If you've used a slant, what are your observations?

[PickledNorthern]

@PickledNorthern - I also didn't like the 39C, but there are other slants and, just as with regular razors, some work for me and others don't. I wouldn't give up on slants because a particular model didn't work for me, any more than I would give up on DE shaving because a particular DE razor didn't work for me.

I agree completely. As posted earlier above, I have tried a good half dozen slants, and really only got along with one of them. My luck with them has been poor enough that I doubt I will try any new high dollar releases, but am likely to try new mid priced offerings.

I will probably try an X3 someday, it just isn't high on my list. If one pops up on a BST and I am feeling in the mood, or a convenient trade opens up.... I have pretty much switched to SE shaving, and only have a couple of DE's that see any use.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Leisureguy]

@PickledNorthern - Good instance of different strokes for different folks: I have used some very nice SE razors (Gem Heavy-Duty Flat Top, Ever Ready Shovelhead, the Mongoose, and others), but I find I really prefer the DE format, partly because of its greater lather capacity (less-frequent rinsing), though I also like the much greater range of brands of blades.

Interestingly, I can't think of a single-edge slant. Wonder whether one was ever made.

 

[PickledNorthern]

@PickledNorthern

Interestingly, I can't think of a single-edge slant. Wonder whether one was ever made.

I was thinking the same thing the other day. Using a mongoose style head, it would be a super easy thing to do in the fashion of the 102, because all you would have to do is cant the post a few degrees.

@ShaneS : Hint Hint [emoji6] Can you even imagine the stir you would make in the shaving world if you introduced a Blackbird SE slant??

@Darkbulb : You know of any SE slants?



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[JohnnyO]

The Ikon slant head I have is a B1 black coated one which I used on a Bulldog handle.

JohnnyO. o/

 

[preidy]

I use the C37 in my rotation and have used (and still own) a Lutz double slant. Where the slant really shines for me is when I go ATG. It seems to take less effort and I can feel less resistance.

 

[Leisureguy]

I have that slant, but with the DLC coating and the iKon SE handle. It is also a bit touchy for me, but if I shave with very light pressure, it does a great job. (I used it just yesterday.) However, I find the iKon 102 and iKon X3 much less touchy about pressure (although all slants require pretty light pressure) and more comfortable and reluctant to nick.

 

[Hourwerk]

@JohnnyO - When you refer to the iKon slant, do you mean the stainless head that was available plain or with a DLC coating and now with the B1 coating? or the iKon X3 (aluminum)? or the iKon 102 (also aluminum)?

@Hourwerk - I think anyone who makes anything will pay attention to marketing issues (I once did product marketing), and that can include trivia ("Exciting new colors!") as well as substantial improvements that improve the quality of the product and the customer experience. Indeed, the desire to make a product more appealing, more useful, more likely to be purchased and recommended drives a lot (most?) innovation. But as I tried to emphasize in my original post, many (including me) find that a slant that works well for them does indeed offer a noticeable improvement over even very good regular razors. I quoted one shaver who had 8 years experience with regular razors. However, as I also emphasized, nothing in shaving works for everyone, and if something doesn't work for you it's often difficult to believe reports from those for whom it does work. I still see remarks from men for whom a particular brand of blade did not work strongly recommending that others not even try that brand, and suggesting that it be removed from the sampler pack and discarded. (The "bad" brand varies from person to person.) They are unable to believe that something that doesn't work for them could possibly work for anyone else. Most, however, recognize the rule of YMMV in shaving (and in much else—comedy, for example: a comic who's hilarious for one may fall flat for another).

@Missoni - Yeah, the 39C didn't work for me either—because of the handle, not the head: the 37C works fine. Right now there are several razors using that head design, and the RazoRock German 37 uses the head in a three-piece design and sells the head separately so that you can provide a handle that you like.

@PickledNorthern - I also didn't like the 39C, but there are other slants and, just as with regular razors, some work for me and others don't. I wouldn't give up on slants because a particular model didn't work for me, any more than I would give up on DE shaving because a particular DE razor didn't work for me.

The X3 Slant I used was the Alloy version

 

[Leisureguy]

@Hourwerk - Yeah, the iKon Shavecraft line uses an aluminum alloy for all the heads. The X3 comes only in that version.

 

[Leisureguy]

@preidy - Yeah, the slant does indeed seem to encounter less cutting resistance, which (along with its mild, gentle feel on the skin) is why men with thick, tough beards and sensitive skin tend to like slants. (BTW, my response just under you post was to someone else, but I neglected to enter username. Apologies.)

 

[efsk]

I've used over 60 slants, both torqued and diagonal, and some 15 or so straight DE's. This makes the slant a conventional razor to me
There's as much difference between slants as there is between straight DE's, or between slants and straight DE's. There are those that I love, those that seriously scare me, those that I can't shave with and those that are either too mild or too aggressive to be fun.
Basically: slants are just razors

 

[Leisureguy]

I certainly have no disagreement that slants are razors, nor that slants vary as much as conventional razors (or as much, say, as razors with a comb guard): just in terms of feel and performance (disregarding material and appearance), slants (and conventional razors and razors with a comb guard) are all over the map for (I think) anyone: some do a great job, some do an okay job, and some are terrible.

