Thread: Too short an interval between refreshes?

I rotate seven razors and they always seem to need to be refreshed after two months. That is only 8 shaves per razor. I've read that is normal and have also read of people being able to go months and months. I think my shaving technique is good and I think I am stropping correctly but am disappointed with how often I have to refresh my razors. what do you think?

David

In general I have too many razors in rotation to be able to tell you how many shaves I can get out of a blade before needing a refresh, however i recently went on holiday for three weeks and took one razor with me. At the end of the three weeks the razor is still shaving well. You hit on two of the things that can dull an edge quickly, the other I can think of is whiskers. I also wonder about how far you have pushed the edge. I have gotten the edge on a few razors refined too thin and they just don't last. They shave well to start and go down hill fairly quickly. That is also a possibility. When you go to refresh what does your edge look like with a loupe and how much do you have to put into getting our edge back.

I don't know if eight shaves is too short an interval. Whatever schedule suits your comfort level is a good one. In time that may change, but may not. It's unlikely that you'll wear out your razors throughout refreshing them.

Try refreshing one or two and shave with just those razors for as long as you can.

Are you treating the razors after the shaves with any oil? If you can maintain two for longer than 8 shaves each you may have rust stealing your edges. If you only get 8 shaves rotating just the two your whiskers or stropping may be dulling the edges.

How are you refreshing the razors? What are you stropping on and how much? It may be that your stropping is just not keeping up with edge degradation.

I refresh them on a coticule followed by a thuringian and then chromium oxide. I then strop 20 on felt and 40 or so on leather. Daily I strop about the same.

I might try doubling your stopping efforts. Do you check the edges with a loupe?

I have a loop but can't see much through it and don't know what i'm looking for anyway.

Originally Posted by JTmke

I might try doubling your stopping efforts.

I was about to say the same thing.

I find that after a couple shaves I need to double or triple the stropping. I don't think one can strop too much