If that pad truly has any abrasive qualities at all - and I really doubt it, it is conceivable that it may extend cartridge life a little bit. I say this because I used a Sav-A-Blade sharpener dealie on my M3 carts for a little while before I switched to DE, and it actually did something (although it was basically micromesh sandpaper on a flap wheel that hit the blades.
Technically, the blade angle should be set from the factory with a cartridge razor, kind of like the angle a straight should be sharpened at is determined by the bevel. That said, there are still a few problems with this:
1. The blades are probably all sharpened at the same angle, but the angle they are relative to a flat surface is not the same across all five blades, and more likely than not none of them is correctly positioned to be able to maintain the angle the blade was sharpened at in the factory
2. You can't sharpen the back of the blade at all, so you will most certainly end up with a burr (if this even works)
3. The lubricant strip also determines the angle at which the blades will touch your face. this strip breaks down normally, and any time you put an abrasive on it, it breaks down even more rapidly.
Like the Sav-A-Blade I used, if this thing has any abrasive qualities, it will probably do something, but not enough. Maybe a few extra shaves. Not enough to save all that much money.
Technically, the blade angle should be set from the factory with a cartridge razor, kind of like the angle a straight should be sharpened at is determined by the bevel. That said, there are still a few problems with this:
1. The blades are probably all sharpened at the same angle, but the angle they are relative to a flat surface is not the same across all five blades, and more likely than not none of them is correctly positioned to be able to maintain the angle the blade was sharpened at in the factory
2. You can't sharpen the back of the blade at all, so you will most certainly end up with a burr (if this even works)
3. The lubricant strip also determines the angle at which the blades will touch your face. this strip breaks down normally, and any time you put an abrasive on it, it breaks down even more rapidly.
Like the Sav-A-Blade I used, if this thing has any abrasive qualities, it will probably do something, but not enough. Maybe a few extra shaves. Not enough to save all that much money.