Switching from Mild to Aggressive Razor as Blade Dulls

[never-stop-learning]

I believe that any blade must always be super sharp regardless of the agressiveness of the razor. That said, what only works for me are very mild DEs, again coupled with an extremely sharp blade.

I agree with my esteemed friend, @Marco.

My blade protocols (approximate):

• Feather DE blades: 3 shaves.
• Other DE blades: 5 - 6 shaves.
• AC blades: 9 - 11 shaves.
• GEM blades: 10 - 12 shaves.

My goal is to replace the blade before I have a crappy shave.

 

[Swank]

I've heard of stropping a DE blade on a piece of denim but I haven't tried it yet. That might extend life.

 

[Labrecque24]

Adding to the discussion....

I read somewhere that rinsing your razor in alcohol should help by:

1. Displacing the water from the blade (reduce corrosion) and
2. Sanitizing the blade and razor.

I grabbed a clean mason jar and filled it about 3/4 full with 90% alcohol.

When I'm done with a shave I give the razor a good rinse, then dunk the head.
Let the excess alcohol drain back into the mason jar and hang the razor to dry.

So far so good.

I wait until the next shave if I want to flip the blade, or swap to a different razor.

Anyone else do anything like this???

 

[Eshebert]

It’s not worth arguing because it’s a person preference for the feel of the blade on your own face. I have shifting morality when I comes to my blade useage . I don’t want to be wasteful but I also don’t want a **** poor shave. I know my personal limitation. I can only use a derby once, and Astra twice. I can push it to 4-5 shaves with a Naset, Silver Blue or a feather. Can I push them farther, yes, but I won’t. I don’t enjoy the bits and burns.

 

[RayClem]

But surely they need removing anyway to give the razor a quick clean after each use? I tend to wash, blow dry then balance my used blade ontop of my muhle porcelain blade bank as it's got a nice curve on the top which means any remaining water can pass away and it's easy to pick up next time. I'm also one for starting a new blade in a milder razor.

The only time I ever remove a blade from a razor is when it is time to replace it. If you are using carbon steel blades, they can rust if left in the razor, but that is not an issue with stainless blades. I have more razors than I use on a daily basis. I have left blades in them for weeks on end and never seen any rust. If you are using carbon blades, it is probably best to use a new one with each shave as they deteriorate quite rapidly.

If you remove a blade from a razor, there is a slight chance of cutting yourself. However, the primary reason not to remove the blade is that the edge is super thin and fragile and can easily be damaged by anything your use to clean and dry it. Thus, I have never considered doing it and never will.

 

[Swank]

This is

Adding to the discussion....

I read somewhere that rinsing your razor in alcohol should help by:

1. Displacing the water from the blade (reduce corrosion) and
2. Sanitizing the blade and razor.

I grabbed a clean mason jar and filled it about 3/4 full with 90% alcohol.

When I'm done with a shave I give the razor a good rinse, then dunk the head.
Let the excess alcohol drain back into the mason jar and hang the razor to dry.

So far so good.

I wait until the next shave if I want to flip the blade, or swap to a different razor.

Anyone else do anything like this???

This is what I do. I have iso alcohol in a jar and give it a swish. It doesn't stop soap scum from building up. I wish it did. I forget why I started doing this and now it's just a habit. I don't flip my blades though. Tried that once, cut myself to shreds.

 

[frbock]

Can I just point out that the blade is only about $0.10, and if you put in a fresh blade every day, it'd be $36.50 a year. I got about 3 good shaves off a blade, so I'd be down to $12 a year. If I did all the swapping and got it to 6 good shaves, I'd be saving $6.00 per year. I'll skip a coffee every 4 months and get the same savings.

 

[Brutus]

I would think a dull blade will not cut better no matter the change in angle or exposure.

+1

The analogy that springs to my mind:
It is about as useful as changing a flat tire to a different car.
You still have to do the work of changing, but it does nothing to address the underlying problem.


Regarding the OP’s practice to remove blades daily; everyone can do what he wants, but I fail to see how a stainless steel blade should promote rust in a razor that was designed to keep blades in place for their entire useful live and is made from materials that does not rust (unless the OP has found some sort of carbon steel razor).



B.