Every single shave. The luxury of a fresh blade every shave is why I got into this.
New Blade - How Often Do you Change?
- Thread starter FreeBlues
- Start date
cheap blades that I have over-stocked that are worth 5cents each, tossed after single use (2-3 passes). If using a more expensive blade i'll use them until not comfortable, which ends up being about 2-3 shaves.
There is no formula when you "should" replace a blade. Shave and observe results. It can be 1 it can be 15.
+1
There is a search function on the forum. At least 5 threads with your question.
AimlessWanderer
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I typically get 10 to 14 shaves per blade, but there are a few which go further.
12 passes for me. I keep track of shaves with a die and found that I got 4-5 weepers a year - all on the 15th pass (last pass, 5th day of three pass shaves). So I change the blade before I get there.
Thank you for mentioning this. I was thinking about making a little abacus device with rings I could move to the other side after each shave. I would need to rob a board game to find a die, and that would be a problem when we want to play the game one day, but the die has become lost. So, I made my own die from 3/4 inch square tubing with 18 gauge steel welded on the ends. I polished it with a flap disc.
I change blades for two reasons:
#1. When I feel any ‘tugging.’
#2. When I just want a change.
My top tier blades generally go for 7+ close, comfortable shaves, sometimes 10+.
#1. When I feel any ‘tugging.’
#2. When I just want a change.
My top tier blades generally go for 7+ close, comfortable shaves, sometimes 10+.
I used to get 30 shaves from a sensor.
So when I started shaving with double edged razor I ASSUMED that was the right way to go.
I can now do better because I am using better soap and beard mapping is better.
Some blades I have to skin stretch at the back of jaw others I do not.
I also have several razors. I start sharp blades in a Gillette Tech and move to Gillette NEW and then to another razor.
Shower shaving, or letting noxema soak while I am drinking coffee can vastly increase number of shaves per blade.
So when I started shaving with double edged razor I ASSUMED that was the right way to go.
I can now do better because I am using better soap and beard mapping is better.
Some blades I have to skin stretch at the back of jaw others I do not.
I also have several razors. I start sharp blades in a Gillette Tech and move to Gillette NEW and then to another razor.
Shower shaving, or letting noxema soak while I am drinking coffee can vastly increase number of shaves per blade.
Depends how you design your shave. I am doing blade trials again and trying the sharpest blades only. In the perfect world for me three uses. 1st use BBS. 2nd use DFS+. 3rd use DFS. I am a single pass face and head shaver. I do not do very much buffing. I will not push a blade. I accept what the blade offers in sharpness and smoothness and move on. I binned a Perm-Sharp blade after 1st use. The blade delivered a DFS shave but was slightly harsh, not acceptable for me. I read one gent going for fifty shaves on his Perma-Sharp. The amount of use can only be determined by you. The razor, Technique, Lather, Brush all contribute to your outcome. The results are different for two dudes using the same kit. The same blade will not necessarily perform the same way in different razors for you. I could not use a Feather Blade when I started out. I get a very smooth BBS+ with a Feather 1st use. Second is harsher than I like and I won’t go two shaves on that blade. Until my technique was solid most blades felt the same to me. Now each blade feels distinctively different to me. Try as many blades as you can. You are the only one who can make a judgment after trying out a blade. Any blade I try will give me a DFS. I look for a little more. Some gents look for much more.
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Depends on the blade. My go to 7 O'clock Super Stainless I usually ditch it after a week. I treat carbon steel blades as 1 and done.
I only use blades that last 5x3-pass shaves.
It's a shame that people throw away blades after the first shave or two. I often get the best shaves after the first couple of days.
It's a shame that people throw away blades after the first shave or two. I often get the best shaves after the first couple of days.
I change the blade when it begins to feel dull and tugs during the shave. For me with DE blades that is usually somewhere between 5- 8 shaves but sometimes sooner and sometimes later.
I can get up to 6 but it depends on how long I went between shaves. Shaving at 2-3 day intervals up to 6 shaves per, shaving 6-7 day intervals it is tough on the blade and can maybe get 3-4 per blade.
I prefer Astra SPs, and usually replace them after 10 shaves, whether they need it or not.
When I experimented, I found an Astra SP to be perfectly good to 14, but not to 21; it got undeniably bad around #19.
That was a sample size of 1 person 1 blade, so take it with a pinch of salt.
They usually "still feel OK" when I replace them, but that's exactly what I used to say about Mach 3 cartridges, after a month. Then, when I installed my new one, I was amazed at how much better it felt. I had "boiled a frog", and the frog was me, not the cartridge.
For me it depends on the razor and the blade combo. With milder razors, I get many more shaves. For example, with a Feather AS-D2 razor, I can get up to 12 shaves with a Feather blade. With that same blade in a RR Wunderbar razor I got only two shaves with a Feather. However, for some reason, Personna Labs and Med Preps give me more shaves than most other blades - no matter what razor I put them in. With that said, I never have a hard and fast rule on changing blades. I just wait until they are not giving me a smooth shave.
Depends on blade & razor and on how much stubble you are taking of, personally I shave 2 or 3 times a week and usually change the blade every other week so approximately 5/6 shaves a blade
Definitely depends on the blade. Wizamets I will take to 5 or 6. Most others about 3
My blades get changed when they’re not cutting very well. Or are feeling rough. Except for the Rapiras which do not give a lot of shaves I am can get 10 or more shaves from all the rest. A little tugging encountered does not stop me from finishing the shave. I just hack through the beard in my usual fashion. Many gents here toss a blade then but I push mine to the limit. And the results are always a BBS finish. Yes I am a frugal shaver. 
Razorhead
Razorhead
