I just purchased an Ikon B1 Slant and shaved with it for the first time last night. It felt weird. Almost like the blade was not touching my face. I ended up with a pretty good shave but received one minor nick and some razor burn. I am not sure if I loaded the blade properly. I read in some other threads to align the blade with the bottom guard and do this by adjusting the exposed (not sharp) part of the blade that extends from the sides of the top cap. Slant Bar- Loading the Blade The B1 doesn't allow for this part of the blade to protrude from the top cap. Am I to assume the B1 head automatically loads the blade correctly, and I need to work on my technique with a slant? I have been using a Merkur 34C for the past 2 years and I have it dialed so I get a BBS every time with no irritation.
Ikon B1 Slant
- Thread starter kalaukoa
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I have no problems with blade loading. I hold the cap between two fingers, place the blade on, place the bottom plate on and squeeze ( you can feel the springing action of the blade torquing as you squeeze ), and then screw on the handle. It requires a bit of a different face angle than your 34C. I start as shallow as I can go and increase the angle until the cutting noise is loudest.
My second slant (after the Merkur 39c) was an Ikon B1. Since then, I have gone through about 8 slants and essentially the slants work by torqueing the blade extremely, and so there really isn't much problems with blade alignment like you have with a regular DE. Main thing to do is make sure the blade is seated properly which means for some slants it would involve pressing the middle of the blade into the curve of the top cap in between the two pins before placing the base plate on it. When you look at a fully seated blade, the slant of the head may give the appearance that things are out of alignment, but that is because of the blade being torqued and the shape of the head.
Like all new razors, work on your technique. The slant is very efficient and so use zero pressure and let the weight of the razor do the shaving. Also, do not try to use a different stroke than you would your 34c. The shape of the head compensates for the angle. Try to find the right angle for the head also, as that makes a big difference in how close a shave you get with one pass. There might be times when you don't feel the head cutting anything, but that is not uncommon because slants are that efficient. If it is clearing the lather and leaving your face clean, it is working, even if you can't feel it.
have fun.
Like all new razors, work on your technique. The slant is very efficient and so use zero pressure and let the weight of the razor do the shaving. Also, do not try to use a different stroke than you would your 34c. The shape of the head compensates for the angle. Try to find the right angle for the head also, as that makes a big difference in how close a shave you get with one pass. There might be times when you don't feel the head cutting anything, but that is not uncommon because slants are that efficient. If it is clearing the lather and leaving your face clean, it is working, even if you can't feel it.
have fun.
I do not have the B1, but I have a few such mild razors that the blade can not be much felt. This sometimes leads to irritation because my brain is programmed to think a blade should be felt and I begin adding pressure until I feel the blade.
To avoid this sneaky behavior of the brain, I often rotate those ultra mild razors together with R41. R41 will make sure I keep the light pressure in the muscle memory.
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- #5
Mahalo for the responses! I guess I will be working on my technique.
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- #6
So I am starting to think this razor is not for me. It is leaving my neck super irritated. I have tried different soaps, and blades to no avail. No pressure on the head and it is still tearing up my neck. Any advice?
I don't have slant experience but if a razor is giving me grief, I take a break from it. A lot of times when I come back to it, it is rewarding.
It could be your technique still. It could be that you are right and it's not for you. When you are use to using a razor for two years it can be a while to get a new one dialed in. I usually give it a month. Maybe you could try using the 34c on the neck till you get comfortable doing your face really well. The neck can be a bugger sometimes.
Kindly,
Adam
- Thread starter
- #8
Thanks for the tip. Shaving my face with the B1 slant is no problem, it is just my neck. Not sure if I want to use two separate razors for a shave. Gonna give it a rest and come back to it. If it is still irritating my neck, I am going to get rid of it. I heard someone on here say something good. "There are too many good razors out there. Instead of suffering with one that isn't working, just get rid of it and move on."
I recently acquired the Ikon Slant and started off with a Dorco blade. It seemed like a bad choice because I wasn't getting the aggressive shave I was expecting. Switched in a Merkur blade--not one of my favorites--and got a much better shave. However, it still wasn't close to Nirvana. I wear a beard, and most of my shaving is done on my cheeks (easy to shave,) and my neck, where a bit of care is required. And here's the thing: I'm expecting more aggressiveness from the razor, and I'm not getting it. I'm having to make far too many passes. When I'm done, I have a very smooth shave, but I expected it to go easier than it did. Anyone have experience with this razor, and what has been your experience shaving your neck? Next blade will be a Feather, and we'll see how that combination goes.
It may still be a technique thing. I love slants, actually about the only one I haven't tried is the B1. But obviously because of the tourquing getting the right angle especially going upwards on the neck can be tricky. I had a similar problem with my Ikon X3 which also has very little to no blade feel. You might consider the Maggard slant or the PAA open comb slant which are both a bit more aggressive but easier to dial in(IMO). They're also cheap, you could sell the B1 and by both.
