Thread: 5/8 6/8 WTH?

OK, after sitting down and preparing a few blades for sale, I decided to measure a few of them.

Once of them is a brand new 5/8 Dovo, but the thing is it is not 5/8, it is larger then 5/8 almost a hair short of 6/8 - I was surprised, so I started measuring all of them, and frankly the only one that is actually exactly 5/8 is the oldest one I have...Most of the 5/8's are at least 6/8, the 6/8's are all over 6/8 - So what is the gig? Is there any standard for these things?

Why would a new Dovo that was supposed to be 5/8, not be 5/8's? I can see it with an older razor, and write it off as honing shortage - but I don't get this -

The effect of this has been that I have been thinking that I was preferring 6/8 razors, when in fact they are larger than that - and all of the 5/8 that I thought were too small are 6/8! Interesting dilemma. Any answers?

K

The measurement of the 5/8 etc starts at the GRIND, so you should put the ruler at the tip of the bottom of the bevel and it should measure 5/8.

OK, so the width is not measured from top of spine to edge, but from where the hollow grind begins? Wedges therefore *would* be measured form top of spine to edge?

So if the razor has a flat start on the side of the blade (some of the very old razors don;t begin the grind at the spine but a little lower) that is where it would be measured from?

K

There is disagreement on exactly how the "width" of the blade should really be measured. Measuring from the flats to the edge seems to be more consistent with the manufacturers stated size (esp for razors with extended spines like the TI Egyptian Palmwood), but the most common way to measure around here seems to be from the edge to the back of the spine.

I measure from the spine to the edge, as do most other people. I've got a Dovo for sale now that lists from Dovo as a 5/8, but measures 6/8 the way I do it. I've always measured this way, so even if it's wrong, it's consistently wrong.