Extended Blade Life, Including OneBlade Feathers

I’ve discovered the way to achieve very long blade life. I won’t do this with all blades, though my shavette blades are $1 per blade and I have some unobtanium blades that I want to last.

After getting seven good shaves out of a Feather FHS10 from my OneBlade, I’m ready to publish the results. More precisely, there was plenty of life after seven shaves, though I like the GEMs and had discovered what I needed.

The Feather 10’s were good for me for two shaves without this process.

Here is how I do it.

So, after shaving I remove the blade. If there is a bunch of gunk, I’ll remove that with a Q-tip, though NEVER let the Q-tip touch the edge.

I have a little jar of rubbing alcohol. Holding the blade by the end, I lower into the alcohol and swish it back and forth. I may change ends and repeat.

I then set it where the edges don’t touch anything and let it dry. If it doesn’t dry fast enough I’ll use a q-tip or hand towel, though am careful to NOT TOUCH THE BLADE'S EDGE.

Now for the secret sauce. I hand strop the blade, Sometimes 3 times on each side, sometimes 6 times. THE KEY is to hand strop VERY LIGHTLY. Keep in mind that the edge of a razor blade is only a few atoms (or whatever those little things are) thick. The people on the Youtube videos I’ve seen press too hard, which will cause the edge of the blade to roll to the other side. A very, very light touch is what works well.

Glad to hear you’ve found a process that works for you. I’ve tried palm stropping from time to time, but sometimes it just makes things worse (especially with Feather AC and DE blades, I’ve noticed), which must be an indication that I’m simply not doing it right.

However, when I had use of an original OneBlade for a while, I got four good shaves out of the Feather FHS blade without any special tricks. Seven shaves with one of those blades is a very nice achievement, though.

Based on what I have learned, the big issue that effects palm stropping is using too much pressure. I'm guessing 95+ percent of folks that have faced challenges with palm stropping can clear it up with a lighter touch.

I’ll definitely keep that in mind next time I feel compelled to palm strop. The other thing (in addition to pressure) I could see affecting the blade is the angle of the stropping. Shallow is probably the way to go (straight razor-style), right?

Great point, yes shallow or more flat, like a straight razor. The goal is to straighten the edge. Too much angle will cause it to roll rather than straighten. The edge of the blade is only a few microns thick.

I'm glad you brought up this point.

...... is only a few atoms (or whatever those little things are) .....

Stropping works well and I tend to do it with most blades. I don't see myself palm stropping an artist club blade though ...

Stropping works well and I tend to do it with most blades. I don't see myself palm stropping an artist club blade though ...

I would have to agree on the Artist Club blade - not sure how anyone could get a good hold on it for stropping.  I don't strop all blades - mainly those that are expensive or rare.  For example, real Gillette Swedes would be a great candidate.

The other application for this process I use is when I shave with a razor that has a god blade that I'm not going to use for a while.  I like variety and this process allows rotating through razors without the blade going bad just by sitting.

Here's a pic of the Artist Blade for those that haven't seen one:

[Image: the-difference-between-artist-cl.jpg]

Thanks Pete. I can only get three shaves from my Feather 10s in my Oneblade Core unlike the GEM which is many more. I will certainly try your method. There's gotta be a way to get a few more shaves!

Personally, the best way for me to make the artist club blades last is by not touching it after you load it. I used a Schick Proline for 36 shaves. After I put the blade in, the only thin g I did was rinse with hot water. When you wipe the razor with a towel of your hand, you risk damaging that micro edge. The razor had a little soap scum after 36 shaves.