Care of DE blades

[tomcj2]

I remember when Wilkinson DE blades first came out ( early 60's ?) there were instructions enclosed that said " Do not rub dry,  just pat dry"

I have always followed that wisdom.

I just ordered 2 new DE razors, and I already have one..  When they arrive I will remove the blade after my shave, rinse it well, pat it dry, and install it into another razor.  The blade should never stay wet.

[Slynito]

When I finish a shave I open the Merkur, rinse the blade, give it a couple blows and leave it open a half turn. (I do give the Merkur a shine) I think about how I leave a vice after use...clean it, oil it, close the jaws down and back off a half turn....dats just me. 

[medpsy82]

Never really thought about the care of my blades. I just rinse the entire head of my razor and let air dry intact. Does rinsing and drying the blade make it last longer? I would think the cloth used to dry the blade would rub and dull the blade faster, which thinking about it it would probably not since I dry my straight with a cloth and seal with mineral oil on toilet paper after every use. Huh

[ProphetNoir]

I keep a small plastic jar filled with isopropyl alcohol and I disassemble my razor after each shave and give the parts a quick swish and set them aside while I do the same with the blade, followed by a palm stropping. 
The alcohol evaporates very quickly so I can put the whole kit back together and hang my razor in its stand. 
I'm not going to claim that it does any good to go through this, by now it is all just a part of my compete ritual.
No harm in my opinion.

[theman]

Thanks Brothers,

Been along time so , thank you for reminding me of these item's !

[greatnessinc]

In my first 3 days of owning a DE razor (I've got the Merkur 180) I find it fairly easy to care for. Simple to disassemble and clean out the hair and any extra gunk built up on the blade. I wasn't impressed with the Merkur blade that came with it but the Astra SP blade seems a little better or it could just be that I've gotten better at using my DE.
Anyhow I rinse my blade after a shave then disassemble it and clean it out give it another rinse dry all the parts then reassemble.
It's important to clean the blade of gunk/wet hair because those will rust the blade (which will cause the blade to dull).

[tomcj2]

Lately I tossed my fancy method away, and simply opened the razor a bit, rinsed it under the tap, give it a shake, and let it dry.

Guess what??

Same blade life.

Why have I complicated my life for years?

[Lynchy]

Each I just rinse mine and give it a shake... Seems to work for me.

[Switchy]

I like simple   to many people what to make a big deal out of things.  Just get the job done and done right 

[BillOnBass]

For the first 20 or so Astra SP blades I used they were for one-time use and then I would toss them (I only shave every 2-3 days).  I've moved on to using them twice before I toss 'em and get a quality second shave, but I don't think the third or fourth shave would be very comfortable. 

All I do after the first use is shake the handle, towel the razor parts (but not the blade), and rack it.  After the second use I toss the blade then disassemble the razor and rinse and dry all the pieces.  I may try experimenting with prolonging a blade's life for more uses with alcohol and pat drying, but these Astras are such a great value that it may be a waste of time.

[eric79]

I always just rinse wipe down and hang to dry. I am suppressed you go through that many astra blades I get a good 7-10 face and head shaves before I change the blade.

Eric

[Gary~]

For the first 20 or so Astra SP blades I used they were for one-time use and then I would toss them (I only shave every 2-3 days).  I've moved on to using them twice before I toss 'em and get a quality second shave, but I don't think the third or fourth shave would be very comfortable. 

All I do after the first use is shake the handle, towel the razor parts (but not the blade), and rack it.  After the second use I toss the blade then disassemble the razor and rinse and dry all the pieces.  I may try experimenting with prolonging a blade's life for more uses with alcohol and pat drying, but these Astras are such a great value that it may be a waste of time.

For the good of the planet -- reuse reuse reuse. If Eric can get 7 - 10 shaves so can everyone. There is a bloke on youtube who reckons he gets 5 to 6 months from a headblade cartridge. And I've use my hb cartridge 18 times and it is not discernibly different from the first time. I treat it and dip in metho after each use etc..

[BillOnBass]

I tried to go for a 3rd shave with a single Astra SP tonight.  I got through the shave alright, but I could definitely tell the difference in the sharpness of the blade.  Very slight irritation that I'm not used to with a one or two-use blade.  I'm going to try a 4th shave, but I'm not optimistic about it cutting well.  I do like recycling whatever I can, and I store all my used double edges to recycle later, Gary.

[greatnessinc]

I keep all my old blades in an empty plastic Eclipse gum container. I suppose in a pinch I could clean them off and try for a few more shaves.