How to Extend the Life of Your Razor Blade Keeping It Sharp for Months and Months

This video shows a simple method of extending the life of an ordinary disposable razor blade for months and months and months. Razor blades are very expensive and most people use the blade for a week or more until it gets dull, then you change it to a new one. By using this simple 'Blue Jean Sharpening Method' it will extend your blade life and receive a sharp and smooth shave for months and months.. I don't know how long it will work as I am still using a blade that is at least 6 mos old now and I'm still using it...

When you finish shaving... walk to your closet... pull out one leg of a pair of blue jeans... hold the end with one hand and with the other simply stoke the razor along the entire length of the blue jean for 10 to 20 strokes... I like 20... then switch directions... the threads of the jeans run in a diagonal so switching directions allows for an balanced approach to fine tuning the blade's edge.

This is similar to using a straight blade on a leather strap... this is cheap or free considering you have a pair of jeans!

It will take the fine nicks out of the blade and allow for you to keep the blade very sharp.

I also sharpen the blade 20 strokes before and after each shave just for good measure.

I also blow on the blade to knock off any water droplets as oxidation/rust is the biggest enemy of a sharp razor blade.

If you want, you can drop your razor 'blade down' into a cup of rubbing alcohol to store it until next use to eliminate any traces of water.

This should save you tons of money... at the time of this video Gillete Fusion 4 blade pack sales for $13.99 + tax. if you generally get one week's worth of use per blade this will run you $167.88 per year + tax! If you get 6 mos per blade then you can extend your use for two years. The math works out to $7.50 per year + tax (two blades at $3.50 per ea)

Hope you get lots of shaves for free!

Comments

[Brennn10]

Nice job on making it to the front page of reddit!

[jakerobinson]

thanks! this may be lame... but i had no idea what Reddit was!

but it's really cool to see how many folks voted it up... cheers,

Jake

[ldumay]

Now that voting is over, I have a question for you: Your still shot it one of a Gillette product. (As well, in your instructions, you mentioned their name.) Did you have to get permission to use their product? It is alluded to in Rule 10, which reads in part, "By entering, Entrant represents that any (video(s), photo(s), essay, etc.), and other materials submitted as part of Entrant's Contest entry are original and will not constitute an invasion of privacy or otherwise infringe upon the rights of any third party, and that the Entrant owns or has the rights to convey any and all right and title in such recipe(s). Besides, these legal matters, first rate job! Good luck!

[jakerobinson]

I believe the "fair use" policy should cover this... Not saying Gillette's brand is significant, that's just what i happened to be using...

[magister.iuris]

Well said; Education purposes.

[MosesS9]

Using jeans to sharpen the blades is simply not possible.To strop (maintain the edge of) a blade you need access to both sides of the blade(s) and that is not possible with a cartridge razor. Keeping the cartridge dry between uses will prolong the useful life of the cartridge.

[DennisK84]

NanoFab electron microscope scan says it works: http://nanofabrication.tumblr.com/post/145006851641/ever-wonder-what-stropping-a-cartridge-razor

[jakerobinson]

Dennis! Thanks for the proof - somewhere there is a thread on reddit where my video was up voted to the top but there were a few naysayers... Wish they could put this in their pipe to smoke. Cheers!

[limestone124]

Jake ty keep up the good work! these razor companies are a disgrace!

[limestone124]

you are so right! the jeans keep the blades so sharp it seems like forever, I have been shaving with a mach 3 same blade for 18 months, just try it! if you doubt it who cares keep spending money foolishly

[KurtC24]

You could do all that that or you could just switch to a safety razor and get a ton load of razor blades for the same as Gillette cartridge blades cost. King Camp Gillette himself shaved with a safety razor made by his own company not a Mach 3 or even a Fusion Proglide Power.

[HermanM9]

Sorry but you cannot remove a nick from a blade with a pair of jeans. What you end up doing is drying the blade to reduce the breakdown of the metal that results from being wet. mineral oil will do this as well. Leaving the blade soaking in alcohol is also effective.

[jakerobinson]

You might want to calculate how much it costs to run your hair dryer as it may not net any savings vs just buying new razor blades

[Laral]

I've read this before on Cool Tools and Amazon, where there was a silicone pad used for this same purpose. But I really question the validity of it. You are allegedly stropping the blades in ONE direction. Stropping requires stroking in BOTH directions to work. One direction produces a thin 'wire' bent to one side. The other direction snaps it off. I even tried this one time with a soft terry cloth towel and it actually DULLED the blade so it was unusable.

For years, I have been simply drying the blade with a hair dryer on high. Each side gets 10-15 seconds. The front side last. I can see micro-drops of water evaporating away. Water is the primary cause of blade dulling, not micro-damage to the edge. My blades last 4-6 months. You could just keep the blade in 91% isopropyl alcohol but to me, that is a hassle.

[jakerobinson]

Okay, let's say your theory of both sides need "stropping" maybe the magic of stropping the blade on denim is just a low tech way of doing what you're doing with the hair dryer - drying the blade.
So. Maybe stropping just creates enough friction to heat the blade enough to dry it off.

There have been to many people tho who have tried it and gotten positive results to say it doesn't work.

In fact, if you go to my YouTube channel there is a "video reply" a fellow left using a microscope on his phone to show the blade improvement with before and after still shots. Thanks for your input

[Laral]

Quite honestly, I can't believe for one minute that the heat generated from stroking almost frictionless denim for 20 strokes can generate anywhere near the heat generated by a 1500W hair dryer. Maybe it's something else. Maybe your beard bends the edge of the blade outward and the stropping, such as it is, breaks the wire off. I don't know, but it didn't work at all for me, and applying heat is more scientifically sound, at least for me.

[Mexicoman]

I have a far better method. This is so great that the cost of shaving is brought to zero. Grow a beard.

[jakerobinson]

hmmm, brilliant... or maybe by half?

[dennislv]

There used to be a device that did this sold on TV called 'Save A Blade'. Regardless, great tip!

[TopShelfRazorCompany]

Great Tip, another great way to keep your blades in topshelf condition is to give your razor a quick rinse in rubbing alcohol after shaving. This helps to dry the blade quickly and prevent oxidation. We recently started sending out tips with every order and our customers love it along with the savings they already get with our discount razor subscription service

http://www.topshelfrazors.com

Cheers - Jimmy