Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
I am starting this thread to both share my own experiences prolonging the life of my blades and to see how others achieve some of the insane shave numbers with a single blade.
This is not a discussion of why you should prolong the life of a blade, I know they only cost cents and some people use a blade for a certain number of shaves before binning it.
First things first it is largely about technique, when I started out I would get maybe 4 shaves from a Derby Extra and maybe 6 from an Astra SP. Nowadays I can get around 20-24 from an Astra which is all down to the improvement in my shaving technique.
The blade itself is very important, I have between 55 and 60 different blades I am working through at the moment noting the ones that last for me. As with anything in this hobby YMMV and my favourite blades (Personna Plat & Med-Prep, Gillette Plat, Bic, KCG and Schick) won't necessarily work as well for you.
Razors are important, I generally start with a mild razor like my R89 and see how many shaves I can get until the efficiency drops to an unacceptable level. Once I reach that I opt for a more efficient razor like the Rockwell 6C or the Rocca R94 and keep going until I reach my most efficient razors like the R41.
Soap can help prolong blade life, by using my slickest soaps not only do I get a better quality shave, but it prolongs blade life. Some of my favourites would be SV, MdC, ZM and for cheaper options MWF and Tabac.
Finally I take the blade out and clean it with running water before patting it dry and carefully storing it in the paper.
These steps seem to have made a difference to the number of shaves I can get out of a blade and I hope that it may act as a place people can get advice on this topic.
This is not a discussion of why you should prolong the life of a blade, I know they only cost cents and some people use a blade for a certain number of shaves before binning it.
First things first it is largely about technique, when I started out I would get maybe 4 shaves from a Derby Extra and maybe 6 from an Astra SP. Nowadays I can get around 20-24 from an Astra which is all down to the improvement in my shaving technique.
The blade itself is very important, I have between 55 and 60 different blades I am working through at the moment noting the ones that last for me. As with anything in this hobby YMMV and my favourite blades (Personna Plat & Med-Prep, Gillette Plat, Bic, KCG and Schick) won't necessarily work as well for you.
Razors are important, I generally start with a mild razor like my R89 and see how many shaves I can get until the efficiency drops to an unacceptable level. Once I reach that I opt for a more efficient razor like the Rockwell 6C or the Rocca R94 and keep going until I reach my most efficient razors like the R41.
Soap can help prolong blade life, by using my slickest soaps not only do I get a better quality shave, but it prolongs blade life. Some of my favourites would be SV, MdC, ZM and for cheaper options MWF and Tabac.
Finally I take the blade out and clean it with running water before patting it dry and carefully storing it in the paper.
These steps seem to have made a difference to the number of shaves I can get out of a blade and I hope that it may act as a place people can get advice on this topic.