I only use blades once

[Phoenixkh]

I'm one and done with every blade now. I like a fresh blade with every shave.

I get 6 shaves with an AC single edge blade... I stretch my DE blades to two uses... I need to pay closer attention to that second shave... I know I can't get them to three because I've tried. I don't have to pay attention to the third use to know the blades have died.

 

[srgjazz]

I'm one and done with every blade now. I like a fresh blade with every shave.

You and me both.

 

[Ratso]

Not an equivalent analogy. The Scotch will be the same from the first sip to the bottom of the bottle. From my experience blades only get worse with each shave. I know a lot of people have a different experience and that’s fair enough. For me I prefer to shave with a fresh blade.

You’re drinking the wrong spirits.
My gin gets better with every sip.

 

[srgjazz]

You’re drinking the wrong spirits.
My gin gets better with every sip.

I like your style.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Not an equivalent analogy. The Scotch will be the same from the first sip to the bottom of the bottle. From my experience blades only get worse with each shave. I know a lot of people have a different experience and that’s fair enough. For me I prefer to shave with a fresh blade.

This is interesting. Kudos to you for attempting to explain it when others just skip over it, like it's a given.

I would suggest that you are missing out on the true 'character' of the blade if you chuck it one and done. Many blades wildly change in behaviour I have noticed, always for the better.

I'm using a Gillette Plat which I used for shave #1 earlier. Not a crap shave, good, but I know by shave 2-4 it will be superb. After that, binned.

May I ask what blades you use?

I noticed BTW that you were in the US Army in 68-70. Fascinating! Vietnam era.

Respect Sir.

 

[srgjazz]

This is interesting. Kudos to you for attempting to explain it when others just skip over it, like it's a given.

I would suggest that you are missing out on the 'character' of the blade if you chuck it one and done. Many blades wildly change in behaviour I have noticed, always for the better.

I'm using a Gillette Plat which I used for shave #1 earlier. Not a crap shave, good, but I know by shave 2-4 it will be superb. After that, binned.

May I ask what blades you use?

I noticed BTW that you were in the US Army in 68-70. Fascinating! Vietnam era.

Respect Sir.

I use the Gillette Platinum light blue. I have tried on many occasions to get a second shave out of the blade thinking it might get better. Each time I have been disappointed. To me it makes absolutely no sense that a blade manufacturer would intentionally design a product that would be anything less than optimal on first use. As they say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I just ordered some Perma Sharps and will see if they are any different. Maybe it is just psychological but I just don’t care for the idea of using a used blade when I can have a fresh one.
A somewhat loose analogy is that the French would never consider taking home leftovers from a restaurant. It is considered an insult to the chef in that the experience of the meal could never be replicated. I appreciate your thoughts but I do not believe there is anything to be gained by using a blade more than once.

 

[purecro]

Well I am a one and done with the blades. Since I started wet shaving 7 months ago that's the way I have been. I rarely would use blades twice, Kai, and I did not really notice a difference. For example King C's I would use only one time but I liked it that way. Like others have said in this thread, I want a fresh blade for every shave, I just like it better that way. I have tried the vintage blades such as Personna Spc, have liked them, I know they have alot of longevity but I have stocked up on so many different blades that I want to go thru them and try them out so that reason plus wanting a fresh blade for every shave is how I prefer it. For some of the more premium blades I will try to do more than 1 shave and see how it goes. I know I told one person that I am one and done with blades and their facial expression was hilarious!

 

[Alum Ladd]

Well I am a one and done with the blades. Since I started wet shaving 7 months ago that's the way I have been. I rarely would use blades twice, Kai and King C, and I did not really notice a difference. Like others have said in this thread, I want a fresh blade for every shave, I just like it better that way. I have tried the vintage blades such as Personna Spc, have liked them, I know they have alot of longevity but I have stocked up on so many different blades that I want to go thru them and try them out so that reason plus wanting a fresh blade for every shave is how I prefer it. For some of the more premium blades I will try to do more than 1 shave and see how it goes. I know I told one person that I am one and done with blades and their facial expression was hilarious!

The one and done exponents are often terribly missing out on the true capabalities of the blades they use.

Blades sharpen and improve. With many 'platinum' branded blades the coatings are initially quite dense. Usage removes the coating and reveals true blade sharpness, and increasingly, smoothness. The smoothness factor is also found in 'stainless' blades, such as the the GSB. All blades are in fact coated to some extent. The discovery of smoothness will not be found in a single use with many blades. Their true capabilties are several shaves distant to the patient user.

This increasing smoothness and predictability of an edge over several uses is a joy. Picking up on it gives you a feeling of 'mastering' the blade brand and type.

The humble DE blade has a character and a life history of efficiency (or otherwise) which is fascinating and should be explored by the user. They are disposable and relatively cheap, certainly, however many blades are legends. Exploring their characteristics and quirks over several uses develops a respect for the blade.

We should not confuse relative cheapness with a disregard of the inherent qualities of a blade.

Obviously we all are individuals on B&B, in a most marked fashion.

But I must respectfully say I find the approach of one use blade users baffling.

Such Gents I would suggest, are greatly missing out on some excellent blade experiences.

 

[purecro]

The one and done exponents are often terribly missing out on the true capabalities of the blades they use.

Blades sharpen and improve. With many 'platinum' branded blades the coatings are initially quite dense. Usage removes the coating and reveals true blade sharpness, and increasingly, smoothness.

Obviously we all are individuals on B&B, in a most marked fashion.

But I must respectfully say I find the approach of one use blade users baffling.

Such Gents I would suggest, are greatly missing out on some excellent blade experiences.

Yea I understand, I totally do. I have thought about this myself on using a blade more than once and probably will with some of these that I want to try out but have yet. I want to see how much of a difference is there, its also all part of this wet shaving experience.

