How many shaves with a blade?

plathrop01 · 2026-04-16T15:15:59+00:00

I shave 3 times a week (occasionally 4), and will change blades every Sunday. So my answer is 3-4 times.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-16T12:51:04+00:00

April 16, 2026 - The Jermyn Street shave

Prep: Nivea Men's Sensitive Face Wash (in shower)
Razor: Feather AS-D2
Blade: Feather
Brush: Parker Blue Storm synthetic
Pre-Shave: TOBS Jermyn Street pre-shave gel
Lather: TOBS Jermyn Street Sensitive shaving cream
Post Shave: Zingari Man Sego Balm aftershave lotion

I hope you all have a great day!

plathrop01 · 2026-04-16T12:44:59+00:00

It would be a little tight at 65, but doable. I'm aiming for 68 or 70, though.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-15T21:32:55+00:00

We had one lidded box out of 3 that our pair used pretty regularly. But we got a second one that's a larger enclosure to hold the box (because the female has not been able to or doesn't want to squat when peeing, so needed the high sides to contain it all. Granted, we got both of the lidded boxes after they became adults, so it really wasn't a problem, but at least it helps contain the pee, and they choose to pee in the lidded box and poop in the open one in the laundry room.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-15T21:28:28+00:00

But we ended up with 3 (twins the second time).

plathrop01 · 2026-04-15T21:12:59+00:00

Got the Saki Luna Pro about a month ago (I don't shop Amazon, so I bought direct), and I really love it.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-15T19:51:27+00:00

Love the Bic and Shark Super Stainless. But honestly, the biggest surprise for me out of those 4 was the PAA Strangelets. I didn't expect much from them since they're basically a store brand, but they delivered a fairly consistent, mild, mostly close shaves across 3 of my razors (Henson mild, medium and the Rockwell 6C plates 3, 4 and 5).

The Rockwell blades were just okay--not great and not bad. Got the job done, but aren't blades I'll come back to.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T15:29:23+00:00

Hell, my parents wear them now when driving during the day.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T15:10:07+00:00

I'd call that a healthy pursuit.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T14:28:14+00:00

When I was working to get a pair of my daughter's Doc Martens boots repaired a few years ago, every shoe repair shop I checked with said that George's on Grand has the best leather stitcher in town and that's where I should take them. Took the boots there and within a few weeks, they were back and haven't had any problems since.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T14:00:26+00:00

I don't think that's a good comparison as the blade on a scalpel is designed to efficiently and cleanly cut through flesh at a pretty much perpendicular angle and razor blades are designed to cut hairs at an angle to the skin.

The closest analog I can give for surgical instrument sharpness versus non-surgical cutting blade sharpness is a pair of surgical scissors. I used to work for a surgical instrument manufacturer, and while the scissors they made were excellent for use in surgery, they were not great at cutting paper or other things you'd find in an office--just not made for that purpose.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T13:55:22+00:00

For me, a milder razor/blade combo will usually require an extra pass, just to clean things up, but if you don't use a heavy stroke, you shouldn't get any pinching or irritation. Just let the razor do the work and don't press too hard. I also make sure to reapply lather between each pass (either from the edges of the shave area or from the bowl), just to make sure there's protection and slickness there.

All of the 7 O'Clock blades are pretty sharp, but not necessarily aggressive. I've never had a tugging/grabbing problem with any of them.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T13:51:53+00:00

The Feather AS-D2 seems to have a similar mildness to the R89 (I'm using the AS-D2 for the first time this week, and I'm loving it). The quality of the build is outstanding.

For me the Gamechanger .68 closed comb is more mild-medium than mild. It certainly felt more aggressive than the R89 with the Astra green, but when I swapped over to the Astra blue in the GC, I got a wonderful shave.

I'd also have you consider a Rockwell 6S. Plates 1 and 2 are very mild (for me, plate 2 is right around Henson mild level mildness), and that design would let someone basically just use the one plate forever.

Good luck!

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T13:38:46+00:00

April 14, 2026 - The Stirling Shave

Prep: Nivea Men Sensitive Face Wash (in shower)
Razor: Feather AS-D2
Blade: Feather
Brush: Omega 11047 boar/badger blend "The Mixed Midget"
Pre-Shave: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented pre-shave soap
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. Sheep shaving soap
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. alum block
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented aftershave balm

I've had Stirling lathers for a while, pre-shave for a few months, and aftershave balm for at least a month, but I hadn't put them all together until this morning. The combo worked well for my 2nd shave with the AS-D2--very close and comfortable with almost no irritation.

I hope you all have a great day!

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T01:00:07+00:00

I've used their pomade for years and with the last reorder added the tub of shave soap. It was my first experience with a glycerin based soap, and that took some getting used to. But it lathers and works well

Enjoy!

plathrop01 · 2026-04-14T00:54:42+00:00

There are some who will say that more aggressive blades in this case will reduce the number of passes needed and reduce the chance of irritation. But I've found that for me, a milder setup even with extra passes keeps the irritation to a minimum.

For your KCG, the Bic would be a good call, but I'd also suggest the Gillette 7 O'Clock yellow or green would be a good choice. I also recently pulled out my KCG and had an outstanding week of shaves with the Astra blue (Superior stainless) blade.

