Why is a DE blade the size it is?

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On shaving this morning under my nose, it dawned on me how a smaller blade would be really handy. Then it struck me why are DE blades the size they are? Did someone 100 odd years ago decide that this was the perfect size of all mens faces? Even the most basic clothing comes in small, medium & large.

Does a 43mm x 23mm blade really suit every man on the planet?
 
Not necessarily, but they are standardised across the planet so you can be sure that a DE blade bought in Bangladesh, Tianjin, Zagreb or London will fit your razor. Can't say that for all the fancy cart razors.
 
Not necessarily, but they are standardised across the planet so you can be sure that a DE blade bought in Bangladesh, Tianjin, Zagreb or London will fit your razor. Can't say that for all the fancy cart razors.
I don't disagree with the standardisation, just as a BigMac will be the same in your home town, New York, or Beijing. But why is it the size it is? (the blade that is, not the BigMac LOL)
 
Given the angst caused (to me, at any rate), by the non-standardisation of phone chargers, camera batteries, all sorts of cycle parts, electric plugs, screw threads - any number of things - the fact, as pointed out by @Weean, that a DE blade anywhere in the world will fit any DE razor is nothing short of miraculous, and to be infinitely cherished.
Add to that the happy circumstance that there is also a degree, if lesser, of standardisation in SE types of blades, and the shaving world is well catered-for.
If anyone hankers for the non-standard, then snipping bits out of DE blades to fit Gibbs, Wardonias and others is a healthy hobby.
As for the size, I would think that it's just something that Gillette decided on, which then became the de facto standard.
 
They used to produce narrower blades to fit DE razors made for women, a number of which I've seen in antique shops. They probably haven't made such blades for many years, due to lack of demand. I think you could even get razors which needed curved blades, and again these have fallen out of favour.
There have also been many DE and SE razors designed primarily for men which took special blades with different dimensions and loading systems. I'm not sorry most have disappeared.
 
At first blades in safety razors were single edge and literally half of a straight razor. You sent them to be honed and they needed stropping same as straight razors. Obviously half the size because a full length would be impractical to use on a perpendicular handle. Even Feather Artist Pro's feel huge at 48mm, let alone a 80mm blade to wield against your face.

Eventually through patent wars we came to the now standardized DE blade (36.5mm), few millimetres shorter than half of a straight razor edge. For more control and precision even smaller blades and heads were made, if you've seen those trapezoid ones for shaving around the mouth area.
 
Gillette was a smart boy and got the basic patent for what we now know as the double edge razor blade. He made a crap load himself. EVERYONE started making their own blades to fit his razor as that was the most brand recognized product you had for shaving.

Lots of companies seem to have made blades specifically for the act of counterfeiting Gillette blades. That means you need identical size.

And when all the other companies came out, they either had to use the standard Gillette blade or face the huge costs of producing their own odd size blades. As someone noted, those odd size blades haven't been made since the 1930s.
 
On shaving this morning under my nose, it dawned on me how a smaller blade would be really handy. Then it struck me why are DE blades the size they are? Did someone 100 odd years ago decide that this was the perfect size of all mens faces? Even the most basic clothing comes in small, medium & large.

Does a 43mm x 23mm blade really suit every man on the planet?

So,... is the problem the blade, or your nose? :p

You could try a Schick injector.
 
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