The Tilted Picnic Slant Circus, Year 2

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Seven, Shave Seven: Above the Tie X1 Single-Edge Slant

One more week and I would have a full month of shaves on this blade. If you're counting on your fingers and feel a little puzzled, let me do the math for you. That's not 30 shaves, although I assume there must be some person out there with such soft hair that they could get 30 shaves out of an AC blade. I'm not that person, however.

I try to shave three times a week. Usually M-W-F, but occasionally I'll skip a day or two and still get in three shaves in a week. Or maybe just two. Normally that'd be 12 shaves in a month. Given how this blade's aging I think one more will put paid to it.

Part of the context here is that I spend so much time with razors that get 5 or 6 shaves shaves on a blade that I'm kind of tuned to expect to pick out a new razor to play with every two weeks or so. I've been using the X1 since June 28th, but that was my "rule" to use the razor until the blade no longer pleased me. I'm still pleased.

The edge, however, is fading. I find the Kai Captain Titan Mild Pink to be a very nice blade. It is my go-to AC blade these days -- neither as quick to dull as a Feather nor as transcendently sharp right outta the box as the Schick. It's predictable in a good way. I've nothing against guarded blades but the ones I've tried haven't been at all comfortable for me. Fortunately I can shave well and safely with an unguarded blade, but that's just me and anyone who uses guarded blades certainly has my approval (as if they need that).

Today's shave required a bit more cleanup to get areas that weren't finished. That, of course, is all on the blade. The actual razor presents that blade in a very congenial package. Courtesy of a milder design it doesn't leave me irritated in some spots during a sharper shave, and it likewise is smooth enough not to leave irritation in its wake as the blade needs to do a bit more work.

That's most noticeable and appreciated because the spots that need the most attention to shave them well are also the spots that tend to get irritated. That condition is my usual sign that it's time to change a blade, even if the rest of the shave is still comfortable.

So, likely one more inning with this blade on Friday, then we'll turn our attention to the next act. That will be another tilted slant, the Windrose. We'll take a deeper look at that razor Monday, likely.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Seven, Shave Eight: Above the Tie X1 Single-Edge Slant

I just noticed that I didn't post the final shave and reflections for the X1 on Friday. Let's get'er done so I can talk about the new round that started this morning!

The eighth shave on the blade was definitely the end of the line. Oh, I could probably eke out as many as two more shaves on it, but there's a point when the time spent becomes statistically significant. I was up to four passes. Comfortable, safe, non-irritating passes but still passes. Normally I'd look for nine shaves, but I had a couple of shaves on 3 and 4-day growth that probably dulled the blade enough to end at eight.

Aside from a bit of fiddling, the last shave was lovely. Nice and smooth, maybe not a BBS but at least a solid DFS -- which is pretty much what I try for on any given morning.

So. The question I hear floating around is, "Is a single-edge slant just a gimmick, or is it really all that and a sack of chips?" I'm gonna have to come down on the side of the chips, personally. Seriously, this is not a polarizing razor. It works. It's a bit milder than some other AC-format razors, but it's also efficient. I found it to be a very nice feeling razor with a fair bit of (safe) blade-feel. It's one of the few AC-format razors I've tried that does a good job shaving my head -- no surprise there as Matt at ATT is also a head-shaver and HE uses the X1.

Set aside whatever pre-conceptions you have and just try one if you want. One thing I can say about ATT's slant razors: they are not like others. Very much not like others. The X1 is almost as nice as the S2, which says something that a razor in a different format entirely can match the smoothness and comfort of another razor. Guess you can tell; I like the X1 very much.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Seven, Shave Eight: Above the Tie X1 Single-Edge Slant

I just noticed that I didn't post the final shave and reflections for the X1 on Friday. Let's get'er done so I can talk about the new round that started this morning!

The eighth shave on the blade was definitely the end of the line. Oh, I could probably eke out as many as two more shaves on it, but there's a point when the time spent becomes statistically significant. I was up to four passes. Comfortable, safe, non-irritating passes but still passes. Normally I'd look for nine shaves, but I had a couple of shaves on 3 and 4-day growth that probably dulled the blade enough to end at eight.

Aside from a bit of fiddling, the last shave was lovely. Nice and smooth, maybe not a BBS but at least a solid DFS -- which is pretty much what I try for on any given morning.

