I've thought about this a lot and I still cannot come to an end answer. Why do we use washers at the pivot between blade and scales? I'm looking for a real answer that explains a serious advantage. Most old blades didn't have them. Some did, but they were always very thin- much more so than most that a lot of guys today use. I personally use .003" thick material and make them myself, but why? I've NEVER seen a razor with problems on the blade or scales (besides rubbing, but no real wear) due to not having a washer at the pivot. So why do we bother?