Slant razors are cheating!

[Trenchdigger]

Okay, sorry for the click bait.

I've never used a slant razor, but I hear a lot of great things about them. Maybe I'm stubborn; I'm certainly ignorant.

With a slant razor, my assumption has been that it is cheating: Slants are for those with poor technique and cannot find the correct shaving angle. Again, that's my assumption, based on ignorance. Certainly not a statement of fact, nor anything based on hearsay.

I get the "guillotine" effect, and I appreciate the inherent efficiency of a blade slicing at an angle rather than head-on. Do slant razors also have an optimal angle, or does the "slant" of the razor head forgive poor technique and proper angle?

For the last few years, I have been keeping an eye on the "slant" threads, but I have had this prejudice that it is a form of cheating, and not "pure" wet shaving. More recently, certain research and interests have been dissuading me from holding closed my mind, and doors have been opened.

Please; share your thoughts.

Maybe I should buy a slant and see for myself. But is that a path, to the dark side? I have a 34c HD that is wonderful, and a few artisan DE razors that are fantastic ... are slants something I want to dabble with?

 

[NurseDave]

I only have three shaves of experience with the iKon X3 and can tell you it's more demanding on having the correct angle than any of the standard DEs I've used.

 

[Haegar]

All razors are cheating. The real deal would be a sharp stone (yes it has been done, not my thing though).

 

[Ockham's brush]

Guillotine effect is pretty much a joke, and more sales hype than anything.

Thing that matters is blade torque, keeps the blade really stiff. Old German razors had name for it?


Have a 37c, and like it way more than a 34.

 

[Trenchdigger]

All razors are cheating. The real deal would be a sharp stone (yes it has been done, not my thing though).

WHAT??? This is a rabbit hole.

Guillotine effect is more sales hype than anything.

Thing that matters is blade torque, keeps the blade really stiff.

Interesting.... so a razor that keeps a blade stiff/inflexible is superior than razors that do not?

Honestly, during my career wet shaving, I have not considered stiffness of the blade. My only reference is the OneBlade Core V1 versus the V2. The V2 is a lot stiffer, and provides (me) a closer shave. This is an interesting viewpoint for me ... what if, regardless of razor type, the blade stiffness trumps all?

 

[shave/brush]

It's the torque in the blade that make it stiff and this also makes a negative radius on the blade. So a Slant that has a lot of torque such as the Merkur 37 or the Fine razor, work really good.

 

[cyberdog]

I never really found it superior to a strait bar, or most standard razors, however, some have a lot more blade feel and feel harsh /aggressive.

The Fine slant was very aggressive feeling and not comfortable, unlike things moniker on the box, I fully knew there was a blade in it.

The Shavecraft 102 was comfortable, but I always seemed to get little nicks, usually around the mouth or mustache areas.

The cheap Stirling slant at like $12 was the best of the bunch for me, more comfort and just easier to use. Just didn't use it that often, and felt my Rockwell, Tech, and Gillette FB/Slim gave better shaves and solid it. Someone I wish I still had it on occasion, just not enough to buy another slant.

 

[muzichead]

I have a 37C and a Wunderbar and there is a huge difference between the two in how they shave. The Wunderbar torques the blade much more and has much more blade feel. I really enjoyed the 37C but so far the Wunderbar is the only razor I have shaved with that gets me in the BBS ballpark. Not quite BBS but not too far away!!

 

[vacman]

IMHO, it's just a better tool to get the job done. Having said that, I've used a lot of DE razors I've liked, but I tried the IKON slant and liked it. Then, got a Razorock Wunderbar slant and see no reason to try anything else. The Wunderbar is much more forgiving of angle and seems to get the best out of any blade I've tried in it. It's certainly not cheating in my mind to get the closest, most comfortable shave.

 

[muzichead]

IMHO, it's just a better tool to get the job done. Having said that, I've used a lot of DE razors I've liked, but I tried the IKON slant and liked it. Then, got a Razorock Wunderbar slant and see no reason to try anything else. The Wunderbar is much more forgiving of angle and seems to get the best out of any blade I've tried in it. It's certainly not cheating in my mind to get the closest, most comfortable shave.

 

[MichWR]

I have a Maggards slant. I would not suggest it for someone new to DE shaving.

 

[gvw755]

Then there is the latest from PAA - the Alpha Ecliptic. This is a diagonal slant that does not twist the blade but does bow it severely like the Merkur 45 or RR Baby Smooth. It gets it's slant effect by shaping the top cap and base plate diagonally (more extremely than the Ikon 102). All you do is lay the top cap flat against your face for the perfect angle and then just shave as you would with any DE. Not as efficient as the Wunderbar, but then again, it's $20 and a milder shaver than their other $20 bakelite slant.

