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Moore's Law For Razor Blades?
BartlebyScrivener writes "An article in The Economist examines Moore's Law as applied to razor blade technology: 'For the most cynical shavers, this evolution is mere marketing. Twin blades seemed plausible. Three were a bit unlikely. Four, ridiculous. And five seems beyond the pale. Few people, though, seem willing to bet that Gillette's five-bladed Fusion is the end of the road for razor-blade escalation. More blades may seem impossible for the moment — though strictly speaking the Fusion has six, because it has a single blade on its flip-side for tricky areas — but anyone of a gambling persuasion might want to examine the relationship between how many blades a razor has, and the date each new design was introduced'" I'm legally obligated to mention the Onion article that predicted this.
Sounds a bit like the "Holey Wars" I once heard of. A quick check of Wikipedia and Google didn't turn it up. The idea is that the first steam irons for homes had one hole in them. Some other manufacturer topped this with 2, then 3, etc. This continued until we ended up with irons with tons of holes like we have today.
And that was the Holey Wars.
Now at 5 the blade density is already getting up there so I'm not quite sure how much higher they can go (without pointless tricks like splitting the blades in half and calling it "10 bladed").
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
The biggest improvement I got in shaving was when I stopped using shaving cream (while using Mach 3), rather than getting a razor with more blades. I didn't think it would work, but it did. It felt rough at first, but after a while, as long as your face is wet, the shave is closer, more comfortable, and with far fewer cuts. In fact, I don't think I've cut myself since dropping the shaving cream (~6 months ago).
Damn shaving cream marketers!
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
I don't like those multi bladed razors. You're more likely to get Pseudofolliculitos barbae(razor bumps) from using them. Running 5 blades over every part of your beard causes it to be very cleanly shaven(duh) and more likely to be cut so low that razor bumps occur. This reminds of this comic strip: http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1186.html
The only reason they need the silly sixth blade for those "tricky areas" is because with five blades, the head of the razor is so freaking big you can't use it the way you'd use a Mach 3, which works just fine for the same areas without needing the "special blade". Classic case of creating additional problems by "innovating" requiring an even more complex solution.
Oh, and don't shave unless you're wearing slippers. Drop your Fusion, and that sixth blade can do one heck of a number on one of your toes (ouch).
Never look down your nose at others. Someday, someone is bound to see your boogers.
The best thing I've found for shaving is to get a small bottle of olive oil, and mix in a some tea-tree oil. Probably best if you shave in, or during your shower. It's a close shave, it's natural, the tea-tree oil is good for your skin and you don't get foam up your nose.
I did need a new razor recently, so I went for the 5/6 bladed Gillette Fusion as it was on offer. That, with its odd vibrate feature, and my olive oil mix does make for a very pleasant shave in the morning.
to get you to buy more blades than you really need.
Just like SUVs are a scam to get you to pay for the equivalent of two cars when you only need one.
I remember when people had one blade with two sides, and you could just replace the blade and not have to buy a whole new plastic razor. (before disposable razors) You realize that a pack of blades and a non-disposable razor fits in your luggage much better than a 5-pack of disposables. And when the razor gets dull you just flip it over and use the other side, then throw it away after that.
I prefer electrics, since I can shave but leave things stubbly. perpetually maintaining that "hasn't shaved in 2 days" look, plus you can get them with a beard trimmer which is nice. otherwise any old razor and some hot water does better than all the creams, gels, lubricated strips and polybladed devices.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I have a really thick beard growth and none of the multiple blade razors were doing it for me. I was having problems because the razors would blunt in the middle of shaving so I would have to use more than one and the results were bad. My flatmate told me what her dad used to use, a double edged safety razor. We picked up one from Boots and got some razors for it. I have never looked back since. Why have five, seven, twenty blades when they all suck and I can get a saftey razor for £5 and twenty blades for it for the same price? My shave is as good as you can get from a barber. There is the problem of storage if you have children but, otherwise, I do not look back.
Yeah, back in the quaint old days when three blades seemed like an absurdity.
Nit: I think the slogan was "For you.... Because you'll believe anything."
I use single-bladed Bic disposables myself, which are great except that you have to keep track of how sharp they are and adjust your shaving style accordingly. Presumably this is because they're made of intentionally corrosive metal, razor blades being one of the classic examples of planned obsolescence in action. I keep wondering if it might be possible to hack my own razor blades: stainless steel isn't terribly easy to sharpen, but I bet it would hold an edge forever. I'd prefer some sort of "saftey" arrangement, rather than the old fashioned straight-edged razor. Has anyone out there looked into this?
Funny, I just remembered that once I tried a different approach: it seemed to me that if I stored a disposable razor in oil, I might be able to prevent it from corroding... I quickly discovered the obvious problem: if I wanted to use soap for lubrication, I was going to have to completely clean off all of the oil before each use. I don't remember if I looked into using oil as a shaving lubricant, that seems like an obvious thought to me now, but I might've missed it back then. Why not stash your razor in olive oil, and wash your face after shaving rather than before?
