No. of shaves per blade, how to count?

[Galf]

I keep wondering how people use their DE-razors and decide when it's time to change blades. The thing is, with DE-razors, they have two sides you can use. It's the nature of the beast so to speak. It is probably a personal thing but since I started DE-shaving I specifically use one side of the blade till I think it is time to move over to the other side. Sometimes this is not so easy because I don't posess any razor with indicators to which side I'm using so I have to peak at the lettering of the blade via the underside. If I manage three good shaves from one side but notice some decreasing performance during the last, I move over next time and will use the other side exactly the same way. Always get 6 to 8 shaves from one blade this way!

Unless I'm paranoia about even use of the blades, I cannot imagine to put the razor at random to my face and then confidently decide on its performance.
So far I have not seen any comment on this matter, just people stating that a specific brand or type of blade was good for 'x' number of shaves. Did they use both sides or just one side? How do they know the blade was used evenly?

 

[mdmmd]

I don't know how other people do it but I use both sides in a shave. I'll use one side for a stroke, turn it over and use the other, then rinse and repeat.

 

[smokeydave]

Hi galf
I would not worry to much as the price of a 100 is pretty cheap just use once and throw it in the bin/trash, however im sure someone one here with better knowledge will be more help.

And welcome to b&b the place of endless knowledge

 

[mikemorton]

I shave with one side of blade, then when it's full of foam I flip it round and use the other. When both edges are foam-covered I'll rinse and repeat.

I used to use my blades several times, but am now a bit lazy and just bin them after each shave - which costs me 20p a blade here in the UK.

I also flip-flop between Merkur and Feather blades, Feather being more aggressive.

 

[michiganlover]

I shave with one side of blade, then when it's full of foam I flip it round and use the other. When both edges are foam-covered I'll rinse and repeat.

I think it's pretty standard to use both sides of the razor on every shave. That's how the razor was designed to be used. It's also too much bother to try to somehow keep track of each side.

I typically use a blade for 3-5 shaves, and then ditch it. One could wait until the blade starts to pull before changing it, but I am not that frugal. Five shaves per blade is plenty.

 

[STLMike]

I tend to shave with one side of the blade on one side of my face and then the otherside on the other. Noramally this is just because after one pass the first blade fills up with foam. I tend to count 1 days shave with a blade as 1 shave, regardless of how many passes a particular side of the blade got.

 

[Mick]

I base my decision to change blades on how it is performing during the shave. If I notice it pulling or causing weepers then out it goes and in comes a different blade. I will typically get between 4 and 6 shaves from a DE blade (sometimes as many as 10 shaves on occasion). I get 14 days on a PTFE coated stainless SE blade, and 3 weeks up to a month on a disposable straight razor blade in my Cobra. I replace a blade when it stops performing not at a set number of shaves

I shave with a different razor and blade every day so the blade is removed after each shave as the razor that I used may not come back into rotation for several months.

I store my opened/unwrapped blades on 6 blade papers that are numbered from 1 to 6. As I finish using a blade I will put it on the paper that corresponds to the number of shaves on that blade. As they get used, they move down a number.

This is the only way I can keep track of how many shaves are on 10 +/- blades at a time

 

[cwnidog]

I use one side for WTG, the other for XTG, then back for ATG. If I'm using an adjustable, it's fairly easy to keep track, also I note that I tend to lay my razor down on the just-used side. Like Turtle, I change blades based on performance.

 

[Member357]

I don't know how other people do it but I use both sides in a shave. I'll use one side for a stroke, turn it over and use the other, then rinse and repeat.

Yep! Same here. If it doesn't feel as smooth towards the end of the shave I'll bin it at the end and get a new one next time. Don't think i've ever counted how many shaves I've had from a blade!

 

[dynagroove]

I base my decision to change blades on how it is performing during the shave. If I notice it pulling or causing weepers then out it goes and in comes a different blade. I will typically get between 4 and 6 shaves from a DE blade (sometimes as many as 10 shaves on occasion). I get 14 days on a PTFE coated stainless SE blade, and 3 weeks up to a month on a disposable straight razor blade in my Cobra. I replace a blade when it stops performing not at a set number of shaves

I shave with a different razor and blade every day so the blade is removed after each shave as the razor that I used may not come back into rotation for several months.

I store my opened/unwrapped blades on 6 blade papers that are numbered from 1 to 6. As I finish using a blade I will put it on the paper that corresponds to the number of shaves on that blade. As they get used, they move down a number.

