DVR Chatter

I get pissed off every time I need to buy new razor blades.  And, since I started shaving my head as well as my face, I go through a lot of razor blades.  My current blade of choice is the Gillette Fusion.  I find that I can be a lot more free-wheeling with the razor and still get a close shave. I used to have to try and knock it down with an electric razor before using a blade, but with the Fusion I can cut out the electric step.  I refuse to buy into the whole "Power" trend though, so I save a little money by buying the non-powered Fusion blades.  They're still wildly expensive.

Writer Gregory Karp has done some research, and it appears you can extend razor blade life by drying the blade after use.

The concept is this: Razor blade dullness stems more from oxidation, microscopic rusting, than from contact with whiskers. Water that sits on blades between shaves causes the oxidation.

Corrosion can cause metal on the blade to flake off and the edge to become blunted and jagged. That results in blades pulling and tearing hairs instead of cleanly slicing through them.

[...]

A high-profile test of this happened when consumer-advocate radio host Clark Howard of Atlanta used a 17-cent disposable razor for an entire year. He said he extended blade life by blotting his razor dry with a towel after use.

Howard's report intrigued Atlanta resident Brian Cohn, who then tried it himself. Cohn said his results weren't quite as good but still amazing. Instead of blades lasting the usual 10 days to two weeks, his blades lasted five to six months.

[...]

Because the only evidence he had was anecdotal, he paid for testing research from an independent laboratory, 360-Degree Testing Service of Yonkers, N.Y. It tested a two-blade razor from Bic, a three-blade razor from Gillette and a four-blade razor from Schick.

The results?...[D]ry[ing] blades extended blade life an average of 122 percent, or more than double.

Dab (don't rub) if you're going to use a towel.