OK, I have a time saving tip. I used 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper (get it at any auto parts store). Get it wet, put it on the bathroom counter top, then do each blade for 10 seconds (counter clockwise). They work like NEW! It took me only 30 seconds to shave too!

Thank you Robert, I could just go and buy a new razor, or try to find blades, however, this was my Grandfathers razor. He used it once a week to smarten up to go into town for the food shopping. 40 years on, I still use it and do not want to part with it, as it is one of my fond connections to him (a great man) and inspiration to me. Much appreciation to you.

Nicely done. No fluff, no BS, no trying to be funny, but straight to the topic, and very helpful.

Great video, I'm sure it works. There is a better way I just discovered this morning without knowing about this video. I sharpened my heads IN THE RAZOR. I used 1um (1 micron) diamond lapping compound, about 2 bucks on eBay. Remove the 3 heads and cutters and clean. With a toothpick, gently smear the tiniest dab of lapping paste inside the circular groove in which the cutters run. Reassemble, run the razor 2-3 minutes while moving the heads simulating a shave. Disassemble and rinse in hot water. Replace, and enjoy. The cutter blades now glisten like tiny jewels, and the inside of the perforated head track is shiny. Now both are sharp, not just the cutters. Takes about 5 minutes from start to finish. TIPS: Never use a synthetic brush, they dull the blades and head slots. Use real bristle (hair). Instead of brushing, you can rinse in hot running water. Make sure there is no lapping compound on the tiny shafts, and all the lapping compound is rinsed out. I do believe the shave is closer and more comfortable than a factory fresh head.

600 grit or finer Wet-or-Dry sandpaper also works well to sharpen the electric razor rotary blades. I have been doing it this way on my Norelco razors for a few decades. It is the same process that is done in the video here but the sandpaper is substituted for the metal polishing compound. About an hour ago I sharpened an old 'moth-balled' Norelco HP1131 and now it cuts as good as a new one. Thanks for sharing the video

I never would've guessed that's how to sharpen blades! This is one of the most useful videos for men on KZfaq and also is so well filmed, clear and easy to follow. Incredible and very many thanks.

Something I never thought of. I have 3 Remingtons; now I will do the blades all at once. Have some 2000 grit wet 'n dry. Great tip. You deserve more subscribers!

This is a good video, but I'd like to add a few tips. When you polish things in this fashion, instead of moving the item round and round in a circle, move it in a figure eight pattern. This will polish the item more evenly on all sides. Also, every few seconds, stop and turn the item ninety degrees so that the blades on one side don't get more ground down than the blades on the other side.

Thank you Dr. Edinger! A new battery and a sharpening (with Brasso metal polish and the mirror as you prescribed) of the old Norelco 4601X was all that was needed to have this contraption running better than it has ever run! After some 35+? years of owning the Norelco, the battery wouldn't hold a charge past half a shave! After replacing, I charged the new battery once - over a week ago - and it's running like the finest race horse in its design every day with no further charging. The shaves are quicker and more efficient saving on battery usage. The clipper blades (for sideburns et. al.,) probably need some sharpening as well and I'll check on that issue, but all together, it's working very well. Savings - over $200. Skills: a small bit of soldering, drill-modifying access to 4 of the 6 screws holding it together, and feeling/hearing the smoothing progress as you push the circular blades, rolling the blades in polish on a mirror. At first you can feel a coarseness and, in no time, it turns smooth when you know the sharpening is taking place. THANKS for this invaluable information for us DIYSelfers!

Wow! Firstly, Robert - thank you SO much for this video. Secondly, Simichrome costs around £17 in the UK, so I wasn't going to pay that, and combined with my impatience and enthusiasm, I just used toothpaste, and on a flat ceramic dinner plate (didn't have a spare mirror) - I did the circular action for around a minute for each blade, and then put them in my Phillips, and voila! Had a shave it definitely felt so much smoother than before.

Just sharpened the baldes on my 10 year old philishave using Silvo silver polish. The difference is amazing! Its like a new shaver. Thanks for the tip!

