Why shaving razors dull

[KnifeGrinders]

The most comprehensive discussion I've ever read about the shaving razors - post https://bladeforums.com/threads/is-micro...s.1769466/

I've learnt that of the multiple factors dulling the razor, the main is water salts deposited when it dries.
Now after use I blow the water out of my cartridge razor with my wife's hair dryer.

I've also finally learnt the shaving razor composition and hardness:
12-13 % Cr and 0.6 % C, heat treated to around 62-3 HRC

I was impressed by how 1 short comment by Todd Simpson invalidated that complex scanning electron microscopy experiment on cutting the hair that chipped the razor.

[grepper]

If water salts are actually the major cause of dulling, I wonder if a quick silicone spray or compressed air would work.  It would be a lot less hassle than hauling out a hair dryer, and a hiar dryer might just evaporate water leaving the salts behind depending on the air pressure.

Being water repellent, WD-40 would probably work if you wanted your face to smell like, well… WD-40.  But then, there probably would not be much WD left on the razor and the aroma might not survive shave cream on the next shave.  Mr. KG, please experiment with spraying your razor with WD-40 or silicone spray a let us knows the results. If a simple spray could double the life of disposable razors, you could go down in history as saving the world from millions of tons of plastic disposable razors in land fills each year!

From my own experience I think that shaving is unique in that even a slight decrease in sharpness can result in a significant decrease in shaving efficacy and comfort:

http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...shave+with

[KnifeGrinders]

"compressed air" is the most right, and maybe hair dryer at min heat but max blow, since it is always at hand in the bathroom of a married man?
By what Larrin wrote, the cartridge razor should last for 4-6 months.

I actually like the WD-40 smell, but with all respect to Mr. Grepper, will politely decline the proposal.

[grepper]

"I actually like the WD-40 smell, but with all respect to Mr. Grepper, will politely decline the proposal."  

Oh come on KG!  Don’t you know that women find the aroma of a man that smells like a machine shop extremely exciting?  Being a medical professional I’m sure you know that the main ingredient in WD-40 is actually a pheromone.

Humor aside, could it really be true simply blowing a razor dry could quadruple its useful life?  If that is the case it could actually have significant environmental ramifications:

“The Environmental Protection Agency once estimated that 2 billion razors and refill blades get tossed out in the U.S. each year.“
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati...943345001/

Canned compressed air is not only really wimpy but also expensive.  I previously searched for refillable compressed air bottles to keep my computer clean only to find they cost a lot of $$$ for a good one.  However, there appears to be a very reasonably priced alternative that is much more powerful than a hair dryer and you don’t need to wait for it to heat up.  Who knows, maybe your wife might even find it works better than a hair dryer:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082XR3987?tag...0Air%20Can

After each use, I do a perfunctory rinsing of the disposable razor.  Even so, when I dissembled one that had become too dull to shave with I found it was gunked up with disgusting soap and crud.  I don’t know how this shave cream and crud affects blade longevity, but maybe a strong blow might be effective in removing a lot of the crud that was not rinsed away.  

I can’t remember what is is right now but I think there is some product that you place your razor in after using it that submerses the head in a cleaning solution that claims to increase sharpness longevity

[grepper]

Maybe just give the razor a quick spray of distilled water from a spray bottle to clean it and then put the razor in a little cup of baby (mineral) oil between shaves? That should prevent any minerals from water being deposited on the blades and also prevent corrosion from air contact.

Just think, not only could it prolong blade longevity, but also be all your beauty needs in one bottle, leaving your skin silky smooth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OyTIoc6om0

Oddly, it might be worth trying.

[KnifeGrinders]

By what I remember from school, oil cannot displace water, the oil will be over the water droplets on the razor.

Rinsing in distilled water is sure a solution.
Demineralized water in Australia costs about $1 per 1L. 1 cartridge razor costs about the same. But we can rinse our razor in the same cup of demineralized water quite a number of times, before replacing the water.
And we do not even need to blow that water out of the cartridge razor.

Thanks for the idea, Grepper!

[Mike Brubacher]

And if you put some whiskey in with the distilled water you could also use the same liquid to rinse with after you brush your teeth. Now that's a good start to your morning mates! Clean shave, shiny teeth, and an improved outlook on life.

[blgentry]

Some number of people swear by keeping their razors in an oil bath between uses.  They say it really helps the life of the blade, but I have no experience myself.

I use a Double Edged safety razor.  The blades I just switched to (German made Wilkinson Swords) cost $22 for 100, so about $0.22 each.  It get around 7 to 12 shaves from these before I think they aren't working well any more.  My old Gillette Silver Blues were more like $0.17 each, and shave well also.  The Wilkinson's seem much smoother to me.

This last point is why I'm writing:  Smoothness trumps sharpness for face shaving.  At least for me.  The coating on the blade seems to be more important than the BESS score of the blade.  In fact, I tested a Gillette Silver Blue a while back, after using it for 7 to 10 uses (can't remember).  It measured SHARPER than a blade right out of the package!  Yet it was not performing well for face shaving.  I threw it away after the test and replaced it with a new one.  I've used the sharpest blade on the market, the Feather from Japan.  It's sharper.  But it shaves terribly for someone like me.  It's so sharp that it cuts your skin much more easily and it's honestly not as smooth as the other two blades I talked about.  Sharpness is far from the only factor here.

The total price for shaving needs to include everything involved.  In my case this means good quality shaving soap and some nice aftershave.  I really like both Soap Commander and Stirling Soaps.  They have great ingredients and produce an incredible high quality lather.  If you've only used lather from a can, these products are a revelation.  Truly.

So my blades are extremely cheap.  I spend something like $12 per year on blades.  But the soap and the aftershave cost quite a bit more.  Probably around $13 per 6 months, or about $26 per year.  As a guess.  Really, I don't keep track or really care.  I'm getting really nice shaves pretty much every day.  I never got that with canned foam and cartridge razors.  The lather is probably more important than the blade.  Or at least equally so.

Brian.