· Ewan Hartley
How often should you change the blade?
Counting shaves is the wrong instrument. Two people using the same blade can be right to change it on day four and day ten.
The test
Shave one stroke down your cheek and pay attention to the sound and the pull. A fresh blade is quiet and glides. A finished one catches slightly and you find yourself pressing to compensate. That pressure is what irritates your skin, not the blade itself.
What shortens a blade
Coarse or dense growth, shaving every day, and leaving a wet blade clamped in the head between shaves. That last one costs more edges than anything else.
What it costs either way
At $4.95 for ten blades, changing on day four instead of day seven costs about a dollar a month. It is not worth stretching a blade to save it.
What actually blunts a blade
Not the hair. Corrosion does most of the damage, which is why a blade left wet in a clamped head dies faster than one used twice as often and dried. The edge of a double-edge blade is a few microns thick; it does not take much oxidation to round it off.
That is the practical reason to shake the head out and stand the razor on its end. It costs three seconds and it is worth a shave or two per blade.
Rough guide by beard type
| Growth | Typical shaves | Sign it is done |
|---|---|---|
| Fine, shaved daily | 7 to 10 | A faint drag on the second pass |
| Average | 5 to 7 | Tugging on the neck first |
| Coarse or dense | 3 to 5 | Catching on the chin |
| Every third day | 4 to 6 | Pulling rather than cutting |
Figure from our own verified buyer reviews, 38 ratings, 2026.
Why stretching a blade costs more than it saves
A tired blade makes you press, and pressing is what causes razor burn and ingrown hairs. At $4.95 for ten blades, changing on day four instead of day seven costs about a dollar a month. There is no version of this arithmetic where saving the blade wins.
Getting rid of used blades
They are sharp, thin and easy to lose track of. A metal tin with a slot in the lid, kept on a shelf, holds several years of blades and goes to metal recycling when it is full. Never loose in a household bin.
Does the razor need anything?
Rinse the head under a hot tap and let it dry. Once every few months, take the three pieces apart and clear the soap out of the threads. That is the whole maintenance schedule, and it is why these razors last decades.
More on this: the adjustable razor itself, our guide to safety razor blades, and how to choose a safety razor.
Questions about blades
Can I sharpen a double-edge blade?
No, and there is no reason to try. The edge is a coated micron-thin bevel that cannot be restored at home, and a fresh blade costs five cents.
Do different blades really feel different?
Yes, more than people expect. Coating, steel and grind all vary, and a blade that suits one face drags on another. It is worth trying a couple of types once you are settled.
Should I use both edges?
You already are. The blade sits in the head with an edge on each side, and you use whichever one your stroke presents. There is nothing to flip.
What about rinsing the blade in alcohol?
It dries the edge, which is the point, and some people swear by it. Shaking the head out and standing the razor up achieves most of the same thing for no effort.
My blade seems fine after ten shaves. Should I change it anyway?
If it still glides, keep going. The count is a guide and the feel is the instrument.
Can I leave the blade in while travelling?
Take it out. A blade rattling loose inside a packed head marks the plating, and loose blades cannot go through security in hand luggage anyway.
A simple habit that doubles blade life
Keep a small towel by the sink. After the last pass, run the head under a hot tap, shake it hard twice, then blot the head and the dial dry and stand the razor on its base. It takes about five seconds and it is the single change that most affects how long an edge lasts, because corrosion rather than hair is what rounds a blade off. People who do this consistently report getting two or three extra shaves from the same blade, which over a year is most of a pack.
The same habit protects the razor. Water that sits in the threads around the adjustment collar is what eventually marks the plating, and the collar is the part you touch every day.
Ewan Hartley · Editor, Kelvedge
Writes the guides on this site and reads every verified rating the razor receives. Shaves with a double-edge daily, at setting two.