When members state something like "I get 5 shaves per brand X blade", does that mean that the member does two to three passes per shave or what?????
Shaves per DE blade
- Thread starter TJKoko
- Start date
Yes. That means they have 5 shaves of however many passes they take per shave.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Some people do one shave with a blade then discard it, there are other members here who get over 100 multi pass shaves.
I have a technique for checking the condition of the blade with a torch (flashlight), and discard when the blade starts reflecting light from a significant portion of the edge. That seems to correspond with the blade feeling uncomfortable for me to use. Different blades last different amounts of shaves before I need to discard them. I don't throw a blade away just because it has reached a certain shave count.
YMMV is the prevailing rule here, and you should establish for yourself how long you are happy to use a blade. There are no wrong answers, whether you shave once with a blade, or get tens of shaves with it.
I have a technique for checking the condition of the blade with a torch (flashlight), and discard when the blade starts reflecting light from a significant portion of the edge. That seems to correspond with the blade feeling uncomfortable for me to use. Different blades last different amounts of shaves before I need to discard them. I don't throw a blade away just because it has reached a certain shave count.
YMMV is the prevailing rule here, and you should establish for yourself how long you are happy to use a blade. There are no wrong answers, whether you shave once with a blade, or get tens of shaves with it.
That's my understanding.
Life's too short for dull blades.
I just swap my blade once a week on the same morning as part of my routine. Sure I could get a few more per blade but $0.10/week is a lot better than cart's at $2.00+/week.. I don't know how people get 20+ shaves out a blade or why u would even want to.
Because part of all this is doing it the way Dad and Granddad did it. If it's still working why not? In our modern throw away society we dispose of things in a way to flippant manner. Probably because we never had to worry about money in the same way they did. We are victims of success.
Because part of all this is doing it the way Dad and Granddad did it. If it's still working why not? In our modern throw away society we dispose of things in a way to flippant manner. Probably because we never had to worry about money in the same way they did. We are victims of success.
I shave directly ATG first pass at around 48 hours growth with a Fatip Grande.
The first pass is a buffing pass. I usually only need one light clean up over 2 swirls on my neck after that pass in the opposite direction. So in total less than 1 1/2 passes. I always shave for a BBS finish.
I recently used a Polsilver to 20 shaves in that fashion then swapped it out for a fresh Gillette Yellow.
Both blades are favorites of mine. The Polsilver on its 4th shave smoothed right out for me and on its 20th shave it was virtually as sharp as the fresh Gillette Yellow and a whole bunch smoother. It was a better blade at 20 shaves than a fresh Gillette Yellow.
Now I have the Yellow loaded I'll take it to at least 20 shaves if I can, and I think it will last longer than that.
I use to only use Polsilver, or any other blades really, to 4 or 5 shaves, but if the blade is still working fine, why throw it away?
The first pass is a buffing pass. I usually only need one light clean up over 2 swirls on my neck after that pass in the opposite direction. So in total less than 1 1/2 passes. I always shave for a BBS finish.
I recently used a Polsilver to 20 shaves in that fashion then swapped it out for a fresh Gillette Yellow.
Both blades are favorites of mine. The Polsilver on its 4th shave smoothed right out for me and on its 20th shave it was virtually as sharp as the fresh Gillette Yellow and a whole bunch smoother. It was a better blade at 20 shaves than a fresh Gillette Yellow.
Now I have the Yellow loaded I'll take it to at least 20 shaves if I can, and I think it will last longer than that.
I use to only use Polsilver, or any other blades really, to 4 or 5 shaves, but if the blade is still working fine, why throw it away?
Since I have 2 razors now, used on alternate days, I change the blades every two weeks, which totals 6 shaves per blade. I usually gas up my car every second Saturday, so that makes a convenient memory marker to swap blades.
Good point. If you're gonna do vintage or retro, do it.
I just got a lot of Polsilver blades and used my first this week. I was curious to see how many uses I could get from the blade. I too am noticing that it seems to get smoother on day 5 (this morning). My initial thought was to toss it after tomorrow's shave, but now I might extend it.....
Good blade, BTW.
The only complaint I really had on shave 20 was on that shave it was a little tuggy. Not bad though, and that was directly ATG at I think 51 hours growth lol. Certainly no fault of the blade.
@Cal used a single Polsilver for 120 shaves.
