I'm new to BIC Chrome Platinum blades. Background: I have a moderate in the middle as far as wisker toughness and density. Ideally, I would shave every day and a half, but two days would be too long, So I'm a daily two pass shaver. I'm using a Muhle R89 and today I had my 8th excellent shave with a BIC Chrome Platinum (I haven't used many different blades but this may become my main squeeze) How many gents have gotten many shaves with the blade, and if so, how many?
Max # Shaves w/Bic Chrome Platinum?
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Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
Managed 37
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So I assume it's your main blade? Box of 100 on hand?
Quite a lot, I used to go a week with 1/2 blade in a Twig. Now I have too many blades that I want to try to commit so long.
I'm a daily two-pass shaver and use the Bic Chrome Platinum for over half of my shaves. I find they take about five shaves to settle in but then shave like a dream for about four weeks. I change mine out every four weeks/28 shaves.
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While I had seven great shaves.. No 8 was Rocky. So I ditched it today
I can't say how many shaves I've gotten out of one, but I do like them.
For me this is quite an understatement. Eight shaves on a Bic blade is just getting started. Perhaps it takes that many to rub off the coatings and get down to the bare blade, which then goes on forever, smooth and sharp.
I haven’t been counting shaves lately, but my current setup is a Bic blade in a Canadian old type. I think I loaded it in April. I missed a few days of shaving, and dabbled a bit with other razors. But it’s been well over 90% with this setup because it is delivering consistently close and enjoyable shaves even now, months on.
I do seem to use blades longer than most people. But Bic is in a class by itself.
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T.Orso, I don't understand coatings. Maybe you or someone can explain them to me. Consensus seems to be that after these coatings wear of (2, sometimes even 3 cotaings). That the blade is actually sharper, because it gets to the base metal I guess. Maybe shave 8 was rough for me because the coatings were coming off.
Today I used BIC blade for the first time. It was a little bit rough in deed, but the outcome is stunning.
I am looking forward to the next shaves.
I am looking forward to the next shaves.
I’m not sure why, it might be coatings wearing off or imperfections being buffed off, but there often is a lot of change in how a blade shaves early in its life. If I push past that, I get to a point where the performance becomes very stable, sharp and smooth, with unnoticeable difference from shave to shave. Depending on the blade this goes on for two or three weeks, before I begin to notice a slow decline in sharpness. I typically dispose of the blade about the time I know from experience the decline is about to begin.
It may not work that way for you, but you might try using a blade a shave or two past a rough shave to find out.
I am no expert.
Looking at some product descriptions from vendors of Bic blades, it seems they have polymer and chrome platinum coatings on a stainless steel blade.
My repeated experience is that my first several shaves with these and other coated blades are when I am most likely to give myself a weeper or minor cut. After that the blade somehow smooths out and there are no more unpleasant surprises.
Is the blade just crazy sharp at first and I actually prefer a slightly dulled blade that is less prone to cut me in a moment of inattention?
Or (here comes my theory) can it be that the surface of a new coated blade is actually less consistent than the bare blade as it was ground before the coatings were applied?
I expect that grinding of edges is exceptionally precise. But then miniscule quantities of coating are added to improve glide, including the expensive element platinum. Is the coating more irregular than the blade? I don’t know if there is any final buffing of the coated edge.
Alot of good info on this site about this very subject:
Razor Blade Evolution - Gillette Adjustable Razors
Gillette Razor Blades in the Adjustable Era UPDATE Research on why razor blades dull from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Aug 6, 2020. Patents have been applied for which will allow for the manufacture of blades which provide more homogeneity by compressing the steel at the blade edge...
gilletteadjustable.com
I've seen that piece before, and one or two other articles that use similar sources (Gillette's own research, or rather, mostly their patent applications), but nobody seems too bothered by the fact that it lacks information on:Alot of good info on this site about this very subject:
Razor Blade Evolution - Gillette Adjustable Razors
Gillette Razor Blades in the Adjustable Era UPDATE Research on why razor blades dull from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Aug 6, 2020. Patents have been applied for which will allow for the manufacture of blades which provide more homogeneity by compressing the steel at the blade edge...
- how adequate hydration is defined,
- how adequate hydration can be achieved,
- how useful coating is with adequately hydrated hair,
- how hair types/thickness affects hydration or the effect of coating and its longevity,
- a few other things I can't quite remember off the top of my head.
I'm not saying it isn't useful, just that there's substantial information missing from it.
Iirc proper hydration requires 3 minutes of contact with water. I have seen that from a few sources including old shaving cream adds.
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