Slant Bar- Loading the Blade

[Conscientious Dennis]

Great photos, thanks for posting!

To get the blade to center properly in my slant I pull the exposed non-cutting edges up slightly while I tighten the head. Works every time.

Just received my 39C today in the mail from our own B&B member shyrlock. I tested your method of lifting the blade many times and found the blade aligned perfectly at the end of each tightening. Also tested many times just dropping in the blade, tightening and discovering it was way out of alignment almost every time. I can now see why so many folks have experienced this razor as a face shredder. Thank you so very much for this alignment tip.

 

[Conscientious Dennis]

Great photos, thanks for posting!

To get the blade to center properly in my slant I pull the exposed non-cutting edges up slightly while I tighten the head. Works every time.

I tried your alignment method on the new Mergress I just received and it works just as well. Thank you so much for your tip in making it easier to align the blade.

Dennis

 

[koso]

A couple of links to good Slant threads:

On the Slant

On the geometry of the Slant

 

[citizensoldierny]

I honestly never paid much attention to how I loaded my slant. Figured the studs made it idiot proof and it seemed to work fine and shave better than my HD as intended.

 

[macabrem]

OK. But why do I get a smoother, closer with less irratation shave just overall better shave when I let the blade just load itself, (normally crocked) adverses aligning it as your first picture shows which delivers a shave identical to my HD? I never have been accused of being normal but with the blade as shown, I might as well stick with the HD, same thing that way isn't it?

I kinda wanted to bump this to see if anybody else seems to have better luck NOT aligning the blade - just dropping the blade in and tightening?

I've never tried it, but I might start experimenting.

 

[raisindot]

Great post.

Question for you? I'm "test driving" an older Slant someone here is lending to me. The "top" of the head has three 'posts' that go into three matching "holes" in the "hole" in the blade and then into three holes in the bottom of the head. It doesn't seem possible that I could get a blade to be unbalanced because the blade is 'locked' into place by the posts. Do all Slants work this way, or do some not have the "post" thing going on?

Jeff in Boston

 

[curtis909]

Nice pic's thanks

 

[13ALPHA]

Good thing this thread is here, I have a slant on the way, and was going to load up and go for it! Surely saved some skin!

 

[gone down south]

Great post.

Question for you? I'm "test driving" an older Slant someone here is lending to me. The "top" of the head has three 'posts' that go into three matching "holes" in the "hole" in the blade and then into three holes in the bottom of the head. It doesn't seem possible that I could get a blade to be unbalanced because the blade is 'locked' into place by the posts. Do all Slants work this way, or do some not have the "post" thing going on?

Jeff in Boston

The slant has a bit of 'play' in it - you can wiggle the blade and head a bit left or right prior to tightening it down, allowing you to align the blade slightly differently against the safety bar.

 

[Monkeydad]

Great photos, thanks for posting!

To get the blade to center properly in my slant I pull the exposed non-cutting edges up slightly while I tighten the head. Works every time.

I did this when loading my blade into the Slant I was using for the first time ever this morning...worked great. BBS.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Gabadab]

I kinda wanted to bump this to see if anybody else seems to have better luck NOT aligning the blade - just dropping the blade in and tightening?

I've never tried it, but I might start experimenting.

Any feedback from your experiment?

 

[georgekaplan1]

I guess that I am a little confused. If the blade is loaded this way (parallel with the head vs. the comb/guard) wouldn't that essentially mean that the blade edge is cutting at a 90* angle to one's skin, albeit at a lesser degree of exposure (relative to the comb/guard) at one end and a greater degree at the other? This would be akin to a "1" at one end and a "5" at the other, if it were an adjustable. If one were to load it in such a way that the blade edge is parallel to the comb/guard (like the photo in the Review for the Slant), wouldn't that achieve the angled, scything angle of blade to the skin? Or perhaps I am just being deceived by the photos as there is no "side" view. I will try loading the blade both ways this evening and see the difference (I am just doing this from memory as I am not at home at the moment).

