Do you have to know what blade...?

[Gymea]

Hey, question for all of you. The other day, I grabbed my razor (just a pedestrian Merkur "classic" DE) and readied it in my hand for the shave. Oh, I did lather up prior to that, btw. Anyway, I had to pause for a moment to try to remember what blade I had it loaded with, and what "day" the blade was (ie, day 1, day 2, etc., etc).

Then I got to thinking whether it was actually necessary for me to know what brand of blade, and which day of use I was on. I concluded that it did matter to me...but I'm not sure if my technique changes between shave 1 to shave 5, with either brand X or brand Y. It could very well be just a psychological thing for me, and nothing more...

So, my question is, do any of you need to know ahead of time what blade you've loaded onto your DE, and what day you're on? Or, am I just looney?

Cheers,
Jimmy.

 

[Stubblefield]

I don't need to know what day I'm on, but I always remember what blade I have in the razor--Unless I have multiple blades going for test purposes. I have 3 identical Kronas that I'll use sometimes for blade comparisons; about half the time I take a peek at the blade beforehand. I don't think it matters that much, really.

 

[raisindot]

If you really want to build an objective opinion on a particular blade, then you shouldn't even think about which blade is in a razor or how long it's been used. Because knowing this will bias the way you shave. If you're using a Feather, your knowledge that it's sharper than most other blades will probably make you change your technique. Same bias will occur if you know your blade is three days old vs. a day old.

If you don't know, you can use your regular technique in an unbiased way, and the results you get will give you a more accurate perception of the quality and sharpness and suitability of a particular blade.

The best way to do this is to have somone (a forgiving SWIMBO, if possible), put in a random blade into your razor every day without telling you which brand it is or how old it is. Have her write down the kind of blade it is somewhere. Then, keep track of your impressions of that shave in a separate dated diary. After a certain amount of time, compare your notes to the actual blades SWIMBO recorded and you'll have a completely objective record of your shaving experience.

J-I-B

 

[Prince]

I only use 1 brand of blade. When I shave, unless the blade is dragging or there is some other problem with my shave, I really don't think about it. I try not to get too bogged down by the days, rather, how is the shave going. I've gotten bad blades that didn't make it through 1 shave and others that I've shaved with for a week with no problems.

 

[Gymea]

I think that these are all good points. When I first got into DE shaving, I paid close attention to which brand I was loading my razor out of the sampler packs -- and the habit just stuck. I don't know if I necessarily change my technique with each brand of blade, or what day I'm on -- but I'm conscious of it. I guess it's a matter of me sitting at work, having unconsciously faceterbated for a while, and making a mental note of what blade I used that morning. Of course, then there's the soap or cream...

Thanks for all of your replies!

Jimmy.