- Thread starter
- #21
If you do decide to get rid of the 39c I would be possibly interested in buying it from you
Thinking about trying a slant
- Thread starter Jbird45
- Start date
If you do decide to get rid of the 39c I would be possibly interested in buying it from you
garyg
B&B membership has its percs
Me, I've got a couple slants & have tried more than I kept .. I'd avoid Razorock stuff, for a starter you can't miss with the classic Merkur ... me I've never cottoned to the ultra-lights, but some like the plastic like my Fasan ..
Tell me more about La Criatura from PAA? I have been looking at their ‘monster series’ of slants, but wasn’t sure how the light razors would perform. The pricepoint seems attractive—how might the razor serve as a first slant?
One of the most pleasurable razors I have used. The blade clamps in securely when tightening the razor, there is no need to adjust it for alignment purposes. It was not a chore to use no pressure, and the steep angle was very intuitive. I give the razor a 9/10. It would serve you very well as a first slant. Fun razor and the color schemes are really cool. It's efficient, not overly so, quite smooth really.
Do you have a concerns about the razor’s longevity? I’m wondering if the material could be prone to cracking under stress (like maybe the top cap as an example)?
I tried slants and had a rocky start. First was the Yaqi agressive slant and it wasn't great. Then I got the Fatip open comb slant and the closed comb slant. And just recently I got a vintage Hoffritz slant which is essentially a classic Merkur 37C. Well, it's probably on the top 3 favorite razors that I currently have. Mega smooth & Mega efficient!
My Fatip closed comb slant is awesome too. I ended up selling the Fatip open comb slant as I found it to be a rough shaver.
My suggestion would be a Merkur 37C since it's comparable to the Hoffritz. They're excellent!
If I had to replace my Hoffritz, I'd get the 37C without even thinking about it.
My Fatip closed comb slant is awesome too. I ended up selling the Fatip open comb slant as I found it to be a rough shaver.
My suggestion would be a Merkur 37C since it's comparable to the Hoffritz. They're excellent!
If I had to replace my Hoffritz, I'd get the 37C without even thinking about it.
That could happen, but I think for the price point one can get a great deal of use and enjoyment from the razor.
I believe it's made from ABS plastic, which is pretty tough. They make football helmets from it. The screw joint is made of brass. That's probably the greatest stress point.
Yes this.
Also the top cap and baseplate are designed with a twist built in, so they aren’t under extra stress during use. It’s just the blade that is being put under stress (by the cap and baseplate).
I’ve had a El Fantasma for years (since it was first released) and it’s my go anywhere travel razor. Light, tough, not too expensive, and gives a great shave. I bought a La Critura as a backup (and b/c I like the color scheme).
Other great slants as mentioned already are the Merkur (or RR copy German 37) and Rex Konsul. Another good place to start might be the ikon X3. It’s an easy going shaver for a good price.
I am still slantless.... Oh, the agony... <Eg>
I saw it as an option for a travel razor too. Thanks for the feedback!
I've tried the Merkur one, an Ikon X3 and the FOCS (Fatip Open Comb Slant). The Merkur one feels like a 34c-very mild and inefficient, the X3 felt harsh to my skin. The FOCS I love, has some blade feel and is plenty efficient. But just an FYI don't expect to feel something new or unique. The slants feel and shave just like every other DE.
Does a slant feel and work differently than a regular blade being drawn across the face at an angle? I noted this morning that, other than WTG strokes from the edge of the sideburns and the stroke down the middle of lip, chin, and neck, most strokes have some degree of angle. If slants do feel and work differently, what is it, the torquing of the blade? The variable gap?
- Thread starter
- #35
Well thanks to the generosity of @Markdad2 I was able to try a slant head tonight! It was a razorock German 37 I believe. I borrowed a handle from my king c Gillette and a kcg blade as well.
I did a three pass shave with proraso red preshave, soap, and aftershave.
First thing I noticed was the lack of irritation. It felt really smooth on my face, and no tugging or pulling either. Second thing I noticed was blade feel but no weepers or cuts. I got very very close to a bbs shave when feeling against the grain. I am bbs if I feel across or with. Maybe with time of learning the razor and playing with blades I can get there.
