What is your goal blade stash?

[albsat]

Hello all,

I have simplified my hardware and software usage during the last 2 years.

I find that I use tabac soap mostly and sometimes I use palmolive one or a cream. Since I put my aftershave in spruce bottle, I find that one of two As last for a year too. I use mainly Rockwell 6s and I rotate randomly just for fun. I use 2 synthetic brushes and I have 10 in total from all kind of hair types that I could use if I decide to. I have soaps and As not used in years.

I counted the blades I have, after buying 60 Astra blades and I found out I had about 300 blades as a stash. I was surprised. I think I used 25 blades per year (a blade for 2 weeks). I have found out that I can use the worst blade for 3 shaves at least (unknown Chinese blades).

300 blades were too many for me and I don't belive that there are bad blades either.

I think that anyone in this forum has more than it needs at least for 5 years. How do you manage your stash? Do you just buy blades based on impulse ? Do you have a goal or you just feel good to buy and post for being part of the community here?

Glad to hear your motivations especially on blade purchases.

 

[Goblin]

I probably have around 400 of blades I deliberately bought in quantities between 30-100, and another 100 or so of random tucks purchased just for sampling.

Compared to many folks here, that is a pathetically small blade stash!

 

[Wogus]

I have my shaving supplies dialed in with go-to blades (2), of which I have about 150 in total. When I get low on one, or the other, I'll buy more. I know both blades work really well for me and are readily obtainable. Same goes soaps (3), razors (2), etc. I know what works for me and I rotate things as the spirit moves me.

I don't like accumulating in general, really. At some point having too much stuff starts giving me a mild, generalized anxiety.

So, no real stash, no real goals.

 

[Dtownvino]

2000 Persona made in Israel Platinums “Israeli Reds”

 

[VerbaVolant]

Yeah, my goal is to have enough blades for the next 250 years. I am proud to report that I have reached that goal.
I don't manage my stash. It's the opposite, stash is the manager.
Impulse? Neah, it is all methodical and deliberate.
Feeling good about it? No kidding, they don't call it retail therapy for nothing.

I hope that covers it.

 

[kaufdrop27]

I probably have 1-2k DE, 400 AC, 1k Gem and 200 injector. Enough to last a while I suppose

 

[VerbaVolant]

I was serious. Got 14000 blades in my "stash", or whatever you want to call it. Inventory? Stock? whatever it is, it makes me feel accomplished. I feel high just thinking about it.

 

[VerbaVolant]

For a while I was thinking that the only thing that would put a damper on this would be an Astra SP made in India at half the price and twice the quality. But then... even if it seems possible, I am sure I can catch up and close the gap.
Pfft, bring it on...

 

[Dtownvino]

I would have bought more if I could have…

 

[Stubblefield]

I'm down from approximately 5k blades (mostly NOS) to about 1200, mostly Gillette variants. Looking to get stocks back to 2k. Want to have enough to last for rest of my life. Use 100 a year.

I dumped ALL my NOS blades a few years back because I found they didn't shave any better than current offerings.

 

[Tirvine]

All I use these days are Personna Lab Blues. I am at about fifty. I'll probably buy another 100 when I am down to about ten.

 

[Lightcs1776]

I buy blades as I need them, a mini of 100 at a time, a max of 200. It all depends on the price as I like to keep costs down. I don't plan on buying any more soaps until I am down to one.

 

[Mike M]

I have around 600 blades but around 60 different varieties of one off tucks and a few individual blades. I have stopped buying individual tucks and I am currently trying to use up as many as possible. I have found that most blades aren't great so I have decided to stop trying to chase the perfect blade and just find the best I have.
I have, over the last couple of years, concentrated on using my shaving gear rather than hoarding it and who knew it would make the hobby more enjoyable now that I no longer curate a soap and blade museum.

 

[BradWorld]

I will answer your question directly. I buy blades on impulse. And when I like a blade, I tend to buy 100 to 300 blades. I have on rare occasion purchased over 500 of a blade that I really like. Wizamet, Perma Sharp come to mind. I also have horded vintage blades that I really like too. I have more than 100 each of Spoilers, several different Polish Wizamets and Polsilvers, British London Bridge blades, etc. To say I have thousands of blades would be very accurate.

But I am in a period of downsizing for a quickly arriving nomadic lifestyle. And as such, I have been selling and giving away lots of blades. Sell a razor on the BST... chuck in a few tucks of blades. My local wet shaving disciples... toss them a few tucks of blades. And so on.

So how many blades would I need to feel that I have "right sized" my stash? Lets do the math. I shave every 2 to 3 days. I get an average of 3 shaves per blade. Sometimes less, as I tend to toss blades more out of a preference for variety, rather than because I have used up a blades capacity and sharpness.

Sometimes I will use a blade for more shaves. Many more. Once or twice a year, I will get a couple of vintage blades known for longevity and see how far they will go. Not out of any kind of need for thrift or money savings. But out of the sheer challenge of that pursuit. I have a bunch of Personna 74's which I have take up between 20 and 40 shaves. I have one going now that is going on 15 shaves on that blade. The pre-1982 Wizamet will readily go over 10 shaves. So that will impact my blade consumption tally as well.

So lets figure an average of one blade per week is quite accurate. And we can round that down to 50 blades per year. Or for the sake of this exercise, lets round it up to 75 blades per year, even though 50 is probably much closer to the actual number.

75 blades per year (max) times 10 years, equals 750 blades. That is the number of blades where I will feel comfortable. However, given my love of razor blades, and my various raging addictions, it is an impossible goal.

 

[gpjoe]

I'm done buying DE blades since I likely have a lifetime supply of blades which I like.

I do watch for sales on Feather AC blades for my Vector and shavettes, which I don't use nearly as often as my DE razors. I use one blade per month in my Vector shaving only my head every fourth day, so about 7 shaves - I change the blade on the 1st of every month, so a single pack of 15 lasts me a year if I use a few in my shavettes.

Throw some SR shaves into the mix (face only, of course) and I'm using even fewer blades of any type.

 

[gpjoe]

...

At some point having too much stuff starts giving me a mild, generalized anxiety.

...

Me too. I'm at the mild anxiety stage which is actually good, and keeps me from accumulating more stuff.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

My original plan was to find the blades I like, and make sure I have at least 25 of each (just blades, not packs). Secondly, make sure I never have to go through another blade drought again (I suffered a couple of bad ones around the year 2000). As well as my favourites, I also found some cheapo deals on some SuperMax Stainless and Blue Diamond, which gave me an extra 300 blades for a tenner.

In total, I ended up with about 600 blades, which is more than I'll ever need (although I have given some away, and may well have less than 25 of some of the earlier favourites now). I keep all the full packs in a small cardboard box in the bedroom, and I keep an assortment of loose blades in a small Tupperware tub in the bathroom.

 

[amateur]

I recently counted my blades. I have a little more than 500 of them. This is very little compared to other shaving maniacs. These blades will last me 4-5 years. Even if you don't save much. I usually change the razor blade 2 times a week.

 

[amateur]

All my blades fit in three small plastic containers.

 

[amateur]

I was serious. Got 14000 blades in my "stash", or whatever you want to call it. Inventory? Stock? whatever it is, it makes me feel accomplished. I feel high just thinking about it.

Do you think your grandchildren will shave with these blades? And if they want to grow beards? : c9: