Hmm. What the heck. I'm in. Let's see how long an Astra will last in my 34HD. I usually swap blades on Saturday. I think the longest has been two weeks due to me not thinking to change the blade.
Excalibur Club - Blade Longevity DE, SE and Injector
- Thread starter jamesspo
- Start date
The 34HD is so mild it makes my blades last forever. That's the razor I used to get over 2 months with a feather.
You may have something there; My 47 shaves were with the mild English Tech. My second attempt is with a Feather in a Gillette Fatboy set on 6, a midrange setting; We'll see what happens. I'm on shave number 15 with this combo.
Finally found this club and this thread, thanks to James.
I have been stretching the usage of my blades lately in an effort to elevate the shaving experience. It seems to work - I do feel that the shaves are getting more predictable and the end result is very good.
I am in the midst of trying out a version of the British Wilkinson 'Super Sword-Edge' and posting in the old Turtle thread in the blade forum. The blade has just reached the 'buttery edge' status (at shave 18), later than the Polsilver SI I used for 56 shaves. I still doubt that Turtles 100+ 4 pass shaves is possible to reach with this different version of the British Wilkie. We will see!
I have been stretching the usage of my blades lately in an effort to elevate the shaving experience. It seems to work - I do feel that the shaves are getting more predictable and the end result is very good.
I am in the midst of trying out a version of the British Wilkinson 'Super Sword-Edge' and posting in the old Turtle thread in the blade forum. The blade has just reached the 'buttery edge' status (at shave 18), later than the Polsilver SI I used for 56 shaves. I still doubt that Turtles 100+ 4 pass shaves is possible to reach with this different version of the British Wilkie. We will see!
Just discovered this thread. I have been Excaliburing my blades for decades, but never taking detailed stats. I used to change blades once a month back when I was a one razor man - 1940s Gillette Rocket using generic Gillette or Wilkinson Sword blades.
Now I've got lots of razors and blades, and have started keeping notes. Currently on Shave 20 with a Gillette Silver Blue and Shave 11 on a GEM Stainless single-edge.
Basically, I change my blade when I feel the alum sting two days in a row (one may just be a bad shave). I have a thick beard, and get maybe one weeper every few years, and haven't cut myself in decades. I even shave completely dry when I'm in a rush and get no irritation at all, but I avoid ATG. I attribute my success at blade longevity to good technique, shallow angle, and being a bit of a leatherface.
Now I've got lots of razors and blades, and have started keeping notes. Currently on Shave 20 with a Gillette Silver Blue and Shave 11 on a GEM Stainless single-edge.
Basically, I change my blade when I feel the alum sting two days in a row (one may just be a bad shave). I have a thick beard, and get maybe one weeper every few years, and haven't cut myself in decades. I even shave completely dry when I'm in a rush and get no irritation at all, but I avoid ATG. I attribute my success at blade longevity to good technique, shallow angle, and being a bit of a leatherface.
My best was 28 on a Chick blade in a HydroMagic Schick I-2 last winter, but I've gotten above twenty several times with those blades.
Week 4 report, currently on shave No. 27. I will continue posting about my adventure with the old Wilkie here from now on.
Vie-Long 24/50 all white custom horse brush, Rocket HD, MV Vanilla sandalwood, the Wilkie and 4711 AS
About my shaving : My way of shaving consists of a shower, face wash to exfoliate, brush soaking in cold water during shower, cold water shaving with 2+ passes (XTG, ATG + clean up), cold water rinse and an AS. I pick up the soap from a puck or apply the puck or stick directly to my face. I apply extra moisturizer once a week or daily during cold/dry season. I shave every day and all my shaves for the last five years have been BBS.
I also use my razor rotation from mild to more efficient by changing razor and brush every Saturday. I usually change the soap when needed unless I randomly jump to a stick. Furthermore I after each shave strop my blade 4 times on each side (while keeping it in the razor) on my shower towel.
I have for the last year become interested in how to improve my shaves and while talking to an elderly gent I came to realize that the modern wetshaver is using only a fraction of the capabilities of a DE blade. I started stretching the blade life and much to my amazement I found that this blade stretching positively affected the quality of the shaves.
