Frustrated with shaving?
Me too.
Expensive blades that quickly dull. Hard to rinse out sludge between the blades. The annoyance of shaving the same spot over and over and there still being stubble.
So when Bladetap asked if I’d like to review their new product, The Tap, I jumped on it.
The Tap is promoted as a way to get “quicker, sharper, cleaner shaves,” while extending the lifespan of the blades at the same time.
The Tap looks pretty much like your average razor holder, except that it has a little rotatable brush on the top.
According to the instructions, you tap the blades of your razor up and down against the brush, then rinse under water, to clean away the gunk between the blades.
Below the storage hook is a small pad for sharpening the blades. You stroke the razor against the pad in the opposite direction that you would use when shaving.
To find out if The Tap works, I started with blades I was on the verge of tossing into the trash. I shave with Gillette Fusion razors. The blades aren’t cheap, but when new, they do shave nice!
The current blades were almost a month old. They were tugging and leaving stubble around my chin despite multiple passes. That’s always a sign that I need to give up and put new blades on.
The first time I used The Tap, I tapped the blades against the brush, front and back, rinsed, and stroked the razor over the sharpening pad about a dozen times. Then shaved.
Was it my imagination or was the shave a tiny bit better? I was unimpressed after day one.
I kept using it. Cleaning it with a couple of taps and rinsing after each shave, then stroking it over the pad about a dozen times and hanging it on the hook to dry.
Three shaves later… I’m thinking “this razor is actually still pretty usable.”
Ten shaves in… “Wow, I’m getting a shave almost like this is a new razor”
Now I’m on day fourteen. Two weeks beyond when I would normally have tossed the razor, and I’m getting clean shaves. The blades have been… rejuvenated.
Looking at the blades this morning before shaving, they are clean as a whistle.
A cleaner, better, shave from my old blades. What more could I ask for from The Tap?
Based on my experience, the Tap from Bladetap works and is a money saver.
I wondered if there was any scientific evidence that backed up that it works.
I contacted Bladetap CEO Gavin (last name held by request), who said they had tested the sharpening on a microscopic level and found “there were less microscopic nicks after using the sharpener with a minimum of 2 slides, and significantly less after 6 slides, then after 6 slides there was not a noticeable difference.”
So perhaps my dozen strokes after each shave was overdoing it a bit.
Asked how much longer a blade could last by using The Tap, Gavin replied “Based on the data from our observational study, we have found that on average, The Tap can triple the lifespan of a multi-blade cartridge disposable razor.”
So that would mean my expensive Fusion blades, which usually are good for about three weeks, could last for twelve? I’ll update this story about that time and let you know how it’s going.
I’ve posted pictures of The Tap below. Included are photos of the packaging and instructions.
The Tap is currently available in three colors: pink, white and black. They cost $17/each through Bladetap’s site and Fancy.com.
Gavin told me that they expect The Tap to be available on Amazon starting sometime in January.
Leave your comments below, and be sure to share this post with your friends, family and followers. They’ll appreciate the heads up on an easy way to keep their razor blades cleaner and sharper for longer!