How I Keep My Blades Sharper Longer

[ChainsawShaver]

Hey guys how do you preserve your sharpness? I found out not only drying my blades but also not letting my beard grow to much cause thats almost like double the work on the blade in my opinion. It sounds obvious but some people dont know. longer hair equals more work. just like when i use to use carts more blades really dull and bend etc under longer hair. I use to make carts last a long time but i love de shaving its more fun hope this helps

 

[Clay S]

Hey guys how do you preserve your sharpness? I found out not only drying my blades but also not letting my beard grow to much cause thats almost like double the work on the blade in my opinion. It sounds obvious but some people dont know. longer hair equals more work. just like when i use to use carts more blades really dull and bend etc under longer hair. I use to make carts last a long time but i love de shaving its more fun hope this helps

Depends on what your using as criteria for longer lasting. Time, or number of shaves, or number of passes. When I grow my beard, my blades last a lot longer, provided I don't lose them

Prep I find has the most impact for me; Insuring I hydrate my beard thoroughly.

My mind tells me that soaps with clay (not me, particle sized minerals) would degrade blades quicker, but I have no experience with them to verify that.

 

[Razorcan]

Does it really matter?
Blades are so cheap that "preserving" their longevity is meaningless.
Just change the blade once a week (assuming you shave daily) and you will be fine.
Personally I simply rinse them well (without of course removing them from the razor) after shaving ,shake the whole razor a few times and put it back in its stand.
I can't give you advice on the "grow long stubble" cause I have been shaving everyday since 1980 I don't think I missed more than 10-20 daily shaves in my life.

 

[John Rose]

...I found out not only drying my blades but also not letting my beard grow to much cause thats almost like double the work on the blade in my opinion. It sounds obvious but some people dont know. longer hair equals more work. just like when i use to use carts more blades really dull and bend etc under longer hair. I use to make carts last a long time but i love de shaving its more fun hope this helps

Um... I'm not convinced.
Long beard or short, the first pass is only going to cut the hair once. After that, it's the same as the second or third pass on a short beard.

What kind of razor are you using? I find that an open comb razor does not care how long your beard is, it'll sail right through a ZZ Top beard (not the drummer) without clogging. Don't even need to pre-cut it with clippers or scissors.
Just like the cutter bar on a hay mower.

Height of hay is not an issue.

To answer your original question, I rinse and towel dry my blade after each use, and park it on top of my blade bank between shaves.
This is just part of my ritual, rather than an effort to keep them sharp. I aim for smoothness of the blade.
That being said, I've been getting 100 shaves out of most blades before I retire them. I haven't done it with a Feather though, and it's one of the sharpest blades to begin with.

 

[ajkel64]

I just change my blade after the seventh shave. I start with a new blade on Monday and after Sunday’s shave it is retired. Sometimes the blade feels like it could go on for more shaves and sometimes after the fourth shave it could be retired. I just aim for 7 and that suits me fine. All our beards are different and have different effects on blades IMHO.

 

[muzichead]

Daily shaving I have found to be unnecessary and is no less work shaving day old or 2-5 day old stubble... I must be the oddball because I find that I get better / closer shaves on multiple days and is why I only shave every other day. On occasion I might miss a day and shave at 3-4 days and have found those were some of my best shaves ever. In shaving, as with just about everything in life, YMMV exists and in some cases more evident than others!!

 

[shupey]

Daily shaving I have found to be unnecessary and is no less work shaving day old or 2-5 day old stubble... I must be the oddball because I find that I get better / closer shaves on multiple days and is why I only shave every other day. On occasion I might miss a day and shave at 3-4 days and have found those were some of my best shaves ever. In shaving, as with just about everything in life, YMMV exists and in some cases more evident than others!!

I find the same. If I wait 3 days between shaves I generally get a great shave. My every other day shave is usual and if I try to shave everyday I usually get irritation.

 

[SAMB08]

I am an everyday shaver and I used to toss blades after the third shave, and then stretched out to after the seventh shave. Now, I am trying to keep using the blade until it no longer performs up to my standards (pulling, tugging, rough shave). It’s not being cheap, it’s actually a fun little experiment that I have to keep track.

