Thread: Proper blade measurment?

In conversation I have been told the Europeans Measure the blade width from the middle of the spine to the edge of the blade.
Americans measure the entire width top of spine to bottom edge,whats the true way to measure?

You've just stated both of them. It's like asking whether SI (metric) or SAE (inch) is the "true" way to measure something. Really it just comes down to whatever convention the group you're talking with agrees to stick to. Around here I THINK it's from the edge to the back of the spine, but I could well be wrong.

There is probably no one way,,, At least not one that covers all the razors out there so far...

Read here it gets rather deep into it

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ade-width.html

Originally Posted by MickRussell

You've just stated both of them. It's like asking whether SI (metric) or SAE (inch) is the "true" way to measure something. Really it just comes down to whatever convention the group you're talking with agrees to stick to. Around here I THINK it's from the edge to the back of the spine, but I could well be wrong.

As an American, let me just say that I hate sae measurements. Metric is so much more precise. And doesn't require fractions the way we Americans use them.
Heck, I had my canuck of an uncle send me a metric tape measure so my woodworking skills would improve...

As an American, let me just say that I love sae measurements. They're as American as baseball and apple pie.

(Ok, maybe they're not really American, but still...)

Well I'm "metric" and work in millimeters (or parts thereof) by default, but my Dad was all inch measurements so I learned to speak both. For coarse approximations I find fractional measurments, like we're using for our mug polishers here, work just fine.

I've spent my entire working career in the automotive industry. That being said, I've always abhorred SAE measurements. Working for BMW, EVERYTHING, obviously, is in metric. From the socket sizes to pressure readings in kPa instead of PSI. And yes, metric is much more precise.

More info if you are interested

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...rt-wacker.html

Define precise.

From my perspective, any measuring system is as precise as any other. Precision comes down to how small of a measuring unit is used, and the capability of the measuring tools.

Doing math on metric is easier, but that does not make it more precise.Using decimal inches accomplishes the same thing.

Razors sold here or abroad refer to an "inch" system, IE 4/8, 5/8, 6/8, 7/8, 8/8 and so on, and interestingly sometimes every once in a while 9/16. Divide the top number by the bottom and you get the decimal equivalent, so 9/16 is 0.5625" and 4/8 is 0.50_ , so the 9/16 razor is somewhere between the 5/8 and 4/8 in blade width, which is measured from top of spine to blade edge. My guess is that they do it this way as most razor manufacturers, and retailers charge a bit more for a 6/8 blade than the 5/8 blade and that gives them the most possible width. They get close, but no razor can be ground to exacting measurements to the 10 thousandths of an inch, which makes each as individual as a snowflake. I've never heard of measuring in the middle of the spine, so I would tend to believe that measurements are on the top of the back and not some arbitrary spot (which would be different at times from razor to razor) along the side of the spine.

Also even German, and other European metric people refer to the SAE designation of inches rather than millimeter for width. Once in a while the razor will be described in millimeter dimensions but the SAE of 5/8, etc is always in there someplace.

Another interesting German point is that their inch is a "Rheinisches Zoll" = 26.0 millimeters, where our inch is 25.4 millimeters or, to put it in perspective how minute that actual difference is, put 2 business cards together and look at how thick they are. That's about 0.6mm, a nearly insignificant amount when comparing 5/8 and so on razors widths.