Degraded performance prompts most people to ditch their razor blades. One major thing you can do to prevent degradation of performance is to dry your razor blades after shaving. Razor blade dullness results more from oxidation, microscopic rusting, than from contact with whiskers. Water that sits on blades between shaves causes the oxidation. Corrosion can also 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. If water causes rusting, and rusting is the main culprit of blade dullness, then, presumably, drying your razor blades could increase the life of blades.

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. Clark got inspired by the whole discussion and decided to take a single 17-cent razor and make it last for one year. He didn’t dry his razor with a hair dryer, but instead took the lazy man’s approach of just blotting it dry on a towel. It lasted for a whole year.

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. "I just couldn't get over it," he said. "I truly hated buying razor blades." 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. Using the fan device to dry blades, it extended blade life an average of 122 percent.

These days every penny counts, especially when the price of everyday items seem to continue to rise.