What am I doing wrong? Little Help please

I have been using a DE razor for a little while now, I am having trouble getting more than 2 good shaved out of a blade, some times I can get 3. I have seen where some people get 4+ out of a blade. I have not tried all the brands I have but so far its not looking great.

I have tried Dorco blades, CVC pharmacy blades, Astra Platinum, and Big Ben in the blue box. best results have been Big Ben as far as number of times used I was able to get 4 uses out of them. The Astra blades seemed very nice for the first 2 shaves but tonight it was like I was pulling hair out with a pair of pliers.

I am able to build a nice lather and I can get the BBS shave on the first and second shave with a blade but by shave 3 it all goes to pot, does this mean I have very rough facial hair and its dulling the blade or am I doing something wrong, I wait 2-3 days between shaves also.

Straight Razor Designs is one of many vendors that offers a package consisting of various double edge blades for you to try. I suggest that you shop the various vendors on this site for the combination that suits your needs and try various blades until you discover what is best for you. There is no single answer to your very good question without you doing the work necessary for you to get that great BBS shave that you are looking for. Enjoy the journey and good luck on your quest. All of us have been exactly where you are when we started.
Best Regards
Tom

Looks like I put this in the wrong thread sorry guys :aargh:

Just a thought...
After shaving, do you take the blade out to clean the DE razor and dry both?

Curious. Just how many shaves does the average guy get from a DE blade? I would think more than 3 or 4??
My old neighbor still uses his Army issue from the late 40's. He was bitching about the blades from Walgreens, etc. I gave him a stack of Personna platinums. He says he can shave a month with one.

Maybe a little face scrubbing/beard softening prep would help.

"Drying the blades and razor" This is another reason every man cave bathroom should have a compressed air outlet.

Most of my experience has been with Dollar General blades made in Korea. I switched the blades out after three shaves because the shaves got rough on shave four. The blade would still cut, just wasn't smooth.

A couple of months ago I bought Personna Platinums and Astra blades. The Personnas would give 4 good shave but I didn't try further. 3 shaves in with my first Astra blade. I might see how many comfortable shaves I can get.

Buy your blades from ebay, 100x astra premium are (or were a few months back) less than $15, and if you bought larger quantities they got cheaper, so even if you only get 2 shaves that is less than 7.5 cents per shave.
Out of interest, how do you know which side of the blade you have already used, i.e. are you using the same edge a few times, and not both edges?

Two things I feel may be an issue. Face prep and technique.

I have a tough beard also, but I can get at least 5 days, 3 passes each from a blade.

I started with Straights then tried Safety Razors. At first I thought my DE blades were replaced by broken glass before the second or third shave. I have tried all the blades you mentioned except Big Ben. Trust me as technique improves the blades seem to last longer. Some vary with performance on the first shave, but by the 2nd they now all preform comparable to me.

#1 Face Prep
These recommendations may be overkill, but same as shaving with a straight blade prep is important. These are what I have used in the past and still use most of them today. Try them all at once then use only the ones that work best for you.
Hot shower or hot towel prep.
Wash face (shampoo or glycerin soap).
Conditioner on face (optional ~ never really could tell a difference).
Preshave Oil (Just a couple of drops massaged in) in my mind keeps the water in absorbed by the whiskers.
Lather your face thoroughly (2 to 3 minutes with your shaving brush).

#2 Technique
Always shave in this order WTG, XTG, ATG (ATG optional) Face mapping is important. Learn the pattern your beard grows and use it.
Try a shallower shaving angle. Safety razors are more forgiving and will still cut even at a high angle, but will wear on the blade.

As your technique improves the blades should last longer.

Everybody is different when it comes to how long a DE blade will last them. I am pushing it to get past 5 uses without an ugly feeling blade. A friend of mine "says" he goes 3 months with the same cart head.

Bob

I just started using a DE a few weeks ago. I have been switching blades after 4 or 5 shaves. I think drying is key and use one of those cans of compressed air used for computers. I have used those for a long time on cartridges as well before switching to DE and noticed a difference. I have very hard water in my home. The lime build up will destroy an edge quickly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobH

Everybody is different when it comes to how long a DE blade will last them. I am pushing it to get past 5 uses without an ugly feeling blade. A friend of mine "says" he goes 3 months with the same cart head.

Bob

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Does he shave 4 times a year? On a serious note they would last me quite a while, I shaved probably 3 times in 2 weeks though, and the head was always clogged up.

