Poll: Do you remove you blade after every shave?
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Are you nuts? Of course!
46.27% of votes
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Who me? I let it ride!
53.73% of votes
53.73% Complete

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#1

Member
Austin, TX
(This post was last modified: 01-25-2016, 06:31 PM by kwsher. Edit Reason: concall typos! )
This is one of those eternal questions but I did some searching and did not find anything in a separate, standalone thread.

I have never removed blades between shaves. I typically get 3-5 shaves per blade, sometimes more but only remove/change when the blade is dusted.

Just always felt that I should minimize the handling of the blades, etc.

I also, have never had any problems with tea stains etc. despite having quite hard water. I just rinse the razor at hand in the hottest water my tap is capable of delivering, shake and dry. No issues although one time I did get some mild discoloration on a gold Fatip that wiped off on dis-assembly [I think this was due to the blade have a ton of wax on it and trapping water somehow actually].

So do you good people remove your blades after every shave? Dip in alcohol? Barbicide? Any other ritual care you find effective?

Look forward to hearing more of your routine!

semperfi 45, Gavo, Tbone and 4 others like this post
Kevin
#2

Member
Ontario
I do remove the blade after every shave, I only use any given blade 3 times (GEM PTFE aside, I can get 6 out of them!). I do this mostly because I change razors with each shave so I might as well take the blade out now and clean the razor than do it later. I have a magnet on my light fixture that I attach the blade to between uses. I don't find it takes anything away from how the blade performs for me doing this. I'll rinse the blade off and then gently place it on a dry wash cloth and gently pat the water off before putting it on the magnet.

But I can see your point, Kevin, on wanting to handle the blade itself as little as possible Smile

Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM, GoodShave and semperfi 45 like this post
#3

Member
North Carolina
(This post was last modified: 01-25-2016, 08:58 PM by DavidJames.)
I do remove the blades after each shave as part of my post shave "tool maintenance". I primarily use a Merkur 34c and I do dis-assemble it to clean it after shaving. Once apart, I carefully set the blade aside, on the edge of my sink basin and clean the razor. Then, I carefully rinse the blade under running water and when done, I gently shake or flick the excess water off the blade and put it back in the clean/dried razor for next use. (I never wipe the blade or allow the edge to touch anything like a towel)

Just my way of doing a post shave clean up...maybe a bit much, but just habit developed over the many years.... Smile

semperfi 45 and Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM like this post
#4

Vintage Shaver
Seattle, WA
(01-25-2016, 07:57 PM)DavidJames Wrote: I do remove the blades after each shave as part of my post shave "tool maintenance". I primarily use a Merkur 34c and I do dis-assemble it to clean it after shaving. Once apart, I carefully set the blade aside, on the edge of my sink basin and clean the razor. The, I carefully rinse the blade under running water and when done, I gently shake of flick the excess water off the blade and put it back in the clean/dried razor for next use. (I never wipe the blade or allow the edge to touch anything like a towel)

Just my way of doing a post shave clean up...maybe a bit much, but just habit developed over the many years.... Smile

This is how I do it too with my Feather AS-D2 heads, but I pat the razor parts and blade dry carefully with a towel before reassembling.

Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM and semperfi 45 like this post
John
#5

Super Moderator
San Diego, Cal., USA
I definitely take out the blade, rinse it, strop it, and put some alcohol based witch hazel on it. The razor is cleaned, then the blade, and the blade is put in a new razor for the next day's shave. I have been doing this for years with no problems. The only exception to this is when I use my Schick Injector. The blade stays in the razor for my usual seven days worth of shaves but I still rinse the razor and dab a bit of witch hazel on the razor head and blade after each use.

semperfi 45, Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM and TommyCarioca like this post
#6

Chazz Reinhold HOF
Remove, rinse, lay to dry, yes Sir! :-)

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#7

Member
Detroit
Nope. I don't think removing the blade and cleaning adds any benefit to the next shave so I don't bother. I just rinse the razor with hot water, shake it off and then towel dry it with the blade still installed being careful not to touch the blade itself with the towel. I haven't seen any I'll effects (rust or staining, etc.) with this method so far so I'll stick with it.

Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM and semperfi 45 like this post
- Jeff
#8

Member
Austin, TX
(01-25-2016, 08:55 PM)wyze0ne Wrote: Nope. I don't think removing the blade and cleaning adds any benefit to the next shave so I don't bother. I just rinse the razor with hot water, shake it off and then towel dry it with the blade still installed being careful not to touch the blade itself with the towel. I haven't seen any I'll effects (rust or staining, etc.) with this method so far so I'll stick with it.

Looks like we are in the minority wyze0ne - I suspected we may be.

I think it's very cool to get a snapshot of what others do though.

semperfi 45 and Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM like this post
Kevin
#9

Super Moderator
San Diego, Cal., USA
(01-25-2016, 09:07 PM)kwsher Wrote:
(01-25-2016, 08:55 PM)wyze0ne Wrote: Nope. I don't think removing the blade and cleaning adds any benefit to the next shave so I don't bother. I just rinse the razor with hot water, shake it off and then towel dry it with the blade still installed being careful not to touch the blade itself with the towel. I haven't seen any I'll effects (rust or staining, etc.) with this method so far so I'll stick with it.

Looks like we are in the minority wyze0ne - I suspected we may be.

I think it's very cool to get a snapshot of what others do though.

Honestly, Kevin, I am somewhat surprised as I thought more folks would not remove the blade after each use. Of course, it's still early days in your poll so I shall be curious to see how this goes.

kwsher, Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM and semperfi 45 like this post
#10

Member
Austin, TX
I often find it funny that I DON'T to be honest Freddy . I am very particular about my stuff and enjoy the process of cleaning and maintaining my tools in general but I suppose early on just developed the habit of not removing the blade.

Definitely looking forward to seeing more responses!

Freddy, semperfi 45 and Mickey ObermanSfZ2h8UM like this post
Kevin


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