So this obsession with blade life is not about saving money - that ship has for me sailed several years ago! - rather it's about elevating the quality of the shaves. I do see that my interest in this comes from the fact that I DE shave on doctors orders after messing up my skin with a rotating Philips ( Norelco) contraption and alcohol based splashes many years ago.
Life is too short for inferior shaves.
Vie-Long 24/50 all white custom horse brush, Rocket HD, MV Vanilla sandalwood, the Wilkie and 4711 AS
About my shaving : My way of shaving consists of a shower, face wash to exfoliate, brush soaking in cold water during shower, cold water shaving with 2+ passes (XTG, ATG + clean up), cold water rinse and an AS. I pick up the soap from a puck or apply the puck or stick directly to my face. I apply extra moisturizer once a week or daily during cold/dry season. I shave every day and all my shaves for the last five years have been BBS.
I also use my razor rotation from mild to more efficient by changing razor and brush every Saturday. I usually change the soap when needed unless I randomly jump to a stick. Furthermore I after each shave strop my blade 4 times on each side (while keeping it in the razor) on my shower towel.
I have for the last year become interested in how to improve my shaves and while talking to an elderly gent I came to realize that the modern wetshaver is using only a fraction of the capabilities of a DE blade. I started stretching the blade life and much to my amazement I found that this blade stretching positively affected the quality of the shaves.
So this obsession with blade life is not about saving money - that ship has for me sailed several years ago! - rather it's about elevating the quality of the shaves. I do see that my interest in this comes from the fact that I DE shave on doctors orders after messing up my skin with a rotating Philips ( Norelco) contraption and alcohol based splashes many years ago.
Life is too short for inferior shaves.
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Any idea(s) about stropping a DE blade to improve it's life?
From what I've read it has no effect. Stopping on the inside of a glass _might_ work if you can keep the blades edge touching the glass. the entire time. However with how thin DE blades are, that would be difficult at best.
Sorry - forgot to mention that I strop the blade 2x4 times on my shower towel after each use!
Mantic59 has another opinion on this subject
He concludes that you will get a lot of more shaves from stropping or using other techniques on the blade.
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I would think (regardless of how thin DE blades are) that stropping would work. I strop all my tool edges, and it makes a huge difference. I can't think why a DE blade being thin would make a difference.
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Please explain why the inside of glass vs the outside would make a difference? Or why a glass would work at all?
Well as a matter of fact I was very dubious about this blade stropping (I am a totally unpractical guy, I only use my keyboard!) but I must admit that it does make a difference. All straight shavers use stropping also for this reason I think.
Of course it does!
I strop with a leather strap set on wood. But what really does the trick is a nagura stone (or some sort of a buffing compound) along with mineral oil. After sharpening with a "regular" stone. I use the strop to really put a fine edge. I can shave arm hairs with my knives/chisels/plane irons. I would imagine a DE blade would benefit from the same.
But they are $.20 each, so I probably won't bother, except that it's interesting to see if it would make a big difference.
MY RESUME FOR THE EXCALIBUR CLUB
I thought I was doing good by making my Feather blades last six shaves. That’s about four cents a shave.
Then I log onto B&B, and a few members say that they get forty shaves per blade. They’re not bragging, but they don’t exactly make their achievement secret.
That’s less than a penny a shave. I’m not a spend-thrift, but I’d wanted to know how these masters of shaving do their magic.
At first, I thought they were just making things up. On the internet, you can say anything. A few guys say they strop their double edge blades on their jeans, and the blades last for weeks. One claimed he sharpened his blades by pyramid power.
So, here we are, on B&B, this time - trying to document something that may not even exist. I not only wanted to have shave results like the Masters; I wanted to show how anybody could do it.
I think I know how they do it. Kind of.
First, learned things about shaving from people who’ve been generous with their wisdom. The following six steps is The Method:
I’m writing this in advance of the B&B commemoration, “One Blade in February,” and I fully expect my blade to last a long, long time. Maybe into February, if I’m lucky.
