Clark Howard, money management expert on HLN (affiliate of CNN), said he uses only two razors a year. He contends that the only reason razor blades get dull is because they’re left wet after shaving; if you dry the razor immediately, it’ll last six months. Hard to believe. I’m female and shave my pits only, but haven’t tested his claim. I asked hubby and he was skeptical but didn’t volunteer to test it. (And, if Howard is right, why can’t he use just the one razor forever?)
He can’t use one razor forever because the air contains water and because he uses water when he shaves, so the razor is not perpetually dry.
Razor blades last a hell of a lot longer than most people think (that’s part of the reason why the old “put it under a pyramid” trick seemed to work). Carbon steel blades did lose their edge quickly, but now that all blades are stainless steel (or other combinations), you can easily shave every day for three weeks on the same blade.
Of course, the blade manufacturers don’t publicize this.
The main enemy of blades is corrosion, and keeping them dry will help a bit. But it’s the stainless steel that’s the read hero.
I change my Mach3 cartridge every 3 months, without doing anything like drying, and even at that interval it isn’t noticeably duller. In fact since I just changed it January 1, I’m going to see how long I can go without changing it. I’ll keep y’all posted.
I only shave every other day, so we’ll take that into account.
The coarseness of people’s hair is also a factor. I have to change my blade weekly. If I don’t face will get cut to hell or it won’t look like I shaved at all.
I can use a Mach 3 cartridge for 3 months too, but after one week it will scrape and hurt like Hell. 
I’ve found that the disposable Mach 3 razors are terrible. They don’t stay sharp for more than a few days. I let them air dry. I was always under the impression that if you wiped the blade, you would contribute to its losing its edge.
I change mine about once or twice a year. I’ve used Quattros and Mach 3s, and I’ve rarely gone through more than 2 razors a year, but I shave about every second or third day. The only time I find need to buy new razors is if an SO shaves her legs with it. Leg hairs seem to dull the razors the way my facial hair doesn’t.
I don’t wipe, dry, or do anything special to the razors. The only part of my technique that may be different is that I shave in the shower and wait until my face heats up enough where a dry razor taken across it doesn’t hurt. (I still end up putting a little soap on, but we’re talking about 5-10 minutes into a hot shower before my skin reaches this point.)
My partner has extremely course black hair, and needs to change blades every 3 days. And sometimes more frequently, when he needs to shave more than once a day.
I recall hearing once that buildup from shaving cream and water impurities was a factor. I know that my razor quickly develops a film. Whether that actuals causes any dullness to the blade, or just increases friction to the skin, I have know idea.
From here:
I have done this experiment, and it definitely prolongs the life. No where near 6 months, but probably doubled lifetime for me.
YMMV. I tested this out on the two-blade disposable Gillettes that I use. After daily usage, within two months they were definitely doing a substandard job. Technically, still cutting, but doing it very poorly.
But still better than throwing them out after one week, as I had usually done.
Yeah, that was my experience too; it lasted a little longer when I kept it dry, but still, not for six months! More like one month.
My guess would be that legs have a lot more shaveable territory than a face does. More hair, more skin cells, lots more to dull a razor.
It being winter I haven’t shaved my legs for awhile, but I do the pits weekly-ish (more often and the skin gets irritated and that is Not Fun). I think the current razor will easily last me until summer.
gee, maybe they should just plate em with…:smack:
hold on i’m looking to see if i can get the scoop on the patent. 
Guess not… Razor blade coating and method - Warner-Lambert Company
Id say make em out of Ceramics or even Tungsten Carbide…but you cant whack the hair out on the sink or they break. :rolleyes:
I did actually try shaving with knapped flint, once. It didn’t work very well.
The main factor inn my changing razors is when they get clogged with whiskers. Rinsing doesn’t get them all out and I’m too lazy to use something like a brush to clean them. So, if I shave once every week, they generally only last one or two shaves because the whiskers are so long, they easily clog the razor. When I shave daily, the razor lasts a lot longer.
I think the answer to the OP is ‘Yes, of course, and so what?’. You’re dealing with a metal blade. Keeping it clean and dry is likely to maximise its useful life, more so than not bothering to keep it dry and clean.
The ‘six months’ bit may match Howard’s experience, but the extent to which a given person finds a given blade useful is going to involve a lot of factors, including the type of blade under discussion, how well it is cleaned and dried, and the amount of cutting work it is used for.