I found this article that places a DE razor blade under the microscope at 50k magnification before and after a shave: Under the microscope: razor blades
Before
After
Before
After
Hypermiling Blades
- Thread starter TFAshaver
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Few people in the Excalibur Club strop their blades. Some clean their blades with some sort of cloth. Most just rinse their blades. Flipping the blade every few shaves seems to help. There doesn't seem to be an advantage to any of these.
It does seem to be true that blades wear more slowly than people think. All of this is irrelevant because the most important factors in blade life are preparation and technique. Many people get to what's called the buttery stage at around 5 to 15 shaves. Then a blade can be ultra-comfortable and efficient for many more shaves (20 to 80).
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205 uses on a Nacet.
No honing.
No stropping.
No alcohol.
Just a pat dry.
No flipping even. Yes, just for fun, I have always shaved with the blade the same side up, just to see what would happen.
In fact, I was reading that the edges of these blades are so fragile that you're more likely to do damage to the blade if you try to strop it, rather than extend the life. I think I agree.
I'm not saying that my way is the only way. Or even the best way. Just reporting in on my experience, in the hope that it helps someone else.
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Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
The question though, is is that level of wear perceptible in the shave. Things magnified enough often look horrid - pollen for example. Those tiny rolled edges may make for a smoother shave. Many report shave one on any blade as rougher than at least the next one or two.
@P1C0 (I'm not trying to pick on you with this next statement). We (mankind) have all sorts of technical measuring capability. We're, for the most part, still light on extrapolating that to real life terms that matter to whatever activity we're doing. Thank you for posting the photos, though. They are always cool to see.
No problem! It is cool to see the plasticity aspect of the edge, my guess is that at some point this deformation reaches a point where the edge becomes dull, and this point is perceived differently among us individuals.
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- #186
Well the 13th shave did a real number on my face. All the buffing wrecked my face. I had irritation for the whole day. Yesterday my face was still irritated so I did a gentle WTG, XTG, ATG shave and didn’t push it. Today I went back to the Bic Chrome Platinum and decided no buffing, but instead I tried skin stretching.
Still used the Fat Handle Tech. I did WTG no stretching, XTG with stretching and ATG with stretching. Quick gentle clean up pass. Cold water rinse and the result was a near BBS. Probably the closest shave in the last few weeks. I have a feeling I should have put more stock in skin stretching awhile ago. The blade was smooth and didn’t tug and seemed to be cutting well.
After using I just remove the blade rinse and pay dry. I do flip the blade every shave. Hope you all are getting some great shaves.
Still used the Fat Handle Tech. I did WTG no stretching, XTG with stretching and ATG with stretching. Quick gentle clean up pass. Cold water rinse and the result was a near BBS. Probably the closest shave in the last few weeks. I have a feeling I should have put more stock in skin stretching awhile ago. The blade was smooth and didn’t tug and seemed to be cutting well.
After using I just remove the blade rinse and pay dry. I do flip the blade every shave. Hope you all are getting some great shaves.
Good job on figuring out the adjustments.
- Thread starter
- #188
Did the 15th shave today on the Bic Chrome Platinum, and got a DFS+ almost BBS shave. I did more skin stretching, but it didn't get much closer. I need to keep working the skin stretching it seems. Comfortable shave though.
I don't know, I'm just lucky. My beard is average, according to a barber friend of mine who gave me a couple of straight shaves. I don't push for BBS, they just happen every shave. Three passes, no touch ups, no buffing, no Gillette slides. I don't push the life of my blades, 3-5 when I was using modern blades, 12-30 closer, smoother, more comfortable shaves with the vintage ones I use exclusively now.
I don't know.
I don't know.
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- #190
Did my 16th shave on the Bic Chrome Platinum and it worked well today. Almost BBS and it was a comfortable shave. On to 17!
