Thread: Is "Resting a blade" complete bull?

Originally Posted by Jimbo

YMMV, but mine doesn't! James.

Reminds me of an educational researcher I once knew. Experiment after experiment and always an ecstatic joy when the results were + or - .001. He seem to say that if nothing changed then all was good. I guess continually proving that 2 + 2 = 4 is a valid way to make a living.

For some people not finding significant results (particularly in the social sciences) can be a cause for joy - I did research with a criminologist once who was very happy to observe no significant change in rates of crime over a 5 year period despite the introduction of a certain piece of legislation during that time...

Anyway, I didn't mean for that to suggest I am right and if you don't agree with me you are wrong, just that for me the data suggests there's no need to rest a razor between shaves.

James.

James, my own little experiment with shaving with the same razor everyday showed me that it maintained, or once or twice, seemed to be as sharp or a little sharper than when I started.

As with all things in life, there is a 360 degree view around every object and that makes for at least that many views if you don't start parsing the separate degrees.

Pardon my French, or lack of it, Viva la differance!

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Honestly, there's the theory and there's the practice.

We can argue the theory of metal realignment forever (and as I alluded to in an earlier post in this thread, seems we are well on the way...).

However, practice is what we do. Every day. The empirical evidence (which must be in the hundreds of thousands of man-hours) our collective membership has collected over the past 10 or so years of this Forum's life tells us that you can happily strop your razor immediately before and immediately after a shave with no ill effects.

I myself did a basic experiment on this early on (an unwitting experiment, but an experiment nonetheless). For about 5 years I only stropped before a shave, never after, which meant my rotation razors always had at least 3 days "rest" post shave. Then in recent years I started stropping pre and post shave, using the same razor for at least 5 weeks in a row (in fact, I've been shaving with this current razor for about 3 months every day, face and head). I've found no discernible difference between my old way or this current way in terms of edge longevity or shaving efficacy.

YMMV, but mine doesn't!

James.

Your personal experience and point regarding the experience of others here is definitely relevant - and helpful. Thank you

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I'm not sure what fact speaks louder;

You've been here 5 years & didn't know the answer to the opening post.

or;

You had nothing to do on a Friday night but read through 65 replies,,,

By your comments I can surmise that you must know the answer and I would be delighted to know.

Your disrespectful manner however is not all that helpful.

No, I don't feel you need to "rest" a blade.
My manner was appropriate to your post.

I agree with Jimbo.

I used the same blade for four straight months stropping before and after. It needed a touch up but shaved well until the last week or so.

Dave

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Reminds me of an educational researcher I once knew. Experiment after experiment and always an ecstatic joy when the results were + or - .001. He seem to say that if nothing changed then all was good. I guess continually proving that 2 + 2 = 4 is a valid way to make a living.

Or 3.999/4.001

I used the same razor for around 8 months daily and it was fine, did the occasional refresh and that's it. I would have thought that years ago most people wouldn't have a collection of razors and got a perfectly good shave.