Should last at least until the end of "One Blade February"! LOL
Excalibur Club - Blade Longevity DE, SE and Injector
- Thread starter jamesspo
- Start date
Should last at least until the end of "One Blade February"! LOL
It might very well make it through February, but we shall see!
37 shaves on a post war Tech is very good. Congrats to a rock solid technique.
I used to do this on a Feather AS-D1 but found that the shaves were easier to control by stepping up the razor efficiency regularly. This made the cleanup passes shorter. The vintage Gillettes lend themselves very easily to this - Tech (US and British) - NEW (US and British) - NEW Deluxe and finally old type. This is one of the lines of razors I use nowadays.
Well, 15th shave today and the blade goes out. The shave felt deteriorated today, and there probably is a different reason to it than blade wear.
I normally remove the blade from the razor after each shave, strop it on my towel and keep it back in the wrapper. Well, last three shaves I didn't do it for some reason. Today when I removed the blade, I found that one end tab of the blade is broken. Now I'm sure I didn't drop the razor, so it's a mystery how it happened. However, I definitely suspect that in the process of this damage, the blade geometry would have changed slightly, and I'm not taking any further chances with this blade.
Out comes another blade tomorrow to see how long that lasts.
I normally remove the blade from the razor after each shave, strop it on my towel and keep it back in the wrapper. Well, last three shaves I didn't do it for some reason. Today when I removed the blade, I found that one end tab of the blade is broken. Now I'm sure I didn't drop the razor, so it's a mystery how it happened. However, I definitely suspect that in the process of this damage, the blade geometry would have changed slightly, and I'm not taking any further chances with this blade.
Out comes another blade tomorrow to see how long that lasts.
No problem as long as we are talking current and replaceable blades.
I have another problem concerning my son. After his visit I seem to be missing my only Wizamet Polsilver blade (the one in brown wrapper). I had planned on using that one after the current Wilkinson but I have to change that plan. I saw him shave with my Fatip Piccolo and afterwards he mentioned that the razor was quite "raw". No wonder! The razor is also missing, but I can live with that and he knows it.
I think I will use one of my sons Feathers after the Wilkie dies. After all the vintage blades are of little interest since they are so scarce.
Had an interesting thing happen at work yesterday. An acquaintance of mine and I were discussing how to obtain a thick lather in wet shaving. He told me that during his mornings shave his blade suddenly went dull. He was using an Astra SP with two shaves on it. He said this happens to him all the time. After asking him a couple of questions about his prep, I realized he basically had no prep, other than to lather up and shave.
He has thick coarse whiskers. I told him to use a hot moist towel on his face for about two minutes, then apply some baby oil, or hand cream like Jergens (he didn't have any pre-shave stuff). Then while he's creating that perfect lather in the bowl, take some of the not quite finished hot moist lather and apply it to his face while he continues building the balance of the lather in his bowl. Then when the lather is ready, re-lather and start his shave, re-lathering as necessary to not shave over any dried lather. I told him to use the same bade he discarded into his razor bank as being dull.
I spoke with him this afternoon. He wasn't sure if he got the same blade, but did retrieve one of the dull ones from the razor bank and loaded it into his razor. He said he followed my prep advice exactly, and even left the hot moist towel on his face for several more minutes. He used some hand cream his wife provided.
After his prep, he started his shave and couldn't believe that his blade had restored itself to being super sharp just like it was brand new.
He said he got a BBS shave with little effort. He is now a believer!
He has thick coarse whiskers. I told him to use a hot moist towel on his face for about two minutes, then apply some baby oil, or hand cream like Jergens (he didn't have any pre-shave stuff). Then while he's creating that perfect lather in the bowl, take some of the not quite finished hot moist lather and apply it to his face while he continues building the balance of the lather in his bowl. Then when the lather is ready, re-lather and start his shave, re-lathering as necessary to not shave over any dried lather. I told him to use the same bade he discarded into his razor bank as being dull.
I spoke with him this afternoon. He wasn't sure if he got the same blade, but did retrieve one of the dull ones from the razor bank and loaded it into his razor. He said he followed my prep advice exactly, and even left the hot moist towel on his face for several more minutes. He used some hand cream his wife provided.
