Excalibur Club - Blade Longevity DE, SE and Injector

[AimlessWanderer]

I'll have to disagree with you on the green forewoof logs easier to split than dry. I burn firewood too, it's a lot easier to me pop open when it's dry and showing cracks between the wood fibers. And if you can get it in one of those cracks already you're halfway there. To each is own.Now back to shaving.

I found that if I was using a wood grenade (wedge), then yes, starting in an existing fissure made life a lot easier, but green wood yields to the maul a heck of a lot easier.

So if I was chopping a fresh delivery, I'd use the maul, and if it was something I'd salvaged out of the canal (where a lot of my firewood came from), I'd wait for it to dry then spin the maul round and use the wood grenade. I was never accurate enough to strike a fissure with the big maul.

 

[Saltchuck]

I am forever grateful to @bosseb for this post (#1240 on page 62):

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This just might be a question that has some general interest among the Excalibur members.
I also know from experience that the prejudice about how a blade should behave might just be the hardest obstacle to handle in extending blade longevity. So here is my personal view of the number of shaves in each part of the cycle. Keep in mind that I change razor every Saturday

Typical Sequence of Blade Character Changes over Prolonged Use

Shave	Blade Characteristics
1 - 8	Devilishly sharp, watch out for weepers when loading into the next razor
9 - 25	Roughness as the blade loses its initial sharpness ( coating?)
26 - 80	Buttery Edge, smooth sailing
81 - 120	Onset of diminished cutting capacity, cleanup needed after two passes
121 - ?	End of useful life, as noticed in a longer clean up pass and earlier stubble

I hope this chart will tear down some of the mental barriers that I have had problems in overcoming!

Cal,

Thanks for the memory refresh on the table by @bosseb. That helps to explain what I have been experiencing lately with the 3 Israeli Personna blades I have been running in parallel in different razors. One got so bad at about 24 shaves that I binned it. Apparently the "Roughness" in stage 2 was more than I was willing to put up with. Plus, it seemed to require more and more touch-ups. Another of those blades is mellowing out nicely at 27 shaves.

The contrast between the blade I binned at 24 and the new Astra I replaced it with (in a Short-Comb New) was like night and day. Some may claim that the buttery smooth shaves are better than shaves with a new blade, but I really enjoy shaving with a new blade. I don't find fresh blades any more likely to draw blood than well-broken-in blades.

As you pointed out, the point of the Excalibur journey (and it is a journey, not a destination) is to refine one's technique and to explore the boundaries of a blade's potential, challenging the conventional wisdom, as opposed to blindly binning a blade after some arbitrary number of shaves. In that spirit I am happy to keep the "EXCALIBUR" name in my signature line.

Shave on!

 

[matthewoli98]

I "believe" @Theleme has the highest Kai score to date at 54. If I'm wrong there hopefully others will chime in and let me know.

Thanks to cal for introducing me to this topic, i thought i was the only one getting more than 4 uses out of a blade. My current record is 30 with a lion super stainless blade made here in South Africa.

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[matthewoli98]

Clogging saw teeth and hardness/toughness are very different things Green logs are easier to split than seasoned.

I find a 48 hour shave, easier on the blade than a 24 hour shave. The increased of exposed stubble surface area to wick up the water, leads to a higher intake and softer stubble (assuming skin oils have been washed away first), without over hydrating the skin. A waterlogged hair, also gives some extra lubrication as the blade passes through the cross section, compared to a dry hair. They are the differences that I perceive (rightly or wrongly) anyway. However, laziness means that I can't be bothered chasing that softness, and so tend to shave with stiffer bristles.

As to blade life, when my blades are spent, there's flat spots and edge chipping. I can't see a way of delaying that without softening the bristles more.

I completely agree with a 48 hour shave being easier on a blade than a 24 hour one.
Ive found drying blades immediately after use leads to a much longer lifespan too. Personally i dont replace a blade after a set number of uses but use it until it becomes uncomfortable to shave with, my longest use was with a south African made lion super stainless at 30 uses, at the moment im using a deeby extra at 12 uses and still going strong.

