Haven't thought of simply turning the water off between rinses instead of using a cup?
Oh I think the likes of Gillette do far more devious things when it comes to the life of razors. For instance, I can almost swear that the blades on my Fusion razor seem to wear out much faster than the blades on my Mach 3, Sensor, Presto etc. (I've been nearly a lifelong Gillette razor user)
I think what Gillette does is to ensure that the lubricating strip wears out faster, thus causing discomfort while shaving and making one feel as though the razor itself has worn out.
http://gliddofglood.typepad.com/the_glidd_of_glood_blog/2012...
It is also somewhat more difficult to get a good lather with harder water.
Mixing valves have existed for a few decades now (unless you're in the UK, which is still waiting to discover plumbing I believe). There no reason to leave water running.
"Indian men have thicker hair and a higher hair density than their American counterparts. Adding to that, they often shave less frequently than American men, so they wind up shaving longer beards." .. "
"... observed men using a cup of water to shave. All the MIT students had running water. Without that, the razor stayed clogged."
I live in a first world country now, and still use a bowl of water when shaving: it's the environmentally kind thing to do. People who keep the water running all the time while they brush their teeth or shave drive me nuts. Ditto people who pull out three to four paper napkins from public restrooms after washing their hands. Take them one by one: one or two is probably enough.
End rant.
And on topic, I've found that the quality of the blade makes a huge difference. I think they intentionally put bad blades in the cheap razors. I wonder how good the blade on this one is.