So, a slant razor may not be for everyone, but it seems to be for me! I think this will be my weapon of choice if I don't have time for my straight, as my true love is my vintage Fredrick Reynolds.
One thing, I do have a pretty thick beard, so I am thinking of playing around with an open comb in the future.
Thanks again @Markdad2 !!!
I did a three pass shave with proraso red preshave, soap, and aftershave.
First thing I noticed was the lack of irritation. It felt really smooth on my face, and no tugging or pulling either. Second thing I noticed was blade feel but no weepers or cuts. I got very very close to a bbs shave when feeling against the grain. I am bbs if I feel across or with. Maybe with time of learning the razor and playing with blades I can get there.
So, a slant razor may not be for everyone, but it seems to be for me! I think this will be my weapon of choice if I don't have time for my straight, as my true love is my vintage Fredrick Reynolds.
One thing, I do have a pretty thick beard, so I am thinking of playing around with an open comb in the future.
Thanks again @Markdad2 !!!
Glad it was a good shave! Might want to look into the Fatip Lo Storto Slant Open Comb Safety Razor as a possibility.
Updating this post:
I ended up ordering the Merkur 37C last week in order to compare it to my Hoffritz. I want to experience the difference between the vintage & the modern!
Pasteur sent me a coupon that made it a purchase that I couldn't refuse.
It should be here on Thursday. I will be posting a shave report then!
LRod
I only have one slant razor, the Razorock German 37 and i find it quite smooth and very efficient. One of my top 3 razors, with the Rockwell 6C (plate 4) and the Yaqi mellon.
My very first slant was a PAA bakelite Alpha Ecliptic, which is a tilted slant as opposed to being helical. I have troubles with light razors and the top cap on that thing was just not thick enough to clamp well. I actually had three of them over the years -- I kept thinking that "it must be my technique" and buying another one to try, then getting frustrated again and piffing it away. I have since found a tilted slant that works well for me, the vintage iKon Shavecraft 102.
(Well, I suppose the ATT X1 single-edge slant is by definition tilted, and that one's better than the iKon and you can still get it new.)
In my opinion, having used both the Fasan Double Slant and the Merkur "Super Slant," the PAA "Monster" series is a pretty clean take on the more radically helical design. My Fasan can be inconsistent because it's 80 years old and well used. It wasn't the tightest razor straight out of the box. It doesn't clamp very close to the edge. There's a pretty good reveal.
The "Super Slant" I have clamps and aligns much better. It also shaves more smoothly because there's less blade reveal. The edge is well supported.
I have the PAA "El Fantasma" or "ElF." Out of the box it has less gap than the other two I've listed. It has relatively low reveal and the exposure feels negative to neutral to me. I don't know what the exposure actually is, but that's what it feels like. Also I find it too light for my preferences, but that is fixed with a stainless handle. The head is extraordinarily mild in my experience; too mild for my preference so I also use a trimmed blade as a shim between the blade and baseplate. Quality I judge to be good, especially at the price.
Ordinarily I would tire of fooling with changing handles and shimming blades to move a razor into my shaving zone. With the ElF, once I've done those things I am holding a very nice highly helical slant that shaves very smoothly and predictably. That's why I keep coming back to it.
That also tells me that it would be a good first slant, as it offers so much room for such improvements as you may like to explore.
Besides, for the price of a 37C you can buy three of them.
Or two and a nice stainless handle like the RazoRock UFO. And what you get is the razor that Merkur used to make and now doesn't even remember. O.H.
I added a 37c to my collection about a year ago. It was my first slant as well. It gives a very good shave. The brunt of recent shaves have been with a Merkur Progress but the 37c still get worked into the rotation. I really like the slant but I learned to shave some 40 years ago with my dads 1960 Fatboy (now part of my collection) and I really like my adjustables. The Progress set to 4 gives me a near perfect shave every time so it’s hard to put down and use something else but at least once a week the 37 gets to come out and play.