Though what would be really nifty is to figure out a way of using an electrochemical effect to suppress corrosion... how hard could it be to nickle-plate a "disposable" razor? Hm.
I threw away my Gillette Mach 3 and bought a good old-fashioned safety razor which takes good old-fashioned double-edged razor blades. I pay less than 1/10th the prize for blades now, and they last just as long as the Mach 3 cartridges did. Reading the Shave My Face site helped me find the good stuff.
I have great respect for the late King Camp Gillette, who invented the cheap mass-produced double-edged razor blade, and no respect at all for the Gillette Company who seem to have turned into a marketing machine.
Ideally, I would shave with a straight razor, but I'm kinda scared...
Dumping cartridge razor was definitely one of the best decisions I ever took, though
Eat the rich.
Why not make the blades out of ceramics? Tungsten carbide's a good one; you just need a mold that will stably hold its shape to a microscopic vertex.
It would never break. You could make it now, shave your face for thirty years, and still accidentally slash your wrists with it.
110100 1101000 1101000 1100110 0 1101111 1101000 1100011 1
Yeah, Shaving Cream is a scam. I found the trick a long time ago: you wash your face first to strip off the natural oil, then put another layer of soap on... if you do it that way, I doubt it will ever feel "rough". I just shave with the same bar of soap I clean up with (I'm not sure if it matters, but I use an odd Aloe Vera soap, put out by Grisi, a Mexican company).
There's another small point I figured out recently though: I need to make sure I've rinsed off all of the soap afterwards. I'd thought I was having occasional problems with in-grown hairs under my chin, instead I think I was leaving behind little smears of soap every once-in-awhile.
But perhaps I digress.
I keep wondering if it might be possible to hack my own razor blades: stainless steel isn't terribly easy to sharpen, but I bet it would hold an edge forever. I'd prefer some sort of "saftey" arrangement, rather than the old fashioned straight-edged razor. Has anyone out there looked into this?
You are aware that safety razors that are basically what you are talking about have been around for over a century, right? The blades don't last forever, but they last as long as the cartridge razors for as little as $.15 per blade (possibly cheaper).
See, for example, ClassicShaving.com, specifically here.
www.timcoleman.com is a total waste of your time. Never go there.
Posted anonymously for the hell of it.
... the point of any shave cream or what-not, is to soften the stubble, and keep the skin moist. But some creams are too thick, and cause that kind of separation. Some dry out too fast. Some actually do pretty well. I honestly miss the old cup-and-brush shaving lather. I'm not old enough to have used it when it was the most common way or whatever. i was given a mug and soap set as a present. Any mild-ish soap will do, really. And use hot water (it won't be so bad once it's lathered). But that's basically the OP's point.
Any way
I shave my entire head (seriously). A close, safe shave is very important to me. Mach3 is one of my all-time favorite razors. the "powered" razors don't make a difference. But sharp blades and enough surface area to prevent razor burns is a must.
I won't really recommend a no-lather shave. Sure, it will work for some. But soap does provide some lubrication for the razor to glide more easily across the skin. But soap in stead of thick creams makes a considerable difference.
The guys who make ceramic kitchen knives - Kyocera - had something about ceramic shaving blades on their website - they still might, but I am too lazy to dig for it. They said that the edge was too sharp, metal blades tend to have a rounded edge at the micro-level, but ceramic blades just have corners. The end result was that in their testing they found that men cut their faces a whole lot more with the ceramic blades than the old fashioned kind.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
Since the day I realized girls aren't all that into limp teenage stubble, I've used a certain 3-bladed razor whose name I won't mention because they're not paying me to do so and I don't give out freebies.
It's always seemed sufficient, but I've never been happy with the red irritation that seems to perpetually inhabit my neckal region.
I stumbled across this article a while back, which convinced me that razor technology has been pointlessly nursing a fatal blunder made 50 years ago rather than admitting defeat and going back to the way it used to be.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6886845/
On the other hand, you might just view disposables as a parallel market - one for people who value a few extra minutes of their time high above comfort, psychological satisfaction, and a smooth babyface.
I, for one, intend to invest in a nice quality old-school shaving kit very soon rather than pay the 3-blade racketeers their outrageous replacement fees any longer.
You can run but you can't hide, except, apparently, along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
I have found, however, that shower gel (including the cheap supermarket own-brand) gives a closer shave than shaving gel or cream. I actually used it instead of shaving gel the first time I tried wet-shaving, since I didn't have any shaving gel (the razor was a free promotional one from Gillette, who sent one to pretty much everyone in the UK, on the voting register, when they reach 18). I then moved to shaving gel since it's the 'correct' thing to use, and now I'm moving back, because it doesn't work as well. The after-shave cream, however, does seem worth using.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Here's the bit:
Kyocera Fine Ceramics is one of the world's leading manufacturers of all that is advanced ceramics. The company recently announced a new relationship with Chef Ming Tsai, who endorses Kyocera's ceramic cutlery on his Emmy Award winning cooking show. In addition to offering ceramic knives, Kyocera also offers graters, peelers, and mandolins - but not shavers. Why not shavers? Because a ceramic razor blade, unlike a metal razor blade, does not have a rounded edge - making shaving not so much shaving as much as skinning.
