I received my Above Tie Tie Kronos S2 (OC, slant), yesterday. I loaded up an Astra SP, and I noticed that the blade exposure is even across the blade edge (parallel to the top cap). I had seen previous comments (and pictures) about the ATT slant as having uneven exposure, with more of the blade exposed on the right (down) side. It was stated that it was intentionally designed that way. Was there a change? If so, has anyone tried both? Mine worked very well, BTW, this morning.
Above The Tie - slant - design change?
- Thread starter Peter_A
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I don't think there has been a change. Perhaps you received the wrong top cap? This has happened a couple of times.
The leading edge of the blade should be parallel to the teeth of the bottom plate but exposure should look uneven in comparison to the top cap.
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- #5
Yes, that's what I thought, as well, from previous posts and images. However, mine is not like that, which makes me think that the design was changed.
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Additional images (different lighting):
Hmm. Those are some interesting pictures. I would be very curious to know what Stan says on this subject. Peter, would you mind emailing Stan?
That definitely does not look right, unless the design has changed (which would be surprising).
Silly question, but I must ask are you certain that the blade is loaded properly?
+1 to doc would be very interested to hear what Stan says to this.
Silly question, but I must ask are you certain that the blade is loaded properly?
+1 to doc would be very interested to hear what Stan says to this.
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Yes, I was going to e-mail him and include a link to this post.
EDIT: I sent Stan a PM.
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I'm guessing that the design has changed. A lot of people did seem to be confused about the larger blade exposure on one edge, when it was released, so a change wouldn't surprise me too much, though I would have expected that we would have heard about it, unless mine is the first. My base plate is stamped "2015," so it's certainly newer than the "2014" ones (when the razor was first released). But how new is it? Who knows.
To be honest, I think that the new design (if that's what it is) is better. The blade is parallel to both the comb and the top cap, on mine. What would be the purpose of the extra exposure on one side? That would, in theory, only lead to more chatter or flex on that side of the blade edge. I can't see how that would be desirable. I am generally a fan of razors with larger blade exposure (with respect to the top cap), but I think that it makes sense for the exposure to be uniform along each side. The top cap would have just needed to be extended a bit to make it uniform, and that's what appears to have been done. I highly doubt that it's some happy accident that it's perfectly parallel to both the comb and top cap, on both sides. I would be curious to know if it shaves any differently than the other S2s (with the larger exposure on one edge's side).
Yes, I'm fairly certain that I've loaded the blade correctly. I aligned the pins and pinched it against the top cap, to conform to the curve of the top cap, then slid on the base plate, and then tightened the handle. I just loaded it again, without pinching the blade (so that the blade was flat), before tightening, and the results were the same.
BTW, the blade gap looks perfect across, on both sides, as well, just as on my other ATTs (H1, H2, R2). I had a very smooth shave with the S2, this morning. It seems like a great razor, so far.
My comment is not directly related to the angle of the slant (I'm an S1 owner). But I must talk about QC at ATT.
I own the 5 piece Kronos + Slant. I have no problems with the original items purchased.
But I purchased an additional Kronos handle and the machining on the thread was so poor I couldn't tighten it to my R1. (I use 2 heads; the R1 sometimes under the nose). I sent back the Kronos handle to Stan 10 days ago and have been disappointed by the follow up. I've received no replacement and very little help. I'm leaving on vacation in 4 days and I'll have no additional Kronos setup to take on my travels.
Im still a huge ATT fan. I hope sincerely my problems are isolated.
I own the 5 piece Kronos + Slant. I have no problems with the original items purchased.
But I purchased an additional Kronos handle and the machining on the thread was so poor I couldn't tighten it to my R1. (I use 2 heads; the R1 sometimes under the nose). I sent back the Kronos handle to Stan 10 days ago and have been disappointed by the follow up. I've received no replacement and very little help. I'm leaving on vacation in 4 days and I'll have no additional Kronos setup to take on my travels.
Im still a huge ATT fan. I hope sincerely my problems are isolated.
Peter_A,
You are correct, I altered the design. While I liked the original effort, we had customers who thought their razor was faulty. So we made the change. You are the only person I am aware of who has commented on the alteration. The change does not alter the shaving quality of our slants and they continue to be very popular. I hope this clears the air.
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- #13
Thanks, Stan, for clearing it up. I figured that it was too perfect to be an "accident."
I used my new S2 today for the first time. I received it in a swap this week with a fellow B&Ber (hi, Matt!) for my M2 I haven't used in many moons. The plate is stamped "2015," and the blade looked even across the teeth and the top cap. Great shave. Almost as close as my H2, but smoother. I still love the H2 experience, but the S2 will be in heavy rotation.
Very interesting… thanks for the info Stan.
Very interesting change in design. I have the old cap as i bought mine as soon as it was release being already an att customer. Btw: Blade exposure has nothing to do with what the op means by blade exposure.
This is very interesting, indeed. I'm so fond of my 2014 S2 that I consider it to be my favorite slant. Do I need to try the 2015 S2? If Stan says that the shave is the same, I believe him.
Is the cap the only thing that was redesigned?
BTW, this situation presents an intriguing opportunity for comparison: contrast Stan's straightforward response to his minor slant redesign with Mühle's 2013 redesign of its famed R41.
Is the cap the only thing that was redesigned?
BTW, this situation presents an intriguing opportunity for comparison: contrast Stan's straightforward response to his minor slant redesign with Mühle's 2013 redesign of its famed R41.
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Yes, I know what you mean, and I qualified "blade exposure" with "with respect to the top cap" in a later post.
However, I'd still disagree with your assertion that the amount of blade "exposed" from the edge of the top cap has nothing to do with blade exposure, in this particular case. If you're talking about the same razor (meaning the other parameters are the same), altering the amount of blade "exposed" from the edge of the top cap would likely alter the blade exposure (as the tangent line would likely be changed as well). That would not necessarily be the case when comparing two different razors, of course. In any case, I do know what "blade exposure" is (shown in image below).
View attachment 587954
An interesting comparison with Muhle, indeed! Yet another reason that Stan continues to have a sterling reputation as far as I am aware. I shaved with my (S2? safety bar) slant this morning, in fact.
An excellent observation doc… you're completely correct. Great example showing why so many of us love Stan.