So. The question I hear floating around is, "Is a single-edge slant just a gimmick, or is it really all that and a sack of chips?" I'm gonna have to come down on the side of the chips, personally. Seriously, this is not a polarizing razor. It works. It's a bit milder than some other AC-format razors, but it's also efficient. I found it to be a very nice feeling razor with a fair bit of (safe) blade-feel. It's one of the few AC-format razors I've tried that does a good job shaving my head -- no surprise there as Matt at ATT is also a head-shaver and HE uses the X1.

Set aside whatever pre-conceptions you have and just try one if you want. One thing I can say about ATT's slant razors: they are not like others. Very much not like others. The X1 is almost as nice as the S2, which says something that a razor in a different format entirely can match the smoothness and comfort of another razor. Guess you can tell; I like the X1 very much.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Eight, Shave One: Windrose Tilted Slant


Pictures. We got pictures!

This is the tilted slant from Windrose in the UK. They offer two slant razors; an open-comb helical slant that is modeled on the Fasan Double Slant, and this tilted smooth-bar slant that is modeled on the Walbusch and other "humpback" tilted slants.

That humpback style is intended to be a built-in angle guide. It does function as such, although not quite as well on skull curves as facial planes.

The razor head tilts the scale at 52g. For comparison, three PAA El Fantasma tilted slants will clock in at 51g all together, handles and all. I prefer a neutral feeling razor, neither head- nor handle-heavy. I hauled out the RazoRock Bulldog handle for this razor. All-up the total mass of the razor with this handle is 125g. That's pretty hefty but I know some guys like a little powerlifting in the morning. Heavier razors are great WTG. Just control the effect of gravity and let the razor shave you on cruise control.

The head is cast Zamak. While I tend not to prefer Zamak you will also recall that the iKon Shavecraft 102 tilted slant is Zamak, and I definitely liked that razor.

Setting this razor alongside others in this series, it is both the heaviest outfit and also the most slanted entry in the tilted slants. Which is a bit odd, as the Windrose helical is not as helical as the Fasan Double Slant. I have a feeling the tilted Windrose is more slanted than a Walbusch. As I think about it, this may be a more faithful reproduction of its heritage target than the other one -- at least in the sense that as you can see from the second picture the blade clamping is only those two bars. That leaves a lot of blade out there flapping in the breeze. This is confirmed by the high singing note as it shaves.

So that's a bit of a conceptual dissonance: a very tilted edge presentation but clamping close to the centreline of the blade and a cap that doesn't put much curve in the blade at all. I was just a bit skeptical as I was cranking up the foam in the Lather Pit this morning. But my promise to you guys is that I'll at least try as many slants as I can pick up. I have stopped a round early, but only once. I wanted this to succeed but was ready to say it isn't for me and move on. But not to quit before the starting gun!

And here the story gets interesting. By all accounts this razor should be a real dog. It's heavy, it's big, it's got indifferent blade clamping and those lather gutters can plug up if you're one of those cake-icing-lather guys. I'm not. I did my now-traditional three passes: WTGx2, ATG. There were a couple of the spots where irritation is almost guaranteed that let me know they were feelin' it.

Rock this baby back on the cap a little, and you can reduce the stiffer stuff a little with no trouble. Then move back across at a regular angle and it gets the rest. Three passes and man, I was glassy. Nine hours later and just now getting some hair back.

I think that if I hadn't spent a lot of time playing with slant razors before this, I'd probably have bailed on this razor and not followed through. It hits so many of my "look out for that" buttons. This is not a razor I would recommend to someone curious about slants as a place to start. But dang; that was one fine shave.

You all know that one shave does not a review make. This was encouraging. Buckle up, y'all; this could get interesting.

O.H.

 

[Cafebarian]

Waiting until the Fatip arrives....

 

[Old Hippie]

Waiting until the Fatip arrives....

It's here and in the lineup. I've also picked up the appropriate tap (M4.5 x 0.75) so I can make another handle for it, which I suspect I will really want to do.

Mrs. Hippie asks, "How can you buy a new razor and not use it for a month?" The answer is that I have other new (or new-to-me) razors to use between now and then.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Eight, Shave Two: Windrose Tilted Slant

Old school? New school? Proper design or did somebody get lucky? Man, I just cannot tell!