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[Go-T]

I completely agree with a 48 hour shave being easier on a blade than a 24 hour one.
Ive found drying blades immediately after use leads to a much longer lifespan too. Personally i dont replace a blade after a set number of uses but use it until it becomes uncomfortable to shave with, my longest use was with a south African made lion super stainless at 30 uses, at the moment im using a deeby extra at 12 uses and still going strong.

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+1 I've always dried and cleaned both razor and blade, along with the brush after every shave. I've never been around anyone that didn't. Always felt it was better all around. By the way, yesterday was #7 for Gem SS in my MMOC.

 

[anemic]

I retired my GSB champ today after 125 shaves. It was no longer comfortable so I popped a fresh Astra SP in my 1947 NDC SuperSpeed. I have learned enough that I didn't nick myself!

 

[matthewoli98]

I retired my GSB champ today after 125 shaves. It was no longer comfortable so I popped a fresh Astra SP in my 1947 NDC SuperSpeed. I have learned enough that I didn't nick myself!

Well done!

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[matthewoli98]

+1 I've always dried and cleaned both razor and blade, along with the brush after every shave. I've never been around anyone that didn't. Always felt it was better all around. By the way, yesterday was #7 for Gem SS in my MMOC.

Lots of people i know who fall in the use a blade 3 times and chuck it category don't clean or dry blades ever.

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[AimlessWanderer]

I don't clean and dry blades either, but that just means I'm not opening and closing my razor before and after each shave, and not putting extra wear on it. For every 10 shaves, that's an extra 20 times the razor is opened and closed. I'm afraid I value the threads on my razor more than I value my blades.

 

[matthewoli98]

I don't clean and dry blades either, but that just means I'm not opening and closing my razor before and after each shave, and not putting extra wear on it. For every 10 shaves, that's an extra 20 times the razor is opened and closed. I'm afraid I value the threads on my razor more than I value my blades.

People use and open razors daily and get a lifetime of use out of them, opening them daily is extremely unlikely to wear it out in your lifetime.

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[AimlessWanderer]

People use and open razors daily and get a lifetime of use out of them, opening them daily is extremely unlikely to wear it out in your lifetime.

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All threads and moving parts wear. They're metal surfaces rubbing against each other. With my method, my blades only last 10-30 shaves, but I only get <5% of that mechanical wear

 

[Go-T]

I don't clean and dry blades either, but that just means I'm not opening and closing my razor before and after each shave, and not putting extra wear on it. For every 10 shaves, that's an extra 20 times the razor is opened and closed. I'm afraid I value the threads on my razor more than I value my blades.

I have over a hundred vintage razors and I haven't found one of them worn out for any reason, let alone the threads wearing out. And some of them have been through several life times. There is very little friction on the threads. I have found cleaning to not only keep my equipment clean and ready for the next use but gives me piece of mind that I'm starting off with a clean outfit, and that makes me feel clean and refreshed when finished.

People use and open razors daily and get a lifetime of use out of them, opening them daily is extremely unlikely to wear it out in your lifetime.

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+1

 

[sugardaddy]

Razor: Gillette - Sheraton 1938
Blade: Gillette - Nacet (125)
Lather: Murphy and McNeil - Mandate of Heaven
Brush: Semogue - 1305 Boar
Post: nuthin

*General Notes / TL;DR*:
Very good shave, and trying a new maker that did very well.

*Razor and Blade Notes* - Gillette - Sheraton 1938 ::: Gillette - Nacet (125 uses):
Chugging along. A little tugging. No big whoop. Zero irritation. Nice close shave.

*Soap Notes* - Murphy and McNeil - Mandate of Heaven:
This was a very nice lather, and I didn't have to use the full 1/4 tsp of soap to get all I needed. I was very glad that I got the chance to use it. Have heard about it and any hype is probably warranted. Very enjoyable. However, and this is just my own personal issue... it was pretty much a cream... very soft. I just don't do many cream-ish level soaps. So I don't think I'll be grabbing any of these.

I didn't use a post shave product, and they must've put some pretty good stuff in the soap base, because there was no problem with that at all.

1/4 tsp soap + lightly-wet brush + 2 tsp+ water = 5 passes of beautiful, slick, and creamy lather.

