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Do we really need to stretch blade life?

I don't think people need to extend blade life. They are only giving up the best 90% or so of a blade's shaves. Those who haven't learned how to use these shaves are not qualified to comment.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I suppose it depends (at least partially) on your beard and face. I've read about shavers with barbed wire beards that only get one day from a Feather.

I track my shaves and found that I never get a weeper in the first 12 passes, so I change blades at that point. I'm financially satisfied and don't miss weepers.
 
Your comments are only facts to you and opinions to us.
To answer the question directly the answer is no but the question seems to ask also for conversation and opinions from no one in particular. I know not of a degree in razor blade usage. I even with my limited experience have opinions worth something. Otherwise why are we here at all.
 
Your comments are only facts to you and opinions to us.
To answer the question directly the answer is no but the question seems to ask also for conversation and opinions from no one in particular. I know not of a degree in razor blade usage. I even with my limited experience have opinions worth something. Otherwise why are we here at all.

I'm not sure I can respond without digging a deeper hole for myself. My original statement lacked something. That "something filter" disappeared when I was in surgery for 8 hours in August. Anesthesia can do that to the brain.

This topic has come up many times. It almost always devolves into financial elitism. Those who think the extenders are trying to save money never accept the possibility that there is another reason. We end up feeling like @chevyguy1982.

I must be the outcast here, but I can get at least a month of daily shaves out of my blades comfortably.... most times more.
 
I'm not sure I can respond without digging a deeper hole for myself. My original statement lacked something. That "something filter" disappeared when I was in surgery for 8 hours in August. Anesthesia can do that to the brain.

This topic has come up many times. It almost always devolves into financial elitism. Those who think the extenders are trying to save money never accept the possibility that there is another reason. We end up feeling like @chevyguy1982.
I’m only relaying how I feel about using a blade more than say 5 or 6 times and why I feel it’s not a thing to even consider. I shave for pleasure. Over the past year I decided that I’m going to take what I don’t like In my life and make it enjoyable. I’ve been depressed for many years. I’ve always hated shaving and now I love it. I buy farrrrr less beer. Now I but soap, razors, blades... you get the idea. I’m not telling anyone to be like me. I’m here to share my new found happiness cause I honestly do not have many people in my life. My wife and my two daughters are my world.

Sadly they do not share my excitement about the art of shaving.
Well except for A&E Grecian Horse my wife loves and the kids love A&Es Asian Plum.
 
You're not 'stretching' a blade's life because you choose to continue using it until it no longer shaves well. Just as you wouldn't say you're 'stretching' the life of your knife just because you choose NOT to toss it after 5 uses. Obviously there is a huge price difference between both things, but the principle is the same. People who choose to use a blade until it no longer shaves well, rather than tossing every blade after 'x' number of uses, typically do so because they don't believe something that is still functional should be tossed simply because an arbitrary number of uses has been reached. And certainly not because it's 'cheap'.

But different strokes for different folks. It's certainly not going to break the bank, either way.
 
Why stretch a blade if you don't want to?
But let's turn the question and ask yourself, why throw away something that is probably fully functional?
I'm pretty sure most people do that without even knowing it themselves. Just do their routine and toss it away. In my opinion it's a waste of resources.

Do we need to throw things away before it's wasted?
 
Same reason some people stretch oil changes on their cars, some change it more often. People's choice.
And it hard to convince people to change their beliefs.
My cars the oil gets changed 3 to 4 thousand miles, and my blades are gone after 3 shaves.

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk
 
Oh god...
Ok ok I guess in my “ignorance“ and “opulence” I toss a blade out after 4-6 shaves.
I’m fine with that.
Heaven forbid I enjoy something that costs a few cents a day. Think of all that wasted metal.
I own more blades currently to last me years at my current pace.
Way to suck the joy out of something guys.
 
Oh god...
Ok ok I guess in my “ignorance“ and “opulence” I toss a blade out after 4-6 shaves.
I’m fine with that.
Heaven forbid I enjoy something that costs a few cents a day. Think of all that wasted metal.
I own more blades currently to last me years at my current pace.
Way to suck the joy out of something guys.

No one is forcing you to use blades for longer than you wish to lol. Just giving reasonings/arguments as to why those of us who use a blade for more than 3 shaves, do so. I think most people on here toss blades after less than five uses anyway, so those who don't are probably the minority.
 
I inventoried my blades last night and came up with 3030 blades not counting some random ones in sample kits.

I can easily get 3 shaves out of a blade so, 3 X 3030 = 9090 shaves. I don't shave everyday but lets figure that I shave every two days. That comes out to 50 years worth of blades. I am almost 52 years old, and I guess I don't need to worry about blades anymore...
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
What an amusing thread.

I certainly don’t ’stretch’ a 10 or 15 cent disposable blade to squeeze more out of one.

But I do try to use ones that can shave well for at least a week, to Sunday, which is when I always change ‘em. That does affect my blade choices, and perhaps I don’t use the cheapest blades as a result.

And I do recommend to younger shavers that they go longer than one shave on a blade, as many shave better on the second shave. After that, they’re on their own on when to change them.

And other than that, I try not to overthink whether to save pennies or not on something like this.
 
This is where I keep em till the next day. I wonder if storing em in oil would prolong the life. It sure would make it fun loading it all oiled up and everything. Ha!
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When I first started DE shaving using drugstore blades and shaving soap about 12 years ago, I was focused on saving money by using more economical shaving tools. I got at least a week of shaves from each blade (I did four passes per shave back then) and probably could have gone longer, but I tossed them after I got a couple of subpar shaves in a row. I didn't really think about it too much; I just assumed that a blade should last at least that long and that poor shaves before the week was over were probably my fault.

Fast-forward a few years and I found myself tossing every blade after just a couple of shaves. You'd think that with more experience, my blades should have been lasting longer than when I first started but I was going full speed the opposite direction. Was I getting too picky trying to chase the perfect shave? Was I letting blade sharpness take over for good technique? Was I letting popular ideas about expected blade life overrule technique and experience for deciding when a blade was done? The honest answer is probably yes, all of the above.

Maybe I had the right idea in the beginning after all. It's something to think about, anyway.
 
I shave every other day and I use each blade 4 shaves. So that equals a new blade every 8 days. Thats about 45 blades per year for me. ($10 per year for the good blades)
 
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