In preparation for the forthcoming B&B Slant Bar, I ordered a standard Merkur Slant Bar from ClassicShaving, and it arrived Monday. According to advice from a few B&B members, the appropriate blade for use with the Slant is the Feather, so that's double the danger for your thread-reading pleasure.
I'm now two shaves into my Slant Bar experience, and so wanted to post my experiences for those like me who are/were hesitant before the power of the Slant.
Tuesday (Day 1)
Been looking at the razor on and off since I received it yesterday, and man, is this a crazy-looking instrument. Putting a Feather blade in it this morning doesn't quell my fears at all: at the extreme low end of the bar, the blade hangs out into space!
Still, no guts no glory, so I lather up some Musgo Real (one of my go-tos for lubrication), prep my face as well as I can with my hot-water splash & soak, and just...start shaving. Surprisingly there's little difference to the grip or to finding the right blade angle. The advice one hears is on the money, though: as little pressure as you can muster is the key, even supporting some the weight of the razor, rather than letting the full weight do all the work. Light, light, light touch.
The razor scares me a little, so I don't get as BBS a result as I might have through simple timidity, but I also, through some plain old bad bladework, scored several weepers. Luckily Proraso Crema Liquida Dopobarba is equal to the task, and I go through the day with little discomfort.
Wednesday (Day 2)
Well, no arterial bleeding after yesterday's Slant-Feather ministrations, and the face is fairly well healed, so today I attack the task with a little more confidence. Proraso Sapone Da Barba for the cream, same hot-water prep.
It's incredible how much more precise a Slant/Feather feels to use than a HD/Merkur. In short, I get a pretty decent shave again today: the cheeks are BBS and then some, but the neck is still a bit rough, primarily because I'm still feeling some weaknesses in my technique there. Still some weepers (but many fewer), still a little sensitivity afterward, but all in all a much better result than yesterday, and not nearly as scary an experience.
I don't know if the Slant is going to become my go-to razor anytime soon, but the week is yet young, and so far the experience has been a positive one.
Days three through seven yet to come!
-Rich
I'm now two shaves into my Slant Bar experience, and so wanted to post my experiences for those like me who are/were hesitant before the power of the Slant.
Tuesday (Day 1)
Been looking at the razor on and off since I received it yesterday, and man, is this a crazy-looking instrument. Putting a Feather blade in it this morning doesn't quell my fears at all: at the extreme low end of the bar, the blade hangs out into space!
Still, no guts no glory, so I lather up some Musgo Real (one of my go-tos for lubrication), prep my face as well as I can with my hot-water splash & soak, and just...start shaving. Surprisingly there's little difference to the grip or to finding the right blade angle. The advice one hears is on the money, though: as little pressure as you can muster is the key, even supporting some the weight of the razor, rather than letting the full weight do all the work. Light, light, light touch.
The razor scares me a little, so I don't get as BBS a result as I might have through simple timidity, but I also, through some plain old bad bladework, scored several weepers. Luckily Proraso Crema Liquida Dopobarba is equal to the task, and I go through the day with little discomfort.
Wednesday (Day 2)
Well, no arterial bleeding after yesterday's Slant-Feather ministrations, and the face is fairly well healed, so today I attack the task with a little more confidence. Proraso Sapone Da Barba for the cream, same hot-water prep.
It's incredible how much more precise a Slant/Feather feels to use than a HD/Merkur. In short, I get a pretty decent shave again today: the cheeks are BBS and then some, but the neck is still a bit rough, primarily because I'm still feeling some weaknesses in my technique there. Still some weepers (but many fewer), still a little sensitivity afterward, but all in all a much better result than yesterday, and not nearly as scary an experience.
I don't know if the Slant is going to become my go-to razor anytime soon, but the week is yet young, and so far the experience has been a positive one.
Days three through seven yet to come!
-Rich