After his prep, he started his shave and couldn't believe that his blade had restored itself to being super sharp just like it was brand new.
He said he got a BBS shave with little effort. He is now a believer!
- Thread starter
- #108
Indeed, I've experience this on several occasions where I had poor prep in my routine because of circumstance. If I hadn't known better, I might have thought I had a "dud blade". But sure enough, the next day with proper prep, the blade is sufficiently sharp to easily cut the hair. It's a double win - reducing blade damage and reducing the required cutting force. Both extend blade life.
I am truly intrigued by this concept. I used to get 3-4 weeks with disposable Wilkinson triple blades prior to going to DE's. I just assumed 4-7 shaves (as is commonly touted) was accurate. Anyway, going into week 2 with a Gillette 7 o'clock yellow in an AS-D2 razor which forces a modest shave angle. I always prep with preshave and bowl lather anyhow, as well as being a resigned hand stropper. With the encouragement of this thread, it will be a challenge to see how many days at least a DFS if not BBS shave with the same blade can be achieved.
Congrats Texrat, you're going to enjoy it. You'll be amazed at how long the blades actually last. Sounds like your doing well already.
I, also am a believer in hand stopping, and do it with each blade before and after each shave. About ten strops on each side. I have a small hand held 40x microscope, and it does remove excessive debris off the blade edge leaving it cleaner. As far as making it sharper, I can't see any difference through the scope.
Unless it is a pasted strop, no amount of stropping will ever make any blade sharper.DonMac said:
Wilkinson Super Sword-Edge report starting week 9, currently on shave 60.
On deck for the coming week:
Paladin PK-47 brush, MdC Fougere, #16 with Wilkie and DR Harris Windsor balm
The Wilkie is now in uncharted waters. I am delighted to report that no signs of dullness are in sight. The blade seems to have settled down and I decided to use my #16 for another week. The drawback of these long runs is that I get to use my Aristocrats more seldom! This does however give me a theoretical possibility to reach 100 shaves without breaking my method of moving on to more efficient razors as the blade mellows.
Last spring, while hunting for straight razors in Eskilstuna, I talked to an elderly gentleman who had good insight into how these and the other top tier blades came into production. He was very informative about his career as a metallurgist in the Swedish steel companies - "there are no secrets in that any more" he said about his collaboration with Gillette, Wilkinson and "the Americans" (which I interpreted as Personna). All he had ever been asked about was the collaboration between Germany and Sweden during the late '30s, which of course was a dark chapter in Swedens presumed neutrality during WWII.
The reason that all three companies went to such trouble as to remake their production line was the fierce competition between them. At the time (60's) everybody was using the products and the longevity of the blades was a main selling point. The Wilkinson management had decided to once and for all settle the record straight and produce a blade that was "the best" - that is sharpest and most durable. When the production line in the main factory was due for a rebuild and expansion they went all the way. New steel was ordered from Sweden and the production was tweaked for that steel. The tolerances of the new machinery was much tighter than the others had. The crew operating the machines were very well trained and confident. I have reason to believe that the blade I'm using now is the result of these measures.
My source told me that evidently Gillette felt the pressure because they focused on hindering the import from the UK and advertising new coatings on their blades. Of course this gave Personna the opportunity to launch their P74 blade. Gillettes move was to introduce the multi blade razor systems and we all know who won that battle.
On deck for the coming week:
Paladin PK-47 brush, MdC Fougere, #16 with Wilkie and DR Harris Windsor balm
The Wilkie is now in uncharted waters. I am delighted to report that no signs of dullness are in sight. The blade seems to have settled down and I decided to use my #16 for another week. The drawback of these long runs is that I get to use my Aristocrats more seldom! This does however give me a theoretical possibility to reach 100 shaves without breaking my method of moving on to more efficient razors as the blade mellows.
