Thickness of DE & what the gap in the cartridge does for shavers?

[EssDoubleYou]

Hi all; I am definitely a newbie to this place. My Qs are after reading the FAQ are:

1) what is the thickness of a standard DE blade. The FAQ says Double edge blades are standardised and measure 1-11/16" x 13/16" / 43 x 21 mm So which is it: 43 mm or 21 mm or ?

2) I've a Gillette 1964 Slim Adjustable Razor. What I would like to know is what effectively happens when I increase the gap in the head by going from 1 to 9? Am I shifting the angle of attack on that the blade can cut whiskers or ? What effectively happens when the gap is widened?

3) It looks as if some of the Merkurs and perhaps other brands actually bend the blade to increase or decrease the effective angle of attack. Is this true or is it just a gap increase without bending it?

4) Last Q: what does the "comb" on some vintage razors do if you have only 1 or 2 days growth? Or am I missing the point?

Thanks much!

 

[steve426536]

the blade measures 43mm long by 21mm wide.

Adjusting the gap does indeed change the angle of the blade, or the "aggressiveness" of the cut. Lower numbers on a adjustable are less "aggressive", which is beneficial on senseative skin, but may not cut as quickly thru a few days growth.

 

[Copierguy]

Hi all; I am definitely a newbie to this place. My Qs are after reading the FAQ are:

1) what is the thickness of a standard DE blade. The FAQ says Double edge blades are standardised and measure 1-11/16" x 13/16" / 43 x 21 mm So which is it: 43 mm or 21 mm or ?
These numbers are the length and width of the blade. Thickness is something like .010 mm or some small number( razor thin)..lol
2) I've a Gillette 1964 Slim Adjustable Razor. What I would like to know is what effectively happens when I increase the gap in the head by going from 1 to 9? Am I shifting the angle of attack on that the blade can cut whiskers or ? What effectively happens when the gap is widened?
Most razors increase the gap between the safety bar and the blade by moving one or the other.....Your slim moves the blade up and down.
3) It looks as if some of the Merkurs and perhaps other brands actually bend the blade to increase or decrease the effective angle of attack. Is this true or is it just a gap increase without bending it?
Gillette bends the blade as it is clamped in place but then just moves something as stated in Q2. Not sure how Merkur does it.
4) Last Q: what does the "comb" on some vintage razors do if you have only 1 or 2 days growth? Or am I missing the point?
Open comb razors are only used by beginners, if you have a Slim you are beyond that now......

Thanks much!

Welcome to B&B

 

[jamesspo]

Q1: I measured a Feather blade and it's around .11 MM.

Q2: It both increases the amount the blade extends past a tangent line between the cap and bar (by moving that tangent line in toward the blade), and it increases the blade angle with respect to your skin. Both these characteristics make the razor more agressive.

Q3: It's both. Most razors bend the blade down at least at little. How much they do this varies from razor to razor.

Q4: The comb just provides for a place for the lather to escape. They also don't push the hair down ahead of the blade as much as a safety bar does, and that can help with getting a closer shave for some people's beards (but that really depends on how much blade exposure there is, what angle you use, and a lot of other details). OC's also are generally more aggressive, but that's more about the conventional geometry that OC heads have (lower profile, more exposed blade) than anything to do with the combs themselves. There are very mild OCs as well.

Hi all; I am definitely a newbie to this place. My Qs are after reading the FAQ are:

1) what is the thickness of a standard DE blade. The FAQ says Double edge blades are standardised and measure 1-11/16" x 13/16" / 43 x 21 mm So which is it: 43 mm or 21 mm or ?

2) I've a Gillette 1964 Slim Adjustable Razor. What I would like to know is what effectively happens when I increase the gap in the head by going from 1 to 9? Am I shifting the angle of attack on that the blade can cut whiskers or ? What effectively happens when the gap is widened?

3) It looks as if some of the Merkurs and perhaps other brands actually bend the blade to increase or decrease the effective angle of attack. Is this true or is it just a gap increase without bending it?

4) Last Q: what does the "comb" on some vintage razors do if you have only 1 or 2 days growth? Or am I missing the point?

Thanks much!

 

[EssDoubleYou]

Great, thanks for the quick and knowledgeable answers- exactly what I needed. Nice pic of our former Governor!