Scent: It wasn't for me, this one. I got the Mandarin right away, but there was something in this mix that was near-minty-ish.

Scent Strength: 4/10, not too weak for me / present during shaving.

Bowl - I used the XL version of this bowl:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3392930

*Brush Notes* - Semogue - 1305 Boar:
This guy does need to splay more, but the tips are in great shape, even with just 6 uses. Comfy and whipped up a great lather.

**Shave Quality**
During the Shave Feel:
Cheeks: Felt blade but comfortable
Neck: Felt blade but comfortable

After the Shave Closeness:
Cheeks: Near BBS - About as close as I'll ever get
Neck: Cut flush to where I just see the tips (above average for me)

 

[John Rose]

A bit of a milestone, so here goes.
prep: shower with Caprina Fresh Goat's Milk Soap (bar) with Shea Butter
razor: Gillette Slim @9
blade: Personna Lab Blue (75) - a nice round number
cream: TOBS Eton College, bowl lathered
brush: APShaveCo 24 mm Synbad
post: warm water rinse, Shavex alum block, cold water rinse
AS: Old Spice Classic

results: dragging a bit, but still BBS in 3 passes (WTG, ATG & XTG, ATG in spots).
I just press a bit harder than when it was new, and there's still less irritation.
I don't believe in that "weight of the razor" hoax.

I've only recently discovered that what I've been calling a "Personna barber blade" is more commonly called a "Personna Lab Blue", according to Fendrihan, so I'm going with that name now.

 

[John Rose]

British Aristocrat Junior / Personna Lab Blue (80)
Starting to drag a bit, and the AS feedback is slowly starting to increase, even with Reuzel.
I think I'll keep pushing it though.

 

[Saxonbowman]

Just be real careful when you do switch blades. You subconsciously get used to applying pressure as the blade dulls and when you get a new blade, ouch! Don't ask me how I know

 

[matthewoli98]

I managed to get 30 shaves out of the derby extra, recently switched to a 7 o'clock sharp edge, currently on shave number 6 with it. People think im crazy when they see the amount of shaves i use a blade for!

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[psfred]

Well, Gillette did advertize "up to 60 shaves per blade" on the original DE razor in 1914 -- and those were hand sharpened!

I've suspected for a while that people mistake the PTFE coating wearing off for dullness. After a few shaves the hair drags more on the bevel as it's cut although the actual edge is just as sharp as it was to start with, making the blade a little less comfortable. I've found a way to manage that, mostly with shallow angle, a large blade gap, and excellent lather. I use blades until the stop giving me good shaves, I can put up with a little more dragging sensation.

As far as longevity, some blades give me less than thirty and some give me more than 100 shaves, I suspect due to differences in the steel and heat treatment, not the "sharpness". I prefer platinum blades, they are more comfortable and last longer, although the actual presence of platinum metal is not assured by the name.....

 

[John Rose]

SOTD:

O2 Black-handled SuperSpeed / Personna Lab Blue (84)
Nivea Moisturizing shaving cream + Proraso White superlather
24 mm SynBad
Alum block then cold water rinse
Pinaud Clubman AS​

Starting to look forward to a new blade. In the meantime I've occasionally been trying a Shick injector for the variety.

I retired my GSB champ today after 125 shaves. It was no longer comfortable so I popped a fresh Astra SP in my 1947 NDC SuperSpeed. I have learned enough that I didn't nick myself!

Ta-dah!

Just be real careful when you do switch blades. You subconsciously get used to applying pressure as the blade dulls and when you get a new blade, ouch! Don't ask me how I know

Been there.
Done that.

 

[Saxonbowman]

After I did a 100 shave run a while back I decided I wasn't going to do that again. Towards the end it really wasn't fun anymore. However after this year's One Blade in February I saw no reason to stop using the injector blade that was giving me excellent results. So...

Schick J1 injector / Schick blade (35)
Omega Bigger Bambino Boar brush
Razorock Barbershop, the green version whatever it's called
Nivea Sensitive post shave balm

The blade is still giving superb shaves. Its a little less efficient than when new but plenty sharp. At this point I'm going to go to 40 shaves. We'll see after that. I may get bored.