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Yaqi slant head

I was unable to figure out how to post this in the reviews section (the gold button to add a review was not present for me, perhaps I have not made enough posts) so here we go. I wanted to share my impressions of this head. When it first came out there seemed to be some mixed reviews a few years back relating to things like blade alignment and the teeth being straight. I cannot speak to those early experiences but my head, which I ordered directly from Yaqi via the Ali Express mobile app and have owned for about two months, is perfect in every physical sense. the plating is nice, the teeth are straight, and blade alignment is a non-issue. I love the open comb top plate and it works very well.

My stable of razors is made up of mostly vintage Gillette's, and I rotate between fatboy and slim adjustables, super speeds, and a knack. I also use a Cooper Monobilt regularly. I have a tech and a Gillette open comb as well, both of which I find too mild for regular use. I also have a number of DE razor heads including the set of heads designed by Charcoal goods for WCS, Yaqi Beast and Knight heads, and an EJ clone head from Maggards. Despite having some great razors to choose from, literally almost all of which are more expensive and have more cache (my fatboy is a first year with original gold plating and my slim is also a from the first year it was offered) I find myself using this five dollar slant head mounted on a Maggard stainless handle almost exclusively. Its that good. The total cost for the setup is less than $30 and it gives me effortless, enjoyable shaves. So now my routine is three passes, the first two with the slant and then a final pass with a milder razor such as my lady Gillette from the 1960's or the EJ clone.

The slant head is amazing because it is incredibly efficient, by far the most efficient razor that I have ever used, but also very smooth and forgiving. If I take my time with 2-3 days growth I can literally get a passable shave (in DFS territory) on the first pass. The second pass is equal to a 3rd or 4th pass with any other razor, and the third pass with a milder razor is not really necessary if I have taken my time, but I use it to go against the grain under my chin and nose and to achieve BBS level on my neck and the other odd, bendy parts of my face. The slant is both more efficient and more comfortable than either the Beast or Knight heads. While both of those are fine heads and offer great performance, they do not offer the same level of efficiency and tug more on my beard when there is multi-day growth than with the slant. The WCS charcoal goods open comb is a joke compared to any of the three Yaqi heads, it is less comfortable, less efficient, and clogs with more than one days growth. The slant does not tug or pull even after the first shave (I will use it today with a Voskhod blade on 2 days growth, and this will be the third shave, the first two also being 2-3 days growth each. I should be shaving every day but I have gotten lazy working from home). It also never gets clogged and clears easily and instantly with a quick rinse. While it looks a little scary it is by far the most comfortable aggressive head that I own, and I have never had issues with nicks or cuts. With a good soap it is shocking how smooth and comfortable it is even on the first pass. I use Astra's or Voskhods most of the time. I should state that I do not go against the grain with any of my aggressive heads, or with the Gillette's on a high setting. I have sensitive skin and instantly get bumps and burn most of the time with almost any set up as soon as I shave against the grain. While I can mitigate this 80-90% with a good preshave and a cushioning soap, I can avoid it altogether with a mild razor, so I crank the GA's down to 2-3 for the final pass or use a mild razor/head setup. I really like the Maggard EJ clone head on a Yaqi solid brass razor handle that is chromed and has a colored surface (mine is the mint green one) and will post a review of that handle eventually.

The Yaqi slant head is a fantastic razor head. I like my aggressive heads on a heavier handle so I mount it on the maggard stainless handle (which falls exactly in the middle of the two WCS offerings in terms of weight and height) and for me this is just perfect. I have the shorter WCS stainless handle as well, and while the quality is equal to the Maggard handle I prefer the additional length of the Maggard for daily use, especially with the slant head. Here are some pics of the setup. In the last picture you can see the 5mm nylon washer that I use to mitigate wear and tear on the plating from the harder stainless handle:

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I've got the same Yaqi slant on a Icon handle and my experiences are the same as yours. It's now my favorite set-up. Way better than the highly touted fatip OC slant. My previous fav was a Muhle R41. The Yaqi is a bit more efficient but still just as smooth or smoother. It fits a standard handle so all a guy needs is the $4.50 head. It takes about 2 weeks for it to show up from China, but so what, it's well worth the wait seeing as it costs less that a starbucks coffee and works as well or better than a $100+ razor. The fit and finish on mine was perfect.
 
