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Tracking the number on a blade

I've noticed that people here seem to know how many shaves they have on each blade. For example, on one thread the poster noted that he was able to get 7 3-pass shaves out of a blade while shaving with a day or 2 of rest between.

Do you guys keep a shave log and serialize your blades or something?

Right now I'm "in training" using Bic Sensitive disposables and toss them if I use them 2X (I know cause I see crap on it when I take the cap off). In a few days I should have received the LORD DE I got off ebay with a razor sample pack.
 
It is all trial and error until you find your own golden shave. I used Derby's for 5 days straight, but now I use feathers for only three days then toss em. If I only shave 6 times per week then I know I need to throw away the blade before my Thursday AM shave.
 
I use a blade 3 times and then change, whether it needs it or not. I keep track in my head, so sometimes I might lose count.
 
i use a whiteboard marker to put reminders to myself on my bathroom mirror (it wipes right off).

You could do a little tally in a corner of how many shaves a blade has had
 
I change the blade on fixed days of the week. Currently on a schedule of: new blade (Gillette "Swede") on Monday - use for 10 days - new blade (Iridium Super) on Thursday - use for 4 days. Then it's a Monday again: repeat.
 
I go until I notice the slghtest bit of irritation, then change out.

I notice it is relative to what I use to shave with; soap/cream, blade choice, a day between shaves and so on.
 
To the OP, about a technique to keep track of shave number on a blade. I don't claim to do this myself, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

I'm a craps dealer in a casino as a side-job. We use a single dice for the stickman to keep track of how many rolls the shooter has had. I would think that you could easily take a single six-sided dice, and put it next to your razor, keep changing the number shown on top to represent the shave number of the blade.

Voila, problem solved....and it'll be fun too!

--steve
 
I'm amazed that lots of you only get three shaves from a blade! I never count accurately but it's usually at least five or six. I change when it start feeling rough, simple as that. None of this change if it needs it or not!
 
To the OP, about a technique to keep track of shave number on a blade. I don't claim to do this myself, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

I'm a craps dealer in a casino as a side-job. We use a single dice for the stickman to keep track of how many rolls the shooter has had. I would think that you could easily take a single six-sided dice, and put it next to your razor, keep changing the number shown on top to represent the shave number of the blade.

Voila, problem solved....and it'll be fun too!

--steve

Good idea, 'cept it shall be disturbed.
 
For some reason I'm reminded of the old SNL skit where Phil Hartman played the anal-retentive carpenter.....

I'm sure you could keep a special "shave log", where you recorded not only the number of passes, but also the number of strokes in each pass, and which side of the blade you used for each. Or, alternatively, you could send your blades off for microscopic analysis after you've used them a couple of times - and then wait for the report to come back, to let you know how many more "safe" shaves you can expect.

Of course, I'm only half kidding about the last one. I used to participate in a motorcycle forum, where some people would actually send little samples of their oil of for "analysis" to let them know how many more miles they could go without changing their oil. The "oil analysis" cost $55 - and an oil change cost (at my dealership) $45. Anybody see the flaw in the reasoning here?

If you want a really simple way of keeping track, pick one (or two) day in the week when you regularly change the blade. Make it Sunday, so you can head off to Church with an extra smooth face. Or, do as I do, change it whenever I feel like it is the right thing to do.
 

Luc

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i use a whiteboard marker to put reminders to myself on my bathroom mirror (it wipes right off).

You could do a little tally in a corner of how many shaves a blade has had

:lol: That's funny Dunny, is that why you switched to straights? :lol:

I usually remember how much shaves I did... General rule of thumb is 3 shaves, if I feel that I can push the blade a bit more I will. I get 5 shaves sometimes

All of those are 3 passes shaves.
 
I do 4 shaves with a Derby unless it is a bad blade.

To keep an accurate count, I have made my own version of an abacus. I tied a clear string between two poles on my shave den shelf next to the bathroom sink. I strung 5 beads on the string and have them all over on one side. Every shave I slide one of the beads to the other side to keep track of how many shaves I have on the blade. When I change to a new blade I slide them all back over to the starting side and the process continues.
 
Of course, I'm only half kidding about the last one. I used to participate in a motorcycle forum, where some people would actually send little samples of their oil of for "analysis" to let them know how many more miles they could go without changing their oil. The "oil analysis" cost $55 - and an oil change cost (at my dealership) $45. Anybody see the flaw in the reasoning here?

Are we on the same forums? Car guys do that too. Don't start with the "best oil" debates...
 
I just use a blade until it doesn't feel right and then change it. Sometimes it just a few seconds after changing blades. I have a bunch of a brand that shall remain nameless, and on more than one occasion I've made a single stroke with one of them and tossed it immediately. I also listen to the blade when I'm shaving; a really sharp blade will make almost no noise when your shaving with it.
 
I can honestly say that the few bad experiences I've had in my wet-shaving career have been a direct result of trying to squeeze one more shave out of a blade I shouldn't have. I do hand strop my SE blade before every shave but even so I decided to take the guess work out of it and simply change the blade every Saturday. This gives me seven shaves per blade. I use only one blade and share it between the various razors in my rotation for that week.

The double edge is a bit harder to nail down. As I use it only for my head, it's really rather difficult to keep track of how many shaves it has on it as I don't shave my head daily. At best I'll shave it a couple times a week and it is not uncommon for me to go a couple weeks without shaving my head. This one is more the old fashioned way, use it until it starts to tug and shave like crap then replace the blade. I would suspect on the double edge though that is probably 3-4 shaves
 
I currently use an umpire's ball/strike indicator to track blade use. It counts blade use for three razors at a time, so I can rotate and still keep it straight. I hadn't thought of using dice, and I like that idea for one razor. But I like using a different razor whenever it suits my mood, and I think multiple dice would confuse me.

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I have also used small rubber bands, like those used on orthodontic braces. I would put one at the top, and move it to the middle, then the bottom of my razor's handle to signify the number of shaves on the blade.

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I always toss a DE blade after three uses. I could probably get five. But sometimes I make two passes, sometimes four. I'd rather not have to keep up with all that, so I just resign myself to retiring some blades before I've gotten maximum usage. Consequently, it's been a long time since I could blame a sub-par shave on my blade.
 
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