Most everything has been covered, but there's one more I didn't see....if I missed it, my apologies.

Just like a straight razor, rather than pulling the blade straight down, up, etc. with the edge at a 90° angle to the whiskers...like an axe chopping wood, "cant the blade slightly" so that it gives a slicing angle on the whisker. Don't over do it and cut yourself.

I only started this after starting to shave with a straight. It's given a significant increase in the durability and shave count on DE, Mach 3, etc. razors that I have.

Give it a try, along with the other hints on prep, etc. and see what you think.

Regards,

Howard :)

I dry the blade and put a drop of straight razor oil on them. I shave daily with a straight but when I need to use the DE. I rinse and wipe off the oil and get 10 ish shaves out of them. Rust is taking the edge off. Look at the blade with a loupe.

Buddy of mine gets a month worth of head shaves from a cartridge razor by keeping the blades in alcohol. He is slightly off to begin with but swear it works great

drying is key ,, oxidation dulls blades, same as your straights, I used a DE for 40 + years I learned about drying them pretty early on because the blades were cheap and wouldn't last very long. but now we have so many good blades at our disposal, so try and find the right combo, then see which ones last longer for you, since the internet ive found my best blade , in a feather , wish I would have had them all along ,, but ive gotten particular in my old age and I just change it every shave, even at that feathers are cheap considering cartridge blades,, but I only use my Fatboy maybe twice a month so I get a lot of time out of a 5 dollar pack of blades, my straights don't need a new blade ever! tc

I usually get 5-7 out of my blades. As others have said, I think drying is the key and I also do a quick hand strop especially in the summer when it's very humid.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

Does he shave 4 times a year? On a serious note they would last me quite a while, I shaved probably 3 times in 2 weeks though, and the head was always clogged up.

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He shaves daily apparently. I think he is nuts not frugal but each to their own.

Bob

One thing I've noticed is that I can get more shaves out of blades that aren't as sharp to begin with. My favorite blade is Red Personna. Now they are not as sharp as a Feather or some others but to me the edge lasts a couple more shaves before it gets harsh and starts nicking my face. Feathers give me a great shave for about one shave and then it's nick city. I do have sensitive skin so YMMV.

For those that take blades out to dry and/or oil, more power to you. But I feel that extra handling of the blade is just risking damage to the edge which is very fragile. One little ding on the edge and you have defeated the purpose of trying to extend the life. I shake water out the razor to dry it but I keep the blade in the razor for 3-4 shaves and then it lands in the blade bank. I am also very careful when removing a new blade from the package making sure I don't drag the edge on the paper.

I am currently using the Astra blades because I couldn't pass up the deal on Amazon for a pack of 100. But I only get about 3 shaves out of them. I can get 5-6 out of Personna.

Hope this helps.

Up until a month ago I used a DE slant bar for 30 years before i stumbled on the joys of SR shaving and you still learn something new! I think this issue is multifactorial as others above have stated ... Prep, technique, blade type etc. With respect to blade types, you may wish to buy sampler packs and take it from there. That would save you forking out $ on blades that you may not like. For what its worth you may want to invest in a quality razor. Good luck with it all.

I think maybe the thing to concentrate on in this discussion is expectation. Given the price of DE blades, trying to "stretch" their life by drying beyond rinsing and shaking out or stropping (at least one brand says rinse but do not wipe blades) is a case of diminishing returns. How much life can you eek out of something that costs pennies each? I personally feel if I can get 3-4 shaves from a 15¢ blade, that beats the dickens out of what you'd pay for a cartridge.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haroldg48

Given the price of DE blades, trying to "stretch" their life by drying beyond rinsing and shaking out or stropping (at least one brand says rinse but do not wipe blades) is a case of diminishing returns. How much life can you eek out of something that costs pennies each? I personally feel if I can get 3-4 shaves from a 15¢ blade, that beats the dickens out of what you'd pay for a cartridge.

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I feel the same way. I've experimented in the past with trying to "extend" the sharpness of a DE blade by submerging the blade in a glass of mineral oil after each shave. It worked some, but in the end it wasn't worth it.

I occassionally use my DE to shave the chin spots. I rinse the razor, then shake water out to dry it. I keep the blade in the razor for 1 week (approx. 4 shaves), then I replace the blade. I've had good shaves with Astra Premium and Derby Extra blades, among others.

...and I read an Israeli Personna wrapper today and it said, "Do not wipe, rinse and shake dry".

eBay had DE hones if it's that important.