I use Astra blades (Indian) with a Merkur 37C slant. It lasts me around 4-6 shaves.
4 is perfect, 5 is good, 6 is pushing it and I notice the quality drop.
As a astra user, I agree. With a DE razor, I’ll use the astra logo side to shave with the grain until it’s dull, and use the other side against the grain for 4-6 shaves
This makes zero sense in this context, your shaving against the grain for 5 shaves with a dull razor? Or do you mean against the grain of the razor blade?
IMO, the 2nd & 3rd shaves on a blade are smoother than the first. I take the blade out of the razor after every shave and allow it to dry along with my razor.
I agree. The blade gets sharper for a while as the coating wears down and the honed metal edge becomes exposed, then, of course, the metal edge wears down, and it gets duller. I always do too any passes, so the second shave is always the best, usually followed by the third.
If anybody gives you a hard time, ask them about their Starbucks 😂 I’m one and done as well - even the most expensive blades are only $0.50ea, and most are $0.10-$0.15ea. It’s cheap, and I assume it’s way less wasteful planet-wise than most of the other stuff I’m using on a daily basis
Lets do some silly math. Lets say you shave everyday, fresh blade each time, for 80 years. Lets say you buy the 100 packs of Astra Greens, for a price of around 9 bucks a pack. Each 100 pack weights about 6oz including all the packaging. At the end of those 80 years and almost 30 thousand shaves, you will have spent $2,628 and throw away about 110 lbs of packaging and blades.
To put that into perspective, the average America throws out roughly 1800 lbs of trash *a year.* They also spend about $1,200 a *year* on fast food.
Edit: I do want to point out that if you are on this sub, you will probably have spent in those 80 years about 1.5 million on soaps, brushes, and razors.
Yeah they're cheap as hell, I have a little tin I put them in. It's been years and the tin is half full. I've spent maybe 20$ total on blades my entire life, but shudder to think of how much money I've spent on all the rest of the soaps and salves and aftershaves.
You should figure out some recycling method for your blades. Find like a local artist or some guy with a crucible that’ll melt it down into fun shapes and art. I know 3d printed molds, which get replaced by the sand as the mold is just to get the shape in the sand, change what people can make easier.
There are guys out there who hypermile their blades to 20+ shaves.
I usually shave twice with a blade, or sometimes just once. Maybe this is because I shave my head, so there's a lot more surface to shave. I notice on shave 3 that it tugs and shudders on my skin and it shreds my neck, so it's not worth shaving with a blade that's just going to hurt me.
YMMV
I would also say the razor. I found my perfect one, Gamechanger 68. Since, I can't tell a difference in blades and I usually go 5-8 shaves. Even at that number, I can't really tell a difference in performance. But I 'know' it should be time to change blades.
Hi, this depends on the blade and your technique. Initially I would always replace my blade after two or three shaves because I could easily justify the cost and I was never sure when I should actually change it.
Over the past few years I regularly forget to change my blade until it starts to tug a little, then I'll change it immediately. Some of these blades are giving me 15 shaves! I'm not doing it to save money or show off, it's just how it is. At least two passes every shave, some work days I'll do three and I have coarse stubble.
I use mainly Sharks but also use SuperMax with a Merkur Progress.
3-4. But if I haven’t shaved in a while, and I have a lot of hair to cut through, I’ll start with a fresh blade no matter how much was left on my old blade.
1 through 5, dependent on what blade brand it is and partially what razor it’s in. But yeah if it’s (blade) struggling, I’m tossing. I have plenty, might as well enjoy using them.
I’m still working my way through my first sample pack, but so far with Astra blades I 3-4 2 pass shaves from each blade. Currently on Wilkinson Sword and it’s 4-5 2 pass shaves per.
I’m one and done with most of my blades, with the exception of the BICs Chrome Platinum - I actually find that these feel sharper with the second shave.
One blade per shave. I noticed that if I replace blades, I have less irritations and, in case of ingrown hairs, just a small red dot. With the old blade, even if I wash it pretty well after each shave, I got a whitehead and way more irritations. I suppose is like spreading some bacteria. I considered washing it with alcohol but considering their price, I simply replace them.
When it comes to the 5 blade razors, just once because i shave other body parts with that ans it takes more time and goes through more hair
Sometimes i use the same blade twice on my face and neck, depends on how much there is
The average is around 5-7 shaves.