Robert simply put you are a genius.I used Flitz polish on bottom of a glass ashtray.Revived my Phillips Norelco travel razor.It has 2 rotary heads and is battery powered. Thanks so much!

Great video. I used a piece of 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper with a few drops of mineral oil. Now I need to replace the battery in the old Remington. Thanks for posting this.

Thanks so much Robert. The small instruction leaflet that came with the razor didn't even show how to remove the heads and I wasn't aware you could do it. However on watching your video I was amazed when I removed the cutting heads at how much rubbish was attached to them. Gave them a good wash and not having any rubbing compound to hand I used some toothpaste which seems to have done the trick.. I was just about to purchase a set of new heads so you have saved me £20 to £30 pounds. Thanks so much

It works like magic man! Thank you so much for sharing it. I was on the point of paying more by the blades than what I’ve paid for the whole shaver.

I tried and it works. Got a significantly better shave after the polish. Thanks

WOW!!! Really works great! I was really amazed. Resharpened blades work just as good as new ones. Used just plain old Colgate toothpaste. Thanks for the amazing tip.

You are a true life and money saver! The method worked perfecly. Thank you for sharing!

I was looking at a review of a shaver and this turned up in the recommended. Saved me a lot of money, gonna give it a try and hope that my 10 yr old shaver is going to make a comeback. Thanks alot! Greetings from Denmark

I remember my grandfather always sharpened his with toothpaste. I substituted your method of Simichrome Polishing Paste with Dupont automotive rubbing compound and it worked perfectly for shiny razor sharp blades. Thank You fine sir

Thanks so much. My first Norelco PQ208/40 lasted about 3 years. But the one I bought to replace it, when the original started yanking hairs and hurting me, was starting to do the same thing after a year. And this little baby is only $15, so it feels excessively pointless to spend $20 buying a 3-pack of replacement heads - especially when the PQ208 only has 2 heads - while it also feels wasteful to replace it when it starts to hurt. Not only does this save me buying yet another PQ208, but I luckily kept the old one and put it in my purse for 'just in case' moments. Now I can sharpen the blades on both and with any luck the mechanics/electronics will hold up long enough that I won't have to buy another for years. I'm putting a tube of this stuff in my cart right now. It's going to save me a lot of money and consumerist-guilt. :)

What an awesome tip! I wanted to try my old Philips razor and saw replacement heads are 30 bucks! Efff that.

Wow, this works great! I used dupont rubbing compund I had on hand, about 30 seconds per blade.

I decided that for $9 worth of polish, this was worth a try. It worked great!! The compound hardened up a bit before it could turn grey, but it worked. Just like polishing fiber-optic terminations by hand.

Awesome. I used the bottom of a mason jar with some medium cut metal polish and it worked wonderfully. Thanks!

so i approached this video cautiously as usual, after so much misinformation one becomes suspect of anything these days. however, Robert, my face thanks you ! awesome trick and has saved me from buying (if i still can, its an old elec razor) blades for it. Thankyou for the great tutorial, much appreciated !.

This hack worked for me using Autosol metal polish! Thank you 😊

Good skills! Here in NZ the Remmingtons are about $120 new. The price of new blades is extortionist So after a couple of years, I prefer to buy new one. I will till they are on special at half price (one of our Bulk retailers) But I might try this!

Well done and thanks, Mate. Precise, factual, and easy to duplicate.

Thanks for this, Robert. The fact that one can only replace the blades for these things by purchasing a whole new head instead of buying them loose is just crazy, given the price. I'm not the handiest individual in the world, but even I can manage this. Putting in an Amazon order for a tube of simichrome polish right now.

Never knew this. I had no polish or mirror but I had a wet stone small bick with a super smooth side. What could be better than a shaping stone I thought. It worked great .

I don't often comment on video's, but I'm going to make an exception here. This tip should be in the newspapers. So glad I accidentally came upon this video. You've saved me £45. Bargain. My shaver is like new. For 5 minutes work. I take it you don't work for Philips. 😂

TRY THIS! Did a deep clean on my shaved head plus this polishing using NuFinish scratch remover and I could swear I have a brand new shaver. I’m glad I watched this before forking up the money for new blades.