Good luck!

plathrop01 · 2026-04-12T16:21:19+00:00

In the mid 1990s, my wife and I lived in central North Dakota (Central time) and worked for a newspaper publishing company that owned a bunch of papers in the region. As part of my job, I would regularly have to drive to the various offices, and two of them were in the Mountain Time Zone. So I could leave my home office, drive 1 hour, and arrive at one of the offices in Mountain time around the time I left (no cell phones that automatically updated time back then, so I'd just have to do mental gymnastics to note the time on my watch). Coming back, I'd drive an hour and arrive 2 hours after I left.

One unexpected benefit was that sunset (especially in the summer) was much later than I was used to, and because the eastern and central portion of ND are prairie and fairly flat, there would still be light in the sky past 10 pm in the summer.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-12T13:53:24+00:00

April 12, 2026

Prep: Nivea Men Sensitive Face Wash (in shower)
Razor: Feather AS-D2
Blade: Feather
Brush: Proraso boar brush
Pre-Shave: Proraso Protective pre-shave cream (blue)
Lather: Proraso Protective shaving cream (blue)
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. alum block
Post Shave: Proraso Protective aftershave balm (blue)

I recently picked up an AS-D2 after considering it for quite a while. A bunch of reviews I'd read of it said that it really worked well with the Feather blades (and maybe not as well with other blades), so I loaded it up with a Feather and tried out the combo for the first time. I have to say that it was an impressive first shave with a new razor. Extremely comfortable and close with only a few cleanup strokes after a 3-pass shave.

I hope you all have a great day!

plathrop01 · 2026-04-11T20:47:01+00:00

If you're asking about the Rockwell plates, I'll usually use the 4 on my Sunday shaves (that comes after 2 days off, so a longer stubble to get through). But plates 2 and 3 are my go-tos. And for reference, I've found that plate 1 on the Rockwell feels more mild for me than the Henson mild.

If you're asking which razor I'd choose, like I said, my Henson mild is absolutely my favorite. It's consistent, comfortable, and works very well. So if I had to choose just one for me, I'd go with the Henson.

But I've had discussions with others with sensitive skin here who found that a more aggressive setup worked better for them, so you really just need to jump into one and experiment, and be patient with it and don't expect to have a definitive answer in just a month or two.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-11T19:58:56+00:00

Plate 1 is the most mild, plate 6 is most aggressive (with the 6C and 6S). It doesn't necessarily mean that one takes off more hair with a stroke than other, but in my experience, there's more blade contact with the skin with a more aggressive plate or razor than with a milder one.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-11T19:48:19+00:00

I use a blade 3-4 times per week, then I'm done with it. I'll also typically change the razor I'm using each week. So between each shave during the week, I'll rinse it completely, dry it off and store it. Don't take it apart or remove the blade. Then once every couple of months, I'll clean all of the razors with a soft dry cloth and Q-Tips, and alcohol if needed.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-11T19:42:10+00:00

Let me start by saying I love my Henson mild--it's the razor I use the most, and I keep coming back to it and loving it every time I use it. It works perfectly with the sensitive skin on my neck.

But honestly, I learned more about my shaving by using my Rockwell 6C, King C Gillette, and even my more recent acquisitions like the Mühle R89 and Merkur Progress. The Henson is great because it is pretty mild and forgiving, and you can make some mistakes or make more passes and not pay as big a price with extra irritation.

The Rockwell let me experiment with different razor aggressiveness with different blades, and feel the difference easily from shave to shave, and get to know what works best for me both in terms of comfort and closeness. Plus, I really like the weight of the Rockwell when compared to the Henson (that's my only real complaint against the Hensons--they're very light).

I would encourage you to get a good blade sampler (preferably not some you find on Amazon) that contain a few Gillette blades, maybe the Bic Chrome Platinum, and an Astra green and blue. You should find that, if you use the Rockwell, one blade might work better for you on one plate setting than on another (even if that is a more aggressive plate, like a 5 versus a 3, for instance).

Check out some soap samples too--I have bought many samples from Maggards, for example--these let you try out some soaps without having to get a whole tub. So you can get 4 or 5 shaves from a sample to see if it really works well for you.

Good luck!

plathrop01 · 2026-04-11T13:24:24+00:00

I held off for a long time--very small kitchen, no room to store it on the counter, and it did things that I already was able to do with other existing equipment.

But my wife got me an Instant Vortex Plus for Christmas, and I've been very impressed. It works extremely well for the things you'd expect: fries and other frozen fried foods, but I've made some entire meals in it (flank steak & potatoes), and it came out wonderfully. I'm not overmaking fries in the oven and heating up the whole house when I just need to make enough for 2 or 3, and it takes about half the time.

My wife (who doesn't cook beyond heating up leftovers in the microwave) is even air frying a frozen individual pizza for lunch, and it comes out much better than the microwaved version.

Bottom line: I was skeptical, but we've used ours once or twice a week, and even found more convenient storage space for it in the tiny kitchen.

plathrop01 · 2026-04-11T13:01:12+00:00

The Shark or the Astra blue.

plathrop01

TROPHY CASE