931 Russian ruble for 100 pieces.
I will name the cost of other blades that I can order in my city. All prices are in Russian rubles for 100 blades.
Sputnik - 811
Ladas - 332
Gillette Silver Blue - 1031
Gillette Nacet - 1194
Astra SP - 1344
The dollar exchange rate in Russia today: $ 1 - 90.68 rubles
I will name the cost of other blades that I can order in my city. All prices are in Russian rubles for 100 blades.
Sputnik - 811
Ladas - 332
Gillette Silver Blue - 1031
Gillette Nacet - 1194
Astra SP - 1344
The dollar exchange rate in Russia today: $ 1 - 90.68 rubles
Just out of curiosity. What was the Exchange rate before the war?
I second that. Still keep my Wilkinson Sword TTO (Weishi 9036-P) as my travel razor. Perfect value and was (maybe still is?) sold in regular stores.
I am soooo cheap when I walk from parking lot to store, I look on ground for change those fiddling with car keys drop. Today was only a Penny, earlier this week it was almost 80 Cents I found in lot.
Think my big find one night in 1978 was $740.00 plus cash in wallet, union card, and pay stub with home address. Wound up finding the owne, and giving it back. Guy was happy as he knew he lost it, but had no idea where.
Think my big find one night in 1978 was $740.00 plus cash in wallet, union card, and pay stub with home address. Wound up finding the owne, and giving it back. Guy was happy as he knew he lost it, but had no idea where.
