200+ Years of razor makers did it the way it was always done because that's the way it was always done, not because it made more sense or was superior. In days of yore, folding knives were all pinned, too, but pinning has some shortcomings.

As a razor maker, I use 3/32 pins because I can. smaller pins are easier to peen, I think, but also easier to bend. The larger the pin, the more sturdy the build will be. And I pretty much insist on using adjustable pins for my customers because I've had customers want to keep their razors but go from 1/4 hollow to full hollow or have some rust removed from the tang inside the razor scales or even with one customer - break one side of a set of ivory scales (dropped it and took a big chip out of the pivot end tip on one side). It makes maintenance a hell of a lot easier without any sacrifice except that "pinned look". I didn't like the #0 washers as pins from the start because they just didn't look like the genuine article from days gone by, and that got me thinking about why in the heck they used pins anyway since almost all high end modern cutlery uses torx or some similar screw system. Well, the answer became obvious when I realized what they had to work with 200 years ago. That's what was affordable and available.

With custom work from the blade to the scales, I have the freedom to use what works best and until I can find something better than the adjustable pin system I'm using, that's what I'll keep using.

But if customers insist, I'll use brass rods and washers on their razor. As long as they know the pros and cons and realize they'll never be taking that puppy apart for any reason, I'm all good with it.