Thread: My advice for DE newbies; blades

I am relatively new to DE myself (3/25/14). I am not near as experienced as most on this forum. After doing this 'hobby' for a year now, I would like to share what made the largest difference for me.

I have tried astra, crystal, and derby blades, only. this is my only experience with different blades....and they are different.

However, i find that besides upgrading equipment and using a nice cream/soap, the number one thing i have done that completely eliminated burns, weepers, nicks, etc. is changing blades EACH DAY. Let me say that squeezing every ounce from a blade is not for beginners. If you are starting in the hobby, and you have a thick beard, just change the blades each day. At first, you will burn, you will nick, etc. is it your technique or is it a dull blade? get rid of that question and perfect your technique with a new blade. then and only then, should you experiment with blades and the # of shaves per blade. you never know how far to take a blade until you took it too far, especially for beginners. this=burn.

Step back and look at it...these things are between $0.10 and $0.25 each, for the most part.
that is in the ballpark of $1/week.

squeezing days out of blades is akin to trying to split a slice of bread to make the loaf last longer. a blade costs about the same as a slice of bread.

In my opinion, life is too short to sacrifice a great shave for an extra day out of a $0.10 blade.

Maybe this is due to my poor technique....and i am sure it is. Either way.....For me, with this hobby, I get great satisfaction from a great shave that i never did before....it starts my day off in a nice way.

I find that - with the same prep that I use for straight shaving - my usual DE blades lasts me comfortably for around 7 shaves.

Discarding a DE blade after the first shave would therefore be unnecessary and wasteful, no matter how low the price.

I apply the same logic to DE shaving that I apply to straight shaving: when I notice the performance of the blade beginning to deteriorate, it's time make sure the edge becomes sharp again.
In case of a straight that would be honing; in case of a DE blade that would be a new blade.

What makes the edge of a blade lasts longer however is proper beard preparation with water and soap to moisten the whiskers, something that get's often overlooked by beginners who transition from cartridge razors.


B.

Yes you can get a few shaves out of a good DE blade , I shavd with a DE for over 40 years , have done a lot of different blades, but a few years back I just gave up on trying to get the most out of a blade. I use feather blades with my Gillette Fat Boy one time and throw away, can I use it more ? But why, I change cause I can and I get a constantly great shave every time without throwing another variable in the mix , even the feathers don't cost enough to worry about , we throw more crap in the trash every day that cost more. But that's me. Tc

I'm a cheapo. I'll admit it. My frugality is honestly acquired from parents and grandparents that not only survived, but thrived during the Great Depression. I learned to shave using a Gillette Flair Tip and blue carbon steel blades. I find the idea of throwing a blade away after one use abhorant and depraved. I've found that some blades like the Gillette Silver Blue give a better shave after the first use.
Cheap or not, I will not use a blade that tugs or pulls. Most quality blades will give at least three comfortable shaves. Sometimes the only thing needed to restore comfort is to flip the blade. The 1 2 or 3 4 printed on some blades is not just for show. Right now I am on my 7th shave with a Gillette TTO using a Gillette 7o'clock yellow blade flipped after the fifth shave. I should get at least two more comfortable shaves from this blade, if not, I have no qualms about tossing it.
When using samplers, I find that I need to give a blade at least two shaves with two separate blades from each sample to give an honest assement. If the second shave with the second blade sucks, then the rest of the pack goes in the trash, never to be ordered again.
If you're only getting one good shave from a quality blade, then look to your technique or preparation as the problem. Just like in using a straight, beard prep, shaving angle, and razor pressure are key in getting a close and comfortable shave.

I'd hesitate to advise anyone new to the route of "one and done." With many blades I've tried in just over a year of DE shaving, I'm more comfortable with them on the 2nd and 3rd shave. I'm pretty satisfied with Feather, Astra, Gillette Platinum, Shark, Persona Red, and even Derby. Many of these degrade for me around shave 6 or 7.

You've found what works for you, and maybe some others. So must we all...

With apologies to the OP, as well as folks that said they could get x shaves from a DE blade, the one variable that matters in this equation that hasn't been emphasized is the person's beard. One person's could be tough as nails and someone else's could be like silk. I have what is an average, but thick beard, meaning, I can feel sharp stubble and see a clear shadow when I need to shave. Your face may vary. I can get 3-5 good shaves out of most of my go-to DE blades. Those are Feather, Israeli Personnas, Wilkinson (German) and Astra Platinum. The Gillettes (regardless of color) I can get 1-3; the Derbys I get none that are comfortable, so I don't use them...same with Dorco, Merkur, Crystal, Erbe, and Shark. Having said that, I always do my prep the same as I would for a SR shave (which I use most of the time).

If I've offended your brand, sorry, but I use what I like best, UNTIL it gets uncomfortable. Sometimes that is the first shave.

I have tried a whole bunch of the blades. Overall, I think there is one manufacturer who is cranking out all the super stainless blades and everyone is marketing them under different brands. They are my favorite and I can shave with them about 10 times before I change them out.

Changing blades out everyday?....A good face prep can still make a so, so DE blade work well and I do that all the time. Perhaps focus more on that and technique and see if you can stretch out that blade a little longer....Just a thought...

Pabster

Pabsgter

Shave twice a week.one feather,one blade

in my limited experience i have found D/E blades to be more pleasant to use after a shave or two.

Well my advice to this thread is to clean the blades thoroughly after each shave. Take out the blade, leave it on a complete flat table and put a drop of soap on the blade.

Then rub your finger sideways on both edges and flip the blade and do the same again on the other side.

Put the blade under running water until the soap is washed of. Then carefully dry it using a towel.

This removes any skin residues and fat or oil. That's what dulls the blade, make it rust and attracts bacteria.

Any blade should last at least 6 shaves.

Also remember to clean the DE shaver. When I change blades I also clean the razor in a ultrasonic cleaner. That takes care of every crack without any hard work.

Finally I admit that I don't use my DE much any longer. Today I primarily use a straight. Throwing a blade away after one use is a complete waste. It's not only about the price just think a second on the environmental impacts if everyone did the same.