I've been wondering about this for a while and just wanted to hear your thoughts!
Thanks, guys!
Thanks, guys!
Do cartridge razor cartridges typically last for more shaves than razor blades?
- Thread starter Hoppimike
- Start date
I haven't used carts in over 15 years. I think it was a Gillette with 2 blades. I remember getting about 7 shaves with one and I shave daily. With DE blades, I get between 5 - 7 shaves depending on the blade I use.I've been wondering about this for a while and just wanted to hear your thoughts!
Thanks, guys!
Not sure about the latest carts though.
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It has been years for me since using cartridges.
I remember the blades getting plugged up and not able to clean them out, bad shaves all around. It seems from what I remember if I tried to push a cartridge longer the shaves would decline rapidly; whereas on DE blades I only notice slight tugging and I replace it. I could go far longer on a DE blade without getting a terrible shave and being the cost is so cheap I choose to replace it earlier then a cartridge. The cost of the cartridge made me try to get every penny out of them which resulted in terrible shaves and it seemed like they still would not last very many shaves.
I am so thankful I found DE wet shaving and left the cartridges behind; it makes my morning so much more enjoyable.
I remember the blades getting plugged up and not able to clean them out, bad shaves all around. It seems from what I remember if I tried to push a cartridge longer the shaves would decline rapidly; whereas on DE blades I only notice slight tugging and I replace it. I could go far longer on a DE blade without getting a terrible shave and being the cost is so cheap I choose to replace it earlier then a cartridge. The cost of the cartridge made me try to get every penny out of them which resulted in terrible shaves and it seemed like they still would not last very many shaves.
I am so thankful I found DE wet shaving and left the cartridges behind; it makes my morning so much more enjoyable.
I "think" that I "think" they lasted longer, if that makes any sense. What got me back into DE, after decades in the wilderness, was finally thinking about the gook in between the blades on the cartridge. Not that it had ever caused any issues, but rather that one day I got to pondering it. Gross.
Anyway, I change the DE blade more often than it needs to be changed, and more frequently than I did the cartridge.
Anyway, I change the DE blade more often than it needs to be changed, and more frequently than I did the cartridge.
I haven't shave with a cartridge in many years, but they do last longer than DE blades and GEM styled blades, but I don't know if the other types of SE blades last longer or not. I can use a Gillette Match 3 cart for around a month of regular shaving. This is one of the many ymmv things and end result isn't the same for everyone.
Some claim that they can get 20-50 or even more shaves from a single DE blade while I have a hard time getting past 5 shaves and i'm sure the same goes for other types of blades too.
The thing about cartridge blades is that they are a bit more expensive and some people try to push them more than they should and that results in bad shaves. With DE blades I don't really have to push them beyond 3-4 shaves, because they are inexpensive and the chances of getting a bad shave are much higher, so what's the point?
Some claim that they can get 20-50 or even more shaves from a single DE blade while I have a hard time getting past 5 shaves and i'm sure the same goes for other types of blades too.
The thing about cartridge blades is that they are a bit more expensive and some people try to push them more than they should and that results in bad shaves. With DE blades I don't really have to push them beyond 3-4 shaves, because they are inexpensive and the chances of getting a bad shave are much higher, so what's the point?
Hmm
I don't know if they actually lasted longer so much as I used them for longer due to the cost of replacing....
When I feel a DE blade is starting to decline it gets changed straight away whereas I remember pushing a cartridge until I couldn't stand it any longer
I don't know if they actually lasted longer so much as I used them for longer due to the cost of replacing....
When I feel a DE blade is starting to decline it gets changed straight away whereas I remember pushing a cartridge until I couldn't stand it any longer
I was able to stretch a cartridge out for about a month, but I only shaved 2-3 days a week. I was able to stretch out a GEM blade about 2 weeks shaving every day.
With a cartridge my trick was rinsing it with rubbing alcohol after a shave.
Really my only gripe with cartridges (other than price) was the fact that I always had to have a second toothbrush around to unclog it.
With a cartridge my trick was rinsing it with rubbing alcohol after a shave.
Really my only gripe with cartridges (other than price) was the fact that I always had to have a second toothbrush around to unclog it.
Yes, that sums it up.
Like others above, I haven't used a cart since 2013--won't go back. But my blades seem to last longer than carts. Also, used blades can be recycled via a recyclable blade bank.
BIC 3, 10 three pass shaves easily
I used several different cartridges over the years. They were all pretty sad pretty fast. A Crystal or a PIR will give me two weeks to a month of extremely fine shaves. What struck me about cartridges was how inconsistent they were. I will admit that the first couple of shaves from a Fusion were both comfortable and close, but at nearly five bucks a cartridge you would expect that and more. There is no doubt they "over-shave" by pulling hairs out too far and slicing them so that they go back under skin level, leading to ingrown hairs. No thanks.