DAY 1 - 11/18/14
I have a 1930 Gillette New razor, a new Feather blade, and I’m prepped to go. But when I start shaving, I notice how outrageously mild my New is. It's like shaving with a toy razor. Using every last bit of technique, I still ended up with stubble on my neck. That wouldn't do.
I realized I could shave for weeks, months with this setup. I wanted my blade to last a long time, but I also wanted a decent shave.
I’m had to have to change razors. From here on, I’m using an ATT with a M2 plate. That might make it harder to make a blade last a long time - but a Gillette New is obscenely mild on my face.
DAY 2 - 11/19/14
I used my ATT razor with the M2 plate, shaved lightly, didn’t obsess about the details. Yeah, the chin could be smoother. Under the neck was a little rough. But I don’t care. I’m not aiming for BBS. I just want a comfortable shave that looks okay.
DAY 3 - 11/20/14
I woke up this morning with a beard that was slightly bristlier than before. One of the by-products of the DFS lifestyle.
I tried counting my strokes today. I did about 200 strokes on the first pass, and about 300 on the second. I posted my results on the B&B website, and members were somewhere between “admiring” and “shocked.” One person was surprised my face wasn’t raw from the shaving.
But if you’re shaving uber-lightly, why shouldn’t your blade last longer, and your face feel fine? Anyway, I decided on fewer strokes next shave.
DAY 4 - 11/21/14
I shaved 300 strokes, this time. Not much difference in the quality of the shave. The blade almost feels like I started using it yesterday.
DAY 5 - 11/22/14
Nothing new.
DAY 6 - 11/23/14
I’ve begun to understand something I hadn’t noticed until now: closeness
When you’re shaving with increasing pressure as your blade gets duller, you grow aware of how your blade wears.
With a Feather, for me, it goes something like this: On the first few days, the blade is super-sharp; even trouble areas like the mustache and throat shave like a butter knife through vaseline. After five days, you start noticing that the mustache has a little more resistance, and it’s harder to shave the throat and chin. After a week, you have to use a lot more pressure to get the same results, and you may have to same area over again to get decent results. You start getting nicks from shaving too hard.
At least, that’s the way it is when you use pressure. As a blade gets duller, you use more pressure. When you use more pressure, the blade becomes less usable. After a week, maybe less, you toss your old blade for a new one.
But what happens when you use near-zero pressure all the time? It just takes a lot more time for the blade to get duller. And you begin to notice something else: “closeness” isn’t even something you pay attention to. Your blade stays sharp for a long time, because it’s not getting much wear.
It’s day six on my Feather. By this time, I’d be thinking about tossing the blade and replacing it with a new one. There have been no nicks or cuts so far.
I only today started noticing less sharpness on my mustache.
DAY 7 - 11/24/14
No change.
DAY 8 - 11/25/14
Again, no change.
DAY 9 - 11/26/14
I’ve noticed something about this experiment that I haven’t been able to put out of my mind. In the morning, when I wake up, my beard has a lot more stubble than before. It’s like that only when my blade is giving out.
I got impatient with my progress, and inserted the most aggressive base plate into my ATT razor…then, I shaved like normal. Very light.
First of all, the results were much smoother with the new base plate. When I faceturbate, I’m more satisfied with my shave - though it’s still nowhere near BBS. (The only way I’m going to get BBS is with a two-day shaving schedule.)
Second, when I shaved the “problem” areas, like my mustache, there's notable resistance, even on the second pass. By the third pass, however, my face was pretty smooth.
This confirms what I already knew: the blade is definitely losing its edge. What I didn’t know is that (for me) a comfortable shave is a lot more difficult with an aggressive razor like an ATT, when I’m using a less-than-sharp blade.
Conversely, shaving with a milder razor (like, say, a Gillette New) is one of the best ways to make sure your blade lasts a long, long time.
DAY 10 - 11/27/14 - Day before Black Friday
B&B’er jamesspo says he doesn’t know what people mean when they talk about a blade being “smooth.” At first, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about…but now, I think I’m beginning to.
