Why a slant?

exido · Post by **exido** » Thu May 31, 2007 3:53 am

Hi. Im hearing alot of good reviews of slant razors. First of all, why does someone get a slant razor? How easy are they to use? Is it an everyday razor?

yasuo200365 · Post by **yasuo200365** » Thu May 31, 2007 4:27 am

Why does someone get a slant razor? - Because it's there.

How easy are they to use? - They're just as easy & as safe to use as any DE.

Slants are OK, but they don't do anything that a 'standard' razor can't do, infact they have a disadvantage.

Is it an everyday razor? - Sure it can be, however you will need to take a second razor to the bathroom in order to keep your sideburns level & straight.

By adopting a chevron stroke in your shave with a standard razor you achieve the same thing.

Regards
John

jbc · Post by **jbc** » Thu May 31, 2007 5:19 am

I disagree a little bit with yasuo. Different razors do better on different types of beards. For some pople a slant will do better then any other type of razor while for others the slant appears as an extravagence as yasuo says. Thus if you have not found the proper razor for you it might be an idea to check out a slant. However, if you have found the proper one don't waste your time.

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Thu May 31, 2007 5:29 am

yasuo200365 wrote:Why does someone get a slant razor? - Because it's there.

How easy are they to use? - They're just as easy & as safe to use as any DE.

Slants are OK, but they don't do anything that a 'standard' razor can't do, infact they have a disadvantage.

Is it an everyday razor? - Sure it can be, however you will need to take a second razor to the bathroom in order to keep your sideburns level & straight.

By adopting a chevron stroke in your shave with a standard razor you achieve the same thing.

Regards
John

Please note that the above is one person's opinion not fact. I own two slant razors and I would not agree that by 'adopting a chevron stroke in your shave you achieve the same thing.'

The slant is a type, style or whatever you wish to call it, of DE razor. Any adult should be able to keep their sideburns straight using a slant. It shaves similar to a regular DE but it does have a slightly different feel. It can give one a very close shave--closer than the equivilant straight DE. Some people find that it is too aggressive. Others find the only way they can use the much feared Feather blade is in a slant. I find that I can get a very close shave using a slant but if I use it everyday my face tends to get irritated. Once you are an experienced DE shaver you might consider trying a slant. Why not? Then you can give your review of a slant.
Of course, as usual, YMMV.

exido · Post by **exido** » Thu May 31, 2007 6:21 am

I just order two more razors. the 38 c and the hd. (yes i think i got the bug, i already own a classic and futur!) just wanted to know if i was missing out by not using or trying a slant. I think i will eventually. what is meant by a "chevron stroke?". Is a slant really more agressive??

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Thu May 31, 2007 6:56 am

I use a slant quite often, and it doesn't seem to make for crooked sideburns.

A chevron stroke is moving the razor so that the blade's edge moves diagonally --- example: keep the edge parallel to the floor, then shave NW-SE. It's easier just to get a slant bar. It's not so much that it's more aggressive, it's that the slanted blade slices rather than chops the stubble.

golfhacker · Post by **golfhacker** » Thu May 31, 2007 6:59 am

John will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the "chevron stroke" is where you don't move the razor in a path that is 100% perpendicular to the edge of the blade but you move the razor at a slight angle to that. Think of the Chevron gas station symbol. Instead of moving the razor straight down the symbol, you would move it along the path of one of the sides of the ^, but the blade would still be horizontal.

Some have likened the concept to a snow plow, but that seems different. The snowplow is more like a slant b/c the razor (the vehicle) moves straight but the blade (the plow itself) is angled.

I find the Slant to be very aggressive.

Pauldog · Post by **Pauldog** » Thu May 31, 2007 7:59 am

The slant you used might be aggressive because of the blade gap rather than because of the slant angle.

The principle is like that in the guillotine - cutting at an angle rather than straight on.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:10 am

I agree with yasuo that you can do the same thing with a regular razor. All a slant does is confront the whiskers at an angle, to produce a slicing motion with the blade. You can do that with any DE.

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:13 am

Bob wrote:I agree with yasuo that you can do the same thing with a regular razor. All a slant does is confront the whiskers at an angle, to produce a slicing motion with the blade. You can do that with any DE.