Speaking of Maggard, how does this compare to the Maggard slant head, if you have tried it? Also, how does it compare to the Merkur slant head, if you have tried it? Thanks for the posts.
 
I've got the same Yaqi slant on a Icon handle and my experiences are the same as yours. It's now my favorite set-up. Way better than the highly touted fatip OC slant. My previous fav was a Muhle R41. The Yaqi is a bit more efficient but still just as smooth or smoother. It fits a standard handle so all a guy needs is the $4.50 head. It takes about 2 weeks for it to show up from China, but so what, it's well worth the wait seeing as it costs less that a starbucks coffee and works as well or better than a $100+ razor. The fit and finish on mine was perfect.
I did not know that fatip even made a slant head. I just took a peek at it on Maggard's site and it looks beautiful, very tempting, so your assessment is helpful because lord knows I do not need more razors! I can get a Muhle r41 head from an EU vendor for less than 30 dollars, but that is still four or five times the price of the Yaqi heads, and the Muhle is still zinc. I will succumb eventually but I am very happy and impressed with the performance of both the Beast and Knight heads, and of course the slant is the best of the 3. I almost purchased an icon stainless handle but it is hard to argue with the price that Maggard and WCS shaving are selling their stainless handles for, and I wanted to try a really heavy handle anyway. I found that I like them for the more aggressive heads and stick with the traditional size an weight for the others.
 
Speaking of Maggard, how does this compare to the Maggard slant head, if you have tried it? Also, how does it compare to the Merkur slant head, if you have tried it? Thanks for the posts.
I have not tried either of those. I am left handed and for years kind of stayed away from the slant setup thinking that it would not work well for me, but the Yaqi has shown me how wrong I was. One thing I am certain of is that although they are also zinc based heads they are going to be 4-6 times more expensive than the Yaqi, which is right at 5 bucks w/o shipping. Sometimes you can get a 2 or 3 dollar coupon on Ali Express or free shipping, and then it is a no brainer, otherwise it is around 8-9 dollars total.

I do have the maggard EJ clone head, and it is very nice. I am using it now, and actually prefer it to the more expensive charcoal goods designed heads that I have. The fit and finish is very nice, no issues at all, and it gives a close final pass. It feels like nothing compared to the blade feel that you get from the Yaqi heads, but as long as you are not careless I have never had issues with any of them in terms of nicks or cuts. I like the maggard head enough that I would probably try a few others from them, including the slant, with no hesitation. As you can see from the pictures the quality on their stainless handle is really nice as well. While it does not have a mirror/jeweler's polish, it is very well finished and the knurling is deep and well cut. It is very heavy and even when wet and covered in soap it does not get slippery. I find the size perfect as well, WCS makes one that is a little taller and much heaver but that seems like overkill. I am a big guy and the Maggard handle fits my hand perfectly and the weight is nice once you get used to it - it does all the work for you and makes it easy not to apply pressure with an aggressive head like the Yaqi Knight (which is more aggressive than the slant, if you can believe it).
 
I am not experienced in Slant World. I do have a Yaqi Slant head mounted on a Katze handle looking very similar to your maggard handle. I tried two times an felt it is too rough for me. My katze handle (only) weight 103gr. The weight of the handle is giving an extra aggression (or effectiveness). My be later L'll give a chance🧐.
IMG_20200916_202633[1].jpg

I have also a Yaqi Flipside OC and CC combination. OC side is surprisingly milder.
 
I have had this head since January and still do not like it. It has too much blade feel and I fear it can bit you in a second.
For the record, I like the R41 and will also say that the Fatip OCSlant is way smoother.
As far as Merkur slant and RR German, they also are OK but for me they are like most mid aggression straight bars.
Probably still favor the RR OC 0.84 as a nice mix of efficiency and smoothness. But we are all different.
 

