The thin blue line

Tammy Hansen Snell of Nebraska StatePaper comments on the blue comfort stripes on modern disposable and cartridge razors:

The packaging states that the razor "..has a blue stripe that fades away when you are no longer getting the optimal shave"

Poppycock. The blue stripe has been gone from my razor for two months now, and my shins still get as smooth as they did three months ago.

Indicator strip, schmindicator strip. It’s a ploy intended to make me throw away a perfectly good razor and buy another one.

Well, I’m tired of playing along. The economy will have to adjust to the fact that I refuse to throw the razor away until it no longer does a decent job.

I agree fully.

Personally, I find that the blue stripe tends to fade completely after one or two shaves. I still end up using it for about 10 to 12 shaves, though, with good results. No, the razor isn't as incredibly sharp as it was on the first two shaves, but it doesn't need to be. In fact, I find the shaving more comfortable once the blue stripe is gone; that's when the razor's finally been 'broken in', so to speak.