Blade Overhang

Can anybody tell me if there is any particular reason that some razor makers make the head short enough such that a little bit of the razor blade sticks out at either end? It can't be to save money on material because I've seen high end razors like the Wolfman WR-1 with this design while more reasonably priced razors like the EJs make the head long enough to enclose the entire blade. This bugs me for a couple of reasons, first, as a person who disassembles and rinses out the razor after every shave, I feel the edges against my fingers each time and worry that if I ever slipped..... And then there is the occasional catching of the corner of the blade on my ear as I try to get in close for that pass - never led to blood but its annoying just the same.

Is there anybody else who feels the way I do about this? Does anybody have an explanation?

James WolfmanRazors if you see this maybe you can shed some light on the subject or any other razor makers who might read this (I notice that James hasn't visited DFS for more than a year).
Thanks,
Marko

I think some razors are like that so the blade can be adjusted. The overhang doesn't bother me. I had a Feather ASD2 that covered the blade tabs and I thought it was a little harder to maneuver than my other razors.

They are useful for assembling and disassembling the razor. It gives you a way to pull the blade off the top cap. On high end razors it isn't about alignment because tight tolerances yield no wiggle room. They aren't completely necessary and I understand why some people don't like them, but they do serve a small functional purpose.

Totally agree. I prefer blade tabs to be covered as well.

On a sidenote, I noticed that the Titanium Baby Smooth has the tabs covered, as opposed to the Aluminum. It's a great improvement in my opinion.

I never really noticed it since almost all the razors I have owned have been that way. It's never been an issue though for shaving or most any other reason. Just from memory I can't remember if any of my DE razors fully cover the blade. Many of my SE razors cover the blade fully side to side except of course the Rolls.

I would prefer no tabs being exposed although it isn't and hasn't in the past really got me.

shaving around my nose and ears (head shaver too) i really notice exposed tabs and have cut myself. i tolerate it on my fat boys but sometimes trim them. i love my s3s for covering the tabs