 

[Go West Young Man]

Look at it this way - the direction of your shaving stroke is parallel to the handle, therefore perpendicular to the top cap. Loaded properly, the entire edge of the blade will remain on your skin during a stroke.

If the blade isn't even with the top cap, you're going to poke one end of it into your skin and the other end will be floating in space on every stroke.

 

[georgekaplan1]

I need some clarification, again.

So you are saying that the blade should be even with the top cap?

The top cap on the Slant is straight, perpendicular to the handle, but the guard has a slight twist/slant to it.

If you align the blade with the top cap, the blade will be perpendicular to the handle. You will have even blade exposure on both side, but uneven blade gap because the bottom guard is slanted. This uneven gap (distance between blade and bottom guard) is what I thought cut people.

If the blade is even with the top cap, there will be no "slant" in the blade. I thought the purpose of the slant was to pull the razor straight, while the blade has a slant?

+++

If the blade is loaded even with the bottom guard, it will have uneven exposure and one end of the blade will extend farther out than the other, however, it will be lined up the the bottom guard and provide safe even blade gap.

This configuration will produce an even blade gap, while at the same time produce the requisite blade slant that gives the razor its name.

+++

Razor aggression is usually measured as it relates to blade gap. Loading the slant with the blade even with the top cap will produce a razor the uneven blade gap, hence great risk of cutting yourself.

I have been using the slant in my rotation for about 6 months. When I load a blade, it naturally falls to align itself with the bottom guard when tightened. I can force it to align with the top plate, but when I do, I see the scary uneven gap, and could not imagine why anyone would want to shave that way.


Looking for some clarification. Thanks

That's where I was coming from in my previous post. Aligning it with the head would seem to take the "slant" out of the slant.

 

[Crag]

Very interesting read!

 

[Go West Young Man]

[shrug] I dunno, try it both ways, see which one works best for you. [/shrug]

 

[ctkelly]

Well I did the best I could taking a picture of them standing straight up next to each other. I line the blade up so its parallel and has even blade exposure from the scallops in the top cap. This produces a gap that is even, but the blade is indeed slanted...it runs downhill from left to right. The top of the cap is perpendicular to the handle, but only at the very top....the area that is scalloped closest to the blade is still running downhill. Thats where it gets the slant from....not from having the blade all cockeyed in the head.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Ok, I'm posting a few more photos. One thing to keep in mind, Gents, is that this is called a "Slant BAR" razor, not a "Slant Blade" razor.

The middle photos show a properly loaded Slant Bar Razor.

The last photo shows a blade not aligned correctly. You will get nicks, and a close shave, but your face will hurt if you shave with it like that. I had one shave like that, over two years ago, and I still remember it.

 

[noahpictures]

Lou, great pics of how it should look.

Here is the thread (post # 2 by Beardo) that describes one way to load a blade properly into the Slant razor.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=165247

 

[DunEdinRanger]

I wrote to Anne Rothstein:

Ms. Rothstein,

I am writing to you with a question regarding the proper blade alignment of the Merkur Slant HD (37C & 37G) and the Merkur Barber Pole Slant (39C - my favorite razor!).

Recently, it has cropped up on Badger & Blade that some people feel the correct way is to have the blade parallel with the Slant Bar, while others, myself included, feel the correct way is to have the blade parallel with the head of the razor. Another way of asking the question is, "Should the blade be aligned to have a constant blade gap, or should the blade gap be greater at one end than the other?

Would you be so kind as to resolve this issue for us?

I am enclosing links to photos, as hopefully, that will help in clarifying matters:

Link 1: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=48908&stc=1&d=1241052395
Link 2: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=158714&stc=1&d=1303355267

Thanking you in advance for your assistance and time,

- Lou

And received this in reply:

Thank you for your email.

You are correct, the blade is to align with the top (head). This is how you load it easily: hold the top upside-down, place the blade over the two nubs and the thread of the top, then place the handle part (also upside-down) over it, and screw together. That way, the blade also aligns automatically with the top.

I hope I could help.

Best regards,
Anne Rothstein
MERKUR