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:
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: