Multiple Blades Matter, But Why?
Over 100 years ago, the first safety razor had one doubled-edged blade. We’ve come a long way since then, with modern razors having up to five blades. And yeah, there’s a lot of functionality that comes with five blades - here’s how multi-blade razors work
The Benefits of a Multi-Blade Razor
When you take a close look at your facial hair and skin, you’ll see that beard hairs are coarse, and they grow out of soft skin.
A single-blade razor can only cut what’s right at the skin’s surface, but a 5-blade razor goes much deeper:
- When you shave, the first blade cuts first, lifting the facial hair above your skin.
- Then, the second blade cuts the same hair even lower, before it recedes back.
- After that stroke, your skin and hair relaxes. The process then repeats, with each glide and blade cutting shorter and closer.
5 Blades vs. 3 Blades
We know why five blades are better than one. But how does a five-blade razor stand up to a three-blade razor, like the Gillette MACH3 model?
On both razors, as long as the blades are spaced evenly, each one cuts with equal sharpness. This matters because while you shave, your skin is really soft, almost like putty. When you press on it with your razor, the skin bulges up between the blades, which can cause razor burn, cuts, and nicks.
Five evenly-spaced blades, rather than three, help reduce this bulge. The result? A closer, more comfortable shave with less chance of cutting yourself. ProGlide and ProShield Razors go a step further with a blade stabilizer on the cartridge.
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