Do vintage shaver blades lose their sharpness over time?

[Rmac86]

To be clear, I’m talking about vintage razors that have never been used and still have some degree of factory sealing in place.

I recently won an auction for a Philishave double action HQ3405, which still has the plastic seal in place on the shaver head. I believe this particular model comes from the early 90s so has essentially sat in storage for 30 years.

Do blades deteriorate even when not being used?

 

[Bear906]

With a Philishave, I wouldn't worry about it. The heads sharpen the blades continuously during use.

Before first use, I'd give the head asemblies a shot of lubricant and run the shaver for, say, two minutes to remove any oxidation "bloom" that may have settled on the cutting edges.

Gong forward, if the blades ever seem dull, brush out each head/cutter assembly--being careful not to mix and match the heads and cutters--and soak them in alcohol. After air-drying the head/cutter assemblies, give them a shot of lubricant, reinstall them, and run the shaver for five minutes. Let the shaver cool down for about a half-hour before shaving with it.

 

[Jim Elliott]

I'd say no. I have several (eight) sets of Norelco HQ5 heads purchased on eBay. At the time, my contact at Philips in the Netherlands tipped me off that they would soon be discontinued, so I stocked up. This was in 2006. I opened a set recently and used it with my Philishave HQ5401. Perfect shave.