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I dont get blade life

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 never had 25 shaves from a DE or cartridge razor. I can usually go two weeks with a DE blade. If I recall correctly, I would go about a week with a cartridge, but I could be wrong since it has been years. I only get rid of a blade when it isn’t cutting comfortably.

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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.
 
Some people use DE blades for a long time as well. It really depends on the user and how long they feel it is given them a good shave. I remember one guy saying he had been using the same cartridge for months and he dried it with a hair dryer after each use. I started replacing my DE blades more often because I like shaving with a fresh blade.
 
I have just about shaved every day of my life and when I used carts it would last me about a week before it was too uncomfortable. With DE razors its a little longer with some blades and about the same with others. Average 10 full shaves.
 
I've got 17 shaves on the Mach 3 cartridge I've been using...my first use of a Mach 3 razor. I've heard people getting a month's worth of shaves out of one.

My average for DE blades is around 14, but I've gone higher.
 
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.

When I started shaving, I wasn't shaving every day, and got more than a week out of a Schick Injector. At some point after going to cartridges, I made them last as long as possible. Before I went back to SE and tried DE, I'd change out a cartridge when I started getting hair bumps. Since SE and DE blades are cheaper than cartridges, there's no reason to endure a poor shave until you just can't stand it anymore. I could probably push a Schick Injector blade past a week, but haven't tried. The last time I tried a cartridge, noticed I just don't tolerate extended use like I once did.
 
I can get 15 or so comfortable shaves with an injector blade, 10 or so on most of my DE and SE blades. I can get more from each, but the smoothness drops off by that time. I’ll toss them early as they’re way cheaper than cartridge blades.

I would get 10 shaves on a Gillette fusion, but would push them to 15 due to the price.

Cost per shave, DEs, injectors and SE blades are a bargain compared to cartridges.
 
For me, a Mach 3 cartridge would really last about a week of shaves. I could certainly use it longer than that, and I often would just because they were so expensive. Problem is, that's when the ingrown hairs would start.

I believe Gillette's stated cartridge lifetime is just marketing and they have covered themselves by indicating that the blades are "engineered to last 15 close comfortable shaves." So while 15 shaves is Gillette's plan, I would get maybe 6 before I started to have real trouble that would show up a few days later.
 
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.

This sums up my thoughts exactly.
 

never-stop-learning

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My goal is to change the blade one shave BEFORE it's dead. ;)

In reality, the most I'll let a blade go is 7 shaves. Blades are inexpensive and my face is valuable - to me, at least. ;)
 
I believe the quality of the steel and coatings used in DE blade varies a lot, and it probably does with cartridge razors, too, making it hard to compare one with the other. A few DE blades I've used were a bit rubbish on the first shave, and went downhill from there.
 
I change my blades once they become uncomfortable or ineffective, which ever comes first. I normally use Gillette 7 O'Clock Black and I average 30 three pass shaves per blade. When I used Fusion carts, I'd easily get 30 days out of one, but I was a one pass shaver back then.
 
are the are the blades used in a multi blade cartridge razor like a fusion or Mach 3 the same material and thickness as a standard de blade?
 
are the are the blades used in a multi blade cartridge razor like a fusion or Mach 3 the same material and thickness as a standard de blade?

Gillette will never tell if they use their latest technology for DE blades and why would they? They are in business to make $$ and getting you to use the latest multi blade gizmo is their meal ticket. Does Ford make money selling bare bones F-150's?
 

:D

Gillette’s market share losses also come as it battles a retro razor craze. Men’s publications have urged readers to pull out their grandfather’s old razors, which use a single, inexpensive razor blade. “First off, shaving with straight razors makes you seem like a badass,” says Brett McKay, who founded men’s blog The Art of Manliness and shaves with his grandfather’s 1960s Schick safety razor. “But second, it’s a better value. You buy a razor once, you keep it sharp, and you never have to buy cartridges again.”

Reliable market share numbers don’t exist for retro shavers, but not only have GQ, Esquire, and Details featured the products, more than 45,000 members of the online forum Badger & Blade post daily about shaving with century-old razors.
 
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