The TL;DR is that I had another really, really close shave. That's the good news. Also, didn't lose any blood; so more good news. My skin, however smooth, also feels like it got rather aggressively exfoliated even after an application of Nivea Sensitive Skin. I'll say some of that may be due to extremely low humidity right now (10 per cent or less at the moment...).

As I was wrapping up in the Lather Pit this morning, I thought to myself, "This razor holds the blade, but does not hold your hand." It'll give a good shave but -- as with any razor to some degree but this more than some -- the user has to bring a little higher level of technique to get there. In particular, I notice that even after two WTG passes this thing will often come to a dead stop and start rucking up a fold of skin going ATG.

There are options. I could do a more traditional 3-pass, or add an XTG to the set I'm doing now. I've definitely noticed that when I do that in other cases I've had even more irritation from the XTG pass which makes the ATG pass "differently uncomfortable." I also had the thought to change how I ATG. At the present, WTG goes down while ATG goes up. Next day I will try to remember to try working down for ATG -- that is, taking "nibbles" off the upper line rather than jamming the blade straight into the growth at the bottom line. Shaving up but working down.

That may or may not help; we'll see.

I also noticed the same thing I saw with the iKon 102 tilted slant. Because it's tilted rather than helical I can choose between the edge being more or less slanted depending on the way I hold the razor and which side I present. I chose "most slanted" for whatever direction I was shaving and it seemed to work well.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Eight, Shave Three: Windrose Tilted Slant

I'm gonna have to leave myself a note to try that "work down, shave up" idea for ATG. Totally forgot about it this morning. Just gritted my teeth and powered through it.

As with the other shaves on this razor, I find that it's definitely not the most comfortable shaver when the going involves stiff hard hair. I was just waiting for that all-too-familiar icy sting that says, "You just cut yourself." But happily, no.

To be absolutely frank, I was about to haul out the ATT S2 and finish the shave this morning. I ended up, as I say, getting through it on main strength and awkwardness. Rolling the razor up farther on the cap helped, but still wasn't "smooth." And this with what is normally the smoothest shave in the blade for me.

I have proven one thing to myself with this year's Tilted Picnic. I have found a couple of tilted slants that give really good shave: the iKon Shavecraft 102 and the Above the Tie X1. The Windrose Tilted gets close, and leaves relatively little irritation behind, but it does not do so comfortably for me. As I consider the differences between these three razors -- and hark back to the PAA Alpha Ecliptic bakelite from last year -- I can say that a tilted slant can be a great shaver, but.

As with most things, the Devil is in the details. Many older razors that I've used don't clamp the blade too solidly. "Many" is not "all" by any means but it is a design factor that affects quite a few. That's important to me because I seem to have very hard hair. The edge needs some support to keep it tracking. How much surface area is devoted to clamping the blade makes a difference. The PAA bakelite tilted and the Windrose Zamak tilted both leave something to be desired in that regard. The iKon and the ATT both clamp like champs.

A real advantage for a tilted DE slant is the ability to shave either "more slanted" or "less slanted" depending on which edge you present to your skin. For those who want to have the most slanty shave on both sides, it's easy with a tilted slant and impossible with a helical slant. It's not a huge deal to me but I have seen numerous people point it out as an apparently bothersome thing to them. If it bothers you, get a tilted slant. Hell, get a tilted slant anyway. Variety is the spice of life.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Eight, Shave Four: Windrose Tilted Slant

For those who have wondered, YES I left myself a note to try a different way of shaving ATG with this razor. And in fact I actually READ the note, which I had placed where I would have to move it to get to my razor. One learns...

This morning's outing with the Windrose Tilted was another interesting time. My now-standard 2xWTG passes (on three days' growth) pulled off a fair bit, leaving lots of "pepper" in the lather -- with, it must be admitted, more "salt" than in previous years.

Wipe, lather, and set to "shave up; work down." Working that way seemed to make the ATG go more smoothly. Or perhaps I should say "less un-smoothly." It felt wrong but it worked. The spots that have been getting a little irritated were less so this time, which I will call a win.

A bit of struggle, not too much teeth-clenched powering through a rough patch. The end result is a DFS. We'll see if I can remember for next day, which now will be Saturday.