What I notice, though, in comparing my best slants (in terms of how well they work for me) with the best convention razor (same meaning of "best") is that the slants seem to be more efficient both in terms of ease of cutting and in how easy it is to get a BBS result, and they also seem exceptionally mild on my skin. (I'm talking here about slants that work for me: as you point out, there is a lot of variety, and I have found some slants that are extremely harsh to the point I could not use them.)

But I detect a difference, and you don't. That's exactly why I'm running the poll. It's no surprise that different men have different experience with razors since the men themselves differ (nature of beard, type of skin, level of skill, thoroughness of prep, choice of blade, etc.). I was just interested in getting a count of differences in this one area.

As you can see, some men do in fact find that a slant (presumably one that works well for them, not one that works poorly) gives them a better shave than a conventional razor, and some do not. I'll put you down in the "do not" camp.

 

[efsk]

That was not what I was saying. I'm saying that you can't generalize and say "slants work better" or "slants don't work better". Obviously, this is exactly what your topicstartingpost starts to point out, before moving on to asking who's mileage is what so basically I was restating the obvious. What I didn't do was answer the question.
As I said: for me the slant IS the conventional razor. I wouldn't have tried over 60 different ones, and wouldn't own over twice that number, if I didn't really like slants, of both variants. I get better shaves with most slants than I've gotten with most conventional razors. I can't guarantee that this has nothing to do with the difference in experience (as in number and number of times used) in using both however.

 

[PickledNorthern]

**Disclaimer: I am fully prepared to get roasted for this post.

Sort of off topic, but I also wonder how much of the appeal (and sales) for slants is sort of "fad-ish" (for lack of a better term) in that nearly every newbie who gets hooked on the hobby, in their frantic search for the BEST razor just HAS to have one, and have it right now, because they are cool, and because slants are like the second coming of Christ in terms of wet shaving.

This isn't a knock on the actual qualities of a slant, and I am not saying that slants aren't shaving nirvana for a lot of people. I am trying to say that they also get frenzy bought by newer wet shavers in the same way everybody just has to have a Fat Boy, and a razor in SS.

I know I did the exact same thing when I first discovered shaving forums. So if you are a newbie going through this right now, and feel insulted by my comment, don't. A whole lot of us did what I am talking about. [emoji1]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[efsk]

I honestly believe that everyone should own a Merkur 37c (39c for those who like heavy), and get is as a third or fourth razor. They give a sufficiently different experience to belong in everyones rotation, and still belong to the best slants I've tried.
However: I do follow and agree with your post, @PickledNorthern. There appears to be a mystic quality surrounding slants, in a lot of people's perception, in that they are either way to scary and should only be handled with the utmost care, or will give the ultimate in DFSBBS++ without even using a blade. (That latter part can now only be found with Wolfman.)
This is what prompted the "slants are just razors" in my first post in this thread. They are different razors, and I repeat myself: will give a different shaving experience, which is why I think everyone with more than two razors should get one, but they are not scary (well, most are not), but not a guarantee for the discovery of shaving heaven ither.

 

[PickledNorthern]

.....or will give the ultimate in DFSBBS++ without even using a blade. (That latter part can now only be found with Wolfman.).

I chuckled out loud at that one.

You possibly just opened yourself up for a tar and feathering much worse than I did. [emoji1]




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Leisureguy]

@efsk - I get it now, and you're exactly right: I should have said, "Based on your experience with the best slant you have," etc. The problem is that no one is going to try every slant to pick the best. Some may be inclined to try more than one, and I think they naturally will pick the best of the lot, but I should have made that explicit. The problem is that people can only report on the experience they had, and you can't demand that they first try 3-4 slants. The bare minimum that I could devise was the "fair trial" I described in the initial post. If they've done that, then I'm interested in the experience that they have had. I understand there is going to be a lot of variation—from a newb who got a Merkur 37C as his first razor, to the guy with 8 years experience whom I earlier quoted. I think that's unavoidable, and in any event we'll get some rough idea of the number of men who detect an improvement from using a slant (namely the best slant they've tried).

As I noted in the original post, some men can detect no difference whatsoever between different brands of blades in terms of feel and performance. I estimate that this number is around 15%, just based on seeing comments. I did a poll long ago that showed about 70% of men found that a slant improved their shaves ("love it" was I think the option), 23% found no difference, and 7% said that slants were worse.

In this poll, those who cannot detect any difference seems to be running around 50%. That's higher than the previous poll (which was worded somewhat differently, and it's worth noting that slants were less available, so there might have been some selection bias: those who had a slant were already inclined to enjoy it because they had to search it out: they already had some skin in the game). The previous poll was 23%, as noted, but that in itself is a lot more than the (guessed) 15% who cannot detect differences between brands of blades.

The obvious conclusion is that differences between brands of blades are easier to detect (i.e, relatively more can detect them) than the differences between (good) conventional razors and (good) slants. That is, the relative number who cannot detect any difference increases: the differences are harder to detect.

And that makes some sense: the "less resistance to cutting" is doubtless small, and some can detect it and some can't. Reduced pressure against the skin is good for both types of razors, but reduced cutting resistance looms large for those who type of beard (really tough and cut-resistant) and skin (very sensitive and easily irritated by (e.g.) pushing hard against stubble) greatly amplify small differences in cutting resistance. Those people tend to like slants.

And of course those with a relatively soft and downy beard (some man just starting to shave) will not detect any difference at all: their stubble is so easily cut that any decent razor will zip through it.

Thanks. You've just clarified something for me.