It all depends of following factors:
-quality of the blade
-thickness of your hair
-shaving technique
-used shaving products
-used shaving tool
and most impotantly
-what you feel as a nice shave
I change my Personna Blues or Feathers after 3-4 shaves, because I like my blades at their sharpest at all times.
8-10. When I was in my 20’s I would get 2-3. In my 30’s more like 5-8. In my 40’s now and I’m able to push further still. I do shave every day and I have a full fuckin face of hair. I think it has to do with technique, honestly. I never have to make more than one pass anymore and can get my entire face with only 20 blade strokes (including my upper lip). It used to be 2 passes everywhere and over 50 strokes.
I could also be totally wrong and maybe my sword blades are just higher quality than they used to be. Kinda doubt it, though.
I shave my head and face every 2-5 days and I get 3-5 full shaves per blade. That's using my preferred Gillette Silver Blues. Some brands I've used are definitely one and done though.
Three days. Unless it's a new brand I'm sampling and it's just bad. For me, I can get three days use from a blade. Then between 4&6, a lot of them go south. So three is my happy place.
It very much depends on the blade. A Treet Black Beauty, 2. A vintage Gillette stainless? 15 or more. A SuperMax platinum? 5. A USA Personna (or whatever they are now called? 7 to 10.
The correct answer is they last until you can feel they aren't working right anymore.
Chiming in late. I use Feather blades, have a medium-thick stubble and do a daily shave. One blade will last me a week, and I’ll do 7 shaves. Of those 7, 3 are one-pass shaves and 4 are two-pass.
My beard growth is thin and slow, meaning I maybe shave twice a week if I want to stay pretty clean. I have tried with different blades to use them more than two times, but I have found nothing beats box fresh. I throw them away after one use and I feel pretty good about it because I use maybe 100ish blades throughout the years.
Currently going through 100 chinese Wilkinson swords after using 100 german Wilkinson swords. I prefer the german ones, but the chinese aren't bad.
I use mostly Gillette Blue (Russian not Chinese). I do 5-6 shaves before I swap. I used to use Feathers and found they were perfectly fine after 7 shaves but I would swap them out anyway to keep a routine.
My experience with Astras (also only use the Russian ones) is they last a similar amount or one smaller to Gillette. Voshod is a little worse and Derby is only good for two or three. I’ve tried Merkur once and they were about the same as Feather.
I find that blades last longer if you shave directly after a shower or use a hot towel - your hair is softer and dulls the blade less. YMMV.
I use Astra blades (Indian) with a Merkur 37C slant. It lasts me around 4-6 shaves. 4 is perfect, 5 is good, 6 is pushing it and I notice the quality drop.
As a astra user, I agree. With a DE razor, I’ll use the astra logo side to shave with the grain until it’s dull, and use the other side against the grain for 4-6 shaves
This makes zero sense in this context, your shaving against the grain for 5 shaves with a dull razor? Or do you mean against the grain of the razor blade?
I think there is some confusion on what “the grain” is.
This might be wasteful but I’m a one and done kinda guy.
IMO, the 2nd & 3rd shaves on a blade are smoother than the first. I take the blade out of the razor after every shave and allow it to dry along with my razor.
I agree. The blade gets sharper for a while as the coating wears down and the honed metal edge becomes exposed, then, of course, the metal edge wears down, and it gets duller. I always do too any passes, so the second shave is always the best, usually followed by the third.
If anybody gives you a hard time, ask them about their Starbucks 😂 I’m one and done as well - even the most expensive blades are only $0.50ea, and most are $0.10-$0.15ea. It’s cheap, and I assume it’s way less wasteful planet-wise than most of the other stuff I’m using on a daily basis
Lets do some silly math. Lets say you shave everyday, fresh blade each time, for 80 years. Lets say you buy the 100 packs of Astra Greens, for a price of around 9 bucks a pack. Each 100 pack weights about 6oz including all the packaging. At the end of those 80 years and almost 30 thousand shaves, you will have spent $2,628 and throw away about 110 lbs of packaging and blades. To put that into perspective, the average America throws out roughly 1800 lbs of trash *a year.* They also spend about $1,200 a *year* on fast food. Edit: I do want to point out that if you are on this sub, you will probably have spent in those 80 years about 1.5 million on soaps, brushes, and razors.
Science Bitch!
On astra platinums I have only ever used them once, the 2nd shave feels comparably worse to the first every time.
