A question on the Slant

[krawlx]

While I was in the U.S. recently I picked up the Merkur Slant after hearing so many good things about it. Here's what I've noticed: if I have a few days growth the Slant gives me an amazing shave. Simply fantastic. However, if it's only been 24 hours the Slant does not do me any favors. I can barely get through three passes.

On the other hand, my HD is a trooper. I can get a great shave with it regardless of how long it's been between shaves. Of course, I expect that as my experience with the Slant grows my shaves will get consistently better.

My question for the more experienced Slant users is this: when you use your Slant do you follow the same pass pattern you would with your HD (or other standard razor)? Or, have you found that you needed to alter your passes to optimize the Slant?

 

[TstebinsB]

When I would use a Slant after a few days' growth, I would do 3 passes and touchup to get a BBS shave. However, if I were using the Slant every day, I would minimize the passes to avoid irritation. It is an aggressive razor and to consistently shave aggressively is to ask for trouble. If you don't feel you're shaving aggressively or making too many passes, then perhaps your skin doesn't heal quickly enough to use the Slant on consecutive days.

On consecutive days, I would do no more than 2 passes and touchup on the chin. This means you have to find the most efficient 2 passes to do. For me, the N-S pass is a waste of time. I don't ever do it. With an aggressive razor, it's very easy to just go to your second pass first but of course, YMMV.

 

[steveo]

If I use the Slant everyday I do one pass and maybe some buffing on my denser chin area.

 

[krawlx]

Hey guys....thanks for the input. I think I really underestimated the aggressiveness of the Slant. Having only previously used the HD, and briefly a Shavette, perhaps I didn't even have a good understanding of what aggressive truly meant. I certainly do now.

 

[JimmyHAD]

Everybody is different. I also get great results from my Slant with a Feather when I have more then one days growth and I also will have to be careful if I am using that combo on consecutive days. Fortunately for me I have quite a few DEs and I like to rotate them. If I have any hint of irritation I will shave with an early SS on the following day with a Derby or an IP. In any case I will use little or no pressure letting the weight of the razor do the cutting. I use the same passes with all of my razors and usually get my desired result with two passes and maybe a touch up.

 

[mactrack]

I recently bought both a Slant and a HD (in gold) and the slant gives me my best shave ever, with a swede, and the HD I find much more difficult to get the cutting angle right. As a result my 2 pass slant shave is much better than my 3 pass HD one but there is virtually no irritation with the HD.

However, just like you, using the slant on 24hr growth if the previous shave was also with a slant does lead to some irritation. Therefore my new routine is now is to use the slant on Monday (after not shaving since Friday), Wednesday and Friday and the HD on Tuesday and Thursday. This seems to work for me.

 

[smoothie6]

I converted from a Futur and I didn't change anything but the razor. I use the same pattern and number of passes as I did with the Futur. The difference is I get a better shave and I have a razor that's easier to maneuver in the tight spots. From what I've been able to gather after reading lots of posts I must be blessed with very forgiving skin. I have no irritation from the Slant and I use it every day in the same manner. I've been working my way thru a sampler pack and I don't really notice that much difference in the blades I've tried as far as the way my skin feels either. I must be one of the lucky ones I guess.