ELEVENTH ANNUAL "One Blade in February" Challenge - 2020 Edition

[Roedeer]

Friday 14th Feb.
Blade: Astra SP (15)

Still plateaued, as far as I can tell, so I won't clog the thread with a detailed carbon copy of #14.

I think very thorough hydration and shave oil prep make blades last longer than they would, as a side-effect. Normally I change blade every week, partly in the spirit of "it would wear out soon anyway" [busted: ed], and partly out of wanting a bit of novelty. I'm a first-world shaver.

 

[GaryTha]

I decided to time my shave for the first time in ages. It took 6:20. I do a full face shave. One pass with soap. Touchups as needed with water. This was the fastest timed shave I've done. I don't strive for speed. It just happened.

I think I'll start using the other edge of the blade after a couple more shaves.

 

[T.Orso]

#15 with a Bic was great as usual. No heroic measures required.

 

[Ryanshh]

After my sub-par shave I have focused on better technique. Nothing special, just making sure I made the best lather I could and not rushing my shave so I can have proper angles. Got a great two pass shave and will continue working my way through the month on this blade. I am partially tempted to open a second blade just to see the difference, but kind of want to see how far I can get on this one.

 

[JAHE]

All I have to report today is (though and crazy as I am, LOL ):
I am going to break my personal record tomorrow with shave no. 13.
Ha!

Ticked the box. 3 passes plus some minor touchups ended with a very close shave (bbs).
I am ready to start the second half of the month...

 

[lancre]

15 days, 15 shaves.

I'm still working on the first edge of the blade, but I had to raise the Fatboy from 5 to 6. Another DFS/BBS (depending on region) shave.

 

[Roedeer]

Saturday 15th Feb. Blade: Astra SP (16)

 

[Brianc0428]

Prep: Wash face with PAA Cube 2.0
Pre-Shave: Wet face. Apply PAA Cube Mentholated
Soap: Aion
Brush: Langley City Shave synthetic brush
Razor: Blackland Vector
Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild ProTouch MG(4)
Thayers WH Toner Rose Petal
Aftershave : MAOL Frankenlime
Moisturizing: GD Rejuvenating Serum

 

[Demolition]

Day 15, Shave 15. Same setup as shown in this post.

I didn't take Saturday off to let my face recover because the irritation has gone away. So, I guess I'm still on target for 29 shaves in 29 days.

Anyway, today's shave was completely uneventful, which is a good thing. I'm looking forward to 14 more shaves like this!

 

[GaryTha]

Still on the first edge. Blade still shaves great.

 

[GaryTha]

Even with a magnifying glass, I can't tell the difference between the edge with 44 shaves (bottom edge) and the edge with zero shaves.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

Saturday's shave

• Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip razor
• NOS Schick Super Chromium blade (15)
• Modern Williams Mug Soap w/ a Body Shop synthetic, face lathered
• Stetson Caliber aftershave balm

Today's

• Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip razor
• NOS Schick Super Chromium blade (16)
• Vintage Williams Mug Soap + Derby Lavender cream w/ an Omega boar, face lathered
• Institut Karite Shea After-Shave Balm

 

[tim33z]

Not an official participant of this challenge, however I am on the same Polsilver SI blade which has now had 13 shaves since 1st Feb (3rd Feb actually since i didn't shave the first few days.)
I normally shave 6 days a week and toss a blade at about 3-5 shaves. My experience so far is that the 13th shave felt just like the previous 10. Super comfortable in my WR2 razor, and no apparent sign of giving up the ghost just yet. If i can get to 29th Feb unscathed, I should hit 24. May as well keep it going into March and see if 50 is possible, right?

If it makes a difference, my shaves are always 2 passes with some touching up where required.

 

[Roedeer]

Sunday 16th Feb.

Preshave: Bath, Hot facecloth, KoS Green shave oil
Brush: None
Soap: Gillette Mach 3 Gel lathered in a bowl
Razor: Merkur 23C
Blade: Astra SP (17)
Postshave: Warm rinse, Nivea Sensitive Balm, Boots Freshwood AS.

Used the Merkur for a change, and was reminded why I always reach for the Rockwell these days, as it is too mild. Got a socially acceptable shave, though.

Maybe it's time to try the Rockwell R6 plate with this blade.

 

[JAHE]

Sunday 16th Feb.

Maybe it's time to try the Rockwell R6 plate with this blade.

As an alternative you could add a shim between the base plate of your Mercur and the blade prior to switching razors. I regularly add a shim to my non-adjustable milder razors (inter alia Gillette Techs, Mercur 15c) and get very decent results, YMMV.

 

[GaryTha]

View attachment 1063678

I soaked the razor with the blade in it in a 50/50 mixture of water and dish soap. I do this every fourteenth shave or so.

Normally, I don't remove a blade to clean it. I just vigorously swish the razor in water.

Shave 45 on the first edge was great. I was going to switch edges at 45, but I think I'll continue for a while. There are no signs of the blade losing efficiency.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

• Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip razor
• NOS Schick Super Chromium blade (17)
• Haslinger Sandalwood w/ a Simpson pure badger, face lathered
• Institut Karite Shea After-Shave Balm

I normally shave 6 days a week and toss a blade at about 3-5 shaves. My experience so far is that the 13th shave felt just like the previous 10.

An epiphany, isn't it, when you discover the shaves your blade can provide.

 

[Roedeer]

Monday 17th Feb.

Preshave: Hot facecloth, KoS Blue ("advanced") shave oil
Brush: None
Soap: Gillette Mach 3 Gel lathered in a bowl
Razor: Merkur 23C, plus shim Mk 1.
Blade: Astra SP (18)
Postshave: Warm rinse, Nivea Sensitive Balm, modern Brut AS.

As an alternative you could add a shim between the base plate of your Mercur and the blade prior to switching razors.

Thanks for the reminder. I've already tried making shims out of used blades, but had trouble cutting the edges off cleanly. Is there a trick to this?

Shim Mk 1 is crudely made out of stiff plastic (from an empty Lurpak Spreadable Butter container), and is thicker than a razorblade, but not by much. I'll guess that it adds 0.25mm blade gap.

The Merkur was noisier, felt more like it meant business, and I got at least a CCS. No cuts or drama, but the aftershave stung.

The shim proved fiddly to remove from the top cap (catching on the threaded centre post), so I've left that puzzle to sort out tomorrow.

 

[Brianc0428]

Tonight's Shave:
Prep: Wash face with PAA Cube 2.0
Pre-Shave: Wet face. Apply PAA Cube Mentholated
Soap: Aion
Brush: WCS White Honeycomb synthetic
Razor: Blackland Vector
Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild ProTouch MG(5)
Thayers WH Toner Rose Petal & Witch hazel splash
Aftershave : Sudsy Soapery Blizzard
Moisturizing: GD Rejuvenating Serum

 

[Demolition]

Thanks for the reminder. I've already tried making shims out of used blades, but had trouble cutting the edges off cleanly. Is there a trick to this?

Razor blades are so flimsy that you can use a regular pair of scissors. I take about 2-3 mm off each side.

I don't know if there's a trick to it, but I make sure to take the edge off in one snip. If you use multiple snips, sometimes the shim's edge turns out slightly jagged. It's okay if they're a little wavy.