Slant: Both Sides?

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:25 am

I've been using a Merkur Slant daily for several years, always with a Feather. I've noticed that one side is noticeably smoother, but have always made sure to use the 'bad' side equally to optimize blade life.

Lately I've been using only the smooth side and have been getting outstanding shaves.

So I was wondering if other members used only their Slant's 'good' side.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:16 am

I'd probably take a hammer to it and make both sides good, but then I'm a bit cranky in the mornings.

Greg I share your curiosity over whether other members have had this experience.

glassmtn · Post by **glassmtn** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:35 am

I have not noticed a difference with my slant although I have noticed it with other razors where the blade exposure is not even on both sides.

Eric.

SmallTank · Post by **SmallTank** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:46 am

I agree..I haven't had ANY issues with either side..maybe yours was made slightly different for some reason

yohannrjm · Post by **yohannrjm** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:56 am

Are you paying attention to the blade exposure on each side?

The Merkur slants I had have all allowed some play in the blade positioning. Perhaps you're aligning one side and leaving a different blade gap on the other side - which could explain the difference in shave quality.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 3:46 pm

My Slant works just fine, both sides. It's one of the smoothest shavers, consistently.

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 6:41 am

yohannrjm wrote:Are you paying attention to the blade exposure on each side?

The Merkur slants I had have all allowed some play in the blade positioning. Perhaps you're aligning one side and leaving a different blade gap on the other side - which could explain the difference in shave quality.

I appreciate the feedback from all of you. Here's my routine:

Load a new blade by placing the top part of the Slant on the counter, pillar-up
Drop new blade down the pillar
Place the handle over the pillar and screw together
After each shave, loosen the razor to allow for better rinsing and avoid the blade rust/discoloration I once experienced
Re-tighten the razor before the next shave

I try to touch the blade as little as possible: how does one go about aligning for equalizing blade gap?

Greg

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:05 am

Hi Greg. I have to admit I give absolutely no care to the issue of trying to align anything. I just drop the blade down and tighten it up. I've never had any issues with any alignment on any of my DE razors. That's just me.

Gundogs · Post by **Gundogs** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:50 am

No problem with my slant. I do check and insure that the blade is inserted and seated properly befog tightening.

Greenhouse · Post by **Greenhouse** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 7:13 pm

Greg,

I have this issue with my 38C (barber pole). I originally thought it was just my imagination, but I've since convinced myself that one side shaves consistently better. For a while, I was only using the "good" side of the razor. I would shave for three days, then open the razor and turn the blade around and shave for three more days -- using both edges of the blade on the same side of the razor.

- Greenhouse.

Mike R · Post by **Mike R** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 1:04 pm

I have Merkur, Coles, Hoffritz, and Pomco slants of various and unknown ages. All of them have the same play in blade positioning. I have to diddle around with the blade to get it as even as possible. Even then there's a noticeable difference between sides. But up to this point I haven't noticed one side is "better" than the other (thanks everyone!) although I suppose it's worth some consideration (or maybe obsession) at some point. I don't have this issue with my HD, and although I may be being biased from the slants it seems that there is a small amount of difference in exposure, one side to the other. It doesn't look to me like it's enough to make a difference.

Mike

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 1:43 pm

Aren't all slants crooked to begin with.

alcx77 · Post by **alcx77** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:47 pm

I load my Merkur Slant in the palm of my hand post up and I have yet
to experience any noticeable difference in the shave in terms of one side
vis a vis the other.

JimJack · Post by **JimJack** » Sat Aug 08, 2015 6:06 am

I load my 39C then tighten slightly and adjust the blade for even gap on each side.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sat Aug 08, 2015 7:07 pm

JimJack, I'm not trying to be smart or to challenge you at all, but I do have a serious question - what happens if you forget to adjust it? I am thinking that if it has a noticeable tendency to cut or something, then maybe it's defective? (PS: Thanks for joining SMF. I like your posts.)

Straight Arrow · Post by **Straight Arrow** » Sat Aug 08, 2015 7:45 pm

My 39C suffers a small amount of blade misalignment; visible to the eye but undetectable in the shave.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 5:17 am

I want to share something that happened to me the last time I used the Mongoose razor. While shaving, instead of the normal safe and smooth glide, I was feeling some very uncharacteristic pulling and harshness. (It almost felt like the Cobra.) I took a look at it and discovered that I had loaded the blade carelessly, and it was jutting out dramatically, out of place, and thankfully there was no cut or scrape. I fixed it and all was right with the world again. Just goes to show that I should make it a habit to check the blade alignment every time before I begin to shave. (I thought I had already adopted that habit, but obviously not.)

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 5:27 am

I don't recall ever having a blade alignment problem with any of my razors. If one ever did I'd stop using it.

SMF

Slant: Both Sides?

Slant: Both Sides?

Re: Slant: Both Sides?

Re: Slant: Both Sides?

Re: Slant: Both Sides?

Re: Slant: Both Sides?

Re: Slant: Both Sides?