ATG just about my Adam’s apple is the test for me when a blade is toast. It also depends on which razor I use, a more rigid head can take some blades up to 8-9 shaves.
I am too experienced to be asking this. When do you know its time to throw a blade away?
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For me it is also one and done. If the blade is that bad it last only one shave I'll never use that sort of blade. That was GSB for me.
Other blades last at least 8 shaves (bad blades) 16 shaves (ok ones) and over 32 shaves (good ones). Oh, half blade I ment.
When to chage? If it is no longer good shave,obviously.
Other blades last at least 8 shaves (bad blades) 16 shaves (ok ones) and over 32 shaves (good ones). Oh, half blade I ment.
When to chage? If it is no longer good shave,obviously.
I change blades when I feel ‘tugging,’ meaning that the blade is becoming uncomfortably dull.
My shaving routine is unusual in that I typically use a different razor for every pass of my shave. Each razor may be equipped with a different blade. I find that the blades used for the 1st pass WTG tend to lose their sharpness much quicker than the ones used for my 4th clean-up pass. It is a matter of the number of hairs that the blade is likely encounter. If I were to use a single razor and blade for all four passes, I would get 3-4 shaves per blade (except Feather than only make it through 2 shaves plus one pass of the 3rd shave). Using 4 different razors per shave. I might get 6-8 WTG passes on a blade before it need changing. I might get 8-12 passes on the XTG and ATG passes. I might get 12-16 clean-up passes.
Whenever I get the slightest bit of tugging on a blade, I know it is time to change it. The exception to this is when using blades like Wilkinson Sword Classic, 7 O'Clock Super Platinum (black), and Personna Comfort Coated (lab blues) that tend to be somewhat less sharp on the 1st shave, but become significantly sharper after their 1st use. With those blades, I often get tugging on the 1st shave, but leave it to experience a great second shave.
With blades used for the XTG. ATG, and clean-up passes, I seldom experience tugging; there is not enough stubble remaining. At some point, I will start to sense skin irritation as the blade develops micropits or edge misalignment. Then it is time to change the blade.
Whenever I get the slightest bit of tugging on a blade, I know it is time to change it. The exception to this is when using blades like Wilkinson Sword Classic, 7 O'Clock Super Platinum (black), and Personna Comfort Coated (lab blues) that tend to be somewhat less sharp on the 1st shave, but become significantly sharper after their 1st use. With those blades, I often get tugging on the 1st shave, but leave it to experience a great second shave.
With blades used for the XTG. ATG, and clean-up passes, I seldom experience tugging; there is not enough stubble remaining. At some point, I will start to sense skin irritation as the blade develops micropits or edge misalignment. Then it is time to change the blade.
I can see that. You are probably staying more in the absolute best performance curve for DE blades.
I nearly carved my face off trying for a third shave with a Feather blade in my Ikon Tek the other day. The first and second shaves had been terrific.
When I start to get some bumps on the trouble spot on my neck and extra aftershave burn.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I blade count uses and find the average and every blade is slightly different. Astra SP was my first 100 pc buy and found that after 5-10 blades of used I concluded 5-8 shaves was max on Astra SP blades for a nice DFS> and I just use 6 average as max and toss. Might as well find the sweet spot and enjoy the shave most of the time. Different times of the year beard gets tougher from Dryness (Winter months) and might toss quicker if it is not doing the job. I have lots of blades and even toss at 5 most lately and also use lots SE blades and some of those have excellent life Gem SS PTFE 8-12 so average is 10 shaves and toss, SE AC blades 5-7 uses and toss on 6 max seems a sweet spot. Personna SS PTFE injector SE 8-12 and average for max is 10 and toss regardless.
Kai SS DE blade is a exception because they are pricy and have excellent life I seem to get 9-12 decent shaves so I like to toss around 10 shaves average as max regardless (excellent longevity + extra wide + Sharp & smooth= top tier 5 blades for myself).
Each manufacture has their own formulated blade steel so sharpness might drop off quickly on some blades(Feather) and then there are SE blades that have great longevity yet some do not consider them sharp but the edge gives a person 10 decent shaves has to be sharp with excellent metal edge retention know how!
Some fellows toss a blade after 1st shave and that is a mistake because 2nd & 3rd use are the sharpest the blade is from known experiments using high tech equipment in a laboratory setting and just experience shavers notice those slight changes in blade feel and final shave results.
Kind of long winded on this one
.
Kai SS DE blade is a exception because they are pricy and have excellent life I seem to get 9-12 decent shaves so I like to toss around 10 shaves average as max regardless (excellent longevity + extra wide + Sharp & smooth= top tier 5 blades for myself).
Each manufacture has their own formulated blade steel so sharpness might drop off quickly on some blades(Feather) and then there are SE blades that have great longevity yet some do not consider them sharp but the edge gives a person 10 decent shaves has to be sharp with excellent metal edge retention know how!
Some fellows toss a blade after 1st shave and that is a mistake because 2nd & 3rd use are the sharpest the blade is from known experiments using high tech equipment in a laboratory setting and just experience shavers notice those slight changes in blade feel and final shave results.
Kind of long winded on this one
.
I try to get perfectly comfortable shaves with no alum feedback afterwards. I typically notice a little alum feedback after the 3rd or 4th shave with most of my favorite DE blades. So most of the time I'll toss them after 3. Some blades like the Rapiras I've been using lately only give me 2 really good shaves so I toss them after 2. My technique is pretty solid at this point and I'm confident if I'm getting irritation, it's probably the blade and not my technique.
