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Terrible 1st Shave w/ Slant: What Did I Do Wrong?

So after resisting the urge to try my new 37c slant before a date last night, I gave it a slow and careful test drive before bed tonight. My shave was awful, but not for the reasons I expected. No blood, no gore. Instead, it left a ton of stubble behind even after 3 full passes.

Same prep as I always do, including showering and washing my face first. Great lather, fresh Feather blade. The shave was so bad that I had to grab my 34c for clean-up, but one more pass and some touch-up was all my face could handle.

What the heck did I do wrong? I read a ton of posts here about the slant, including the ones about being sure the blade was loaded correctly.

Is the blade angle of the 37c totally different than the 34c? I tried to get the angle right, and it felt and sounded like it was cutting, so I was shocked to see what a poor job I'd done. Any suggestions from you slant lovers of what I should do to improve my shave next time?

Nick
 
I use 39c. Requires the lightest touch, and shallowest angle, of all my DEs (Slim at 3, fat handle Tech, HD, SS flare). But it rewards me with absolutely the closest shave of them all. So, considering that my experience is so different than yours, I am afraid I do not have much to offer.
Cheers.
 
Sorry to hear about the subpar 37c shave ... More importantly how was the date? Aren't you glad you took our advice and stuck with a familiar razor pre-date!

Regarding the 37c, a couple of thoughts:
1. When loading the blade, I believe one should align it so that it is parallel to the cap plate line.
2. Very mild pressure and the angle should come naturally if you go with the leading angle of the cap.
3. Practice! It will work for you.
I suspect the biggest factor in terms of your poor 1st shave was too shallow an angle.

Good luck ... with the 2nd date and with future 37 c shaves! :thumbup:
 
I have nothing to offer, but I was toying with the idea of getting a slant so I'll will just be lurking around this post. Good luck.
 
Any suggestions from you slant lovers of what I should do to improve my shave next time?

It's an angle issue. My guess is that your hands may have been reluctant to get the blade on your face, even if your brain was willing. If you have the blade loaded correctly, and your angle is correct, and you're using nice straight strokes, those whiskers should be gone. From the way you describe it, the second one isn't dialed in yet, and it's hard for me to say "too steep" or "too shallow".

Don't give up, yet! Try, try again.

Here's a suggestion: make a little extra lather -- more than you normally do. Lather up. Shave a nice straight stroke (just one!) and then feel your skin for whiskers. If you feel like nothing got cut, re-lather the stroke area and adjust the angle, and take a stroke in a different spot. There's isn't as much audio feedback when I shave with the slant, for some reason.

When I first started with it, I had to spend some time getting the angle right. Needing a little practice isn't unheard of. That blade gap can be intimidating, and it can make your hands do things that you're not aware of.

Hope it helps,
-- Chet
 
Sorry to hear about the subpar 37c shave ... More importantly how was the date? Aren't you glad you took our advice and stuck with a familiar razor pre-date!

I am very glad that I took your advice and didn't try the slant before my date, which went much better than my shave. I've got a second date coming up with a very nice woman, but not sure how many more dates I'll have with the slant unless the shaves start to improve. I do get very good results with my 34c, and my replated birth-quarter Slim should arrive in the mail soon, so I may find myself less motivated to master the slant.

I agree with you and Chet that it's probably the angle of the razor on my face that is wrong.

To get the blade loaded correctly, I followed the advice from a rep at Merkur from this post - http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/87841-Slant-Bar-Loading-the-Blade?p=3056116#post3056116 - where she said "...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."

Here is a photo of the head of my slant (I'm not a very good photographer, but I think you can see well enough if the blade looks straight.)

$slant_head.jpg

If the blade appears to be loaded correctly, then the issue must be my shave angle.

I'll give it at least a few more tries. I may also switch out the blade for something like an Astra SP, but other B&B members like Feather blades in the slant and I do very well with Feathers in my 34c.

I'm not ready to admit defeat yet. But I'm also trying to reset my own expectations. I know there is no razor that is perfect for everyone.

Nick
 
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If the blade appears to be loaded correctly, then the issue must be my shave angle.

That blade looks perfectly installed. The Merkur instructions take out the guess work by making you load the blade on the cap, and then sandwich everything together in alignment.

Give it another go at some point and let us know what happens.
-- Chet
 
What blade were you using?

I've found my 2 slants work well with everything but I can get a close shave with a broken bottle so I'm not a good one to rate things.
 
What blade were you using?

I've found my 2 slants work well with everything but I can get a close shave with a broken bottle so I'm not a good one to rate things.

