What makes a slant a slant?

[amishmotorboat]

My oddballs have me questioning just what properties a razor must have in order to be considered a slant.

I think we all would agree that any razor that gives its blade a helical twist is a slant, but what about just plain slanted razors?

This Mulcuto has a slanted head, but does not give the blade a twist. Does that make it a slant?

And if so:
This Peroni and this Kriss Kross can be slanted if the user wishes. Does this make them slants?

And what if the head is not tilted at all, but the safety bar is designed in such a way that the user is encouraged to approach his face with the razor at a slant, like with this Ginge?

 

[Big Kev]

Interesting. I have never seen those razors, and now I am confused. Curious to see what the professionals have to say about this.

 

[DFrancis]

I've never really thought too much about it. I would think it's the twist of the blade more than the angle, but it could be a combo of both.

 

[DE Shaver]

They're all slanted razors. You can define a slant razor as a razor that promotes or is designed to position a guillotine-style edge during a shave.

 

[FrankC]

i theory does it matter if the blade slants or the head slants? Aren't they both they same as far as how the blade contacts the skin and how your technique goes? either way the blade isnt horizontal, its slanted...maybe I simplified that too much?

 

[DE Shaver]

i theory does it matter if the blade slants or the head slants? Aren't they both they same as far as how the blade contacts the skin and how your technique goes? either way the blade isnt horizontal, its slanted...maybe I simplified that too much?

That's my take on it.

 

[The Last Chimney]

Is this going to be like the Pluto issue, where we have to redefine slants and then realize that most slants are not actually slants anymore?

Merkur Slantoid?

 

[JPDyson]

Well, like anything, it has evolved over time. The conservative answer here, IMHO, is to call a slant what was a) at the time of production or inception, considered a Slant, and b) what is now considered a Slant. I would interject a warning that, because you can apply the word "slant" to describe something, it doesn't mean it's what we ought to call a Slant (I'm trying to remember to use a big S for Slant-proper, and a little s for the standard English word).

A "tilting head" razor, no - that's a different animal I think. Perhaps a similar effect can be had, but not without a different approach. A "leaning head" razor, again, no. However, the one with the slanted guard but a typical blade orientation - I'm inclined to allow it. It's a big like a Slant proper, but untwisted, if that makes sense. I believe that to be somewhere between un-slanted entirely and what I consider the prototypical slant, the Merkur/Hoffritz design.

 

[DE Shaver]

Is this going to be like the Pluto issue, where we have to redefine slants and then realize that most slants are not actually slants anymore?

Merkur Slantoid?

Such pedantics are for academicians, collectors and for people with too much time on their hands. For the sake of casual discussion, any razor that angles or assists in angling the blade in a guillotine-like position is a slant. That, of course, is only my opinion.

 

[JPDyson]

Such pedantics are for academicians, collectors and for people with too much time on their hands. For the sake of casual discussion, any razor that angles or assists in angling the blade in a guillotine-like position is a slant. That, of course, is only my opinion.

I think there's a value in keeping clear about the proper terms we use to describe a razor's design. I believe it was luvmysuper who warned that, if we don't, we'll be welcoming newbies by breaking the bad news that the Fatboy they bought was actually a Slim.

I think you can carry a thing like this too far, which is what I think you were after in a sense. However, there's a point at which you can abandon the idea being communicated for the sake of not offending somebody by pointing out error. So if a gent posts his crooked or otherwise leaning razor and calls it a Slant, I'm inclined to politely disagree, because "Slant" means something particular, not just what one "feels" like it means.

 

[STP]

So, silly question from a noob. Would that mean a FatBoy is a slant ?

 

[DE Shaver]

I think there's a value in keeping clear about the proper terms we use to describe a razor's design. I believe it was luvmysuper who warned that, if we don't, we'll be welcoming newbies by breaking the bad news that the Fatboy they bought was actually a Slim.

I think you can carry a thing like this too far, which is what I think you were after in a sense. However, there's a point at which you can abandon the idea being communicated for the sake of not offending somebody by pointing out error. So if a gent posts his crooked or otherwise leaning razor and calls it a Slant, I'm inclined to politely disagree, because "Slant" means something particular, not just what one "feels" like it means.

As with anything, you can always go too far and that's in both directions. I'm advocating simplicity without being overly simplistic, meaning that if we use a the term "slant", we have a basic understanding of what is a slant razor. Generally, we would have a mental image of a razor with a head that tilts a blade, intrinsic to its original design. If the OP question was "what is this specific razor?" then I agree a more detailed response is in order and there is great value in that. It has now become a collector/academic type of question, similar to discussing the differences between a Fatboy and Slim adjustable razor.

Obviously, someone can call somethign anything they want but the idea is to promote understanding, while not trying obfuscate with too many constraints and corner cases. If we want to get really technical and proper, none of the razors are slants, including the Merkur 37C. The reason being that no manufacturer calls them "slant" but are called "slant bar" or some other permutation. The word "slant" is a contextual convention for discussing razors that hold blades in canted fashion as to allow a slicing action during a shave. Perhaps an enhancement to the B&B shave Wiki would be of benefit.