I noticed that when you put a DE blade in the razor (tried various razor models) the blade has a little bit of wiggle room, not much, very minor, and in some cases if you don't spend some time to align the blade before tightening the head, the blade may end up not totally parallel to the guard bar, not by much mind you, or one side can have slightly more blade exposure than the other side. Not sure if this can have an impact on the shave quality. Any tricks on how you make sure the blade is aligned correctly?
Normal for blades to have a bit of play in the razor?
- Thread starter SirWhiskers
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I have never had this problem EXCEPT for two razors;
A Merkur Slant (well documented issue)
A Parker (Quality control less than superb)
Every other razor I have owned (hundreds) things lined up just fine.
What Manufacturer and Model of razors has this happened to you with?
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- #3
We are talking very little wiggle room here and the blade does not move once the head is tightened, just to be clear that the blade does not wiggle during the shave. I noticed it the most with a Gillette Tech travel head, but also in a DE89L, Mühle R41 and Slim. It may also be just an optical illusion trying to look at the blade and guard bar.
For me, the act of placing the blade and either screwing down the doors or assembling the top cap just seems to even everything out.
I've bought some pretty well used razors even from Ebay and I've never had an issue, maybe I'm just lucky.
I do know that King C Gillette was a VERY shrewd businessman. If the people who bought his razors had to fiddle around with the blades in order to avoid cutting up their faces, I don't think his business model would have taken off like it did.
Do you notice a difference from one side of the razor to the other when you just put a blade in and go for it?
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- #5
I think I do, but it may be just my mind/eyes playing tricks on me, that's why I asked the question. I didn't notice one side giving me nicks or any trouble during shaving though.
Yep, I meant the feel of the shave on one side as opposed to the feel of the shave on the other side, not how it appears to the eye.
I'd say that unless you get some physical feedback during the shave that there is a problem, I'd not worry about it too much and just enjoy the shaves!!
The tolerances on the razors not made in the third world are pretty good, and without specific reason to do so, I just trust that they built it right.
There are some razors that do have a reputation for it
Like I said - the Merkur Slant, the Parker, the Ming Shi, the Weishi and one of the adjustable Merkurs, but I can't recall which one it was.
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I have this on the Old Type I have. I attribute it primarily to being designed for different blades. I never really checked on my Tech; I'll have to do that this weekend.
But if the wiggle room is very small, as you describe, I don't think there's a problem. You do have to contend with tolerances in BOTH the blade and the razor. Even if you have a good razor, an off blade can cause trouble too. I would estimate that no razor is 100% perfect with every blade as a result. But if the shave is working well then stick with it. As long as the difference is quite small, your technique, skin flex/stretch and the lather cushion will make up for the minute difference.
But if the wiggle room is very small, as you describe, I don't think there's a problem. You do have to contend with tolerances in BOTH the blade and the razor. Even if you have a good razor, an off blade can cause trouble too. I would estimate that no razor is 100% perfect with every blade as a result. But if the shave is working well then stick with it. As long as the difference is quite small, your technique, skin flex/stretch and the lather cushion will make up for the minute difference.
Considering the different ways that blades are bent in razors, some flat some concave, the curvefit and the slant bar where the blade is purposely set askew - and considering the fantastic shave I got from a cheap little nanjie which was put together so poorly that the blade exposure looked horrifying - I have come to the conclusion that it is almost a non-issue.
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- #10
I should stop staring at the blade and just enjoy shaving!
I have found the same thing to be true of my Weishi, except it seems quite loose. Doesn't really seem to change the shave any, but then again, I am not very picky. I also prefer Prego over homemade spaghetti sauce.
-CCM
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