I’ve got almost 1400 blades mostly Russian made except for my Personnas. At the rate I use them I should be able to shave with them for at least 30!years. I don’t need to buy anymore being that I’m 56 now.
How many blades in ‘enough’?
- Thread starter Texchappy
- Start date
I recently tried the Nacet too. Now it is one of my top blades. 9 out of 10 shaves are with SR, so I think my de and se blades will outlast me
190 Nacet
400 Perma-sharp
480 Wizamet
200 Astra green
90 Gillette Yellow
Some tucks of other types I do not use.
And quite a few SE blades.
I have actually started giving blades away.
Hard to say since it depends on the person. For me, I'd like to have at least a couple of years worth. I've actually got at least five years worth. That comes from buying 100 packs of blades that I expect to use eventually, just to get some variety and selection.
About 750 right now but just a couple of months into this so I'm comfortable but I'm certain there will be more.
550... wow. I don't know how old you are... .but you are certainly set for a while.I have around 550 proline blades. I prefer these over any Feather blade.You should really try these blades. I do not think I will need to restock any time soon
I just ordered all the AC blades on my list (for experimenting). I ordered two packs of the Proline P-30s because they are so highly regarded. So.... I will have tried the two more mild Feathers, 3 Kai Captains, and the Prolines.
All told, I should have around 5 years worth of blades, I think. I just did the math in my head last night. That will take me to the age of 74. I probably won't get 550 of any one blade, but after I've finished experimenting, I'll make sure I have enough of the winner to last until I reach the age of 90.
I'm around 2000, mostly vintage stuff. I don't need more, really, but a bargain is a bargain hehe
That's like asking how many razors, soaps and brushes is enough. It all comes down to how many times you shave and how often you change the blade. With a simple math you can determine roughly how many blades you use per year and then calculate hypothetically how many you would need in the future.
When I first started DE shaving and browsing around the shaving forums I couldn't understand why people were buying lots of blades, but after I saw with my own eyes how the Polsilver Super Iridium blades got discontinued and the prices of the remaining stock went to the roof in just a few months, I started to realise that stocking up with your favorite blades while they are cheap and widely available might not be a bad idea.
I'd imagine that the older shavers have witnessed this ''phenomenon'' multiple times by now and I'm not talking about the blades that were discontinued or that their prices have gone up. In some cases the quality control of the blades just drops for whatever reason and that's never a good thing.
My top 3 favorite blades are - Nacet Stainless, Perma-Sharp and BIC Chrome Platinum and I can't imagine how I would feel if one day all of them get discontinued, become way more expensive or their quality is no longer the same and I have to look for something else. That would be a nightmare scenario for me and I've sorta ''taken care'' of it for the foreseeable future.
When I first started DE shaving and browsing around the shaving forums I couldn't understand why people were buying lots of blades, but after I saw with my own eyes how the Polsilver Super Iridium blades got discontinued and the prices of the remaining stock went to the roof in just a few months, I started to realise that stocking up with your favorite blades while they are cheap and widely available might not be a bad idea.
I'd imagine that the older shavers have witnessed this ''phenomenon'' multiple times by now and I'm not talking about the blades that were discontinued or that their prices have gone up. In some cases the quality control of the blades just drops for whatever reason and that's never a good thing.
My top 3 favorite blades are - Nacet Stainless, Perma-Sharp and BIC Chrome Platinum and I can't imagine how I would feel if one day all of them get discontinued, become way more expensive or their quality is no longer the same and I have to look for something else. That would be a nightmare scenario for me and I've sorta ''taken care'' of it for the foreseeable future.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
If a person uses about 50 blades a year of DE & SE combined I would say around 200 blades (4yrs) makes sense but than the economics come in as a factor. A person can buy 100 blades for the price of 10 blades at the super market or drug store now a days.
So instinct says buy the 50 or 100 pc blades it seems and still be ahead. Some fellows use 1 blade per shave and that does not make sense to me but every one is different and usually the 2nd and 3rd shaves are the best of my blades .
So instinct says buy the 50 or 100 pc blades it seems and still be ahead. Some fellows use 1 blade per shave and that does not make sense to me but every one is different and usually the 2nd and 3rd shaves are the best of my blades .
Same. I had a lot more but sold a bunch off over the past few years. Not too many bargains or big lots in the vintage blade realm these days.
I'm at around 580 blades at the moment. I do realize that's a rookie number, so I'll work on upping that.
How many blades in ‘enough’?
Should I be ashamed of having much more blades than I and my son (5 years old now, future wet shaver I hope) could use in our entire lifetime ??
I have enough blades for now... until I figure out which two are the best for my ESC Claymore Evolution SE AC razor. Then I'll stock up on those two.
I have about 600 PolSilver SI blades left, which is good as they are hard to come by cheap now. But aside from that, having enough so I don't run out is sufficient. I have a few I like that can arrive in less than a week.
If you don't have favorites yet buy them by the tuck, but it's more economical to buy them by the 100s.
If you don't have favorites yet buy them by the tuck, but it's more economical to buy them by the 100s.
I admit that I have succumbed to panic buying recently, and now have enough blades to last over 30 years...so enough to survive me.
Go with the 1,000 blade plan to start out. That should be roughly 25-30 years of shaving if you shave every other day. DE blades are stainless so they will outlive YOU.
Personally, I only purchase a 100 at a time. At my age I can't see having any more than that. I've said before, in other posts, I don't even buy green bananas.
Sound strategy.
Reality is that most manufacturers want to transition shavers from commoditized DE blades to higher margin cartridges. We see the same pattern in every region of the world. The only difference is the maturity level of each region. Result is acquisition of local manufacturers, consolidation of manufacturing and then eventual discontinuation of the product lines. Only exception in recent years has been Dorco who invested in new DE manufacturing plants in Vietnam to support their penetration of southern Asia where DE use is still common. They have positioned their DE blades as having superior technology at similar prices to those of local manufacturers. One look at their extensive English catalog shows DE as almost a buried footnote with shaving systems and disposables as the primary focus. In their latest catalog DE blades were consolidated via elimination of plastic tuck SKUs in favor of cardboard tucks with blades double wrapped - likely to facilitate sale of individual blades in developing regions. See a similar emphasis in the Derby catalog.
Given the above, and relatively low cost (for those of use in developed countries) of the 100 blade bulk packs, it can make sense to stock up on our favorite blades. While they won't go away completely and some point only a few brands, repriced as more expensive specialty items, will be available.