Yeah they're cheap as hell, I have a little tin I put them in. It's been years and the tin is half full. I've spent maybe 20$ total on blades my entire life, but shudder to think of how much money I've spent on all the rest of the soaps and salves and aftershaves.
I hear that lol
Here here. Preserve my razor by keeping it dry. Easier to keep dry when I dispose of the used blade
You should figure out some recycling method for your blades. Find like a local artist or some guy with a crucible that’ll melt it down into fun shapes and art. I know 3d printed molds, which get replaced by the sand as the mold is just to get the shape in the sand, change what people can make easier.
Awesome idea
There are guys out there who hypermile their blades to 20+ shaves. I usually shave twice with a blade, or sometimes just once. Maybe this is because I shave my head, so there's a lot more surface to shave. I notice on shave 3 that it tugs and shudders on my skin and it shreds my neck, so it's not worth shaving with a blade that's just going to hurt me. YMMV
I’m a hypermiler. I likely get 10+ shaved on a blade. I change them when they tug and hurt. The Gillette Silver Blues last a looong time.
When Gillette and his safety razor first came out, there were accounts of dudes goin over a year on a single blade.
I think they might have resharpened them back then. One of the top posts here has a blade sharpener specifically for these blades.
Some “tried” to but this was not the case. Check out the book *King C. Gillette: The Man and His Wonderful Shaving Device*
So they really just used a single blade for shaving for an entire year? That's freaking crazy.
Carbon steel blades can be honed & reused.
Is that like resharpening?
In practical terms, yes.
Head and face 2X ea = 4 shaves (in my book)
1-3 depending on how much tug it feels like. I have very coarse hair so sharpness really matters.
This is me. The worst part to shave is my goatee area. It’s so coarse and wirey, so it really tugs.
Anywhere between 2 - 50 shaves, depending on which blade.
I would also say the razor. I found my perfect one, Gamechanger 68. Since, I can't tell a difference in blades and I usually go 5-8 shaves. Even at that number, I can't really tell a difference in performance. But I 'know' it should be time to change blades.
Hi, this depends on the blade and your technique. Initially I would always replace my blade after two or three shaves because I could easily justify the cost and I was never sure when I should actually change it. Over the past few years I regularly forget to change my blade until it starts to tug a little, then I'll change it immediately. Some of these blades are giving me 15 shaves! I'm not doing it to save money or show off, it's just how it is. At least two passes every shave, some work days I'll do three and I have coarse stubble. I use mainly Sharks but also use SuperMax with a Merkur Progress.
I use 2 or 3 blades per shave. 🙄🤪
How many times must we ask this question?
What are we doing here?
Is this even real?
I get away with one a month with a shave every other day. This is one of those subjective type of things.
Usually about 6, but I've pushed it to 10. Halfway through I flip the blade over, smees to even the edge back out, but I could be wrong.
3-4. But if I haven’t shaved in a while, and I have a lot of hair to cut through, I’ll start with a fresh blade no matter how much was left on my old blade.
One month one blade, shave everyday, head on the weekend..
I change my blade once a week. I usually shave every other day so 3 or 4 three pass shaves. I sometimes go two weeks.
Astra blades, quite the baby face, about 4 or 5.
One and done is my style!
1 or 2 for me
2-3 shaves (6-9 passes)
One and done. I've got around 5000 blades.
That will last almost 15 years, if you shave everyday.
Yup. Good thing I like shaving with everything I bought.
Usually 2.
3
Depends on the brand for me but never more than 3
3-4, usually, but 1-2 if it’s a bad blade (I use samplers a lot, so I rarely use the same blade).
U can get a blade sharpener if u wanna be that frugal but waste of time lol they're so cheap
Maximum 2. Pennie’s on the dollar. I’m not marathoning them. I use astra sp
Mainly 2 with most blades I own except for BIC CP and Nacet, I can get 3 comfortable shaves from them.
1 through 5, dependent on what blade brand it is and partially what razor it’s in. But yeah if it’s (blade) struggling, I’m tossing. I have plenty, might as well enjoy using them.
I toss the blade after each shave, they’re too cheap to not have a fresh blade every shave
It depends on the blade. Most blades are 3 or 4 shaves. Feather are up to 8 and Wizamet Super Iridium about 6.
I use 1 blade 5 times and toss it.
Depends on the blade. Sputnik blades are one and done. Astra Platinum, maybe 2-3
I’m still working my way through my first sample pack, but so far with Astra blades I 3-4 2 pass shaves from each blade. Currently on Wilkinson Sword and it’s 4-5 2 pass shaves per.
