Quote Originally Posted by JeffR View Post
Excellent service from SRD. :-)

(Incidentally, the scales are just there to protect the edge. One can shave with a razor without scales.)
I thought about this during the morning shave, and in addition to protecting the blade, the scales help control the angle while you shave. The scales stick up between two fingers, and those two fingers help hold the angle of the blade steady. It's probably doable to shave without the scales, but it would be a bit awkward maintaining a constant angle. And for the chin where you may need to adjust the angle on the fly, it might be particularly difficult. Just thinking.