Last spring, while hunting for straight razors in Eskilstuna, I talked to an elderly gentleman who had good insight into how these and the other top tier blades came into production. He was very informative about his career as a metallurgist in the Swedish steel companies - "there are no secrets in that any more" he said about his collaboration with Gillette, Wilkinson and "the Americans" (which I interpreted as Personna). All he had ever been asked about was the collaboration between Germany and Sweden during the late '30s, which of course was a dark chapter in Swedens presumed neutrality during WWII.
The reason that all three companies went to such trouble as to remake their production line was the fierce competition between them. At the time (60's) everybody was using the products and the longevity of the blades was a main selling point. The Wilkinson management had decided to once and for all settle the record straight and produce a blade that was "the best" - that is sharpest and most durable. When the production line in the main factory was due for a rebuild and expansion they went all the way. New steel was ordered from Sweden and the production was tweaked for that steel. The tolerances of the new machinery was much tighter than the others had. The crew operating the machines were very well trained and confident. I have reason to believe that the blade I'm using now is the result of these measures.
My source told me that evidently Gillette felt the pressure because they focused on hindering the import from the UK and advertising new coatings on their blades. Of course this gave Personna the opportunity to launch their P74 blade. Gillettes move was to introduce the multi blade razor systems and we all know who won that battle.
Bosseb,
Thanks for the interesting info. Maybe you'll set the record for shaves on the Wilkinson blade. I have two packages of current production Wilkinsons. One is clearly marked Gillette, made in China, the other has no marking as to where they were made, and the wrappers on the individual blades is different, the blades also have a preservative oil on each blade. Any idea where they were made.
Thanks for the interesting info. Maybe you'll set the record for shaves on the Wilkinson blade. I have two packages of current production Wilkinsons. One is clearly marked Gillette, made in China, the other has no marking as to where they were made, and the wrappers on the individual blades is different, the blades also have a preservative oil on each blade. Any idea where they were made.
I won't be setting any record soon in Wilkinson usage; the present record is about 105 4 pass shaves held by Mick (Turtle) on an American version of the Wilkies. I do 2 pass shaves...
Knowing where a Wilkinson blade was made is almost impossible. This is especially true about any Wilkies bought in the US. The repackaging in the US and territories to avoid customs fees was frequent.
Shave 36 today on a GEM stainless SE blade, and I hit Shave 29 on a Gillette Silver Blue DE a few days ago.
I'm finding that while the blades work fine in certain razors, they're horrible in others. I get perfect shaves in my GEM Damaskeene and Merkur 37C.
I'm finding that while the blades work fine in certain razors, they're horrible in others. I get perfect shaves in my GEM Damaskeene and Merkur 37C.
Rudy, that's great. Keep going! Interesting to note the difference in razors, I'll have to try that.
I'm fascinated with the concept James. I extended my blades' lives when I first started DE shaving, not because I had great technique, but because I was already irritating my face from day one. I started binning my blades within 2-6 shaves only in the last year while concentrating more on technique and eliminating variables (like decaying blade edges). As you know, I've committed to one blind blade per week, but thereafter, I'd like to push the limits. 
- Thread starter
- #118
I'm fascinated with the concept James. I extended my blades' lives when I first started DE shaving, not because I had great technique, but because I was already irritating my face from day one. I started binning my blades within 2-6 shaves only in the last year while concentrating more on technique and eliminating variables (like decaying blade edges). As you know, I've committed to one blind blade per week, but thereafter, I'd like to push the limits.
Sounds great Alex. I think you'll find that as your technique further develops, you'll not only be able to use blades for a longer period of time, but the various shaving anomalies (nicks, weepers, irritation) will fade away to a very low level, demonstrating that blades are almost never the cause. I see no correlation at all between blades and irritation or weepers. If I get any of that..it's all me (and some random, short term, likely uncontrollable variables of skin condition). It's easy to fall back on the blade when starting out, and a lot easier on the ego
.I'm fairly certain that given the same pressure and same poor technique, I am more likely to cut myself with a sharper blade. A duller blade compels more pressure, leading to more irritation.
- Thread starter
- #120
Oh yes, indeed. Once technique is well settled though, I believe one can use any blade with success. That doesn't mean the blades are necessarily identical - some modification of technique may be required. That becomes more or less automatic, in my experience. The same is true of different razors and razor/blade combinations.