I tried this. It really works. Thank you.

Outstanding input plus other commenters joined in. If we all shared what we know life is extra good. My thanks to everyone and a special thanks to Robert for getting it all started.

I gave my Phillips electric shaver a service myself for the first time the other day & it works. Blades are like new.

Thanks for this tip. I went one further, as I'm lazy, and instead of doing each one by hand I used the shaver to spin all three at once 😉 Two minutes later and all done. Thanks again 👍

I have owned a norelco shaver for the last 40 years now, and I remember one of the reasons that I DID purchase one was the comfort shave as I have very sensitive skin, but also because Norelco boasted how the blades were self sharpening. I notice that they did stop claiming that with the second one I bought. Good money in selling replacement blades! I did have to replace the blades on the second one I owned as the blades finally wore through the screes in places. The replacement blades did NOT cut as well as the ones that wore through the screens. The blades run on the screens the same way you are running them around on the mirror. THAT"S what keeps them sharp. My latest one is a SensoTouch3D 1280X. I have had it at least 15 years, and have not even THOUGHT about replacing the heads, or sharpening them, even though Norelco recommends every year now, as it is still shaving my face as well as when I bought it. I rinse the blades under VERY hot water at least once a week, and looking at the blades through a 10 power loop, the blades are still razor, no pun intended, SHARP. I have never even used the cleaning solution, or any lube on the blades. If you keep the blades clean and dry, when you shave AFTER you shower, the friction of the blade on the screens will keep them sharp. Very interesting video. Thank you for showing it! :)

I have to try this. Thank you so much. Have a Happy New Year!

I have a norelco sharpening kit. it has 3 special head replacement sharpening units. you reassemble the cleaned razor and run it about 30 seconds then dissassemble replacing the original head outside screen units. works great so there are other ways that work also.

Hi,many thanks for sharing your idea, I use Nigrin Metal polish and it did the job! Remington R-105.

I had never thought of sharpening the blades of my old Remington R836 which is still going strong. Think I will use kitchen cream cleaner as the cutting medium. I have some car paint cutting compound that I used during my apprenticeship days in the 1960s, but this will be too coarse. Still use this compound on and off over the years. It is still okay to use on car paint.

Thank you in 2021 be safe and have a great Christmas

1. Rotation must be counter-clockwise. 2. Atleast for Philips, please ensure that you put the sharpened blade in the same holder in which it was placed originally. since they are self-sharpening enclosures, blades gets paired with them Thats it, you are good to go :)

Excellent tip! Philips/Norelco triple-header razors are notorious for their planned obsolescence where the rotary blades are eventually no longer kept in stock even only after a few years despite the razor's motor still working. DON'T buy those low-priced "replacement" substitute blades sold on Amazon because you'll immediately feel and even hear those cheap blades spinning but giving you a harsh, poor shave. Another tip: don't use the razor's on-off switch! Leave the switch ON and simply pull out the power cord when you finish shaving. Why? I used a Philips HS950 for years until the sliding on-off switch finally stopped functioning. Philips no longer stocked a replacement switch! Even local fix-it shops couldn't repair or jerry-rig an alternate switch, forcing me to throw the razor away. Philips/Norelco COULD make standard blades to work in ALL of their razors, but WON'T because they want to MAKE MONEY. Isn't the company rich enough?

Excellent tip, will definitely try this. Simichrome has always been my go to metal polish. I always use gloves with metal polish as it easily permeates skin. Does this process trash the mirror that is used ? Thanks again...

thank you for this video. i have exactly the same model and your video helped with making it work better. a smoother shave - everywere lol its not just for me who would have thought ? maybe philps should include this in the box

Nice video robert,can I use the polisher for shoes too for sharpening the blazor's blades ?