Excalibur Club - Blade Longevity DE, SE and Injector
Notice how polished the edge has become. He has said the blade actually became sharper as he used it and I dont doubt it.
I used to toss blades after the shaves. Then I pushed it to five. I no longer count and just swap when it's no longer comfortable which usually is around two weeks (but I no longer count).
Put me in the "I don't count" club as well. I've been using the same Gillette Silver Blue in my Super Speed for most of my shaves the past two weeks (at least 8-10 shaves), and it's still going strong. I find that they start to get a little rough around shave 4-5, but then they smooth out and are very comfortable again for quite some time.
I change blades every time I change my razor. I can stand shaving with the same razor about 3-4 days in a row and then my wanderlust kicks in. I've done enough experimenting with different brands to have 4 brands that work for me very consistently and that I have a good supply.
@TJKoko has a point.
I also wonder what each person means by "# of shaves" but I presume that it is 2-3 passes for normal shaves.
In my case, my preferred shave is WTG + 2each XTG on the cheeks (ear to nose then nose to ear) + WTG and ATG on my jawline + ATG on my neck.
I call that a 3 pass shave.
I don't always track shaves per blade but my recent Rapira was tuggy from the start so, after 3 shaves, I switched to a Personna Blue.
That blade gave me at least 10 shaves and could have gone a bit more, I think, but I traded it out.
My current Rapira is a peach of a blade and has, so far given me 5 smooth shaves.
YMMV and YBladeMV, too.
I also wonder what each person means by "# of shaves" but I presume that it is 2-3 passes for normal shaves.
In my case, my preferred shave is WTG + 2each XTG on the cheeks (ear to nose then nose to ear) + WTG and ATG on my jawline + ATG on my neck.
I call that a 3 pass shave.
I don't always track shaves per blade but my recent Rapira was tuggy from the start so, after 3 shaves, I switched to a Personna Blue.
That blade gave me at least 10 shaves and could have gone a bit more, I think, but I traded it out.
My current Rapira is a peach of a blade and has, so far given me 5 smooth shaves.
YMMV and YBladeMV, too.
I do two pass shaves and typically get between 24-30 shaves per blade on Gillette Silver Blue and Astra SP's. I may or may not get as many with other blades. So up to 60 passes. I haven't really pushed beyond 30-31 with anything.
I rotate three razors, using each for a week changing on Saturday's. I don't move the blade. Right now the Flare Tip has a GSB, the Black Handle a Astra SP and the Slim a GSB. Saturday I will change to the Black Handle.
I rotate three razors, using each for a week changing on Saturday's. I don't move the blade. Right now the Flare Tip has a GSB, the Black Handle a Astra SP and the Slim a GSB. Saturday I will change to the Black Handle.
I use Gillette 7 O'Clock Green from Russia. I always do a four-pass shave each morning (WTG, ATG, XTG right, XTG left). I get four shaves per blade using this routine. I do two shaves with the "1-2" side of the blade, then flip it and do two shaves with the "3-4" side.
How? With a well used blade, high quality lather and a good angle with the razor are a must. Some older blades seem to work better in aggressive razors over milder ones as well.
Why do it? It's not being ultra frugal, most prefer the feel over a brand new blade. While an older blade often feels buttery smooth, I find that brand new ones feel rough in comparison.
At the end of the day, do whatever works for you but if you ever get the urge to try it, I hope it works out for you!
I remember using a blade that many times, but I got some pretty crappy shaves out of the deal. I was young and didn't know better.
Now after coming back to shaving with a DE razor, I'll never use a blade for more than one week. And I'll change a blade after it starts to tug. Not many blades last longer than 5 days, most get tossed after shave #3.
Exactly. I buy the blades in packs of 100 for about $16, so each blade is costing me $0.16. What's the point of trying to milk that? Would those same people pick up $0.16 if they saw it laying on the sidewalk?
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Why would you want to throw a blade away after 4 shaves if it will do 20 with no irritation?
The people who get longer shave
counts aren't enduring a succession of bad shaves to get them. They aren't "trying to milk it", they just aren't throwing the blade away until it's stopped cutting efficiently. A good analogy that I heard on here was throwing away a blade early, was like throwing out a bottle of ketchup because you'd used it 5 times already, rather than waiting for the bottle to be empty.
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