In Praise of the Slant

[Joe_Karp]

I received my Merkur 37C Slant in this afternoon's mail. Already familiar with knowing how well my 34C shaves, I loaded a Kai DE blade, thin and oh-so-sharp, prepped my face as usual, lathered up, and went to work. With sensitive skin and a tough beard, I was amazed at the nick and weeper free three pass this razor delivered...and the sound it makes equals my Mergress, yet it may be the better tool given how smooth my face is right now.

In loading the X5 Kai, it was a little work aligning it so there was even gap on both sides, but short of that this is an amazing tool. Given recent comments about Merkur QC, I find nothing to complain about here, the plating is solid and can find no defects. My standard DE blade is an IP Red, which I'll try tomorrow to see how well it does.

With my 34C HD, I would say that it was really good practice getting to know it. As a result using the Slant was intuitive; and while a little anxious at the start, settled down nicely once I began the process.

With that in mind, this odd looking tool goes into the rotation with the 34C, Mergress, and 23C...and is welcome.


Cheers!

Joe

 

[martym]

it is a wonderful razor
The only 1 i use now
I love it!!

 

[nano]

I have the 39C and it's the only razor I use right now.
Awesome.

 

[Invicta]

With the twist in the blade you will expect a little check to ensure correct alignment. However, as you found, the shave is excellent. My favourite razor .
By the way, the slant is the item of the week so that was good timing.

 

[Beatnik]

With all of the buzz about slant razors lately, primarily due to the recent release of the ikon slant, I have really been considering giving one a try. Posts like this one help fuel the fire! I think I'll be picking up a Merkur 37c in the near future...

 

[gus1942]

With all of the buzz about slant razors lately, primarily due to the recent release of the ikon slant, I have really been considering giving one a try. Posts like this one help fuel the fire! I think I'll be picking up a Merkur 37c in the near future...

Doesn't get any better.

 

[ackvil]

Another fan of the slant. Gives a close comfortable shave. When I first got mine I expected it to be very aggressive. However, I found that although some may find it aggressive I found that it gives a very smooth, comfortable shave.

 

[tomcj2]

When one of my slants ( 37C, 39C, and bakelite noname)comes up in the rotation I use a brand of blade that I normally dislike. A slant make even a Shark blade decent.

 

[coyotewhisper]

All the talk about slants and how well they shave has piqued my interest. I think one will be have to be added to my Den.

 

[Gryffandor]

Currently my 37C has 2nd place in my rotation just behind my R41 Rose Gold. They both give smooth close irritation free shaves with a variety of blades.

 

[Wayne1963]

The 37c was the first modern DE I purchased (I briefly tried DEs in the 80s, didn't know what I was doing). Despite it's fierce reputation, I learned the correct way to wet shave with it. The slant delivers a great shave every time. The slant comes real, real close to matching a straight. In fact, if your not real good with a straight, the slant will exceed it. I can't wait to try the new Ikon slant.

 

[chilliman64]

the 37c is a fantastic razor - nothing to be scared of and great results every time!

 

[shave/brush]

When one of my slants ( 37C, 39C, and bakelite noname)comes up in the rotation I use a brand of blade that I normally dislike. A slant make even a Shark blade decent.

+1, Same here. I think Merkur blades are the worst but I tried the one that came with my 37c and got a smooth comfortable shave. It has to be the smoothest razor in the world.

 

[yellafella321]

Sorry for the NOOB question, but can anyone explain the purpose of a slant razor and the benefits vs a traditional DE razor?

 

[hdjj00]

I've heard others complain about blade centering on slants. An easy "fix" I've found is to load the blade normally, but just before the handle is fully tightened, give the blade a twist in the direction of the slant, then tighten fully. The posts should ensure that there is equal blade exposure on both sides of the razor and the little extra twist exaggerates the slants cutting action. I can't promise this will work for all slants, but it works for mine (39C and EMIR slant).

 

[aar0n]

Angle - from side to side. I'm planning to try a slant because my neck is the only part I shave.

How do you guys adjust your approach with a slant.. Does it cover less area per pass or do you hold it differently?

 

[angelo]

Sorry for the NOOB question, but can anyone explain the purpose of a slant razor and the benefits vs a traditional DE razor?

No need to be sorry. That's what B&B is all about. The slant slices while traditional razors chop. That makes the razor "more efficient". By that I mean that it's smoother and requires little effort to move across your face therefore reducing the chances of getting cut. You can test this yourself. Get a carrot and a not so sharp knife. Put the knife on top of the carrot and press down. That's chopping. Then put the tip of the knife on top of the carrot and move it forward and down. That's slicing. Notice the little effort required and the smoother cut. A very sharp knife will diminish the feel and cut differences between chopping and slicing but you get the picture.

 

[angelo]

I've heard others complain about blade centering on slants. An easy "fix" I've found is to load the blade normally, but just before the handle is fully tightened, give the blade a twist in the direction of the slant, then tighten fully. The posts should ensure that there is equal blade exposure on both sides of the razor and the little extra twist exaggerates the slants cutting action. I can't promise this will work for all slants, but it works for mine (39C and EMIR slant).

Sorry but I respectfully disagree. The slant(s) should get loaded just like any other razor. Making sure the (non cutting) sides of the blade are parallel to the top and bottom plates. The blade exposure is not going to be completely parallel to the top or safety bar but that's how the design of the slant works. It makes a transition (from one side of the cutting blade to the other) by changing the amount of blade exposure and blade angle. That mantains an even cutting agressiveness. Forcing or tilting the blade changes all that, maybe not by much. But you end with one side being more aggressive than the other. Maybe you like that and use it to your advantage but that's not the purpose of the design.

 

[hdjj00]

Sorry but I respectfully disagree. The slant(s) should get loaded just like any other razor. Making sure the (non cutting) sides of the blade are parallel to the top and bottom plates. The blade exposure is not going to be completely parallel to the top or safety bar but that's how the design of the slant works. It makes a transition (from one side of the cutting blade to the other) by changing the amount of blade exposure and blade angle. That mantains an even cutting agressiveness. Forcing or tilting the blade changes all that, maybe not by much. But you end with one side being more aggressive than the other. Maybe you like that and use it to your advantage but that's not the purpose of the design.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough when describing my "procedure", so I apologize. When I say to twist the blade, I'm not suggesting you "force" or "tilt" it into any unnatural or abnormal position. I'm simply suggesting that you take the slack (and the guess work) out of the blade positioning by using the posts in the head to "index" the blade into position. This is what they (the posts) are designed to do, but for some reason (bad Q.C., wear, bad design, etc...) they don't always do this well. This little trick more reliably centers the blade in the head than can be done by simply "eyeballing" it. At least it does in my case. (YMMV) As I said, it may not work with all razors. Remember, were talking (at least in most cases) very minute amounts of slack that are be compensated for.

 

[rand77]

I enjoy the slant quite a bit, as it shaves effectively while feeling mild. I can tell it shaves effectively as I get feedback from the alum block when shaving without care.