I was using a Feather, which is my favorite blade in my 34c and EJ DE89. My guess is that the blade wasn't the problem. It was my angle.

Nick
 
I was using a Feather. My guess is that the blade wasn't the problem. It was my angle.

Nick


Probably....

I was just curious which blade you were using since you did not say.

I would suggest you try something a little more pedestrian next time, like an Astra
 
I was using a Feather, which is my favorite blade in my 34c and EJ DE89. My guess is that the blade wasn't the problem. It was my angle.

Nick

In my experience, keeping in mind YMMV, with the slant razors (37C 39C) I get better results if I take it 'down a notch' and use blades such as the Astra SP. As before, work on the angle, practice, and soon enough you will enjoy effortless shaves with the 37C that your dates will drool over :drool:.
 
In my experience, keeping in mind YMMV, with the slant razors (37C 39C) I get better results if I take it 'down a notch' and use blades such as the Astra SP. As before, work on the angle, practice, and soon enough you will enjoy effortless shaves with the 37C that your dates will drool over :drool:.

I'm going to shave before bed again tonight, and I'll switch to an Astra and watch my blade angle. Let's see if I do better on my second try.

Nick
 
I'm going to shave before bed again tonight, and I'll switch to an Astra and watch my blade angle. Let's see if I do better on my second try.

Nick
Please Report Back and let us know how that shave goes with the Asrtra SE, I just picked up a 39c from BST for a friend.of mine, and he gave me the go to try it :eek:)
 
Having been switching between my Slant and another razor recently, here are my observations:

-The Slant definitely has a more steep angle (handle pointed more towards the ground)
-The Slant is more sensitive to less-sharp blades - in my other razors, personna reds are great, but I like the sharper Astra SP's in the Slant.
 
Tried the slant again tonight. Fresh blade (Astra SP), same prep as always, great lather with Simpson's Luxury Shave Cream. Was *very* careful with the blade angle. No pressure. No obvious slant newbie mistakes. Tried what Chet suggested: lathered up, did a single stroke, checked the result. Wasn't happy. Adjusted the angle, shaved another stroke in a different area. Checked the result. I kept adjusting my angle, and nothing worked. After two passes (WTG & XTG) I had patchy stubble and a very uneven shave - worse than the very first time I picked up a DE. Then I gave up, and grabbed my 34c to finish the shave.

So I had bad results with a Feather and worse results with an Astra in the slant. Tried hard to find the right angle, and failed. I'll try the slant a few more times. If I continue to struggle, I have to question if this is worth the effort. Just because others love the slant doesn't mean it's right for me. I already get DFS / near-BBS results from my 34c. Maybe I'm pushing my luck.

Nick
 
Tried the slant again tonight. Fresh blade (Astra SP), same prep as always, great lather with Simpson's Luxury Shave Cream. Was *very* careful with the blade angle. No pressure. No obvious slant newbie mistakes. Tried what Chet suggested: lathered up, did a single stroke, checked the result. Wasn't happy. Adjusted the angle, shaved another stroke in a different area. Checked the result. I kept adjusting my angle, and nothing worked. After two passes (WTG & XTG) I had patchy stubble and a very uneven shave - worse than the very first time I picked up a DE. Then I gave up, and grabbed my 34c to finish the shave.

So I had bad results with a Feather and worse results with an Astra in the slant. Tried hard to find the right angle, and failed. I'll try the slant a few more times. If I continue to struggle, I have to question if this is worth the effort. Just because others love the slant doesn't mean it's right for me. I already get DFS / near-BBS results from my 34c. Maybe I'm pushing my luck.

Nick

Whilst this is true, it doesn't mean the slant should leave you with stubble even if it's not the "right" razor for you. I found my slant (39C) to require a very shallow angle instead of a steep angle. Once I found the correct angle, the razor gave me very close shaves...so close that I can't use it daily basis (which is where my Progress comes in).

It did take me many shaves to get to the stage where I got results I loved so I would suggest you keep trying.
 
I would like to reiterate to anyone reading this with a similar problem that the slant, indeed, does need a very small handle angle. And by handle angle, I mean the angle between the razor handle and your face. I had been shaving with my DE89 for a while and switched over to my slant, and at first got a terrible shave. It looked like i hadn't shaved at all. Next shave I did a couple test strokes and realized that my slant required a much smaller handle angle, and I had been using the same angle as my DE89. The slant was practically pointing straight at the floor for the best angle. 2 passes, DFS if not BBS, closer and in less passes than my EJ.

I would suggest to keep trying with the slant. I can't comment on the blade angle of the 34c as I have never used one. Btw, I have the 39c slant.
 
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