- Messages
- 216
- Location
- Deep South Texas
Really depends on the razor. Some make it easy to pull the blade, rinse it and put it back in, others like the ATT G1 are more complex and so the blade just stays in place until changed.
Keep blade in razor
- Thread starter nlMike
- Start Date
- Messages
- 12
The blades can get damaged
The idea of special care (cleaning, drying) is a remnant from the routines necessary for the original Gillette blades made from carbon steel that would rust quickly if left wet.
The invention of stainless steel blades by Wilkinson made all that unnecessary, as explicitly stated on the package of the first Wilkinson blades - that was their selling point!
(IIRC that invention was an important factor in ultimately breaking Gillette's dominance of the razor blade business and led them down the path of cartridges later on.)
Shaving is obviously an activity with a wide variety of individual routines and OCD is rampant. Just as obviously anybody is free to do as they please and for many aspects of shaving (notably the choice of blade brands or the scent of soaps and aftershaves) the only rule is YMMV.
However when giving advice to others, one should be able to name good reasons for one's recommendations. I have yet to see any convincing reason for
- blade stropping (a desperate and unproven attempt to prolong blade life from times of shortage and crisis like war or economic depression)
- wiping or patting dry (see Wilkinson package)
- washing in alcohol (except that it is a gentle and quick way of drying a carbon steel blade, should you use one of the very few brands still made, like Treet)
- flipping (as someone famously remarked: It doesn't do more to the edge than changing your kitchen knife from one hand to the other)
Taking the blade out of the razor is potentially harmful (to both your fingers and the delicate edge) so I avoid that except when changing the blade, which is also when I clean the razor.
I don't even count the number of uses, I change the blade once the quality of the shave deteriorates. No counting necessary, I can feel it, but I can also get a passable shave out of a blade (that's) due for changing, so it's no big deal.
Which is a good general rule of thumb: It's only shaving, not rocket surgery.
The invention of stainless steel blades by Wilkinson made all that unnecessary, as explicitly stated on the package of the first Wilkinson blades - that was their selling point!
(IIRC that invention was an important factor in ultimately breaking Gillette's dominance of the razor blade business and led them down the path of cartridges later on.)
Shaving is obviously an activity with a wide variety of individual routines and OCD is rampant. Just as obviously anybody is free to do as they please and for many aspects of shaving (notably the choice of blade brands or the scent of soaps and aftershaves) the only rule is YMMV.
However when giving advice to others, one should be able to name good reasons for one's recommendations. I have yet to see any convincing reason for
- blade stropping (a desperate and unproven attempt to prolong blade life from times of shortage and crisis like war or economic depression)
- wiping or patting dry (see Wilkinson package)
- washing in alcohol (except that it is a gentle and quick way of drying a carbon steel blade, should you use one of the very few brands still made, like Treet)
- flipping (as someone famously remarked: It doesn't do more to the edge than changing your kitchen knife from one hand to the other)
Taking the blade out of the razor is potentially harmful (to both your fingers and the delicate edge) so I avoid that except when changing the blade, which is also when I clean the razor.
I don't even count the number of uses, I change the blade once the quality of the shave deteriorates. No counting necessary, I can feel it, but I can also get a passable shave out of a blade (that's) due for changing, so it's no big deal.
Which is a good general rule of thumb: It's only shaving, not rocket surgery.
Agree 100%, particularly in the context that the cost of blades, unobtanium vintage aside, is negligibleThe idea of special care (cleaning, drying) is a remnant from the routines necessary for the original Gillette blades made from carbon steel that would rust quickly if left wet.
The invention of stainless steel blades by Wilkinson made all that unnecessary, as explicitly stated on the package of the first Wilkinson blades - that was their selling point!
(IIRC that invention was an important factor in ultimately breaking Gillette's dominance of the razor blade business and led them down the path of cartridges later on.)
Shaving is obviously an activity with a wide variety of individual routines and OCD is rampant. Just as obviously anybody is free to do as they please and for many aspects of shaving (notably the choice of blade brands or the scent of soaps and aftershaves) the only rule is YMMV.
However when giving advice to others, one should be able to name good reasons for one's recommendations. I have yet to see any convincing reason for
- blade stropping (a desperate and unproven attempt to prolong blade life from times of shortage and crisis like war or economic depression)
- wiping or patting dry (see Wilkinson package)
- washing in alcohol (except that it is a gentle and quick way of drying a carbon steel blade, should you use one of the very few brands still made, like Treet)
- flipping (as someone famously remarked: It doesn't do more to the edge than changing your kitchen knife from one hand to the other)
Taking the blade out of the razor is potentially harmful (to both your fingers and the delicate edge) so I avoid that except when changing the blade, which is also when I clean the razor.
I don't even count the number of uses, I change the blade once the quality of the shave deteriorates. No counting necessary, I can feel it, but I can also get a passable shave out of a blade (that's) due for changing, so it's no big deal.
Which is a good general rule of thumb: It's only shaving, not rocket surgery.
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