Pushing the blade

I've been DE shaving and SE shaving for a long time now; 30 years with a DE and about 10 with an SE. I have a variety of razors and lots of blades. Based on the conventional wisdom I used to throw out a blade after five shaves at the most but I was reading a post on another site. The point of the post was that our dads used a blade for weeks before changing it. I know, some stuff shaving related was "better in the old days," but I decided to push a Gillette Wilkinson Sword made in India and see how it goes. So far I'm 22 shaves in and it's great. Usually I do three passes, sometimes two. I have a coarse beard. AND THE BLADE IS SMOOTH AND SHARP! I'm not recommending that others follow suit but this is a revelation.

I spent about five years shaving strictly with vintage Gillette DE razors. My primary rotation included BB 109, Fatboy, Aristocrat '46-'47 and a few Rockets. My sole blade for the last three of those years was the Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum. I routinely got 30 3-pass shaves per blade. I pushed one once to 42 shaves. Even today, I'm still amazed at the number of shaves I got from each blade. The only reason for my routine 30 day limit was I'd just start every month with a new blade and toss it at the end. Once in a while a blade would peter out short of reaching the end of the month.

In the past ( before 1960's ) blades were somewhat expensive ,made from plain 
carbon steel and quite thicker than the 
standard 0.1 mm of modern blades.

Furthermore glass hones were used by 
to "refresh" the edges ,
like those shown at the following link :
 
https://forum.mens-only.gr/viewtopic.php?t=8579

I'm also on the "pushing a blade "wagon,
although I have not been able to get 
more than ~15 shaves from a blade ,so far.

Most durable blades I 've personally encountered are the ( at non particular order ): 
-Wilkinson Sword ( black plastic tuck )
-Bic Chrome Platinum
-Gillette Nacet 
-Black Ninjas ( Gillette 7 o'clock SP /made in India ) 
and 
- (Gillette)Perma Sharp

I've hyper-miled a few blades to 100, just to see if it I could do it, but beyond 75 or so it got to be less than fun. 
Thirty shaves seemed to be another milestone in performance drop-off too.
I think I did this with one each of Astra SP, Feather, Gillette Silver Blue, and maybe Personna Blue.

At that time I normally just pushed them to 24. Nowadays I toss them after 12. For my $8 pack of 100 Shaverboy blades (shipping and tax included!), that's a yield of 1.5 shaves per penny.

The least durable blades I've tried are the QShave-branded blades that came with their Futur clone.
For the first shave – it was the best blade I'd ever used. Maybe sharper than a Feather, yet still smooth.
Second day – meh.
Third day – I had to toss it after the first pass.

If you can get 10, 20, 30, 40, or 100 shaves from a blade without the quality of the shave deteriorating, then good on you. Not every one needs a super sharp blade, nor a super smooth one. If your beard is like a teenager's and your face is like leather, you might be able to shave with a pocket knife, an axe, or even a sharpened spoon. However, not everyone can do that. That is why questions about "How many shaves can you get from xyz blade?" are irrelevant.

With a few exceptions, razor blades are inexpensive, costing a few pennies or less per shave. Use them as long as you are happy with the quality of the shave. Life is too short and your skin too precious to suffer through a bad shave just to save a few cents. When the blade becomes too dull to slice your beard cleanly or the blade becomes harsh on your skin, it is time for a new blade, no matter what others say.

With some blades, I cannot even get through the 1st pass of the 1st shave (ouch!). For me, Feather blades work great on the 1st and 2nd shave, but they become harsh during the 3rd shave. For most blades I might get 4-5 good shaves as I have a tough beard and very sensitive skin. Every shaver is different, so I do not expect your experience to be similar to mine. The type of razor in which the blade is being used can also make a difference. Go with whatever works for you, regardless of what others may say or do. There is no "conventional wisdom".

If you can get 10, 20, 30, 40, or 100 shaves from a blade without the quality of the shave deteriorating, then good on you. Not every one needs a super sharp blade, nor a super smooth one. If your beard is like a teenager's and your face is like leather, you might be able to shave with a pocket knife, an axe, or even a sharpened spoon. However, not everyone can do that. That is why questions about "How many shaves can you get from xyz blade?" are irrelevant.