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- #192
Shave 17 on the Bic Chrome Platinum and I switched to a Gillette New SC and it made a great shave almost BBS today. Don’t want to duplicate my progress here when I have a journal going in that forum. So, I will check in every now and then as I keep hypermiling this blade. Thanks for all the help and it really has helped my technique.
As the blade dulls it will require greater skill to get a satisfactory shave. A new sharp blade will shave close even if your angle and direction aren't that good. A dull one leaves stubble if you don't have everything just right.
Even if you don't want to "use blades to the max", running one until it won't cut can improve your technique quite a bit. Nothing at all wrong with better, more comfortable shaves!
Even if you don't want to "use blades to the max", running one until it won't cut can improve your technique quite a bit. Nothing at all wrong with better, more comfortable shaves!
- Thread starter
- #194
I agree so far. It has already made me a convert to Skin Stretching and keeping the number of passes down. I also have been much more aware of my blade angle, so far with this blade a nice shallow angle seems to be working. I also have been using a different lather with my shaving to also improve my shaves.
So, here is my take: I change blades once a week. My favorite blade happens to be Astra SP, but whatever. At $10 per 100, that means each blade is 10¢. That means each shave costs me 1.4¢. I am not into corking, stropping, saying obscure incantations in Urdu or anything else for something that costs 1.4¢ a day.
I've not set out to get more shaves per blade, but I think that improved preparation (thanks to B&B and various youtubers) gives me it as a side-effect.
My aim was to reduce the wear and tear on my face, but if the blade only has to cut fully-hydrated hairs, on a properly slick surface, it's also going to get less edge damage. If I was a marketing man, I'd use the analogy of cooked versus raw spaghetti here.
I've only been using Israeli Personnas, Astra SP or German Wilkinson. Haven't tried Feather.
Normally, I change blade once a week, but I can't say that shave #7 feels subjectively any worse than #2. I'm sure an electron microscope would tell a very different story.
Shave #1 is where I can occasionally get a bad blade, or a mediocre shave, while a good one settles down.
When I tested an Astra SP to 12 shaves, it was because I was unconvinced that I had bought the genuine article, and that still seemed OK when I was convinced.
With > 500 in the stash, I think I just talked myself out of blade anxiety.
My aim was to reduce the wear and tear on my face, but if the blade only has to cut fully-hydrated hairs, on a properly slick surface, it's also going to get less edge damage. If I was a marketing man, I'd use the analogy of cooked versus raw spaghetti here.
I've only been using Israeli Personnas, Astra SP or German Wilkinson. Haven't tried Feather.
Normally, I change blade once a week, but I can't say that shave #7 feels subjectively any worse than #2. I'm sure an electron microscope would tell a very different story.
Shave #1 is where I can occasionally get a bad blade, or a mediocre shave, while a good one settles down.
When I tested an Astra SP to 12 shaves, it was because I was unconvinced that I had bought the genuine article, and that still seemed OK when I was convinced.
With > 500 in the stash, I think I just talked myself out of blade anxiety.
B
Barney14
Agree totally
I have to disagree about the blade not being a factor in whether you get weepers or not. Again, I have to comment on vintage blades because that's all I've used for the past couple of years. I log my shaves daily but I don't need to go back and see to know that weepers are almost nonexistent with them. I don't even have equipment to deal with them anymore, styptic pencil etc., and two or three times a year I go back to my regular blades from before I switched just to see if it can be attributed to increased skill and the weepers are back. The longevity of vintage blades are just an added bonus, I switched for the better shaves. Now my disclosure, they're not so much better as to be worth the usual asking prices except maybe to collectors, not for use. I'm retired and made it my job to acquire what I have, and I have more than a lifetime's amount, at costs per shave at or less than modern ones. It was also a way to divert myself from contracting a much more expensive BAD, which does not do much to improve your shave but empties your bank account way faster.
One shouldn't have to say obscure Urdu incantations to increase blade life.
One should be able to say obscure Urdu incantations because they want to.
