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Slants - Looking for some basic info. Will they Krueger me? Why get one?

I really don't need another razor, and aesthetics are really no good reason to change that...
I feel less geeky after I came across the Razor Emporium description..it wandered off to talk about D&D dice. I will mention that the pic I posted of all the razors, the green one looks vaguely neon. Over at Top of the Chain, the colour is more of a darker blue/green, and the Emporium pic it has a bit of an aqua tinge. I still haven't decided, if it was anything but a slant, I'd not bother. But, we at B&B can justify just about any purchase. I've not used a slant.
 
I have the Filament. It doesn't show soap, bit it does show the blade, which is cool!

I hate to say, I'm getting to the age of bad eyesight and more scattered memory... I thought it and the Fantasma might be bad for putting down on the side of the tub, or wherever, and it not standing out, and me wondering where my razor got to. My change purse is neon yellow, my wallet is turquoise blue, I seriously need colour to find stuff sometimes.

Very cool though.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Okay, here goes, I'm taking the plunge. Yes, this is me at my nerdy weirdest. I was looking at putting an order into Top of the Chain for soap and razors. I do NOT need another razors. And then I saw a green translucent razor. And it had sparkles. And it looked funny. And it is based on a horror monster. I was hooked. There is a whole line, and while the Filament was neat, I thought it would show dirt/waterspots/soap too much. Crimson Ghost was considered, but it seemed a bit dramatic to shave with a red razor. Then, a very close second, was El Fantasma, because it is glows in the dark! However, the winner is La Criatura because though Blue is my favourite colour, Phantom Blue looked boring.. and I like green, and IT HAS SPARKLES! Yes, I can be that juvenile. Also, to go all vintage, it reminds me of the plastics in the 60s that were used for water tumblers, that had gold flecks in them. In fact a lot of 50s/60s stuff had sparkles. So less unicorn, more nostalgia.
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Oh my. Perhaps we are twins separated at birth!

I know EXACTLY the tumbler/glass you are talking about. If I could have one thing of my Grandmother's it would be her tan colored tumbler with sparkles in it! Never sweated, which was just like her, LOL, and none of us heathen kids used it!

Thanks for the memories my friend! She was one in a million.
 
Just throwing my 2 cents in here, can't really add to the very excellent advice already given. You said it would be for shaving your legs. I'll just say that I think you would get a better shave and an easier shave from the Parker semi slant as shown in post number 11. It is not as aggressive as the PAA ABS razor and has good weight to it, and a longer handle, all of which would especially be an advantage (IMHO) for leg shaving.
 
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Agreed with all of the above. I don't find them to be particularly more efficient or generally better due to the slant design. If anything, the slant allows torquing so there is greater blade rigidity but I don't find the cutting action to magically transform into a slicing one. Imo, they lean more aggressive than mild. and to me, this is the ticket. They are definitely not mild razors (mostly). I have a parker 55SL and it is at least medium efficiency. I would personally place it between medium and high. If you are a daily shaver, it may be too much. Could be qc issues which parker is known for but I've always found it very high in blade feel, making it quite aggressive.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
I hate to say, I'm getting to the age of bad eyesight and more scattered memory...

Yeah, me too. :) Plus degenerating arthritis in my entire spine. And hips.

I thought it and the Fantasma might be bad for putting down on the side of the tub, or wherever, and it not standing out, and me wondering where my razor got to. My change purse is neon yellow, my wallet is turquoise blue, I seriously need colour to find stuff sometimes.

Very cool though.

One thing to point out. The "El Fantasma" which I often abbreviate as "ElF" and the other "Monster" razors are the same design in different colours. The "Filament" however, is different. It is modeled on the famous old "PBOCS" or Phoenix Bakelite Open Comb Slant and I hear it can be a bit of a bugger to use and is rather aggressive.

I have an ElF and as it sits it is a very mild, very light razor that I find a bit challenging to relax with. That's because I don't really like light razors. Not a problem, however, as a stainless handle swapped in makes it a more congenial weight. I also find it a lot milder than my Fasan Double Slant (on which the ElF is modelled). That can be cured, if you wish, by simply adding a shim between the blade and baseplate to open up the gap just a tad.