 

[santamariasteve]

Brother Trenchdigger,

A slant razor is no more cheating than is putting a fresh blade in a razor and getting an improved shave.

The genius of a slant razor is the mechanics of slicing, rather than chopping. As I recall, even the guillotine blade was angled, not straight horizontally.

A slant razor does not forgive poor technique or poor shaving angle. If one gets sloppy a slant razor can bite, but no more so than many other razors.

If you're interested in a slightly new experience, I strongly recommend a slant razor, maybe a Merkur 37C. It requires no special technique. Use it as if you were using your Merkur 34C HD. The work of the slanted head is "automatic."

There are mild slant razors (such as the Krect Shave slant from the 1930's) and there are aggressive slant razors. I suggest the Merkur 37C is mid-range.

I consider the slant razor and the adjustable razor to be two of the greater razor innovations since the invention of the DE safety razor! I'm surprised slants have not been more popular over the decades. I'm also surprised that Gillette, the General Motors of razor manufacturers, never marketed a slant razor.

 

[gvw755]

I'm also surprised that Gillette, the General Motors of razor manufacturers, never marketed a slant razor.

Unfortunately Gillette's answer to the slant was to just hold the razor diagonally. They even had instructions on how to do that. In Europe (especially Germany), the slants were constantly evolving and folks there were always trying to make a more efficient shaver. They did it so well that most modern slants share DNS with those earlier ones. The Merkur 37 head design has been in production for over 70 years and they spawned a bunch of clones and knockoffs. The original Ikon slant, Maggard, Wunderbar, and Fine came from the Mulcuto Needlepoint. The Ikon 102 came from the original Mulcuto Diagonal, and the X3 came from the Lutz. PAA is very clear as that they copied the Fasan and Walbusch for their two slant offerings. Good designs just don't go away, which is fortunate for all of us.

 

[1Vader]

Used to like slants, but now not so much. I find my beard grows sharper with them for some reason. It could just be in my head but still, I have other razors I enjoy a lot more than my slants.

I am thinking the fad with slants may have fizzled out a bit these days.

 

[baek57]

I have a 34c and 37c and have developed a clear preference for the 37. Feels like it cuts the whiskers easier.

 

[211bma]

Using a axe to chop down a tree is cheating.

Alright now that I got the ribbing out of the way...

I have a few slants and they are fine personally I just don't see/feel much of a difference.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[bahomebrew]

Interesting.... so a razor that keeps a blade stiff/inflexible is superior than razors that do not?

Honestly, during my career wet shaving, I have not considered stiffness of the blade. My only reference is the OneBlade Core V1 versus the V2. The V2 is a lot stiffer, and provides (me) a closer shave. This is an interesting viewpoint for me ... what if, regardless of razor type, the blade stiffness trumps all?

When I first tried the Fine Superlight, the rigidity of the blade was instantly apparent. I could feel the extra tension in the blade on my face, which was not a bad thing. For me, that tension is the difference between success and not. I like the SE Gem blade razors and injectors for the same reason. Those blades are stiffer because of the thickness compared to a DE blade. I recently tried shimming my Gillette Tech and found it a little more aggressive and a lot more rigid. It was already a great shaver, but the shims took it to another level again.

If it's cheating, then I'll do it all day long. The results are too good for me to ignore.

 

[engblom]

I fully agree with NurseDave, X3 really need more skills in keeping the angle than most other razors. If you are not skilled in finding the optimal angle, X3 will not shave well. It got a such narrow window of working angles. So it is far from cheating when it comes to this angle.

When it comes to guillotine effect, for my beard it does wonder. When using a "normal" razor I tilt the razor to get a guillotine effect. A slant, simply makes that easier as it is happening automatically. That could be considered as cheating.

Technically, when you have a tilted blade, the shaved path is more narrow, so it means more blade for each hair. This means that the edge used for each hair is longer than the thickness of the hair, and the edge is "sawing" through the hair. Imagine you cutting tomatoes. It is a big difference if you just press the knife through the tomato or if you also have a slight side-wise motion.

 

[Wilga]

I shaved for forty years with a normal razor and was very apprehensive about trying a slant. My first slant was the ATT S1 and I could detect nothing that I would not consider any different to using just another brand of normal razor once I started to shave. I then purchased an Ikon B1 slant and the same thing. As for cheating, at the end of the day it's your decision.