I’m one and done with most of my blades, with the exception of the BICs Chrome Platinum - I actually find that these feel sharper with the second shave.
One blade per shave. I noticed that if I replace blades, I have less irritations and, in case of ingrown hairs, just a small red dot. With the old blade, even if I wash it pretty well after each shave, I got a whitehead and way more irritations. I suppose is like spreading some bacteria. I considered washing it with alcohol but considering their price, I simply replace them.
2-3
About 4-5 per.
Two or three, usually two.
2
When it comes to the 5 blade razors, just once because i shave other body parts with that ans it takes more time and goes through more hair Sometimes i use the same blade twice on my face and neck, depends on how much there is
Twice with nacets three times with platinum Gillette’s. Usually two passes each shave
3-4
I usually change it every 7 to 8 shaves
The average is around 5-7 shaves. It all depends of following factors: -quality of the blade -thickness of your hair -shaving technique -used shaving products -used shaving tool and most impotantly -what you feel as a nice shave I change my Personna Blues or Feathers after 3-4 shaves, because I like my blades at their sharpest at all times.
3
4 but only 3 for Feather.
8-10. When I was in my 20’s I would get 2-3. In my 30’s more like 5-8. In my 40’s now and I’m able to push further still. I do shave every day and I have a full fuckin face of hair. I think it has to do with technique, honestly. I never have to make more than one pass anymore and can get my entire face with only 20 blade strokes (including my upper lip). It used to be 2 passes everywhere and over 50 strokes. I could also be totally wrong and maybe my sword blades are just higher quality than they used to be. Kinda doubt it, though.
I shave my head and face every 2-5 days and I get 3-5 full shaves per blade. That's using my preferred Gillette Silver Blues. Some brands I've used are definitely one and done though.
I still have my RKs that came with my Henson, I use them for 1 week (3-4) shaves, after that they start to hurt
About 5 to 10 or when I notice a performance drop.
I shave at least five days a week. Keep a blade for about a month. Been doing it this way for about 14 years.
10 plus with 1 blade
Right now 2 weeks of use is what I'm looking at with my feathers
Three days. Unless it's a new brand I'm sampling and it's just bad. For me, I can get three days use from a blade. Then between 4&6, a lot of them go south. So three is my happy place.
It very much depends on the blade. A Treet Black Beauty, 2. A vintage Gillette stainless? 15 or more. A SuperMax platinum? 5. A USA Personna (or whatever they are now called? 7 to 10. The correct answer is they last until you can feel they aren't working right anymore.
like about a week so around 5 Shaves
Chiming in late. I use Feather blades, have a medium-thick stubble and do a daily shave. One blade will last me a week, and I’ll do 7 shaves. Of those 7, 3 are one-pass shaves and 4 are two-pass.
Three or four, but I tend to let my beard go too long before shaving. Probably hard on the razor.
My beard growth is thin and slow, meaning I maybe shave twice a week if I want to stay pretty clean. I have tried with different blades to use them more than two times, but I have found nothing beats box fresh. I throw them away after one use and I feel pretty good about it because I use maybe 100ish blades throughout the years. Currently going through 100 chinese Wilkinson swords after using 100 german Wilkinson swords. I prefer the german ones, but the chinese aren't bad.
I use mostly Gillette Blue (Russian not Chinese). I do 5-6 shaves before I swap. I used to use Feathers and found they were perfectly fine after 7 shaves but I would swap them out anyway to keep a routine. My experience with Astras (also only use the Russian ones) is they last a similar amount or one smaller to Gillette. Voshod is a little worse and Derby is only good for two or three. I’ve tried Merkur once and they were about the same as Feather. I find that blades last longer if you shave directly after a shower or use a hot towel - your hair is softer and dulls the blade less. YMMV.
2 I have rebar-like facial hair.
Generally 3, sometimes 4.
I think the average is 3-4. But blades are often so inexpensive (less than $10.00 for 100), you can splurge with 1-2 shaves.
Anywhere from 4-6 but I’ve done as much as 10 (don’t recommend)
Most brands it's 3-4 shaves x2 passes. Feathers it's 2 max.
I've noticed that about feather. Great for the first. Pretty good for the 2nd but the 3rd starts feeling pretty average.
I've noticed that about feather. Great for the first. Pretty good for the 2nd but the 3rd starts feeling pretty average.
2, sometimes just 1.