Things my slant taught me

[Drewser]

After investing in a Merkur 39C Slant bar, my technique has improved tremendously. Shaving with the slant is like going to Catholic school- misbehave and there's immediate feedback (here, razor burn instead of a rap on the knuckles ). Here's what my slant taught me:

1. NO pressure. None. I'd been shaving with a '55 Gillette Tech, a Merkur 23C (long handle straight bar), and a '49 Super Speed. I found that all of these (some more than others- Tech, I'm looking at you ) allowed me to apply some amount of pressure. Don't get me wrong, I'd been getting decent shaves all along, but now my shaves are even better, with much less variation from razor to razor.

2. Lather matters. Prior to the slant, I could get pretty much the same shave with what I thought was a relatively wide range of lathers- ranging from a little on the dry side all the way to fairly wet. In fact, I had been thinking that I liked a softer, wetter lather better. Well, now I know exactly what to look for when building lather on my face or in a mug.

3. Minimize stroke overlap. I found that I didn't pay too much attention to how much my strokes overlapped or only shaving an area once on a pass . Yeah-that ended right quick.

4. I don't need a pre-shave oil. Probably a corollary of (1)-(3) above, but the benefits of the pre-shave oil I had previously been using vanished. My experience only, of course, YMMV.

5. Daydreaming while shaving is a bad idea.

6. Wet shaving is a learning process, and is always evolving.

So, there you have it- how my slant improved my shaves across the board.

 

[Easttexasman]

I have the same razor and I was surprised at how easy it is to get the corners of my mouth with it.

Paul

 

[mr. s]

I love my slant.
Great post.

 

[QuantumX]

I also have this razor, and sometimes it feels like you just did an acid wash when you apply the alum. For me blade choice seems to really matter. For now, Feathers are a no-no in it. <shudder> Less aggressive weapons are better, as you say, technique REALLY matters!

 

[velvetgoldmine]

My Slant taught me that three days of stubble is no problem.

 

[MASSDRIVER]

Of coarse, different "strokes" for different folks, but this is what amazes me about slant-lovers.
If you do everything perfectly, apply no pressure, make perfect lather, don't overlap, do all that and you can get a shave almost a good as a "new", except with the Gillette, you just go to town and get a better shave.
Or take a Fatboy or SS and just get to gettin', half asleep, hungover, drippy lather, just get me some coffee...same result as the slant.
Except your face doesn't burn.
All in good fun of course, but the slant, I think, is better suited to those that revel in the procedure, rather than the outcome.
Brent.

 

[edwinguz]

My slant tought me slants are not for me. Maybe my technique isn't perfect, but it doesnt have to be when I use a Vision.

 

[Lando]

The slant is what I seem to reach for most mornings. The cut sounds different, FEELS different, it's much "crisper" for lack of a better word than my other DEs. And the shave is smooth and silky.

Reminds me, I've got a couple razors on the bench that need some face time.

 

[Crawford Montizano]

Daydreaming while shaving is a bad idea.
I though I traveled to Sofia.
This dream is keeper.
Its just small weeper,
Now I gashed myself Mama Mia!!

 

[Frosty]

The slant is what I seem to reach for most mornings. The cut sounds different, FEELS different, it's much "crisper" for lack of a better word than my other DEs. And the shave is smooth and silky.

Reminds me, I've got a couple razors on the bench that need some face time.

+1. I love my slant. Im surprised not more folks are using it

 

[Duke of Somerset]

3. Minimize stroke overlap. I found that I didn't pay too much attention to how much my strokes overlapped or only shaving an area once on a pass . Yeah-that ended right quick.

Yes, an often neglected point. Okay for cartridges, but a surefire source of irritation with a DE. I still have problems with this and need to stay mindful of minimizing strokes while shaving.

 

[drumana]

I used a Merkur Slant exclusively for almost a year. It's seen by many as an aggressive razor, but it really isn't if you use it correctly.

I wound up selling the Slant because I prefer longer handles on my razors, but this thread is making me want one again!

 

[htownmmm]

Once you have mastered the slant, it seems like something is missing when you use another DE.


marty

 

[Gafer]

My slant taught me not to use anything else. My only regret on a slant is that I didn't try one sooner.

 

[JohnnySideStreet]

My slant taught me not to use anything else. My only regret on a slant is that I didn't try one sooner.

i completely agree...all the reviews on the site scared me for quite some time from trying a slant razor or feather blades...now after trying most razor/blade combos out there, the slant with a feather is my favorite, go figure.

 

[Drewser]

All in good fun of course, but the slant, I think, is better suited to those that revel in the procedure, rather than the outcome.
Brent.

That's a very interesting observation that got me thinking. Certainly I fall under that category- the process is at least as important as the finished product in many aspects of my life.

 

[KRF1963]

Just swapped my 37c for the longer handled 39c version as I found the short handle a problem - not tried it yet but looking forward to giving it a (careful) go.

 

[mhensley]

Slant + Feather

Whenever I use anything else (I won't take my Slant on trips until I get another one), I just don't get as good a shave.

The Slant makes it easier to tell when my technique is off, but poor technique with any other razor (for me) results in a poor shave. I just don't realize it as soon.

 

[Perkus]

So now I will rant
about my newly ordered slant:
it's in the mail
to no avail
it's supposed to be here - in my Gantt!