This razor really leaves a nice shave behind, but it can sure be a rough go getting there. I would probably like it less if I had to use it every day. Although I haven't put down any nicks yet, my skin gets enough irritation that a couple-three days between shaves is good for recovery.

Still and all, if I'm not wrong this is the only tilted DE slant in current production. That's worth something right there, and deserves some support.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Eight, Shave Five: Windrose Tilted Slant

I've reached that point where I'm not willing to endure another shave with the Windrose Tilted just to make sure the blade is done. The razor with a midrange blade like the Astra SP I use can and does deliver a consistently smooth shave. In fact, there are darn few razors that I can use without picking up a little nick, especially in summer. Mosquito and fly bites leave bumps, which I then remove the next time I shave.

That's worse with some razors -- I found RazoRock's wide-space comb on the Hawk V3 was far too prone to that. With the Windrose tilted, which is of course a smooth bar razor, I've had none of that problem. Different problems, but not that one. Amusingly enough I got precisely one nick with it on the very last stroke I took this morning. Very tiny, didn't bleed, but I felt the edge kiss lightly.

The things that most strike me about the Windrose tilted are how nice the shave result is, contrasted to how darn uncomfortable it is getting there. It's a heavy razor and also a chunky one. Chunky didn't bother me but there were times I had to be a little more careful due to the extra mass. I imagine getting under a nose with this razor is a challenge. The razor is very slanted however the blade clamping is an homage to older styles. I've said I thought the clamping is "indifferent" and I'm sticking with that. There are some things I think I can agree with, such as making a slant influenced by a vintage model -- and other things I think need some additional reflection, like whether a somewhat loosely clamped blade is really efficient. My opinion, and that's all it is, says that taking some guidance from modern makers who design for well-clamped blades would be a friendly amendment and would not disturb the wa of this razor.

The quality of the casting is very good. The finish is excellent. Blade fitment is drop-and-go, no fiddling required. Being a tilted slant, it allows the user to opt for either maximum or minimum slant on each side of their shave. As someone who's primarily shaved with helical slants, didn't miss what I didn't have but now that I've had the opportunity to play with it I found it congenial. I've used other "humpback" razors and I really like that concept, even though for head shaving it's not really useful.

I'm well aware that the Windrose Tilted could very well be someone's Grail Razor. That's why I'm so much on the fence about it. I think it could have been better than I found it to be, but on the other hand there really aren't any other new-make tilted slants that I can think of. I've thought of getting a RazoRock BBS and mounting it on a handle with a ball-joint added to make what I've called a "Phoni Peroni" but having found an industrial source for ball joints I discovered that a little joint with M5 threading will cost me more than the razor. I haven't yet decided to spend that much on something that is really just for grins. Maybe if there's some interest I can take the plunge and report back.

Well. Monday I'll load up an actual Peroni and see how she goes (thanks to @efsk for sending it my way). It may challenge me a bit, so I won't promise anything but "we'll see."

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Nine, Shave One: Peroni

There she is, boys -- ain't she a beauty?

Let's just say that eyes that have seen similar razors before might spot a few things that could be cause for caution. I promised I'd try, and I did. The TL;DR is that I tried and got bucked off.

Ten feet in the air is a darn lonely feeling, but it doesn't last long.

I respect this razor because it's one of the vintage designs. However, I've had a bit of experience with some razors of similar vintage and have learned a few valuable lessons. Mainly, that a razor with rather indifferent blade clamping, a cap that does not curve the blade much, a cap that leaves a significant blade exposure, a short handle and light weight in general are all going to add up to a razor that maybe isn't my favourite.

But the idea's a good one -- make a razor that can be either a regular DE or a slant depending on the user's preference. I'm not quibbling over that. It's just that this way of achieving that goal leaves me wanting a bit more. The Fasan Double Slant has this much blade exposure, but it puts some serious "crank" on the blade so the edge is pretty solid. The edge on the Peroni, man, is loose.

After ploughing through ATG with the Windrose Tilted, I have to say that the Peroni is one step less comfortable for me. That's a rather fine distinction, because the Razorine was one more step less comfortable and it cut me all to heck.