If you’re used to shaving with pressure, you’re acutely aware of when a blade is smooth or rough. A blade begins being extremely sharp, where the slightest slip can cause a spouter. Then, the blade becomes a little smoother, more forgiving. After a few more shaves, your beard wears away more of the blade; it takes longer to shave, and the shave isn’t as close. After a while, a blade may not be usable by your standards of sharpness. (That’s if you’re shaving with some pressure, and most guys do.)
For guys who don’t use pressure, a “smooth” blade may be an oxymoron. If you shave with an extremely light touch, with no pressure, everything you feel is some degree of smooth. If you’re using a Feather or GSB, a light shaver will have an equally smooth shave with a brand new blade, and the blade will feel equally sharp.
But right now, on shave #10, the blade is shill satisfactory. It doesn’t cut as easily as a new blade, but I get everything done by the second or third pass.
DAY 11 - 11/28/14 - Black Friday
I have some criteria for determining if I want to continue with a blade. The most basic is the mustache test. If I’m not getting a clean, smooth mustache shave, the blade is out. Goes to the biohazard box.
Normally, I’d trash a blade that didn’t meet my basic requirements, but I don’t have the heart to dump this one. I still don’t have any nicks or cuts, and it’s relatively comfortable. It barely passes the mustache test and technically it’s possible to push the blade a little further.
DAY 12 - 11/29/14 - Small Business Saturday
About the same quality shave as yesterday. I found myself wanting to use extra pressure on my throat and chin; a new blade would handle things so much more easily.
At this point, I’m just using this blade out of curiosity, seeing what happens when the blade gets really worn. The main temptation is to load a fresh, sharp blade - which would solve everything.
The shave gives a perfectly satisfactory DFS - kind of like a Feather on the fifth day of shaving. Perfectly good shave, except that the sharp edge is gone.
Let’s see what happens.
DAY 13 - 11/30/2014
By my reckoning, I’m paying only a penny and a half per shave with this blade. Money isn’t the issue; it’s more a “proof of concept.”
Today’s shave is typical: basic DFS, with a little more effort on the mustache. It’s more substandard by little degrees. The mustache isn’t as clean as before. It takes more time to clean up the chin. The shave isn’t as smooth as a new blade.
Then again, if my social life were more exciting, I’d probably drop the two week-old Feather in an instant.
DAY 14 - 12/1/14 - Cyber Monday
As I finished my shave this morning, three words came to mind: proof of concept. It wasn’t the idea of getting a good shave, or improving my technique. I wanted to prove I could push my Feather blade a long, long time. A few months, if possible.
I’m ending the test after two weeks. It’s twice as long as I usually take a blade.
However, the quality of the shave has begun to suffer. The mustache area was increasingly hard to shave - WTG, XTG, and of course ATG. The chin still isn’t smooth.
If I had the kind of beard that grew in faster, things would be different. I’d be able to shave BBS every day. But my beard gives me that kind of shave only after a day and a half, or maybe two days. It has nothing to do with technique.
Two weeks on one blade. That isn’t bad. I may even have qualified for the Excalibur Club.
I thought I was doing good by making my Feather blades last six shaves. That’s about four cents a shave.
Then I log onto B&B, and a few members say that they get forty shaves per blade. They’re not bragging, but they don’t exactly make their achievement secret.
That’s less than a penny a shave. I’m not a spend-thrift, but I’d wanted to know how these masters of shaving do their magic.
At first, I thought they were just making things up. On the internet, you can say anything. A few guys say they strop their double edge blades on their jeans, and the blades last for weeks. One claimed he sharpened his blades by pyramid power.
So, here we are, on B&B, this time - trying to document something that may not even exist. I not only wanted to have shave results like the Masters; I wanted to show how anybody could do it.
I think I know how they do it. Kind of.
First, learned things about shaving from people who’ve been generous with their wisdom. The following six steps is The Method:
- Shave lightly. This makes sense; the more lightly you shave, the longer your blade will last.
