Gentlemen, how many shaves do you get before you have to replace the blade?

[budwom]

Here's a semi relevant factoid from some decades ago, when the Razor Wars were prominent on TV (Gillette, of course, Schick, Wilkerson, several others): when new blades were introduced, they were often better/sharper early on in order to lure in customers, then they backed off the manufacturing specs a bit to keep costs reasonable.

[rsvman]

Here's a semi relevant factoid from some decades ago, when the Razor Wars were prominent on TV (Gillette, of course, Schick, Wilkerson, several others): when new blades were introduced, they were often better/sharper early on in order to lure in customers, then they backed off the manufacturing specs a bit to keep costs reasonable.

The conspiracy theorists say they make their blades duller when they move to a new system, as a way of luring you into replacing the old one and buying their more expensive cartridges. I don't know if it is true or not, but ot wouldn't surprise me.
Cartridge blades are some of the most marked up, margin-generating items in the world. It reportedly only costs about 7-12 cents to make a Fusion cartridge, but they sell for about four bucks each. That is one of the reasons I switched to safety razors back in 2009.

[budwom]

The conspiracy theorists say they make their blades duller when they move to a new system, as a way of luring you into replacing the old one and buying their more expensive cartridges. I don't know if it is true or not, but ot wouldn't surprise me.
Cartridge blades are some of the most marked up, margin-generating items in the world. It reportedly only costs about 7-12 cents to make a Fusion cartridge, but they sell for about four bucks each. That is one of the reasons I switched to safety razors back in 2009.

yeah, I hadn't thought about the notion of making blades duller when they want folks to convert, but it was a knowledgeable Wall St. analyst who informed my father of the fact that blades are sharper when first introduced.
Of course now the world is filled with examples of this "it's all about the blades rather than the razors" cost analysis...I say that as I peer at my HP3520 printer which cost $99, but the wee ink cartridges cost $60...

[elvis14]

The conspiracy theorists say they make their blades duller when they move to a new system, as a way of luring you into replacing the old one and buying their more expensive cartridges. I don't know if it is true or not, but ot wouldn't surprise me.
Cartridge blades are some of the most marked up, margin-generating items in the world. It reportedly only costs about 7-12 cents to make a Fusion cartridge, but they sell for about four bucks each. That is one of the reasons I switched to safety razors back in 2009.

I buy the Fusion cartridges on Amazon. I might go through 5 a year. I'm always shocked when I run out of blades because once I buy a 10 pack it's about 2 years of just grabbing one when it starts to feel wrong. Note, I'm not arguing for the Fusion, if your beard is such that you can't use the cartridge very long, it's surely not cost effective. For me, at the rate I go through them, it's not cost prohibitive and they work well for me. I've used other cartridges and disposables in the past, the Fusion just works better for me. Some of you all also seem to be much more informed than I WRT to shaving tools and much braver!

[rsvman]

I buy the Fusion cartridges on Amazon. I might go through 5 a year. I'm always shocked when I run out of blades because once I buy a 10 pack it's about 2 years of just grabbing one when it starts to feel wrong. Note, I'm not arguing for the Fusion, if your beard is such that you can't use the cartridge very long, it's surely not cost effective. For me, at the rate I go through them, it's not cost prohibitive and they work well for me. I've used other cartridges and disposables in the past, the Fusion just works better for me. Some of you all also seem to be much more informed than I WRT to shaving tools and much braver!

I could never get more than a week from one of those things.

[budwom]

I could never get more than a week from one of those things.

I think the shaving wars lost me when they jumped from two blades per cartridge to three...seemed gratuitous.

[camion]

I think the shaving wars lost me when they jumped from two blades per cartridge to three...seemed gratuitous.

I take it you haven't tried the Spishak Mach 20.

[cspan37421]

I think the shaving wars lost me when they jumped from two blades per cartridge to three...seemed gratuitous.

For months or years I resisted triple blade razors. Then one fellow told me that he could shave for a whole month on one, so he actually got twice the use out of them, and therefore that justified the price. I was about to yield ... when ad campaigns started telling me to forget about 3 blades, you really need 4! I felt that I figured out the game at that point, and didn't like where it was going. [that said I snagged a Mach 3 or similar from my son's supply to try. It did fine, but not in a price-justified way, IMO].

I'd say yesterday was a close shave, wouldn't you?

[Rich]

I had another fantastic straight razor shave yesterday evening.

Good luck with your safety razor adventure! Maintaining the correct angle is half the battle. If you have used pivoting razors all your life it may take some time to get used to it.

If you are nervous about the first shave, my advice would be to learn gradually. Just shave the easy parts of your face with the safety razor for the first few days or a week or whatever. Just a downward pass on both cheeks. It's really easy to do and since the angle doesn't change there's not much to worry about. After you do that for a few days you'll feel more confident with the razor, and you can expand to new areas. The chin and mustache area are probably the hardest, along with the transition from the face to the neck along the jawline. Those could be the areas you save for last in your learning. Don't ever worry about stopping at any point if you feel uncomfortable and finishing the shave with a tool to which you are completely accustomed. There is always the next shave to advance your skills. Just have fun and don't rush it unless it comes easy and you really want to.