To be clear, it's a pretty decent homage to the Fasan. Blade clamping in the Monster series is better than in the bakelite version of their Alpha Ecliptic tilted slant. I like them enough that I have several of them! For that price you cannot go wrong. If it doesn't work for you, just put a hook on it and hang it on the Christmas tree as a cute shaver-themed ornament. :)

O.H.
 
IMHO, slants are a scam. They're supposed to cut whiskers better like a guillotine cuts better due to the blade being at an angle. We're cutting tiny facial hairs here, not human heads. I tried a bunch of slants and they all disappointed me.
Maybe, I don't know, never tried one...though my form gets sloppy sometimes and I'm sure my regular old DE has been drug across my mug on a slant at times. I wonder if my shave improved?

How serendipitous.
 
Just throwing my 2 cents in here, can't really add to the very excellent advice already given. You said it would be for shaving your legs. I'll just say that I think you would get a better shave and an easier shave from the Parker semi slant as shown in post number 11. It is not as aggressive as the PAA ABS razor and has good weight to it, and a longer handle, all of which would especially be an advantage (IMHO) for leg shaving.
I saw a razor I took a fancy to, but i'm not in the market for another razor. But, as most of us so often do, I was inventing reasons to get it. It's a slant, and I've never used a slant before. So, it made sense to get a bit of info about them. I finally stopped being coy (and worried that people would think it foolish) and actually posted the razor, with the others in its line. I just felt funny saying hey, I saw a green ABS razor with gold flecks, and I'm trying to talk myself into buying it. It's a double slant. Of course, if everyone said slants are aggressive, problem solved, I don't need an aggressive razor right now... but alas, I may have to give in and get it. Thanks for the other options though (and always good for anyone else reading the thread). Someone else mentioned the Parker as well, sounds like a nice one.
 
"I'm not looking for recommendations (at least not yet), I just need a bit of info of why they exist".

To make more money.....variety......remember people are in the business of making more money.....

I personally do not think any slant is better than open comb razors or solid bar razors.....there are so many....some better than others.... I have 6-7 and none is my #1 razor. Not even in my first 5. But we are all different. Get one and satisfy your curiosity.
 
I saw a razor I took a fancy to, but i'm not in the market for another razor. But, as most of us so often do, I was inventing reasons to get it. It's a slant, and I've never used a slant before. So, it made sense to get a bit of info about them. I finally stopped being coy (and worried that people would think it foolish) and actually posted the razor, with the others in its line. I just felt funny saying hey, I saw a green ABS razor with gold flecks, and I'm trying to talk myself into buying it. It's a double slant. Of course, if everyone said slants are aggressive, problem solved, I don't need an aggressive razor right now... but alas, I may have to give in and get it. Thanks for the other options though (and always good for anyone else reading the thread). Someone else mentioned the Parker as well, sounds like a nice one.

Well, I have to agree the blue, the green, the red....they are cool. Just don't try to shave in the dark with the glow in the dark one. ;)
 
Okay, I am at looking at one that is ABS plastic, 16oz, and 3.25 inches. I like med/long handles, and a bit more weight, but does that have me give up yet? no. I'm pretty sure I'm just using the excuse that I've not had a slant to justify another razor, and I honestly was only interested because it looked cool. In a very nerdy kind of way. I did have a Merkur Bakelite, which would have been okay if it had had a solid handle, hollow it just made the whole thing way to light and off balance. I think this has hollow as well, but if I do get it, I can likely find a way to fill in the handle. Are the bakelite and plastic ones you've had seem mild/med/agressive, or they all varied? I'd only be using it on legs, I think it would be a bit more tricky for underarms and chin. Except for the height of shorts/swimsuit season, I'm not always right on top of leg shaving, so it can get a bit long sometimes, so that was another thought for getting it.
The bakelite and plastic slants I have differ. Some are quite aggressive, some are not. Obviously, the 'milder' ones require a little less concentration on the angle.

The metal ones are the same. The forementioned Parker is both heavy and mild and delivers a good shave. I have the Yaqi Aggamemnon, huge blade gap and exposure. This slant delivers a fantastic close shave, but requires extreme caution, unless you find the right blade angle, which tames it to a sweet shaver.

Personally, I love light weight razors and slants. There is no weight to assist you, but this forces you to find and maintain the required pressure. This adds to my pleasure, because you need to focus. This added focus results in a 'Zenny' shave, which I find relaxing and rewarding.

