Category — Blades

The newest Schick entry into the shaving market is a five-bladed device that features, rather than the hydrating ’strip’ that’s been around for more than a decade, a ‘reservoir’ that contains aloe vera, vitamin E… you know, stuff to make your skin feel better.

I priced a pack of four replacement cartridges at Walgreen’s at $11.99 USD.

That’s THREE DOLLARS A CARTRIDGE, kids.

At that kind of price, it ain’t your face that needs to be lubricated.

It’s simple, fellas. If you want your skin to feel and look great, and your wallet to stay full, take up wet shaving.

You can get a vintage Gillette Super Speed on eBay for ten bucks.

Blades average a quarter each.

Etc. Etc.

You can buy a nice tub of high-end English shave cream if you really feel the need to drop serious coin on your shave, and even then you’ll save a bundle compared to this Schick affront to the dignity of shaving.

If you’ve found your way to this post via Google, because you were looking for info on the Schick thing, I sincerely hope I’ve talked you out of it, or at least given you food for thought.

Lifehacker has a post about how to extend razor blade life by soaking your gear in mineral oil between uses.

I’m sure this works, because anything you can do to eliminate water from the blade will keep it from oxidizing. Those tiny rust spots can wreak havoc on your blade’s edge.

I’ve also previously posted about a canny gent from Iowa who has set up an entire line of products devoted to keeping your blade edge sharp.

I’m not too crazy about spending a lot of money to save some. I’m also not much into oil when it comes to wet shaving. I find shave oil gums up the blade more than it’s worth.

So, I’ll say again: I use a different method for eliminating water from the blade, and it works pretty well. It’s also dirt cheap and doesn’t leave any residue.

Rubbing alcohol. Plain old isopropyl.

I keep a covered dish of it by the sink. When I shake the water from my razor, I then immerse it in the alcohol, and swirl it around a bit.

That will displace the water, dry quickly, and extend blade life.

Now go spend that money you saved on something great, like a new brush or some killer soap.

Wait! I meant, flowers for your wife. Yeah, that’s what I meant.

Ron Christensen, from Iowa, has invented a product called ‘Revolt’ that he claims extends the life of razor blades.

The gent found through his research that water rusts blades – figure out how to remove the water, and presto! Blade life is extended. You shave with the lube, then store your razor in the extender.

Christensen.

His Revolt sells for around ten bucks a bottle.

Okay.

I’m down with invention, making a buck, the American way.

And I agree, if you can remove all water from your blades after a shave, they stand less chance of developing micro-spots of rust which will make the next shave rougher.

I’ve been doing some research of my own in this field and have found something that does the trick a helluva lot cheaper than Revolt.

Rubbing alcohol.

Plain old isopropyl alcohol displaces water. Using it as an after-shave razor rinse, you clear water from the blade before you put the razor away. You can enjoy the warm, relaxing pleasure of a wet shave and still extend blade life.

I’m not claiming anything new here. I’ve read about this trick, and have been trying it lately.

My DE blades have gone from three comfortable shaves to five. Also, any nasty germs that may have jumped from my face to the blade are killed before the next shave.

I keep an Anchor Hocking bowl of the alcohol on the sink. After my shave I swish the head of the razor in there.

Works like a charm, for 80 cents a bottle.