Thread: Air Dry vs Wiping your blade

I got my new 7 O'clock razors today and the shave is pretty nice. Of course I was curious to see how the blade looked after the shave and I noticed there was a little fuzz remaining on the blade.

Now everywhere I read that people should let their blades air dry. I shake them off as best as I can but there are still small water droplets and I can't see this as beneficial for the blade. Granted they're only used for about a week before I change them but what's the big deal about wiping your blade dry? It's not like your cutting into it!

While on the subject, what are those four dots that hold the razor to the wax paper when you first open it, glue? Wax? Should that stuff be cleaned off prior to shaving?

Thanks!

Edit: Question 3, what do the numbers signify on the double edge blade? (1,2,3,4)

I'm not sure about the numbers on the blade, but when I use my DE all I do is give it a good rinse, shake to get as much of the water off as possible and then leave it to air dry. I'm much more careful with my straights because they arent replaceable blades!

Wiping the whole razor down and drying the blade off may extend the life of the blade some, but its just a bit too fiddly and time consuming for me which is why I dont do it..! DE blades are fairly cheap as well, and I dont use the razor every day, so I get pretty good mileage out of them and I dont worry about it. YMMV of course.

I think the stuff on the paper is wax, but with my Gillette blades this stuff doesnt actually get on the blade, its all on the paper.

I agree with Stubear. It isn't necessary to take the same kind of care with disposable DE razor blades as you would with a str8 razor. I don't disassemble my DE after every shave to air dry or wipe the blade dry. I just rinse it well under the faucet and let it air dry.

When I changed blades every week or so--when I was shaving daily with a DE--I would disassemble the razor, remove the old blade and dispose of it, soak the parts of the razor in a sink full of hot water w/ shampoo and use an old soft bristle toothbrush to remove any soap residue on the mechanism. Then I would insert a new blade and assemble the razor for another week of shaves.

Modern DE blades are really inferior to the old ones and they have coatings applied to them to give them the ability to shave properly. The reason they always say don't wipe a DE blade is because these coating are really thin and they can be taken off. That's one of the reasons you only get a very few shaves out of each blade. Let it air dry. The brief exposure to water won't hurt the blade or the razor unless your razor is vintage with all the plating gone and even then it will just tarnish.

When I shaved with one DE I would loosen the top and rinse it well and leave the blade in place. When I began collecting them and was shaving with a different one daily I took the blade out and left it in the medicine cabinet for the next day. I didn't wipe the blade in either case. I am trying to remember if I wiped them back in the '60s when I used the old Gillette blue blades. If you left those in your DE they tended to rust pretty quick IIRC. I cannot recall whether I wiped those or not. They were pretty rough and I didn't get many shaves out of them. I was very happy when the super stainless and then the platinum plus came out.

I've not had a problem with coated or stainless steel DE blade rusting so I'd say just let them air dry. I can't see a problem with patting them dry but why bother and the more time you spend handling a DE blade out of the razor the more opportunity you have to cut yourself. FWIW I always assumed that the do not wipe was to cover themselves against someone trying to sue them if they did wipe the blade and did get a cut.

I've seen the question about the numbers before and the consensus of opinion seems to be that they are used in the manufacturing process. I've also seen speculation that people that flip the blade round use them to keep track of which way they are shaving but never seen anyone say thats what they do!

Originally Posted by DoubleEdge23c

I got my new 7 O'clock razors today and the shave is pretty nice. Of course I was curious to see how the blade looked after the shave and I noticed there was a little fuzz remaining on the blade.

Now everywhere I read that people should let their blades air dry. I shake them off as best as I can but there are still small water droplets and I can't see this as beneficial for the blade. Granted they're only used for about a week before I change them but what's the big deal about wiping your blade dry? It's not like your cutting into it!

While on the subject, what are those four dots that hold the razor to the wax paper when you first open it, glue? Wax? Should that stuff be cleaned off prior to shaving?

Thanks!

Edit: Question 3, what do the numbers signify on the double edge blade? (1,2,3,4)

I do what you have pictured after shaving before work, take the thing apart, dry the pieces with a towel, then let them air dry during the day. When I get home in the evening I put it back together again. That way there's no question I'm doing everything I can to take care of it.

I think this just about settles it. Letting it air dry closed sometimes leaves water droplets on the blade each day and at the same time putting it in alcohol every day might get a little expensive but this could be done from time to time.

I'm surprised Obie changes his blade every three shaves, isn't that a little early? Mine will last a week but I feel the mild tug around the 7 day mark.

CaliforniaCajun has an interesting idea of taking the razor apart each day but with my luck I would come home from work to find someone knocked it over damaging the head as well as the blade.

I'll just give it a good shake since the majority rules that unless I shave with the blade rarely, having a little extra water on the razor shouldn't do too much damage.

Originally Posted by DoubleEdge23c

I'm surprised Obie changes his blade every three shaves, isn't that a little early? Mine will last a week but I feel the mild tug around the 7 day mark.

Hello, DoubleEdge23c:

Variables dictate when individual shavers should change blades. I have a heavy beard and like my blades sharp. The most I can get out of a blade, even a great one such as the Feather, is four days, by which time I feel the blade has lost some of its sharp edge. At three shaves, then, for me, the blade is still acceptably sharp. That's why I have adopted the general rule of changing blades every three shaves.

Regards,
Obie

I hear you Obie, I really like the 7'Oclocks yellow packs and I'm highly contemplating buying a 50/100 pack from BullGooseShaving for 34 bucks. I'm going to finish the pack and make my decision. I haven't opened the feathers yet but they're pretty expensive so I'll probably stick with the Gillettes. My friend is going to give me a box of Dorkos pretty soon; I heard they're pretty good too.