Tried it on a norelco and an old remington I stopped using it was so dull, both work better than new now, didnt use a mirror or compound though, just polished the blades on some 2000 grit emery cloth,

Even just using a nail file worked fine for me.

how long does it stay sharp after youve done this ? replacement heads for mine cost $60

What can I say ? you did the job perfectly. Thumps up.

Very innovative. I am certainly going to try out this technique! The Simonize polish used for polishing automobile paint and chrome should work from what I can see. This polish will also polish precious metals. For sharpening a fine blade toothpaste should also work. Toothpaste is very fine abrasive to be able to clean plaque and polish the surface of teeth. I have polished fine scratches in glass using toothpaste with a high speed buffer.

Absolutely great video man!

Worked great on my blades for my Norelco! I have the set that you need to spend $150 a set to replace since they stopped manufacturing them and went with a cheaper alternative that gets terrible reviews.

Thank you for making this video🙏 Very helpful!

Do you clean the polish from the blades when finished polishing with anything special? I thought about trying a small amount of rubbing alcohol or something similar and just swirl the blades in it and see if that would dissolve the polish from them.

I tried the same technique, but in full disclosure, I used Mother's Aluminum polish because I did not have simichrome. Long story short, I made the blades cut worse than before. It may be because of the specific blade type. My shaver uses HQ8 blades, not the same flat planform as Mr. Edinger's blades. I ended up buying a new set and was amazed at what a difference new ones made. I shave every other day, so I will buy a new set every two years. My face thanks me.

Any metal polish should work? I've tried it using a mirror and 3 and 1 oil and it did help sharpen a little but i gotta purchase some metal polish.

When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Shaving had become a real chore due to blunt blades on my Philips 7000 and I was about to spend nearly £50 on replacement cutters for it, but found your video first and decided to give it a go. In the garage I found an old tube of Solvol Autosol and a distressed mirror that I was supposed to have thrown out years ago but "might come in handy one day", so total outlay was nil. The 7000 cutters have a V shape with a double cutter so it will only have affected the primary blade, not the second one - but Wow! it actually seems to work! Smoothest shave I've had in several months. One other thing I would say is that the Solvol Autosol has a greasy base and it took a bit of careful rinsing out with shampoo and a shaver brush to remove it all afterwards, so perhaps another type of polish with a water-soluble base would be better. Many thanks for the video. Face sorted.

I would almost throw my machine. Then I began to search if sharpening is possible and I found your video. Even only cleaning and using toothpaste worked well. Next time I will buy and use metal polisher. I am sure it will work better. Thank you soooo much.

Thank Robert, great video. It actually worked for me.

Any other paste we could use (that we might already have)?

Great video, fantastic background music!

Thanks for your great video! I also had success, now shaving doesn´t take forever... However I also did use tooth paste, worked like a charm. Maybe the advantage of using Simichrome is that you can see its getting darker as the sharpening happens? (My tooth paste didn´t change its color....)

I did mine (phillips norelco) with a wetstone and honing oil instead of mirror and polish, but I think it worked rather well. The Oil and stone will eventually blacken to mark your progress. Not sure how I feel about the comments regarding the correct placement of the blades, though. I'm not sure the self sharpening makes a difference

Great video. Now to get polish and try it. Thanks.

Do you think that rotation direction is critical for polishing or have you ever polished in the other direction?

To my surprise this really worked. I used regular pepsodent toothpaste on a hand mirror rubbed each blade in a clockwise circle for about 3 minutes. Just saved myself 60/70 bucks for like fifteen minutes work. So thanks

You just saved me a money! Thanks a ton.

Thanks for the info. Is there any other substitute for that paste?

This is a good video. I use a different and easier but just as effective technique. You may not know but the blades touch the screens as you shave so the screens can act as your mirror/hard surface. After giving a very thorough cleaning, all I do is add some polish to the blade screen, put the razor back together, and run until the polish changes color. Then I give it a very, very thorough cleaning with 91% isopropyl alcohol then water. Good as new!

Imagine, probably 100'000's of these perfectly good blades go into landfill every year. Thanks to vids like these...I've even started sharpening my disposable blades...and it works !

