Thread: How do you prolong the life of a safety razor blade?

Originally Posted by Vulcan500rider

You may be able to find an old blade stropper in an antique shop. They look kinda like a pencil sharpener, except a rod comes out, you fix the blade in it, and then push it back in; crank it a few times, pull out the rod, and the blade is ready to go.

I've still got my grandfathers, and I'm still using it. It's a nice way to refresh the blades, as I don't use my DE very often.

Alternatively ...

How to Make a Pyramid Razor Sharpener | eHow.com

but note the caveat at the bottom of the page

Hi VucanRider,
My dad was grew up in Regina, Sask. and was born in Biggar.

Small world! How did he end up in California? Or was that your move?

Older razor blades were higher quality than modern ones and lasted longer and you could strop them. The newer ones owe their performance to the coatings on them Once they are gone you can't replace them and your left with a crummy blade.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Older razor blades were higher quality than modern ones and lasted longer and you could strop them. The newer ones owe their performance to the coatings on them Once they are gone you can't replace them and your left with a crummy blade.

is this true for all DEs? even the higher quality ones.. such as feather platinums and what not?

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Older razor blades were higher quality than modern ones and lasted longer and you could strop them. The newer ones owe their performance to the coatings on them Once they are gone you can't replace them and your left with a crummy blade.

I find this hard to understand. At the end of the day you need a sharp edge to shave. The metal gives the edge. Aren't the coatings only applied for smoothness, rust prevention etc?

I would guess the answer would depend on how long you are trying to prolong the blade's lifespan. Are you talking by a couple shaves (which probably wouldn't be worth the hassle) or by a dozen (which may be asking too much for a DE blade)?

For me a fresh sharp blade is the solution for zero irritation. My sensitive skin pretty much demands it. In my Mock 3 days I could feel the blades deteriorating after 3 shaves, which gets expensive when 5 blades cost close to $20. One of the toughest habits for me to break was using a disposable blade long past it's best-before-date, and my face thanks me for it. It is no different with DE blades.

I still experiment with blade longevity vs. different brands, but the average, for me at least, is usually 3-4 shaves before I toss one. You have to cut your losses sometime.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Older razor blades were higher quality than modern ones and lasted longer and you could strop them. The newer ones owe their performance to the coatings on them Once they are gone you can't replace them and your left with a crummy blade.

I believe you and defer to your experience, but I have extended the life of both Personna and Derby blades with the Twinplex stropper. I have confirmed improvement in the edge both by microscopic examination and shave testing before and after the stropping. It has worked for me and for my wife who primarily uses my safety razor.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I disagree. Resources on this planet are finite and our population is still growing. Waste is never a good idea if it can be avoided. My wife treats her DE razor the same way I treat all of my straights. After use, she shakes water off the razor (I wipe it off of my straight) and dips the head of the razor (with the blade) into a solution of mineral oil in rubbing alcohol (1 to 200 ratio). This evaporates water off the blade and leaves a coating of oil behind.

i was thinking about this and i do try to close the loop whenever possible.. so from now on.. instead of throwing my blades away.. i'm going to krazy glue them to the wall in my room.. eventually i can have a nice metallic shield to protect me from alien mind control.

Originally Posted by vthomlinson

i was thinking about this and i do try to close the loop whenever possible.. so from now on.. instead of throwing my blades away.. i'm going to krazy glue them to the wall in my room.. eventually i can have a nice metallic shield to protect me from alien mind control.

Excellent!

And if you happen to buy an IPhone4, you can use them to fashion a better antenna for it. I'm glad I was able to show you the error of your wasteful ways.

Let me know when you are ready to alter your wasteful toilet habits.