As for the shaving result: most mild bakelites obviously produce a lesser quality shave than the aggressive bakelites. Many non slanted bakelites I use have huge blade gap and exposure, thus producing very close shaves. A slant needs less extreme gap and exposure to get me those close shaves.

In the end it all comes down to preferences. I would say you would have to take your time and use a light weight slant maybe ten times to learn to appreciate their unique nature. After all: it is a completely different experience from shaving with a heavier razor, both slant and non slant.

Like I wrote earlier: slant results are disputed: some love them, some say there is no added shaving quality. This goes for each and every tool in this passion. Arguing is just pointless. But let me tell you one thing. My youngest son used a EJ 89 to start DE shaving for some months. When he used the Parker Slant I gave him his first reaction was, 'this razor is so much better than my first one'. Thanks for this, Dad 😇

As for the weight issue: I don't think it is a coincidence you can find many vintage Souplex 'Nymph' lady razors on the Net. Apparently women in the fifties liked light weight razors a lot.

I hope this lengthy post helps 👍🏽
 
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The bakelite and plastic slants I have differ. Some are quite aggressive, some are not.
...
Personally, I love light weight razors and slants. There is no weight to assist you, but this forces you to find and maintain the required pressure. This adds to my pleasure, because you need to focus. This added focus results in a 'Zenny' shave, which I find relaxing and rewarding.
...
As for the weight issue: I don't think it is a coincidence you can find many vintage Souplex 'Nymph' lady razors on the Net. Apparently women in the fifties liked light weight razors a lot.

I hope this lengthy post helps 👍🏽
Yes definitely, it helped to have more information to round out my thoughts (which I love about this place, people are quite articulate about what they like/don't like, that one can still get good info, even if they don't agree overall). Its quite helpful to know that material doesn't dictate mild/aggressive (I didn't think so, but good to have it confirmed).

I get what you say about the Zen experience. The thing is, Zen is good when I have the time, but other times when its busy I just need a jump into the shower, zip/zop/done kind of shave. Light is okay if it is still has a sense of balance for me, but seeing as I'm mostly multi-purpose (chin/underarm/leg) the middle or long handles are a bit easier for legs. Small would be fine for just chin, when I'm not doing the whole bath/shower thing, but I have a mild Super Speed Flare that takes care of that. I'm being sent Slim (thanks to the benevolence of @airmech... it should be arriving today!), that I'm thinking will fill my current gap for razor needs. I've almost talked myself out of the double slant, but the order for the rest of the supplies hasn't gone in yet, so... I might give in. It would likely be more for legs... chin needs mild, and its a much smaller area than for a guy, not sure a slant is a good idea for underarms, but I could see it being great for legs. If I do get it, I'll post a review.

When I was collecting, I had a really fun little collection of ladies razors. Some quite (pre 40s I think), and some from the 60s. I think mild was important (though there is one with a flexed frame that looked like one of those looped dog grooming brushes, that looked scary) but I think there was also a modesty factor. Especially since I suspect that some of the smaller ones were for facial hair (its 2022 and I still feel somewhat mortified when I mention it in the forums, like here, but I kind of make myself normalize it. Women of some ethnic backgrounds (not me) get facial hair, as do some women as they age (me). The smallest I had was in a leatherette covered metal box that measured 1x1x0.5 inch. I really liked the Souplex, they were cute and came in nice colours, I kind of wished I'd kept just one. I had a couple of Kewties, but they were kind of creepy, because their case (whether designers meant this to be, or not) looked like a uterus (sorry if that was TMI).

Anyway, I do well beyond 'lengthy' posts, so no worries, and thanks again for the info. I just really like learning stuff, so its all fun.
 
I bought a RazoRock Wunderbar, as I wanted to try a slant and I'd read that it was one of the most aggressive.

I found that it shaves my face identically to an R41 (i.e., not very aggressive), although it feels much smoother while it does it. The bulky head takes some getting used to, but it's a perfectly fine razor.

I feel that slants are a bit of a gimmick, but they do eliminate blade chatter and make shaving ATG easier. I still use my Wunderbar from time to time, but it's never been in my regular rotation. I prefer something slimmer and lighter.
 