Can use same stick polish grit like you use on your leather strop for sharpening your knives with as it will work the same way etc.

Reading through the comments are very helpful. And thank you for the process. A couple questions please. Instead of soap and water, would alcohol help to get any grease/oil? I didn’t think at the beginning. And I removed all blades and got the holders mixed up. Is there anyway to check and put them back into the right spot? Will it really matter, as I am sharpening the blade and then putting it into the holder then will it self sharpen? Thanks in advance

I also tried but the blades are curved, so it did only sharpen a little bit on the middle, where they were touching the glass. HQ8 blades. Anyway, thanks a lot for the video. Always learning new things!

Fantastic Tip Robert, thanks. My issue is that my Phillips 9000 doesn't fully charge anymore. Down to 37 minutes now. I guess I will replace it when I get no further battery life.

Wow! That is so great! Thanks much for that info!

I am confident this process works as described but the question I am left with is how often can you do this before the blades are worn down too much and just need to be replaced? At some point they must be worn down but it is after 5, 10, 100 sharpenings? Another question is do you rotate the baldes with or against the cutting angle in the sharpening paste. It is hard to describe the direction I am talking about but the blades rotate in one direction to shave. Would you rotate them in the paste in this same direction or the opposite? I would think the opposite because if you were sharpening a knife that is the direction you would do it as well.

Thanks a lot for the video! I helped my father to sharpen his razor. We only had silver polish at home, but I think it worked OK. Maybe I will use the 1000 grit sharpening stone next time just to see the difference. Any more tips - my ears are wide open! :)

Update! I have been using the same mirror for several years and there are still no scratches. I believe the polish actually removes the scratches (if any) while wiping off the polish.

Que pasta usa, para comprar una parecida acá en Argentina?

How do you knock down the other side of each blade as all sharpened metal tends to fold over to either side.

Can I use any piece of glass like a picture frame?

GREAT INFORMATION, THANK YOU.

Great info. - How many minutes do you sharpen for? Can it be harmful to do it too long? Some blades are old, I was hoping to sharpen them up. I use Permatex FINE Grade Engine Valve Grinding Polish. Simichrome not available in Europe, looks the same, a paste. Do you think this is OK? Blades not as sharp as I'd like after doing this.

That was informative thanks for sharing!

Is it possible to sharpen the foil type electric razors? The ones that just move back and forth in one direction?

Great Job,worked a treat

Are Philips Heads compatebal with Remington?

Dear Robert. I tried your ingenious method on my Philips S7370 shaver with V-shaped cutting blades. I wasn´t sure if it will work on that SH70 head but took the plunge considering tossing the blades either way since the shaver was already pulling hairs pretty badly. I used 5€ tube of green chromium oxide paste (5-7 micron grit) for sharpening straight razors from local drug store. The paste itself is oil-based and pretty thick so I tinned it with few drops of cooking oil. Used your method and after lapping the heads by the chromium oxide paste I gave it a couple of rounds on a toothpaste. Rinsed and cleaned each blade thoroughly, let it dry and applied a drop of Braun foil maintenance oil on each blade. It worked like a charm. The shaver shaves like new, no pulling no tugging anymore. You just saved me 50€ for hard-to-find replacement head. Thank you for sharing this method with us.

Great. Thanks for uploading this vid.

Can I use lemon juice instead of simichrome paste? Can I use sharpening stone for just rubbing the heads a few times fir sharpening?

Hi there... first time I got this video, I note it is from 6 years ago, but I will really appreciate if this tip really works? Thanks in advance

What sharpener is the best? Where do I but this and how much?

"wow!'it worked for me ,it cuts like it did when was new ,totally amazing ,thanks for sharing

Great video. Thanks.

I've had my Norelco for years and didn't have sense enough to take the blades out. When I did, I had about an 1/8th inch of hair wrapped around the blades. Had to laugh at myself: I've been shaving with a floor polisher! No wonder it didn't work so good. Thanks for this tip. What would we do without KZfaq?

Awesome video! this is sure to save a lot of money. Does this scratch or damage the mirror?