- Shave two passes. Don’t over-shave areas of your face with the goal of a perfect shave; just aim for a great shave
- Use lots of water, and lots of soap.
- Shave with short strokes.
- Watch your prep. Minimum three minutes softening the beard with hot water - just like good barbers do.
- Use a sharp, good blade. Something like, say, a Feather.
I’m writing this in advance of the B&B commemoration, “One Blade in February,” and I fully expect my blade to last a long, long time. Maybe into February, if I’m lucky.
DAY 1 - 11/18/14
I have a 1930 Gillette New razor, a new Feather blade, and I’m prepped to go. But when I start shaving, I notice how outrageously mild my New is. It's like shaving with a toy razor. Using every last bit of technique, I still ended up with stubble on my neck. That wouldn't do.
I realized I could shave for weeks, months with this setup. I wanted my blade to last a long time, but I also wanted a decent shave.
I’m had to have to change razors. From here on, I’m using an ATT with a M2 plate. That might make it harder to make a blade last a long time - but a Gillette New is obscenely mild on my face.
DAY 2 - 11/19/14
I used my ATT razor with the M2 plate, shaved lightly, didn’t obsess about the details. Yeah, the chin could be smoother. Under the neck was a little rough. But I don’t care. I’m not aiming for BBS. I just want a comfortable shave that looks okay.
DAY 3 - 11/20/14
I woke up this morning with a beard that was slightly bristlier than before. One of the by-products of the DFS lifestyle.
I tried counting my strokes today. I did about 200 strokes on the first pass, and about 300 on the second. I posted my results on the B&B website, and members were somewhere between “admiring” and “shocked.” One person was surprised my face wasn’t raw from the shaving.
But if you’re shaving uber-lightly, why shouldn’t your blade last longer, and your face feel fine? Anyway, I decided on fewer strokes next shave.
DAY 4 - 11/21/14
I shaved 300 strokes, this time. Not much difference in the quality of the shave. The blade almost feels like I started using it yesterday.
DAY 5 - 11/22/14
Nothing new.
DAY 6 - 11/23/14
I’ve begun to understand something I hadn’t noticed until now: closeness
When you’re shaving with increasing pressure as your blade gets duller, you grow aware of how your blade wears.
With a Feather, for me, it goes something like this: On the first few days, the blade is super-sharp; even trouble areas like the mustache and throat shave like a butter knife through vaseline. After five days, you start noticing that the mustache has a little more resistance, and it’s harder to shave the throat and chin. After a week, you have to use a lot more pressure to get the same results, and you may have to same area over again to get decent results. You start getting nicks from shaving too hard.
At least, that’s the way it is when you use pressure. As a blade gets duller, you use more pressure. When you use more pressure, the blade becomes less usable. After a week, maybe less, you toss your old blade for a new one.
But what happens when you use near-zero pressure all the time? It just takes a lot more time for the blade to get duller. And you begin to notice something else: “closeness” isn’t even something you pay attention to. Your blade stays sharp for a long time, because it’s not getting much wear.
It’s day six on my Feather. By this time, I’d be thinking about tossing the blade and replacing it with a new one. There have been no nicks or cuts so far.
I only today started noticing less sharpness on my mustache.
DAY 7 - 11/24/14
No change.
DAY 8 - 11/25/14
Again, no change.
DAY 9 - 11/26/14
I’ve noticed something about this experiment that I haven’t been able to put out of my mind. In the morning, when I wake up, my beard has a lot more stubble than before. It’s like that only when my blade is giving out.
I got impatient with my progress, and inserted the most aggressive base plate into my ATT razor…then, I shaved like normal. Very light.
First of all, the results were much smoother with the new base plate. When I faceturbate, I’m more satisfied with my shave - though it’s still nowhere near BBS. (The only way I’m going to get BBS is with a two-day shaving schedule.)
Second, when I shaved the “problem” areas, like my mustache, there's notable resistance, even on the second pass. By the third pass, however, my face was pretty smooth.