And then there's the mass. The Peroni tips the scale at 50g -- not feather-light but not a linebacker, either. Still, it's light enough that I suspect a bit of added pressure would help the shave WTG. That's not central to my skillset, however. I tend to like medium to slightly heavy razors, which means I've spent more time "controlling the drop" than adding pressure. My usual two WTG passes took off some, which you'd expect with a brand-spankin'-new Astra SP blade. But my reluctance to experiment with adding pressure meant that not only was more left behind but it was correspondingly more difficult to deal with going ATG.

And it was at that point that I suddenly found myself looking over the walls of the Lather Pit. So I saddled up the RazoRock Stainless Stealth Slant V3 and finished with that. Heaven on skates, man. Lovely shave. Glad to have used a piece of history; glad that piece of history ain't the only razor I have to use. Well...that may be a bit harsh, which is not my intent. I'm sure I'd probably come to some kind of accommodation with it eventually. But in six shaves that's not gonna happen, so we'll call that an interesting side trip and move along.

Hmm. I have been bucked off by two Italian razors, the Razorine and the Peroni. That raises all kinds of speculations. Next up, wow...guess what...another Italian razor. Next day I'll unbox a chrome FOCS and give 'er a whirl. Be nice to break my Italian jinx!

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Ten, Shave One: Fatip Open Comb Slant

I imagine a few of y'all have been waiting with bated breath -- and even some with baited breath -- for me to finally give in/up and take on the FOCS. If you've been livin' under a rock for the last couple years, here's what we're talking about:

The FOCS is a helical slant. Fatip says this is an all-brass razor. I'm impressed with the quality for price. I remember that when the FOCS first dropped, there seemed to be some concern over general quality control in Fatip's products. I suppose it seems reasonable that a less-expensive razor would likewise get a little more leeway from the inspection process. Certainly other manufacturers seem to do things that way.

That said, however, at least on this initial acquaintance the quality seems good. I can tell where the stud is mounted to the cap, for instance, but that's not of concern. One thing I quite like is the thickness and roundness of the comb. If you've been reading my reviews you know that my personal "Goldilocks Zone" for open combs is right about where the FOCS falls. Over the years I've come to appreciate OC razors, which generally give me a fairly close shave. I've also learned not to discount an SB razor just because it's not an OC.

In the shave, the FOCS comes in about midway between the PAA El Fantasma OC helical slant and the ATT S2 OC helical slant. Perhaps a bit closer to the S2 -- the "ElF" doesn't shave me at all unless I shim the blade. The S2 is my Grail Razor. The FOCS is very mild-feeling, with what felt like a rather narrow sweet spot, but it still does a pretty good job. It's mild enough not to blow up the places that are easy to irritate, yet aggressive enough to deliver a fairly close shave. I found some need to spend a little more time cleaning up a few places. I'll keep an eye on that and see how technique for this razor develops. That may simply be a consequence of a narrow sweet spot, and needing to pay more attention to that.

The FOCS is a 50 gram razor. Certainly not super-light, but not too massy, either. A little light for my preference, which is neither here nor there. The handle is a bit short for my preference, and the chrome can get a little slick -- but again that's my take on it. I've picked up an M4.5x0.75 tap, and will find some brass or maybe aluminum rod and make a slightly longer and heavier handle. I wish the aftermarket had some nice handles in that thread pitch, but I can imagine the amount of panic that would cause trying to keep the M4.5 separated from the M5. It's so close, but yet so far away...

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Ten, Shave Two: Fatip Open Comb Slant

At the moment I think the shave I'm getting from the FOCS could best be described as "paradoxical." On one hand this is, to my impression, a very mild razor. I have a couple of other paradoxical razors, so I'm familiar with the feeling. The shave can be close and long-lasting, yet in some spots there may be a bit of hair left that only becomes apparent to the hand from some specific direction. It's not the glassy surface left behind after the Wunderbar has stormed through and levelled everything.

On the other hand, the razor presents the edge in a very controllable fashion. One observation is that the "sweet spot" appears to be somewhat narrow, requiring a bit of extra attention to keep it shaving at full efficiency at least in this early-days getting-to-know-you phase. Having put two and two together and come up with the cube root of 64 I have a small experiment in mind for next day.

