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Excalibur Club - Blade Longevity DE, SE and Injector

Well, its in fact creating a slant effect. I find my Razorock 37 German slant razor very efficient. I guess the shallow angle and the "push-back" stroke is worth trying too.
But why isn't it possible to simply sharpen/hone a DE blade on a fine grit stone, like with straight razors?
Some people will go to any lengths to save a penny.

Seriously, people sometimes use the inside curve in a glass to sharpen double edge blades.
 
I've developed a new stroke I call the elliptical pushback. It happened subconsciously as I practiced the pushback stroke.

The head rests lightly on the skin and pushes back lather with each stroke. The blade never hits bare skin. It has to be seen in action to believe it works. I use smaller ellipses in tight areas or pointed areas like the jawline.

The closeness of this stroke is superior to anything else I've tried. The shallow angle avoids pointy stubs that can be painful to sensitive skin.

This stroke works well with ARKO. It may not with a less creamy lather.
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thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Last shave used lower-than-shallow angle with Gillette Slide/Guillotine stroke and DE backstroke and as many long, sweeping strokes as any area needed. It was very comfortable.
 
First off, I haven't read all 196 pages...yet.

I did see that people recommend a shallow angle and/or a mild razor to help make blades last longer. What about a vintage Gillette Tech, which is mild, but who many people on B&B recommend a steep angle for the best shaves?
 
First off, I haven't read all 196 pages...yet.

I did see that people recommend a shallow angle and/or a mild razor to help make blades last longer. What about a vintage Gillette Tech, which is mild, but who many people on B&B recommend a steep angle for the best shaves?
I don't know what makes blades last longer. They just do. That's part of the mystery.

There are steep angle shavers. I'm the extreme of shallow angle. Some switch razors as the blade wears. I don't. I used to think a suspiciously large number of people claimed a BBS. Now, I don't.

In my case, I can see many little techniques I picked up along the way that make it easier to get a close shave. My current Astra SP has 80 shaves on the first edge. It still has many shaves left before I switch edges.

I think this is the best advice from one of my posts: "Some people in this thread have said to forget how many shaves are on a blade and to focus on getting a good shave. It works."

I suggest reading all of @coolcanuc 's posts here: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/search/1831557/
 
I am forever grateful to @bosseb for this post (#1240 on page 62):


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

ShaveBlade Characteristics
1 - 8Devilishly sharp, watch out for weepers when loading into the next razor
9 - 25Roughness as the blade loses its initial sharpness ( coating?)
26 - 80Buttery Edge, smooth sailing
81 - 120Onset 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!



I'd just like to mention that the reason I removed the Excalibur badge from my signature was because the thread seemed to be going far too much in the "bragging rights" direction, rather than the original intended "technique improvement" (and who the hell cares if you reach 100 or not). Sure, it's fun to be able to reach high numbers, but if you then can't handle "a sharp new blade" what was the damned point?

I get sick of people moaning about weepers and such, even high scorers. To me this is simply an indication of poor technique. If you're good enough to take your blade from new to high numbers, you should also be good enough to get a great (and blood free) shave (nearly) every time.

Don't get mad at me. It's only MY opinion. :letterk1: :laugh:
@Cal is one of my favorite people here. @bosseb was the first to break 100 shaves.

The table works for me on the first edge and again on the second edge.

When Cal wrote this, people were focusing too much on bragging rights. It's best to compare against ourselves.

Since this post, many people have broken through the 100 shaves psychological barrier. Some have discovered a lower physical barrier.

The last time I counted for a long run, I got 136 shaves. When I binned the blade, I found the new one felt the same. In my opinion for many, the psychological barrier may be higher than we think. One member is over 400 shaves on a Nacet blade.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
The elliptical pushback strokes were fun to do, but I realized I was already doing them most of the time based on my time honored inability to stay within lines. Last two shaves were very comfortable, but also quite slow. Given the comfort, I’ll see if repetition increases efficiency.
 
Took a Tiger Platinum on its 6th run yesterday. I usually retire Tigers after 4-5 shaves. Curious to know where this takes me and if indeed there is that psychological barrier rather than a physical one. I compared this blade with another Tiger that I corked before shaving - that made no particular difference. I dry my blades with a microfibre towel and I also dry the edge. That may or may not influence the edge itself and its performance, but so far I have been ok with that.

I am also enjoying a KCG blade with 6 runs now which I can easily bring up to 10, but I want to find out how far I can go beyond 10. The 10 was again a psychological barrier: I just continued shaving with it not realising I had not retired the blade after 7 days which I used to do. Once I realised I retired the blade but in hindsight "Why?!" is a very valid question.

I am a four pass shaver by the way so my blades enjoy an extra mile or two during the weeks.

Cheers,

Guido.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
I usually use one side for left and one for right with a slight overlap between nose and base of throat. I shave almost every night. Only missed two this year I can recall.
 
I am pushing a Kai Protouch blade. 14th shave today.

How many does someone get from this blade? I read some old post between 15-40 for a Feather Proguard. Impressive.
15th shave today with the Kai Protouch blade using a shavette. The shave was great. I feel that the blade is loosing its sharpness and this pushes me to find the right angle and make more clean up passes.
My desire is to reach 20 comfortable shaves out of it without forcing the shave.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Used only one side of my razor blade last night and then noted which side was used (Lord makes it easy to do on their Shark brand of blades). Will it be “Look out, blade! You’re growing old with me” or “Look out last blade in tuck!,” I’m set.

Also, my ability to lather up and have a quick shave either disappeared with the Spring or my expectations increased. Either way, splashing around in the shower directly before shaving is cemented as an effective pre-shave routine for me. It’s an embarrassment of riches needed to compensate for my poor motor skills. “Stand back, fellow mortals! I must strut about in a fiberglass wash basin and use a shower spout to dribble warmed water on my face from a system of miniature, copper and PVC aqueducts like a pampered member of nobility lest some follicle of facial hair glance off my anti-stubble apparatus.”

It’s a good life, I tell ya
 
16th shave today with the Kai Protouch in the shavette. The blade has started to tug a bit. I think that my technique in a shavette changes as this blade becomes less sharp. Still the shave was great. The blade has a lot of life in it, if you push it.
 
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