I have the plastic PAA slant.....it's not efficient at all.... will gift it to my bro as a travel razor. He wants a Merkur Bakelite but those are now impossible to fin. And then I just got some "German" old new bakelite recently....now that is just unpleasant.
 
I hate to say, I'm getting to the age of bad eyesight and more scattered memory... I thought it and the Fantasma might be bad for putting down on the side of the tub, or wherever, and it not standing out, and me wondering where my razor got to. My change purse is neon yellow, my wallet is turquoise blue, I seriously need colour to find stuff sometimes.

Very cool though.
Ahhhh, the nice thing about the Filamant is that you could do the hot-water-Rit-dye-job. Plastics & polys can be simmered in hot water with Rit dye to color them. Most commonly done to change gray or tan rifle stocks to green/black/blue/purple, but if the base polymer is translucent or white, you can go pretty much any direction.:c2:
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Ahhhh, the nice thing about the Filamant is that you could do the hot-water-Rit-dye-job. Plastics & polys can be simmered in hot water with Rit dye to color them. Most commonly done to change gray or tan rifle stocks to green/black/blue/purple, but if the base polymer is translucent or white, you can go pretty much any direction.:c2:
Never would have thought of that! Cool.
 
Ahhh...well. I prefer not to use the guillotine comparison since it seems rather...shall we say...terminal. :)

I prefer to liken a slant to a well-peened scythe. Same stroke, same result. But whatever spins your toque...



No. They're for anyone. As noted already, they're just another DE but they offer a shave experience that many prefer. Like me! I have mild to wild, and prefer the "mid-mild" side.



Two shaves, for me. But then I switch between razors about every two weeks.




Several of my slants are comfortable that way. Only one -- the RazoRock Wunderbar -- is prone to biting more than the others. A great excuse to practice mindfulness. My ATT S2, Rex Konsul, RR German 37, and others are all just like any DE razor only smoother.



YES! Somebody got it right! There are three kinds of slants in current use: DE tilted, SE tilted and DE helical. Briefly: a "tilted" slant or what was in earlier years called a "single" slant is a razor that looks like a DE with the head on at an angle. If you look at it from the shaving sides, the two edges both slant in the same direction; either left or right depending on how you're holding the razor.

The Above the Tie X1 is a single edge razor using Artist Club blades. With only one edge, and a very narrow blade, it is by definition another type of tilted slant. The difference is that since it's single edge you can't turn the razor around to have the edge slant "the other way."

Helical slants, which used to be called "double" slants are those that get their "slantiness" from twisting the blade instead of tilting the head. Look at a helical slant edge-on and you'll see one edge slanting one way and the edge on the other side of the razor going the other way, like a wide "X" shape.

Making a whippy thin little piece of stainless firm enough to shave you takes tension. This is achieved in "plain" DE razors by bending the blade inside the head, and by clamping the edges firmly. Helical slant razors add even more tension to the blade with the twist in addition to bending the blade. Tilted slants, on the other hand are just that: a "plain" DE head mounted at an angle. The tension in a tilted slant is only from the bending of the blade, as there is no twist.

They are different types of razors and can shave a little differently. With an SE (single edge) tilted slant you have one and only one edge to play with, so you have fewer options for how you use the razor.

With a DE tilted slant you get an interesting option. Some guys don't like helicals because they say "the edge slants one way on one side of my face and the other way on the other side." True enough, but in my mind that's not a terribly significant thing. With a DE tilted slant you can have the blade slanting the same way on each side of your face. Just spin the razor around.

I prefer helical slants because of the additional blade tensioning from the twist. That said, however, there are some good tilted DE slants like the iKon Shavecraft 102 that is still findable.



It's easy to find mild slants. I'm going to "bother" doing a recommendation because I think it's necessary context. The Parker SemiSlant is a good place to start. Quite mild. I had one and liked it OK but it wasn't too flashy. I like quirky. My son has it now and loves it. It was his second razor, so I think a good place to start.

After that, branch out as you wish. For detailed user reviews of a variety of slant razors, search for "The Tilted Picnic" here on B&B. I've been reviewing slants for the last three years here (and in the middle of a series on the X1 at the moment). Others have as well, and there's a great couple of threads going right now on the Rex Konsul adjustable slant.

And keep asking questions!

O.H.

Thanks for the info on the double slant!
 
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