I'm thinking that a fairly mild-feeling razor with a narrow sweet spot can benefit from a shim under the blade. I had found that same thing with the El Fantasma, only that razor was another two or three notches milder than the FOCS. Another option is to use a Kai blade, which being just a touch wider will present a bit more edge -- although there are some differences between that and a shim that may be significant.

I'm less in favour of using a Kai blade on account of my Scottish thrift. Or what Mrs. Hippie calls "cheap*** attitude." Cuts straight to the centre, she does. I have to go to some bother to get Kai blades. Although Astra SP blades don't grow on trees here, they are nonetheless easier to source. Part of my stress-management strategy is to work with what I can get, not to spend endless days wishing I had something different.

Enough blather about the concepts. Today's shave was very mild and ultimately quite smooth. Paying enhanced attention to the shave angle helped. It also was of benefit to do my usual two WTG passes, and to add a second ATG pass to catch the leftovers. There was a bit of cleanup as well, but this razor is so mild to me that I don't have irritation even in the most sensitive spots.

Although I pretty much have the same kit and technique for all these razors, I am using a cooler basin and a cold-water lather which feels pretty good when it's warming up outside.

O.H.

 

[Multum in parvo]

I think I saw it in one of your threads so I also put my Fasan Doppelschräg on a Fatip Grande handle to give it at least a little bit of weight. Had a nice DFS+ shave with it today.

I have spent significantly more time with the FOCS and have therefore a preference for it.

 

[Old Hippie]

I think I saw it in one of your threads so I also put my Fasan Doppelschräg on a Fatip Grande handle to give it at least a little bit of weight. Had a nice DFS+ shave with it today.

Nice looking razor!

My Fasan is a first version Doppelschräg, so it's a two-piece razor. I put a heavier handle on the Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements El Fantasma. The El Fantasma (and I assume the rest of PAA's "Monster" razors) is inspired by the second version Fasan. I also found I needed a shim with the PAA, which was the situation which reminded me to try that adaptation with the FOCS.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Ten, Shave Three: Fatip Open Comb Slant

I fished a used blade out of the bin and trimmed a millimetre off each side. With a shim between the blade and the plate, I think I may have gotten the shave I'm looking for. Now, mind you I'm not a real fan of shimming. It kind of feels like a make-do to me. But I found it necessary with PAA's "ElF" and suspected it would perk up the FOCS a little.

I was correct. It's still quite a mild shaver, just not quite as mild as before. It's just to the point that I find a bit of attention helpful. The shim also opened up the sweet spot a little; another benefit.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

The Tilted Picnic, Year 2. Round Ten, Shave Four: Fatip Open Comb Slant

This is the point where I usually notice that my usual blade is beginning to fade a little -- five shaves into the blade because I had one on the Peroni and kept the blade. And so it is, but at the same time I find that the FOCS still feels mild and smooth. It leaves a little on the table (not a BBS, in other words) but some of that is just the skin needing to rehydrate. After this morning's passes, two WTG and two ATG, I still felt the need to clean up a couple of areas once I'd rinsed and towelled and let things sit for a minute.

I find that with a lot of razors, frankly. So many that I tend to believe it's just my context, not a fault of the razor. Razors that can leave a glassy surface behind are mostly a bit aggressive for my tastes (or barber straights). I can shave down to a glassy surface once in a while, but if I tried to make it a regular happening there would be blood. Besides, even glassy needs to be shaved in a couple days, so best not to get too fine-grained about it.

I was amused to discover I had a mostly-healed fly bite behind one ear this morning. A judicious application of soap and a boar brush softened things up to the point that the FOCS neatly skimmed off the excess scab without letting any more blood. Some razors I've used, like the RazoRock V3 Hawk with their wide-spaced comb, would have removed the swelling entirely.

Finally, I also shimmed the blade again this morning. As with last day I found the results most congenial. One more shave with the FOCS on Friday, then I'll gather some thoughts together and sum up the last five months of slant shaves. Crikey. Five months? Holy Mother Magoo. I've really been neglecting the single-edge razors, particularly Gem, and the barber straights. I'll take some time to play once I've got all the lather hosed off the walls of the Lather Pit from this little adventure.

If you've come this far, my sincere thanks for hanging in with me.

O.H.