With a few exceptions, razor blades are inexpensive, costing a few pennies or less per shave. Use them as long as you are happy with the quality of the shave. Life is too short and your skin too precious to suffer through a bad shave just to save a few cents. When the blade becomes too dull to slice your beard cleanly or the blade becomes harsh on your skin, it is time for a new blade, no matter what others say.

With some blades, I cannot even get through the 1st pass of the 1st shave (ouch!). For me, Feather blades work great on the 1st and 2nd shave, but they become harsh during the 3rd shave. For most blades I might get 4-5 good shaves as I have a tough beard and very sensitive skin. Every shaver is different, so I do not expect your experience to be similar to mine. The type of razor in which the blade is being used can also make a difference. Go with whatever works for you, regardless of what others may say or do. There is no "conventional wisdom".

RC. My beard is dense and resistant to blades. I get 3 maybe 4 shaves and then I can't get the razor through my chin hair without tugging, pulling, or excessive pressure. I will not risk tuggy shaves and therefore toss at 3 days [3 pass guy]. Feathers work for 3 days for me. 4 is painful. I used to hate Astra SPs, but found a razor they work really well for me in. So RC is right. Find what works for you. A lot of fun is in the exploration for that perfect shave.

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Tommy

I have tried Astrs SP (green) blades from various sources, but have yet to find a blade that will give me a close, comfortable shave with these blades in any razor I own. If they were the only blades available, I could use them; but I would be tempted to grow a beard. It is the only platinum coated blade I have used that I do not like. Even Treet Platinum blades give me a more enjoyable shave.

Interestingly, I find the Astra Superior Stainless (blue) blades to be much sharper and smoother than the green blades.

I am hoping that once P&G Gillette starts shipping blades from India to replace the PPI blades that Astra SP will receive an upgrade in sharpness. However, it could take a while to deplete inventories.

RC

RC, so this Astra SP journey for me has been very interesting. I almost gave up on wet agave as my shaves were terribly uncomfortable per usage of the Astra. I was reading on our blogs what a great blade they were/are. They were eating me alive. I gave them up and left my stash alone for 10+years. I was cleaning my closet or and was reminded that I had over 100 left, so I have one a try in my ATT M1. Suprisingly, I got a very good shave. My skin or whiskers must have devolved as I age . They work well in my M1 and Karve B. Not so well in my other razors. Strange but the old adage of keeping your gear through time has some veracity.

Feathers, KAIs, Permasharp, G Blacks, Astra Stainless, and Personna Reds all work well for me in various razor heads. But my situation/performance is razor head blade-specific.

And I always toss after 3 uses.

Thanks for doing this. I do like those G Rubies as well as the Silver Stars.



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RC, so this  Astra SP journey for me has been very interesting. I almost gave up on wet agave as my shaves were terribly uncomfortable per usage of the Astra. I was reading on our blogs what a great blade they were/are. They were eating me alive. I gave them up and left my stash alone for 10+years.  I was cleaning my closet or and was reminded that I had over 100 left, so I have one a try in my ATT M1. Suprisingly, I got a very good shave.  My skin or whiskers must have devolved as I age . They work well in my M1 and Karve B. Not so well in my other razors. Strange but the old adage of keeping your gear through time has some veracity.

Feathers, KAIs, Permasharp, G Blacks, Astra Stainless, and Personna Reds all work well for me in various razor heads. But my situation/performance is razor head blade-specific.

And I always toss after 3 uses.

Thanks for doing this. I do like those G Rubies as well as the Silver Stars.



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I still have more than 100 Astra SP blades in inventory, so I occasionally go back to see if I can use them. I just recently added a Timeless Titanium 0.68 SB to my collection of razors and I want to see how the Astra blades work with it. I have seen listings of blade sharpness where Astra SP blades are listed as one of the sharper blades, but they have never worked like that for me.

I have tried Gillette Rubie Plus, bit they seem to perform as poorly for me as the Astra SP blades. but I plan to revisit them as well.

The Silver Stars seem to be more like the Astra Superior Stainless blades for me. They are not my favorites, but I could easily use them.

2 shaves - maybe 3 but I don’t push it.  

All modern Gillettes and Feathers.  

Spoilers I used to use for more shaves. 

I’m not breaking out or getting a rash when I can get 100 Nacet blades for 10 dollars.