This is the only way I can keep track of how many shaves are on 10 +/- blades at a time

Wow Turtle - that's some system you got there! Even though blades are inexpensive, I like the idea of using them to their designed life. Your method reminds me of saving race slicks for motorcycles in vary degrees of use. From my little time on the forum, I know that you've definitely got more DE razors than the selection of blades in the photo . Do you just grab a blade from the pile and use it in the DE you feel like using that day? Or do you have a mental feeling that blade brand X goes well with DE Y?

 

[Mick]

Do you just grab a blade from the pile and use it in the DE you feel like using that day? Or do you have a mental feeling that blade brand X goes well with DE Y?

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. I use what ever blade I feel I want to use in what ever razor I have chosen for that day. With that many unwrapped blades to choose from it makes it easy. If I get too many blades opened I may pick one brand and shave with it every day until it is time to replace it just so that I can unwrap a different one to start the progression all over again with..

 

[Galf]

Thank you all guys for your ideas and methods. From the next blade onward I'll try try the flip after stroke and see if that convincing enough, I can easily live with my current habit. I was raised by my parents to be as materialistic as I like, but not to throw away stuff (and food) that is still servicable, so that's why I try to get the maximum out of each blade, cost is no issue. (On the other hand, it proves to be necessary not to buy anything I don't need to prevent my house becoming a warehouse...)
@Turtle: that's a very thorough approach! Probably not suitable for me due to other bathroom users. Storing them in the 'man cave' is an option but then I would be running stairs with blades...

 

[dynagroove]

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. I use what ever blade I feel I want to use in what ever razor I have chosen for that day. With that many unwrapped blades to choose from it makes it easy. If I get too many blades opened I may pick one brand and shave with it every day until it is time to replace it just so that I can unwrap a different one to start the progression all over again with..

Thanks for the insight Turtle! I'll get into my own groove one day, but for now, still trying to find the right razor, blade, and most of all - technique!

 

[celestino]

I don't know how other people do it but I use both sides in a shave. I'll use one side for a stroke, turn it over and use the other, then rinse and repeat.

+1 Don't worry so much about how long it will last as most DE blades are very cheap. Most will last you 3-5 shaves. You could keep a record of their use on a small piece of paper or on the blade wrapper.

 

[Firewalker]

This brings up the question of not only 'flipping' the razor to the other side but opening the razor and actually flipping the blade. Derbys have a 1, 2, 3, 4 printed on them, I use them on one side (1, 2) and flip them after a few shaves to the 3,4 side. Is this how its done or does it even matter?

 

[hedonist222]

I've jettisoned myself of this whole fiasco by using a fresh blade every shave.

 

[Rockminer]

I've jettisoned myself of this whole fiasco by using a fresh blade every shave.

I Like your style, don't follow it , but I like it.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

I just used an Astra SP for 6 shaves. I knew the blade couldn't make it through a 7th try.
Each shave seemed fine, until I put a new blade in - what a difference from shave #6! I'd say 3-4 good shaves is all I get from a blade.

 

[Seadooer]

The Astra SP is good for 6 close shaves on my Progress.

 

[santamariasteve]

I base my decision to change blades on how it is performing during the shave. If I notice it pulling or causing weepers then out it goes and in comes a different blade. I will typically get between 4 and 6 shaves from a DE blade (sometimes as many as 10 shaves on occasion). I get 14 days on a PTFE coated stainless SE blade, and 3 weeks up to a month on a disposable straight razor blade in my Cobra. I replace a blade when it stops performing not at a set number of shaves

I shave with a different razor and blade every day so the blade is removed after each shave as the razor that I used may not come back into rotation for several months.

I store my opened/unwrapped blades on 6 blade papers that are numbered from 1 to 6. As I finish using a blade I will put it on the paper that corresponds to the number of shaves on that blade. As they get used, they move down a number.

This is the only way I can keep track of how many shaves are on 10 +/- blades at a time

Brother Turtle,

My instincts tell me you may be a single guy who doesn't share a bathroom with a female. Am I correct?

I can't imagine my wife or my assertive daughters allowing me to have a string of razor blades laid out on the bathroom counter 24/7.

And then there is the issue of the steam of the bathroom affecting the cutting edges of all these blades.

My simple system is to use only the sharpest blade in the better razors (that means Feather blades in vintage Gillettes). I use a blade for 7 days and toss it. I shave on both sides of the razor, and rinse them when both sides are filled with soap and whisker residue. In an earlier lifetime in my 1960's pre-RAD days, I shaved only with one pedestrian Gillette Super Speed. I took a hacksaw and made a tiny mark on one side of the razor so I could keep track of what side I was shaving on. I would shave 4 times on the marked side and 3 times with the unmarked side.

When I was young, foolish and ignorant, I was young, foolish, and ignorant. But I was well-intended!