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I dont get blade life

First of all, cartridge blades don't last as long as they say they do. When I shaved with a Mach 3 I would use a cart for about a month. But that was long beyond it's useful life because my shaves would start to go downhill long before that. But they are so expensive that you want to squeeze every drop of value you can out of them. I probably suffered at least a full week of shaves with lots of irritation because of this. With double edge blades, they are literally anywhere from 5 to 50 cents a blade (when bought in bulk), depending upon which blade you are using. So, if you get 2 to 10 shaves out of it you are more than getting your money's worth. I have also found that I can get a much closer shave with a double edge so that I don't have to shave every day and can go every other day if I like.
Well said Mntn Man62. My thoughts are the same on this topic. There’s great economy in using a DE razor and the shaves using one are superior than with using a cartridge razor.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
From memory, cartridges only lasted a fraction of the time that a DE blade serves me. Much of that was to do with clogging. It's many years since I used a cartridge though - back since before they had more than two blades. I got more shaves, more comfortable shaves, significantly less irritation, and at a much lower cost with DE blades. After I'd discovered DE, the only cartridges I used, were razors gifted to me for birthdays or Christmas. I'd use them till I'd used up the supplied blades, then go straight back to DE.
 
Gillette has always made similar claims.
From this 1904-06 Double Ring ad, "... each blade gives from ten to thirty perfect shaves ..."
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The $5 price tag in 1905 translates out to $83 and change in today's dollars, at 2.5% inflation per year.
 
Are we throwing out de blades way too soon? Or is gillette's definition of lifespan grossly exaggerated by them?
Both, probably. Gillettcetera's cartridge-life testing is no doubt done under laboratory conditions and a "shave" is one pass, and I rather expect they don't take into consideration how gross a cartridge can get if it isn't meticulously cleaned out between shaves.

On the other hand, I think some DE shavers' technique is such that it's hard on the blade's edge. At $0.05 a blade rather than $4 a cartridge, it that's what it takes to get the million-dollar-shave, why not? Others, certainly, are inadvertently hard on blades, and as their technique refines, their blade life will increase. In my case, when I discovered that Feather was the blade for me, I laid in quite a supply as a hedge against their being discontinued. I get 14 great shaves out of each and if I shave six times per week, my supply will last until 2073, at which time I would be 112 years old. (I expect me son, who is also a DE shaver, will inherit the remainder of my stock-on-hand long before then.) There is no need for me to push that particular envelope.

What you won't see in Gillettcetera's advertising is an apples-to-apples comparison of cartridges-vs-DE on the basis of the same person using the same interval between shaves, prep, technique, and post-shave razor care.
 
I read many people throw out their de blade after maybe 2-10 shaves on average, right? That is reached its lifespan.

So how come all the cartridge blades like gillette makes say it lasts up to 25 shaves?

Are we throwing out de blades way too soon? Or is gillette's definition of lifespan grossly exaggerated by them?

Or are those cartridge blades substantially and materially different? Or the fact there's 3-5 blades per cartridge make any difference?

Thank you.

I think their claims are exaggerated. Mach 3 blades start to tug after 4-5 shaves for me. A GSB will give me 4-5 comfortable shaves at a fraction of the cost!
 
I used to get 12 shaves from a Gillette Pro Glide and only 6 from Harry’s and DSC. This made Gillette “worth it”. To get this many shaves I was using a good brush and shave soap and was very careful to dry the blade after each use.

With DEs I get anywhere from 5-10 shaves depending on the brand and which razor I’m using them in.
 
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