For me, I rinse my razor/blade under cold water then let it sit in isopropyl for a minute or two. Before the next shave, I palm strop the blade and flip it. Not sure if it helps at all, but it has become my routine. I know the palm stropping is debatable. I started using this method not too long ago, the most I’ve gotten out of a blade was 19 shaves; it was a Gillette Super Thin blade.

There is a thread where shavers try to get the most out of each blade and it varies depending on the blade and the shaver.

Excalibur Club - Blade Longevity DE, SE and Injector
Excalibur Club - Blade Longevity DE, SE and Injector

 

[emwolf]

I have a McKee hone (not the one in the photo, but just like it) and although I've tried it a few times, it really doesn't seem to do anything.

 

[ChainsawShaver]

hey guys i use a mehaz and astra platinum i have hard water. i can get 7-14 three pass shaves. as long as i dry blades.

 

[dezmil]

Like others have said, I usually toss the blade once per week. I have pushed it longer a few times, but I normally don't. 6-7 shaves and done.

 

[ChainsawShaver]

I know you can resharpen them and the only time I would do that is in a apocalypse situation lol.

 

[muzichead]

I know you can resharpen them and the only time I would do that is in a apocalypse situation lol.

Everything I've read to date has pointed to once a DE is done, there is no reviving it.

 

[ChainsawShaver]

hmm pair of pliers on side of a double edge and a fine hone. I believe if someone can resharpen box cutters you can resharpen everything.

 

[musicman1951]

hmm pair of pliers on side of a double edge and a fine hone. I believe if someone can resharpen box cutters you can resharpen everything.

I suspect you'd have a heck of a time maintaining the correct angle with a pair of pliers, but I don't see why you couldn't sharpen a blade. It obviously wouldn't have any coating left and most people would find that kind of time spent on an item costing pennies a questionable use of resources, but I assume you could do it.

 

[ChainsawShaver]

I suspect you'd have a heck of a time maintaining the correct angle with a pair of pliers, but I don't see why you couldn't sharpen a blade. It obviously wouldn't have any coating left and most people would find that kind of time spent on an item costing pennies a questionable use of resources, but I assume you could do it.

well they make angle guides for stones i wouldnt want to do it unless it was the end of the world lol but i believe it could be done if someone needed to.

 

[musicman1951]

well they make angle guides for stones i wouldnt want to do it unless it was the end of the world lol but i believe it could be done if someone needed to.

Occasionally while sharpening a chisel the thought has crossed my mind, but my biggest concern would be putting a nice gash in my clumsy thumb. That and they're two floors away.

 

[ChainsawShaver]

Occasionally while sharpening a chisel the thought has crossed my mind, but my biggest concern would be putting a nice gash in my clumsy thumb. That and they're two floors away.

A old trick iv seen with chisels is a belt sander on a low speed im talking the longer cheap belt sanders that flex. work good on wood tools.

 

[Clay S]

Um... I'm not convinced.
Long beard or short, the first pass is only going to cut the hair once. After that, it's the same as the second or third pass on a short beard.

What kind of razor are you using? I find that an open comb razor does not care how long your beard is, it'll sail right through a ZZ Top beard (not the drummer) without clogging. Don't even need to pre-cut it with clippers or scissors.
Just like the cutter bar on a hay mower.

After Movemeber, I removed my circle beard, that was established before, but let grown wild for a month. My New LC would ride up unto my beard during each stroke into new territory. So it took 4 rather than 3 passes. I probably could have paid close attention and stopped each time it started to rise, but I'll leave that level of attention to my SR shaves, or when clearing with a Mach 3 so it wouldn't become helplessly clogged. If we're talking a handful of days though, yeah, it'll sail through.

 

[cryhavoc]

I change blades after 5-7 shaves, sometimes they last a little longer. Once the blade to begins to tug, out it goes. I shave everyday and after the shave I rinse the razor , I don't remove the blade or dry it in any way. I don't see the need to stretch out the use of a blade but everyone has there own ideas about it. It's your shave, enjoy it anyway you want!