Remember, you are likely applying a lot more pressure with your current system than is required for safety razor shaving. A light touch is a good idea. And if your goal for the first few shaves is to make sure you don't get nicked or injured, light touch and a shallow angle are your friends. By shallow angle I mean ride the CAP a lot. Start with the razor straight perpendicular to your face, cap touching the face, and then just tilt the handle down toward the floor a little bit until you can hear the blade cutting. Tilting the handle more towards the floor will increase the likelihood of an unpleasant shave.

I would recommend watching some shaving videos. They really help to understand how to do it. The experts recommend a 30 degree angle, but I agree with rsvman to start slowly, and still expect more nicks than with a cartridge. Good luck!

[Rich]

I would recommend watching some shaving videos. They really help to understand how to do it. The experts recommend a 30 degree angle, but I agree with rsvman to start slowly, and still expect more nicks than with a cartridge. Good luck!

This is how I learned. Geofatboy's videos are great. Just keep in mind that everyone's beard is different and you have to tailor your shave accordingly. For instance, when I started, I went against the grain first like I would do with a cartridge and my skin was getting very irritated so I had to switch and go with the grain first. He recommends three passes, but I only do two. And fuse mentioned he only does a single pass. So these videos are super helpful, but you have to find the best way that works for you.

[TruBlu]

The main thing to remember about shaving, is that once a razor blade tastes blood, it must be put down. It will just keep coming back for more.

[budwom]

I take it you haven't tried the Spishak Mach 20.

that's funny...yeah, once we got past two blades, I figured I could never stay current, gotta have the latest seven blade system...

[rsvman]

This is how I learned. Geofatboy's videos are great. Just keep in mind that everyone's beard is different and you have to tailor your shave accordingly. For instance, when I started, I went against the grain first like I would do with a cartridge and my skin was getting very irritated so I had to switch and go with the grain first. He recommends three passes, but I only do two. And fuse mentioned he only does a single pass. So these videos are super helpful, but you have to find the best way that works for you.

The problem with using Geofatboy’s videos is that he shaves at an extremely steep angle, one that won’t work for the vast majority of shavers. I would recommend the Shave Tutor instead. They are old videos, but the instruction within them is still good, and the demonstrations are much more helpful because he uses a conventional angle.

[elvis14]

I could never get more than a week from one of those things.

Yeah, if I went through them at that rate there's no way I'd be using expensive cartridges. With covid and me working from home I'm down to shaving 1 or 2 times a week. At this rate I might have a few years worth in the bathroom drawer! :-)

[CameronBlue]

I have multiple razors. For some areas of the body, safety is paramount. For other areas, standards more befitting a Friday the 13th sequel will do.

[bundabergdevil]

I abide by occam's razor. Blade's should not be multiplied without necessity (looking at you Mach 3). Put another way: the simplest shave is usually the right one.

[budwom]

I abide by occam's razor. Blade's should not be multiplied without necessity (looking at you Mach 3). Put another way: the simplest shave is usually the right one.

Retirement is a great shaving aid as well...I use my two blade Sensor about twice a week (or if I have to go out, which I rarely do now, of course) so a ten pack of overpriced blades easily lasts me more than a year.

It's no wonder that cheaper (less hideously overpriced?) blades are hitting the market, just as the eyeglass cartel spawned much cheaper alternatives like Eye Buy Direct, Warby Parker, etc.

[cspan37421]

I abide by occam's razor. Blade's should not be multiplied without necessity (looking at you Mach 3). Put another way: the simplest shave is usually the right one.

Sporking tool has disappeared on this thread but I agree with this sentiment!

That said, I binned my most recent twin blade disposable (after finishing its reasonable service life) and just completed my first safety razor shave. 3-piece razor, Bic platinum blade, canned foam (sorry, I had just started one and I'm not a quitter! )

Shave completed with no cuts, but boy oh boy, was I a bit nervous! A significantly different blade feel on the face. I wonder how much of it is that the blade is exposed all the way across its length, whereas with the disposable safety razor, the housing covers the ends of the blade, such that one could infer that the sides act as sort of a blade guard. In any case, I got through it, 2 passes (down, up), very light to light pressure. Not perfect, but I'll leave efforts at perfection for a later time when I'm more comfortable with the angle and pressure tolerances. Chin was the trickiest thing, and adam's apple the next most (both areas of imperfection, whisker-wise!).

Sure hope to get used to it, but the initial nerves really had me wondering if I was "cut out" for this method.

Whew!

[OldPhiKap]

Why not just use Occam’s razor?


That seems the simplest solution after all.

[elvis14]

Sporking tool has disappeared on this thread but I agree with this sentiment!

That said, I binned my most recent twin blade disposable (after finishing its reasonable service life) and just completed my first safety razor shave. 3-piece razor, Bic platinum blade, canned foam (sorry, I had just started one and I'm not a quitter! )

Shave completed with no cuts, but boy oh boy, was I a bit nervous! A significantly different blade feel on the face. I wonder how much of it is that the blade is exposed all the way across its length, whereas with the disposable safety razor, the housing covers the ends of the blade, such that one could infer that the sides act as sort of a blade guard. In any case, I got through it, 2 passes (down, up), very light to light pressure. Not perfect, but I'll leave efforts at perfection for a later time when I'm more comfortable with the angle and pressure tolerances. Chin was the trickiest thing, and adam's apple the next most (both areas of imperfection, whisker-wise!).

Sure hope to get used to it, but the initial nerves really had me wondering if I was "cut out" for this method.

Whew!

OK, I have to admit, read this and think "ah nope, no thanks, no thank you, I'll pass, back to safety"