Stopped using carts after high school, but consider this: assume you own a factory and manufacture blades. Does it make sense to reinvent the manufacturing process for every kind of product? Most likely you have a select few suppliers of rolled steel. Most likely the suppliers use the same ore for each kind of ready-to-ship steel roll. Then you use each kind of steel received for each final product whereby, if permissible due to blade standards, you have the largest overlap in manufacturing steps. Hence, the blade in a cart and a DE blade should be similar in terms of materials.
Now let us assume for simplicity you have a cart with 3 blades. How long will the lowest (the one touching your skin first) of 3 last? As long as 1 DE blade is a reasonable assumption. For the upper 2 blades, this would mean less wear - how much less is hard to say, let the engineers pitch in. So the answer boils down to: if you want all 3 fresh blades on your cart, the same. If you require only 1 sharp blade, aka replace when the uppermost tugs, then longer by magnitude of the number of blades.
Now let us assume for simplicity you have a cart with 3 blades. How long will the lowest (the one touching your skin first) of 3 last? As long as 1 DE blade is a reasonable assumption. For the upper 2 blades, this would mean less wear - how much less is hard to say, let the engineers pitch in. So the answer boils down to: if you want all 3 fresh blades on your cart, the same. If you require only 1 sharp blade, aka replace when the uppermost tugs, then longer by magnitude of the number of blades.
Yes. I would get up to 10 shaves with a Fusion cart and only 2-3 from a double edge razor blade. $5 vs. $0.10 though...
I get 5 great shaves from a Gillette Guard cartridge and 4 from most DE blades. So roughly similar for me.
I voted ‘about the same.’
You can stretch the life of either but the optimal number of shaves is likely about the same.
You can stretch the life of either but the optimal number of shaves is likely about the same.
Seven shaves from a cartridge, about 6 from a DE blade, 9 from a GEM blade, 16 from an AC blade, for me.
I spent $$$ over the years on Mach3 cartridges. I was able to get a month out of a typical cartridge. The first shave was close and comfortable. The last 5 were not.
I now get 30-50 shaves out of a LOI Titanium blade. If the shave isn't close and comfortable, I bin it.
This lends credence to the statements related to the cartridge only being as sharp as the first blade that hits your unshaven beard. If this is true, then a double edge razor blade should outlast a cartridge. I find this to be true for me.
I can easily get 30 days from Astra SP, Nacet, and GSB, and I would think that those blades are similar to the blades in the Mach 3. 7-15 cents for those, versus 50 cents for a Mach 3, and no uncomfortable shaves. I can get 10 or so from Shark, Voskhod and a handful of other blades. 3 Voskhod blades are 1/3 the cost of a Mach 3 cartridge. Any way I go, I am better off.
With a bic travel razor (5 blades) on the road, I get 2-5 shaves. ZERO of these shaves are comfortable or close. It just seems to go over and over the same stubble, tugging but not cutting until I give up. I've tried other disposable razors with similar results. I could never go back to a mediocre shave like this full-time.
I now get 30-50 shaves out of a LOI Titanium blade. If the shave isn't close and comfortable, I bin it.
This lends credence to the statements related to the cartridge only being as sharp as the first blade that hits your unshaven beard. If this is true, then a double edge razor blade should outlast a cartridge. I find this to be true for me.
I can easily get 30 days from Astra SP, Nacet, and GSB, and I would think that those blades are similar to the blades in the Mach 3. 7-15 cents for those, versus 50 cents for a Mach 3, and no uncomfortable shaves. I can get 10 or so from Shark, Voskhod and a handful of other blades. 3 Voskhod blades are 1/3 the cost of a Mach 3 cartridge. Any way I go, I am better off.
With a bic travel razor (5 blades) on the road, I get 2-5 shaves. ZERO of these shaves are comfortable or close. It just seems to go over and over the same stubble, tugging but not cutting until I give up. I've tried other disposable razors with similar results. I could never go back to a mediocre shave like this full-time.
I think cartridges last longer, but I also think there's a desire to make them last longer because of the cost. I try to get at least 8 shaves from a cart, compared to 4 from a blade.
Since the cost of a DE-blade is almost nil I tend to replace the blades more often nowadays. Even before they need to be replaced. Just to be sure never to have a less than stellar shave. It's one of the benefits of DE-shaving imo.
The cost of other shaving paraphernalia related to this shopping hobby is a whole other story. My girlfriend is calling it hoarding. I still think she spends more on shoes though which is my go-to defense.