The blade in a slant is slightly twisted--holding your regular DE at an angle does not do the same twist to the blade. You may want to think it does but it does not.

yasuo200365 · Post by **yasuo200365** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:00 am

nteeman wrote:The blade in a slant is slightly twisted--

That is definately an opinion and not fact ...., & even if it were true it would be a miniscule twist would it not?

To understand the geometry take a letter sized piece of paper and let it curve like a loaded razor blade - now slant the long edge diagonally - any twisting of the blade edge? No.

I am just one of those "adults" who fusses about their side-burns being perfectly level & square ...., I do take a second razor into the bathroom, either a straight or Schick injector to specifically do my sideburns, that is how anal I have become.

Compensating for the slant is just too complicated for someone who frets about the bar-guard affecting the micro-precision placement of the blade.

This thread from the past illustrates the chevron stroke:

http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewto ... highlight=

...., note that the blade remains fixed (at horizontal lets say) but the razor moves diagonally. It requires competent technique I guess, but the slant has it 'built-in' - should we therefore consider them training razors?

Finally I agree with Paul, slants are not intrinsically aggressive, they are not all the same - some are more aggressive than others. It just so happens that many consider the Merkur to be quite aggressive - personally I prefer my Apollo slant, which is even more exposed.

Regards
John

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:35 am

yasuo200365 wrote:
nteeman wrote:The blade in a slant is slightly twisted--
That is definately an opinion and not fact ...., & even if it were true it would be a miniscule twist would it not?

No, it is not an opinion, when I tighten the head on either of my Merkur slants you can see, and hear the blade twist. And even if it is miniscule, a twist is a twist.

yasuo200365 · Post by **yasuo200365** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:47 am

nteeman wrote:...,you can see, and hear the blade twist.

That's Merkur manufacturing tolerances for you - plenty of wiggle room.

Regards
John

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:57 am

yasuo200365 wrote:
nteeman wrote:...,you can see, and hear the blade twist.

That's Merkur manufacturing tolerances for you - plenty of wiggle room.

Regards
John

I don't think it has anything to do with manufacturing tolerances - it's in the design of the razor head.

proFeign · Post by **proFeign** » Thu May 31, 2007 3:34 pm

fight fight fight fight!

just kidding, but I would actually like to know if it's just that the razor is mounted at an angle or if it does subject the blade to some sort of torsion...

Gillette1904 · Post by **Gillette1904** » Thu May 31, 2007 3:34 pm

golfhacker wrote:John will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the "chevron stroke" is where you don't move the razor in a path that is 100% perpendicular to the edge of the blade but you move the razor at a slight angle to that. Think of the Chevron gas station symbol. Instead of moving the razor straight down the symbol, you would move it along the path of one of the sides of the ^, but the blade would still be horizontal.

Yeah. Somewhere in this world there exist early Gillette "how-to" booklets that illustrate just exactly that. There might even be one on our forums here; I found one ages and ages ago doing a Google image search. The 1904 razor was illustrated as being straight and level, but the stroke was at an angle best described as from the ear to the chin. Again, only the stroke was in that direction, not the blade - that was horizontal.

DEF · Post by **DEF** » Thu May 31, 2007 4:06 pm

The blade is torqued around its long axis -- not exactly the same as a regular DE wielded at an angle. Contrary to what I said once, before I knew better, the blade gap appears constant along the edge.

Doug

yasuo200365 · Post by **yasuo200365** » Thu May 31, 2007 4:37 pm

The blade exposure remains constant as you can see in this photograph:

Regards
John

Post by **ichabod** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 7:10 am

I've been using an older Hoffritz slant razor for the last couple of weeks, and to me it's definitely a different shaving implement from a "standard" DE.
I think the Hoffritz is a milder slant than the current Merkurs, based purely on seeing pictures of the Merkur slants. Mine seems to have less blade exposure and perhaps even less slant to it.
If I'd tried a slant a year ago before I knew good technique I would no doubt have slashed my face to ribbons and decided they were a useless gimmick.
As it stands now, with decent technique the slant is just as easy to wield as any other DE. The difference comes with the way the blade cuts the stubble - by "slicing" through the hair instead of simply cutting it straight on, it seems like pulling is much less likely, and the razor enables me to shave very close with less irritation.
I have no problems with my sideburns. I am one of those chaps, though, who has his sideburns creep gradually down his cheeks in between visits to the barber.

stephen732 · Post by **stephen732** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:34 am

is slicing better than chopping? seems like blades would last a lot longer, right?