How do you keep track of blade usage?

[Daiku]

I use these.

 

[speedwell]

I put a NEW blade in, I shave, I take the blade out and put it in the slot in the back of my med-cabinet for OLD blades, I repeat each day.

Wow! Your using a new blade with every shave? How decadent! Keeping track of blade use is easy for you. I know of another guy who uses two razors (each with a different blade) for every shave - one for his face and the other for his neck and then discards both after a single shave. You guys should start a club. Don't you find that some blades (like care engines) don't hit peak performance until after some use?

I do the opposite (but for no good reason, just habit) and regularly get 4-9 shaves out of the same blade, marking each shave afterwards with an ink dot on the interior part of blade.

 

[Sharp Blade]

I also use a single dle to track blade use, it's very rare that I get more than six shaves per blade so this works very well and is super easy to remember, all you have to do is flip the die to the next higher number after your current shave.

 

[Winblows]

I use my "knowledge"

 

[Codfish]

I came up with my own way as you can see in the picture. I got tired of standing there thinking about how many times I've used a blade and if I should change it or go for it.

edit: I just took another close up picture and attached it.

I'm sorry, my vision is poor. I do not have a clue what your system is. Would you do my a favor and describe it verbally?

 

[Bloozepicker]

A single dice works - and would take up less space on the counter - assuming you don't take the blade beyond 7 shaves - seriously I worried about that in the old days, now I just change the blade when it starts to tug rather than cut smoothly.

I use this method. I just keep a die on my vanity.

 

[Limekiln]

Since I'm still quite new (2 months in) and trying to zone in on what blade to order a hundred of, I keep a record in Evernote (as I do of soap performance and consumption rate!).
I'll have decided in 3-4 more weeks. Then I'll drop all this Evernote nonsense. It'll be just a weekly change of blade, probably on Saturday morning.
The winner looks like being Derby Extra.

 

[Penknight]

I kind of feel odd now, since I only use one blade at a time. I keep track of it here, on the thread about which blade and razor you used that day.

 

[All Thumbs]

Twice and toss for quality blades. Once for blades I don't care for.

 

[Slieb845]

I shave twice a week. I change the blade twice a week...

 

[Mick]

I use a different razor and blade every day. I may have anywhere up to a dozen different brands of blades unwrapped at any given time

When I finish my shave, I remove the blade from the razor, drop it on a towel, fold a corner of the towel over and pat it dry. I then move the blade to one of 6 blade wrappers that are marked 1 thought 6 for the number of shaves the blade sitting on that wrapper has on it.

When I shave, I decide which razor to use, then I grab one of the unwrapped blades and shave. Once done I dry the blade and move it down to the next numbered wrapper.

This is about the only way I can keep track of how many shaves I have on a dozen open blades.

 

[poikkeus]

A classic question for shavers.

The simplest way of keeping track of shaves is to use a permanent marker. When you've finished shaving, make a tally or use dots to track the amount of shaves.

But now, I use my memory. I have two razors, and I always know exactly how many times a blade has been used. I'm surprised more shavers don't do this.

 

[Toothpick]

Google Doc.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Avz5NoJFXuQSdFIzR0ZZZkxERFdSX3ZGc0x2b2x4LWc&output=html

I'm testing longevity in different razors.

 

[Minahanna]

For me I didn't keep track of blade usage,,however most of them for me are ranging from 5-7 shaves,,that's the maximum I got from a single blade and it was a personna blue blade.

 

[BobbyB]

Like Denim I use an excel spreadsheet. I have a tab for each blade brand (Astra SP, Bolzano, etc.) showing the date, razor used, other info, and comments on shaves. While this may seem excessive to some, I am new (2-months) to DE shaving, and am still trying to decide upon which blades to buy in quantity.

 

[mikelz777]

Blades aren't different enough that constantly changing them from shave to shave affords me any "variety" nor do I feel the need to change razors in less time than it would take to use one blade for the sake of variety. (For variety in razors, I'll switch every 3-5 weeks, never less than a week.) Having to keep track of blade usage is way too much of a nuisance to bother with so I just pop in a new one each Monday. If I can't get 4-6 good shaves out of a blade I won't bother with it any longer.

 

[Border Collie]

Generally, apart from real favourites such as Iridium and Swedes, one does it. The money they cost I wouldn't bend over to pick up in the street on a rainy day (10p - 15c). And it feels good to have a fresh blade every time.

 

[justino_14]

How do I keep track of blade usage? My brain.

I also keep a little shaving journal so I can remember how my past shaves went with certain products. Being fairly new to wet shaving (roughly 5 months) I haven't really pushed my blades to the limits yet, I usually only use a single blade for 2 shaves. Once I get my technique down and I find a blade that I like, than I will probably push my blades a little bit more.

 

[Richie]

I mark the wrapper the blade came in every time I use that certain blade.

 

[Bebe]

i use a blade twice... any blade.
If the razor has a blade in, i shave and throw away the blade... if not, i get a new blade.