This confirms what I already knew: the blade is definitely losing its edge. What I didn’t know is that (for me) a comfortable shave is a lot more difficult with an aggressive razor like an ATT, when I’m using a less-than-sharp blade.
Conversely, shaving with a milder razor (like, say, a Gillette New) is one of the best ways to make sure your blade lasts a long, long time.
DAY 10 - 11/27/14 - Day before Black Friday
B&B’er jamesspo says he doesn’t know what people mean when they talk about a blade being “smooth.” At first, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about…but now, I think I’m beginning to.
If you’re used to shaving with pressure, you’re acutely aware of when a blade is smooth or rough. A blade begins being extremely sharp, where the slightest slip can cause a spouter. Then, the blade becomes a little smoother, more forgiving. After a few more shaves, your beard wears away more of the blade; it takes longer to shave, and the shave isn’t as close. After a while, a blade may not be usable by your standards of sharpness. (That’s if you’re shaving with some pressure, and most guys do.)
For guys who don’t use pressure, a “smooth” blade may be an oxymoron. If you shave with an extremely light touch, with no pressure, everything you feel is some degree of smooth. If you’re using a Feather or GSB, a light shaver will have an equally smooth shave with a brand new blade, and the blade will feel equally sharp.
But right now, on shave #10, the blade is shill satisfactory. It doesn’t cut as easily as a new blade, but I get everything done by the second or third pass.
DAY 11 - 11/28/14 - Black Friday
I have some criteria for determining if I want to continue with a blade. The most basic is the mustache test. If I’m not getting a clean, smooth mustache shave, the blade is out. Goes to the biohazard box.
Normally, I’d trash a blade that didn’t meet my basic requirements, but I don’t have the heart to dump this one. I still don’t have any nicks or cuts, and it’s relatively comfortable. It barely passes the mustache test and technically it’s possible to push the blade a little further.
DAY 12 - 11/29/14 - Small Business Saturday
About the same quality shave as yesterday. I found myself wanting to use extra pressure on my throat and chin; a new blade would handle things so much more easily.
At this point, I’m just using this blade out of curiosity, seeing what happens when the blade gets really worn. The main temptation is to load a fresh, sharp blade - which would solve everything.
The shave gives a perfectly satisfactory DFS - kind of like a Feather on the fifth day of shaving. Perfectly good shave, except that the sharp edge is gone.
Let’s see what happens.
DAY 13 - 11/30/2014
By my reckoning, I’m paying only a penny and a half per shave with this blade. Money isn’t the issue; it’s more a “proof of concept.”
Today’s shave is typical: basic DFS, with a little more effort on the mustache. It’s more substandard by little degrees. The mustache isn’t as clean as before. It takes more time to clean up the chin. The shave isn’t as smooth as a new blade.
Then again, if my social life were more exciting, I’d probably drop the two week-old Feather in an instant.
DAY 14 - 12/1/14 - Cyber Monday
As I finished my shave this morning, three words came to mind: proof of concept. It wasn’t the idea of getting a good shave, or improving my technique. I wanted to prove I could push my Feather blade a long, long time. A few months, if possible.
I’m ending the test after two weeks. It’s twice as long as I usually take a blade.
However, the quality of the shave has begun to suffer. The mustache area was increasingly hard to shave - WTG, XTG, and of course ATG. The chin still isn’t smooth.
If I had the kind of beard that grew in faster, things would be different. I’d be able to shave BBS every day. But my beard gives me that kind of shave only after a day and a half, or maybe two days. It has nothing to do with technique.
Two weeks on one blade. That isn’t bad. I may even have qualified for the Excalibur Club.
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Anyone get a crazy amount of shaves from an r41? I Get 5-7 Max. Haven't tried with my weber yet but I can get a lot more shallow with it.
The R41 is about the only razor where I cannot stretch a blade. 6-8 is about max for me too.
- Thread starter
- #39
Yeah, I've been to at least 30 before on the R41 with Feathers. I use a very shallow blade angle, as the R41 allows for that.
- Thread starter
- #40
Welcome to the club, Bosse!