 

[Old Hippie]

Wrapping Up Year 2 of the Tilted Picnic Slant Circus

To (poorly) paraphrase T.S. Eliot:

For the stubbled men
This is the way the shave ends:
Not with a bang but with a cold rinse.

This year's festivities featured appearances from the following cast of characters:

RazoRock Wunderbar Helical
RazoRock Stainless Stealth Slant, V3 Helical
Fasan Double Slant, V1 Helical
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements El Fantasma Helical
Windrose Open Comb Helical
iKon Shavecraft 102 Tilted
Above the Tie X1 Single Edge Tilted
Windrose Smooth Bar Tilted
Peroni Ball Joint Tilted
Fatip Open Comb Slant Helical

It was an interesting mix of old and new, vintage and modern (which is not the same thing), helical and tilted, open comb and smooth bar. A couple of the razors (Wunderbar and Fasan) were basically included to set a baseline against which to compare other razors, either predecessors as the Stealth or "inspired by" razors like the PAA and Windrose OC. What we learn from this is that "inspired by," "an homage to," "a modern take on" and similar puffery may sell razors but at least in the examples I saw there was a significant distance between the original and the "fresh take." Sometimes that was good, sometimes not; in the end it's best to consider each razor on its own merits. Doing otherwise risks having someone point out that if it's "inspired by" a particular vintage razor, it should maybe actually look like the razor that "inspired" it.

One of the goals I had for this year was to try out a few tilted slants. Due to an uncomfortable early experience I always feel a little iffy about tilts. The other big problem is that aside from Above the Tie and Windrose I don't believe anyone is making modern tilted slants. Now that I've had the pleasure of using a couple of really nice tilted slants, I think it's a shame that there aren't more out there to experience.

The iKon 102, if you can lay hands on one, is a very nice razor. The ATT X1 really blew my doors off in terms of smoothness and feel. I wanted to like the Peroni but it and I, to quote Ambrose Bierce, are "incompossible." There may be aspects to the design worth exploring in a modern format.

I found the RazoRock Stainless Stealth Slant to be a very mild razor. That is to say that it shaves me very comfortably, with pretty much zero irritation. I was somewhat surprised to find the FOCS to be mild. In my hands the FOCS and the PAA El Fantasma both benefit from shimming the blade. They are both still mild shavers, but a bit less so in a good way.

The Wunderbar is the epitome of an aggressive slant. When you absolutely have to bulldoze everything, haul that sucker out and lather up. I'm not sure they precisely qualify as "aggressive" but several razors needed a bit more care to have a comfy shave. The Fasan, Windrose Tilted and Helical, and the Peroni all hit that mark. My Fasan is old, much used and restored. It's like an old pickup truck: rattles, dents, everything's loose and needs to be kicked into shape. Lots of blade exposure.

The Windrose slants mystify me somewhat. They aren't too faithful to their roots but they are slants. My problem with them is a design problem: the blade clamping and exposure are like a vintage razor. I tend to prefer razors that hold the blade firmly and present enough edge to shave, but not so much I can use it for a shaving mirror.

The results reported are, of course, subject to all the usual cautions about variables. It's been an interesting ride. I hope you enjoyed it!

Lots of choices to look at for Slantember 2021, which starts in a couple weeks. Thanks to everyone who chipped in with comments and questions! Time to fold up the circus tent and go do something else for a little while.

O.H.

 

[alin]

Dear B&B colleagues, is this a FASAN Double Slant device? Can you tell me more about this device? It is a three-piece plastic Slant device, and here I saw at my colleague @Old Hippie a 2-piece metal. So I have another version of FASAN? It came with a beautiful leather box and inside I found an original Fasan blade! I'm preparing the little one for Slantember!

 

[Old Hippie]

It certainly appears to be a later version of the Fasan Double Slant. Everything aside from the razor has visible Fasan branding in your pictures, and the cap and plate look original so I'm going to say on that basis that it seems genuine.

They're good shavers! I see you put a stainless handle on yours -- that's a common addition for those of us who like a little mass or a longer handle.

I think I'd save that Fasan blade for your collection, though. Old carbon blades don't generally give the most congenial shaves. Use a good modern stainless -- I like Astra SP as a middle-of-the road blade. I can use them every day with no problems in most razors. Try whatever your favourite DE blade is.

O.H.