should i remove blades between shaves?

[themilkman]

hi all,

i am still new to this game and was wondering what i should do with blades between shaves? should i just keep them in the razor till the next shave or take them out to ensure they dry properly?

thanks

 

[Wingnut]

Although there are no hard and fast rules about this, the consensus seems to be that just keeping the blade in your razor after shaving is just fine. After all, the most you'll probably keep any single blade in there is about a week, right? Most folks replace their blade after 3-4 shaves, so even if they just air dry their razor with the blade in it, there will be hardly time enough to start corrosion on a SS blade.

That said, there are others (like myself) who remove the blade after shaving with it, pat it dry on a towel, and then replace it. Still others swish their razor in some rubbing alcohol and let it air dry on the theory that the alcohol will displace the water and then evaporate.

All this is the long way of saying "Do what makes you feel comfortable." Please, though, for your own safety if you do remove a blade BE CAREFUL!

 

[Jwolf24601]

I only remove my carbon steel blades. The stainless ones I leave in there.

 

[IronBark]

I'm sure that there are lots of methods that people use to ensure that the blade doesn't beging to corode too badly over the life of the razor. I replace my blade after 3-4 days therefore I don't spend too much time on drying the blade but I don't leave it without drying either because it will start to show visible signs of rust after a couple of days.

I take the blade out and pat it dry on my towel once on each side , then give the razor a good flick dry, replace the blade and leave it in a stand with the barn-doors still open.

This works for me and keeps the blade in good condition for the further 2-3 days before I replace it.

 

[mdunn]

i always just left them in there

 

[gaping46and2]

I've recently been half-way unscrewing the head of the razor and blowing inbetween the blade and the head to get out and bits of water out, and then hanging it up still half unscrewed to dry. I have no idea if it's actually doing anygood, but I've been able to get another shave or two from the blade since I've tried doing this. YMMV, of course.

 

[instpasr]

I just leave the blade in place and have never had a problem.

 

[DE Shaver]

It's up to you but unless you have a corrosion problem with razor blades in the razor, I wouldn't remove them. Excessive handling of blades can result in inadvertent damage to the blade edge or a cut finger.

 

[shavervinnie]

Leave 'em in there. They're cheap, resilient to corrosion, and the less they're handled the better. Most blades should be ditched after about 4 or 5 shaves max. Why push the useful life when they're such a good value to begin with?
Even the "higher" priced blades are still a bargain.

 

[jgkeegan]

I leave it in the razor for three days (three shaves). I do rinse thoroughly each day and pat the razor dry on a towel. Then I toss the blade and clean the razor.

 

[SafetyRazorDave]

I take it out after every shave to pat it dry, but then I put it back in until next shave. So yes, I basically leave the blade in the razor.

 

[Legion]

In the old days (I'm talking the pamphlets that came with double and single rings here) they used to tell you to remove the blade, pat it dry, and then put it aside until the next shave. These days most blades are stain resistant steel so I don't think it is an issue, unless you are not going to use the razor again for a long time. I just rinse my razor, give it a couple of shakes to dry it, and put it aside until next time, blade intact.

 

[mblakele]

I take it out after every shave to pat it dry, but then I put it back in until next shave. So yes, I basically leave the blade in the razor.

Dave, how many shaves do you get from a blade? Which blades do you prefer?

 

[SafetyRazorDave]

Dave, how many shaves do you get from a blade? Which blades do you prefer?

I'm just recently getting back into DE shaving after taking a break from it for about a year and a half (was using a straight razor then), so I'm needing the experiment a little with blades again. The blades that I also got a good shave from with no irritation are the Red Pack Personnas. I used to really like the Swedish Gillettes (but I don't think they're in production anymore). Lately I've taken a bit of a liking to Feathers, but find they take a lighter touch to avoid irritation for my sensitive skin. I have a feeling I will be going back to the Personnas though as they are cheap and are always kind to my face.

 

[dpm802]

I change my blade after 2 shaves, regardless of brand.

In between shaves, I just rinse it under running water, and blow off the excess.

I drop my used (wet) blades into a glass jar. Just checked the jar, and there's no signs of rust on any of the blades in there.

 

[Deliverator]

I've recently been half-way unscrewing the head of the razor and blowing inbetween the blade and the head to get out and bits of water out, and then hanging it up still half unscrewed to dry. I have no idea if it's actually doing anygood, but I've been able to get another shave or two from the blade since I've tried doing this. YMMV, of course.

I do this too. I also don't know if it works, and of course you can't do it if you aren't using a TTO, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something to get the blade to dry faster.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Any time you touch a blade you risk either cutting yourself or dulling the edge a bit, so I never touch one until I'm ready to toss it.

 

[Confilo]

keep it there

 

[Zarniwoop]

I like to take the blade out. Blot it on both sides and put it back in the shaver on the reverse side. Using this method I tend to get about a week out of a blade.

This seems to work, based on the principle that a DE razor has 4 sides right left along with top and bottom.

 

[Scott0079]

Leave it in: rinse, shake,done.