Depends on your goals and how much time you have. I take it slow and light, multiple passes. I just got a DFS+ on the 59th use of a feather.
I blade count uses and find the average and every blade is slightly different. Astra SP was my first 100 pc buy and found that after 5-10 blades of used I concluded 5-8 shaves was max on Astra SP blades for a nice DFS> and I just use 6 average as max and toss. Might as well find the sweet spot and enjoy the shave most of the time. Different times of the year beard gets tougher from Dryness (Winter months) and might toss quicker if it is not doing the job. I have lots of blades and even toss at 5 most lately and also use lots SE blades and some of those have excellent life Gem SS PTFE 8-12 so average is 10 shaves and toss, SE AC blades 5-7 uses and toss on 6 max seems a sweet spot. Personna SS PTFE injector SE 8-12 and average for max is 10 and toss regardless.
Kai SS DE blade is a exception because they are pricy and have excellent life I seem to get 9-12 decent shaves so I like to toss around 10 shaves average as max regardless (excellent longevity + extra wide + Sharp & smooth= top tier 5 blades for myself).
Each manufacture has their own formulated blade steel so sharpness might drop off quickly on some blades(Feather) and then there are SE blades that have great longevity yet some do not consider them sharp but the edge gives a person 10 decent shaves has to be sharp with excellent metal edge retention know how!
Some fellows toss a blade after 1st shave and that is a mistake because 2nd & 3rd use are the sharpest the blade is from known experiments using high tech equipment in a laboratory setting and just experience shavers notice those slight changes in blade feel and final shave results.
Kind of long winded on this one
SE blades like GEM and injector blades from Personna and Schick or Artist Club are significantly thicker than DE blades. Because they contain more steel, they are more expensive than DE blades. However, the additional thickness produces a more rigid blade that will hold the edge longer.
I often take another razor for every shave. When I come back to a razor I used over a week ago I try to remember how often I used the blade...
Which I usually have forgotten by then.
I think I rarely use blades more than 3-4 times. Many blades are best on their 2nd and 3rd shave. I am quite sure I ditched some blades by accident already on their 2nd use.
Enter forum influence. If someone used a shark whatsoever in a razor and like it, I might just change blades.
I used to have a small plastic rack for used blades but by now I can afford to use fresh blades, plus my collection is already spread over two closets and drawers.
Which I usually have forgotten by then.
I think I rarely use blades more than 3-4 times. Many blades are best on their 2nd and 3rd shave. I am quite sure I ditched some blades by accident already on their 2nd use.
Enter forum influence. If someone used a shark whatsoever in a razor and like it, I might just change blades.
I used to have a small plastic rack for used blades but by now I can afford to use fresh blades, plus my collection is already spread over two closets and drawers.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I believe you are correct and it is also the angle of blade approaching the skin surface + the grind of the blade with more material behind the edge possibly (scalpel edge). I think also that the steel Personna uses for these blades is superior than other manufactures at the moment until the CEO of the company wants more sales with a cheaper steel material and in time will ruin the company that is how finicky todays shavers are and will just move on to a better blade possibly is what I predict if they go this route of greed. They should promote those Personna injector & Gem blades with a few new superior razors that can be easily manufactured these days it seems like their predecessors where able to, Marketing razor blades is a moving target and sometimes you have to innovate because of competition is so awesome.
(old archived photo's of a Gem or injector blades 3 sided facet blade.)
Have some great shaves!
I've never taken a KAI past 4 shaves. 2 head shaves/2 face shaves. Perhaps I'm wasting blades with that one? Shave 4 is still spot on for me. I keep forgetting to push it farther.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
1 Head shave is the equivalent of 2 face shaves because surface area covered I understand, try another 1 or 2 shaves & see what happens with the Kai SS DE blade or are you using the Kai SE blades.
KAI DE. I certainly will, Ron. I'm going to print out your reply and tape it to my bathroom mirror so I can remember.
I use most blades 3x then dispose them. If you shave WTG only you can get far more shaves than that. Many people will say they can feel a blade pull on the hair, but in my case, i don't feel pulling, rather, a dull blade produces a rough sound as you take passes and there is slightly more resistance than using a new blade. For me, the sound changes drastically around shave #4, therefore, i toss my blades after shave #3. This doesn't mean the blade is unusable after shave #3, in fact, its plenty sharp enough to continue to use, but if you're trying to get super close and comfortable, i'm afraid most blades will not deliver past that.
When a blade starts "tugging" it is time for a new blade.
As my prep and shaves improved over time the number of shaves increased with my blades.
Now on average I get:
GEM SE blades: 15-20 shaves
Schick Injector blades: 15-20 shaves
As my prep and shaves improved over time the number of shaves increased with my blades.
Now on average I get:
GEM SE blades: 15-20 shaves
Schick Injector blades: 15-20 shaves
Blades are inexpensive and recyclable, so I don’t understand the need to push them to their limit. Why wait for irritation before switching?
For peak performance, 2 for Feather, 3-5 for most other DEs, depending on the thickness of your beard.
Life’s too short to shave with a dull blade.
For peak performance, 2 for Feather, 3-5 for most other DEs, depending on the thickness of your beard.
Life’s too short to shave with a dull blade.
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