Gem SS PFTE Blades - On Average, How Many Shaves?

[srqshaver]

Hey, Eric! 

Sounds like your technique is improving if you switched to the G-bar with a new blade and got a decent result! 

I've only been shaving with SE razors for about two months. I found that at some point things just clicked and got easier. In the beginning my strokes were short, tentative and I found myself choking up on the handle of the razor. I was even using unmentionables to shave my chin and mustache. Now my strokes feel smoother and I'm more sure of myself. Your confidence will come as you technique improves. Then be careful not to relax too much, or you can get bit...speaking from experience here!   

I've watched a lot of YouTube videos by Dave in KY, Shaving with Fuzzy/wchnu and Jayaruh/Jim Roe. I believe watching their technique has helped mine. There are little things you can pick up from each of them. Fuzzy always talks about Pressure and Angle, he says it like a Buddhist Monk chanting. I attribute getting the correct pressure (as little as possible) to my improved shaving.

I'm two shaves into my fourth Gem SS PTFE blade. I got 10/8/10 shaves on the first three blades. The number of shaves you get can also depend on the number of passes you make.

How often do you shave? I used to only shave every third day or so, to allow my face time to recover. Now I'm shaving every day, with today being my 46th consecutive daily shave. I think this has helped, as it forces me to not chase the perfect shave and risk irritation that will make the next day's shave even tougher. GAW9576 told me a bit back that Twelvefret had a saying that today's shave is the foundation for tomorrow's shave...or something like this. Truer words were never spoken!

Sorry for the long post, but I'm excited that there is another new guy traveling down this road with me!

I definitely think my technique has improved, mostly as a result of putting time into shaving with injectors and now, the past few weeks, GEMs. I read and watch videos, learning as much as I can from others. It does help but there’s no substitute for practicing. Like I’ve heard Fuzzy say, he can shave with just about anything and I’d like to get to that point as well. I’d like to shave everyday but my whiskers seem to be on a 36-48 hour schedule. I also agree with today’s shave being the foundation for the next one. I try hard not to overdo it and cause irritation and usually can pull it off. I’ve also thought that if I don’t shoot for BBS then I’ll be able to shave again sooner. I’m happy to hear that you are enjoying your journey as well Unmentionables have their place but there’s something more satisfying about SE shaving.

I don't know how much difference it actually makes but I always flip the blade to the opposite side from what I used last time. So as with the Gem blades they say gem on one side of the spine and have some numbers on the opposite side. I do shaves 1,3,5,7 with Gem facing up and 2,4,6,8 with the numbers facing up. I read a long time ago that this was a good practice because when you shave the blade edge get slightly deformed. Flipping the blade every shave makes it bend back the opposite way and supposedly makes the blade last longer. Again I don't know how effective it really is but I seem to get a few more good shave per blade when I do it. I average 8 to 11 shaves per blade.

Thanks for this info. I wasn’t really sure if flipping the blade was a good idea so I’ve been making sure to always have the GEM side facing up. I’ll give this a try.