How long can you store blades for?

[Angus Young]

I was thinking of getting some blades off e-bay (40 euro for 500 blades). They're cheap as chips but it will take me about ten years to use them all. If I store them in a dry enviroment will they still be good in ten years time?

 

[82R100]

Yes.

 

[billc508]

Should be good especially if they come individually wrapped, the main thing is not to expose them to moisture, even stainless can degrade over time in the presence of oxygen and moisture, bc

 

[techdog]

I think blades will stay good for for 10+ years as long as you keep them in a dry place. However, if you are new to wetshaving I would recommend that you not commit yourself to one brand of blades until you have been wetshaving for at least a year. There are many different types of blades out there for you to try.

 

[Stubblefield]

How long? Eons, especially if it is stainless steel. My daily blade (the one and only Gillette Super Stainless) was made in the 1970's.

 

[mdunn]

If theyre dry, they will last almost forever

 

[Blondie]

I have some blades that are from the 40's that are still good.

 

[BROWNS]

I'd suggest not keeping them in your bathroom. The moisture in the air probably wouldn't create the best environment when storing them on such a long scale.

 

[blade08]

As other have said, if you store them in a dry place, they will last for decades. Just buy one of those containers with an airtight lid and store your blades in them outside of the bathroom.

 

[SRock]

If theyre dry, they will last almost forever

Exactly!

I do caution you though. Many purchase large quantities of blades to later discover there is something they like better. 500 is a lot of blades. 500 quality blades would last 2,500 shaves for me. Given the occasional skipped shave day that would likely be enough to last nearly seven years.

 

[taffy]

I would also think twice about buying such a large quantity as most blades around are pretty cheap, as for your question, well i have quite a few vintage razors which came with some originaal blades and they are still usable and these blades are 30-40 years old.