 

[jason2]

I'm definitely a 20 and done. My blade hit a wall at that point. So I'll stick to the 1st and 15th and done. My grandpa was a rust and done.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Yea I understand, I totally do. I have thought about this myself on using a blade more than once and probably will with some of these that I want to try out but have yet. I want to see how much of a difference is there, its also all part of this wet shaving experience.

Yep, go for it @purecro!

If I used any blade only once, I would probably dislike them all and go back to carts.

The wonder of feeling the change in a Nacet or Plat or many other popular blades over several uses is one of the joys of DE shaving in my opinion!

 

[Tathlum]

A lot of you say that a blade improves once the coating wears off. So my question is why not use the uncoated ones? Personally I like platinum coated blades. Once the coating wears off they don't feel as good.

 

[Alum Ladd]

A lot of you say that a blade improves once the coating wears off. So my question is why not use the uncoated ones? Personally I like platinum coated blades. Once the coating wears off they don't feel as good.

I think ALL blades since the mid-late 60's have been coated in one way or another.

Please anyone, correct me if I'm wrong on that.

So it would seem that most popular and well-like blades improve both in sharpness and in the degree of smoothness experienced with several uses, 'platinums' or stainless.

 

[Tathlum]

I think ALL blades since the mid-late 60's have been coated in one way or another.

You might be right, PTFE I do believe.

 

[anoop]

When I started wet shaving I used to use the blade about 3 shaved on average. Someone who was in the army told me he’d never use a blade a second time, do I started using 1 per day (2 passes). I’ve tried going back to 2 days for each blade but I tend to get bad results on the second shave every now and then and the fall back to a daily change.

 

[DEgeezer]

Yesterday I used a Nacet blade for the sixth 3 pass shave, and honestly didn't experience any deterioration in the Sharpness or smoothness since the first shave.
Although I'm sure I could get a few more comfortable shaves, I'll most likely toss it after 7 or 8 shaves, simply to clean the razor.

 

[know1special]

Every razor blade is slightly different.

Feather blades are super sharp out of the wrapper, but they are quite fragile. After a couple of shaves, they deteriorate to the point they feel harsh on my face.

Some blades start sharp and stay similar in sharpness for several shaves.

Some blades have a thick coating that makes the blades somewhat dull on the first shave. As the coating wears off, the blades become sharper. Then they will start to deteriorate.

Some blades just are not all that sharp, period. However, for those whose beards are not so tough, they may work great.

Thus, it really depends on which blades you are using and what you need in the way of sharpness and smoothness in your blade. If you had mentioned which blades you typically used, I might be able to tell you which category it falls into. The only thing I suggest is that you try a blade for a second shave and see what you like and dislike about the shave. If I used Feather blades, I would have to replace it after the second shave. I have a very tough beard and only get about 4 shaves per blade, but the 1st shave is my least favorite of the four.

The one and done exponents are often terribly missing out on the true capabalities of the blades they use.

Blades sharpen and improve. With many 'platinum' branded blades the coatings are initially quite dense. Usage removes the coating and reveals true blade sharpness, and increasingly, smoothness. The smoothness factor is also found in 'stainless' blades, such as the the GSB. All blades are in fact coated to some extent. The discovery of smoothness will not be found in a single use with many blades. Their true capabilties are several shaves distant to the patient user.

This increasing smoothness and predictability of an edge over several uses is a joy. Picking up on it gives you a feeling of 'mastering' the blade brand and type.

The humble DE blade has a character and a life history of efficiency (or otherwise) which is fascinating and should be explored by the user. They are disposable and relatively cheap, certainly, however many blades are legends. Exploring their characteristics and quirks over several uses develops a respect for the blade.

We should not confuse relative cheapness with a disregard of the inherent qualities of a blade.

Obviously we all are individuals on B&B, in a most marked fashion.

But I must respectfully say I find the approach of one use blade users baffling.

Such Gents I would suggest, are greatly missing out on some excellent blade experiences.

Much wisdom here from brothers @RayClem and @Alum Ladd.

I'll go ahead and add my voice to this chorus. In decades of doing this DE thing I've never encountered a blade that was exactly the same across multiple shaves. They all tend to feel and perform at least slightly, if not massively, different once that first shave is out of the way.

This may be why some folks like to cork their blades right out of the wrapper.

The biggest difference I've noticed seems to be with those blades that have thick and/or multiple coatings that begin to wear off. But even bare metal blades can mellow somewhat and evolve into something appreciably different.

My main blade of choice is the Bic CP and although I usually toss between 4-6 I've done a couple experiments where I've taken it past 40. Along the way it was like using five different blades.

Clearly, it's your prerogative to decide when to toss a blade but I would humbly suggest that by stopping at one shave you're aren't allowing it's true characteristics to emerge.

 

[jcmGT]

Wow. Such extremes. I can appreciate the folks who savor the experience of wet shaving, identifying with a blades life cycle. Similar to using different tools - some prefer power tools to get-r-done now, others prefer doing the task by hand. In my case, I prefer the consistency of a new blade which allows honing of wet shaving to reduce the task time such that I have additional time to enjoy my other hobbies where I may chose old school hand tools for the perceived end quality - it's all personal choice of what you enjoy, where you value your time investment.

 

[purecro]

Well I did it where I did use the Polsilver for a second time. It was good so far so I'll keep it up, my next shave I'll likely use a Personna SPC for its 2nd time.

 

[jcmGT]

Thinking about it - it is a DE blade. I could limit my shave to one edge, then limit the next shave to the second edge. This would require a mark on the razor to reference, then require remembering which side was last used. Nah, too complicated, back to one and done.