This is a joke. I am joking. Joke joke joke.
I've shaved with a lot of different razors. I used to get a shave with my haircut (2 bits!) in Japan; they always used a straight razor.
The straight razor, like most cheap ones when I shave myself, invariably left my face bleeding and tender. Not nicks, just raw. Even shaving with an electric razor was similar! I don't know if my skin is especially tender, but maybe.
Then my wife bought a Mach 3 for me. I was skeptical, figuring that she was suckered by slick advertising. I used it, and haven't looked back in almost eight years. This thing not only shaves far closer than anything else, it is smoother, quicker, and very rarely cuts me..
And I don't even use shaving cream; I just soap up my face when I'm in the shower. My brother goes one better and just uses water in the shower.
I dislike the fact that Gilette can set the price so high, but nothing -- nothing! -- I have ever tried shaves as well as the Mach 3. I can even shave every day (a very painful experience before) without any problems. Occasionally I will try a Schick, or be forced to use a disposable, and it always reminds me why I hate them.
I have made many many experiments with shaving over the years, and tried many many ways of removing the hair from my face. I have a very very heavy beard growth, almost up to my eye sockets, and right down into my chest hair. I had bad acne as a teenager, and adopted a foil electric shaver, a Braun thing which went fine for a few years.
It wasn't until I discovered that blade shaving was actually better for my acne than an electric shaver that I began experimenting. I will describe my shaving process, because I believe it is superior to all other methods.
Firstly, I shave in the shower, and this saves having to clean up any mess. If you have a female partner, then it;s likely she insists you spend more time cleaning up after yourself than the time you spend actually shaving.
The process is this:
1) In shower, first thing, wash face with soap and water. A face cloth helps to generate enough friction to properly clean behind ears (big place for blackheads) and alongside the nose (another blackhead area) and to ensure that eye sockets and forehead and properly cleaned.
2) Wash rest of body.
3) Wash hair.
4) Rub soap directly on face and then lather some in my hands. Rub soap into a thin lather across the face, neck and cheeks.
5) Using Gilette M3 Power, shave with AND against the grain of the hair. Clean up any remaining bristles so none can be felt with the hands against the skin. (I mean NONE!)
6) Rinse WELL. Rinse hair again.
7) Exit shower. Dry face, body and hair.
8) Dispense pure cold tap water into clean basin. Splash pure cold water on face. This closes the pores.
9) Put on Nivea face firming moisturizer, liberally, all over face, including areas not shaven.
10) Place a little aftershave in the nape of the neck - NEVER on the shaved skin.
There you go - you now have a perfect shave, and you're skin is smooth, moisturised and you feel and look great.
I have evaluated different razors very methodically, and can confidently assert the following:
Gilette M3 Power with the Green Blade is the finest razor and blade combination in the world today, bar none. However it is NOT a razor for beginners, and neither is it a razor for those with acne, or other facial blemishes, dips, or risers. The M3 Power requires quite some skill to use correctly, particularly for the first shave when the blade is brand new. (On my heavy growth, I take 10 days of shaving before I replace the blade).
For those people who are less proficient (or simply can't be bothered concentrating that hard) or those who do no thave very smooth faces, I recommend the quadruple bladed Schick Quattro, with the hair-like wires over the blade. Even when brand new, they are extremely unlikely to cut you, even with ham-fisted use on a nobbly face.
HOWEVER, the Quattro requires more strokes to remove the same amount of hair as the M3, and the cutting angles are more critical than the M3.
After 30 years of blade shaving, I can tell you that my system is perfect for ME - but it may not be perfect for YOU. What I can say is that there are several things which absolutely must be true in order to have a goo dshave, and to avoid rashes, pain, blood etc.
1) ALWAYS shave after a shower.
2) ALWAYS wash your face thoroughly BEFORE preparing to shave.
3) When the blade fills, make sure it is COMPLETELY clean and empty before starting more strokes. Wash blade in fast running water, not a basin.
4) ALWAYS rinse well after shaving.
5) ALWAYS use a moisturiser after shaving. Non fragranced is best.
6) NEVER apply aftershave or eau de toilette to shaved areas.
7) Battery operated vabrating razors are a MUST HAVE.
In summation, yep - I agree, razors are going to continue to develop, and the best razors genuinely ARE a quantuum leap ahead of el cheapo rubbish. The TCO of owning the latest and greatest razors is only marginally higher than cheap razors: you use less strokes, so the blades last longer.
I dispute that
How many escape pods are there? "NONE,SIR!" You counted them? "TWICE, SIR!"
I've been shaving with a 1930's Gillette safety razor for the last 5 years now. I have spent 10 dollars on blades during this time, and have used about 40% of them. They stay sharp a very long time. I've recently in the past month, switched to a straight razor, and find it wonderful. Oddly enough, when you leave the bathroom after your morning shave, you have a feeling of adrenaline and satisfaction, of which I can only imagine comes from the realization that you haven't just taken your head clean off.