Mike M

...but this one IS cracked.
Received my Yaqi slant today needed to add a washer to get it to tighten on my Parker handle
The first stroke made me pay attention, this razor is aggressive and for the first time since using my shavette i had to concentrate. The audio feedback is amazing and the closeness is better than any other razor I have.
WTG and XTG was all I would try with it (ATG would probably have left me with a face like chopped liver) but the shave was as close as any 3 pass shave.
I have always wanted a slant razor and for the money this razor is just amazing. When I work up the courage to use it again I expect great things from it
 
I am not experienced in Slant World. I do have a Yaqi Slant head mounted on a Katze handle looking very similar to your maggard handle. I tried two times an felt it is too rough for me. My katze handle (only) weight 103gr. The weight of the handle is giving an extra aggression (or effectiveness). My be later L'll give a chance🧐. View attachment 1155833
I have also a Yaqi Flipside OC and CC combination. OC side is surprisingly milder.
That looks nice. As for the feel, I am not sure what blade you are using but that can make a big difference. I use astra and voskhod mostly. The russian blades are sharper but not a smooth - still fine but not like Astras. They are very smooth but I get about one less shave per blade out of them. I use it daily with a final pass from a less aggressive razor like one of my old gillettes. I use the Maggard Mr8 and it weighs 148 g - it does all of the work for you. It took me a few shaves to get used to it but now I love it.
 
Speaking of Maggard, how does this compare to the Maggard slant head, if you have tried it? Also, how does it compare to the Merkur slant head, if you have tried it? Thanks for the posts.
I do not have the Maggard slant, but it is more expensive and both are made in China to my understanding. The Yaqi quality control is very good, I have one of their razor handles as well and it is perfect, so I did not feel the need to buy a different Chinese razor head. If I bought another it would probably be the Fatip razor.
 
Looks nice and would be interesting to try for an aggressive slant. Compared to the fatip it's zamac vs brass and I doubt it's smoother looking at that blade exposure and gap.
the razor looks like it would take your head off but is actually very comfortable. I actually find it more comfortable than the Knight head. I use it daily and have only cut myself once and it was totally my fault. To put into context how good a shave this offers I own both fat boy and slim adjustables, a knack, several super speeds, two lady Gillette's with the cool shooting star handles, a Cooper Monobilt, a Gillette open comb, the complete charcoal goods head set from WCS and several other Yaqi and maggard razor heads, and I use this slant head now on the Maggard handle 99% of the time, with the final pass done with either one of the old gillettes or the Maggard EJ clone head. And in truth, I could do the final pass with the slant, no problem. With a smooth blade like an Astra it is simply a fantastic shave. If it was made in America in stainless guys would be paying 100 dollars for this head and talking about what a bargain it was.
 
That looks nice. As for the feel, I am not sure what blade you are using but that can make a big difference. I use astra and voskhod mostly. The russian blades are sharper but not a smooth - still fine but not like Astras. They are very smooth but I get about one less shave per blade out of them. I use it daily with a final pass from a less aggressive razor like one of my old gillettes. I use the Maggard Mr8 and it weighs 148 g - it does all of the work for you. It took me a few shaves to get used to it but now I love it.

I tried with Shark(1) and Astra Stainless (2). Both shaves were too aggressive for me. Thus I gave up and sold the yaqi slant with heavy handle. I only kept the flipside shaving head. OC side which was milder encouraged me to keep it.
If Yaqi, wants to make an improvement on their DE Razors;
-they may start by creating a milder yaqi katana (existing head is aggressive as well)
-continue by making less aggressive slant head,
-end up with not selling a prototype De razor as Yaqi Gibbs Replica Adjustable (which is in fact not a real adjustable:frown2:).
As DE razor I wont buy a new Yaqi unless these improvements steps is taken. YMMV
 
I bought it for half off during a sale and tried it. It wasn't bad, but I guess I don't like aggressive razors which this is tops for my collection atg is rough ymmv though. My milder razors are much easier for atg maybe I just need to improve my technique, or aggressive razors just don't work for me atg. I agree on the katana it could be milder. I'm not even sure which heads they have that are mild? I do have a DOC from them I never tried.
 
M

mtcn77

My milder razors are much easier for atg maybe I just need to improve my technique, or aggressive razors just don't work for me atg
Hi, after all this time I still cannot go WTG or ATG. I do diagonal passes and XTG passes. The results speak for themselves though.
 
I had my first shave with the Yaqi slant a few days ago. It is very efficient. Certainly not a razor I can use on autopilot. It will bite if you're not careful. Even though there was blood the shave was quite comfortable. I attribute that to only needing two passes to get the job done. I think with some more experience it will be one of my favorites.
 
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