Why use a slant?

What is the purpose of a slant bar? Thanks!

Holds the blade slightly diagonally which when used with a normal stroke attacks the whiskers with a scything direction considered to be more effective in a smooth and close shave. The first time I saw a Merkur Slant I was intimated but that first shave with a Feather blade made a believer out of me. I hung my slant up when I discovered straight razor shaving but if I ever went back to DE the Merkur slant would be my weapon of choice.

Thanks! Just bougt 2 more de's... Rad attack! I bought a Edwin Jagger 87 in ivory for me and a gillette blue star for the wife. I wanted a closer shave than my super speed.
I was looking at the HD slant long handle but wasn't sure how aggressive it was. Sounds like the ticket for a real close shave!

The idea of the slant is to give a closer approximation of what a straight does and behaves.

I see how it works now, the razor does alot of the work for you. How is it for people with sensitive skin like myself? I love my straight but am starting to really get into the de as well. My only experience with de is the super speed, how much more aggressive is the slant compared? thanks

Its an aggressive razor, you'll need to be careful if your skin is sensitive. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say the slant was gentle.

My hope is that the Edwin Jagger will be right in the middle of the superspeed and the slant? I want an agressive shaver but not one that will peel my face off!

I love my SS it is like a cartridge razor in that it is very hard to cut yourself with one, a very fun shave.

However for closeness nothing beats a slant (in the DE world at least). I have the merkur 49c barberpole slant and its my favorite DE. Yes it is a very aggressive shave and much heavier than a SS.

It intimidating the first time but after that you'll be fine :) Remember to not compensate for the slant shave like you normally would and let the slant do the scything motion for you.

You may need to try a few blades to find the right combo (which can be a painful task) but once youdo you won't regret it. I like gillette super thins for mine.

My only complaint about the slant is that it is not TTO butterfly style I hate having to unscrew the top to change a blade :rant:

Oh yeah as far as sensitive skin the slant is notoriouse for people buying one and selling it the next day. Sooo before buying a brand new one you might consider trying one of the DE forums and buying one used. The is even a thread on B&B about "the most pifed slant" where people try it then send it to someone else for free so they don't waste money on something they won't use.

If you do get a slant or any non twist to open razor one thing you should look out for is adjusting the blade exposure as you tighten the top cap down. Use your thumb and fore finger to hold the ends of the blade and make sure that blade exposure is equal on both sides. It can become skewed when tightening and IME that ain't a good thing.

If you like the Gillette Super Speed but don't find it aggressive enough the Gillette Red Tip is similar in comfort while being more aggressive than the SS. There is also the 'Fat Boy" adjustable. Of course these are vintage and you'll have to hunt for one in the classifieds or ebay.

I have been trying to resist my RAD to just buy a slant and see, I guess I should wait and see how well the EJ87 works first. I was thinking of the red tip and fat boy, lost out on one on eBay the other day. Love the vintage stuff but would like a brand new one as well as the price tags for de's don't hurt as much as a new straight.
Great info on the b&b sight about the loaner blade! Thanks

I don't have particularly sensitive skin. I sold my slant within a couple of weeks. Difficult to use under the nose and much more prone to cause razor burn. SE razors (e.g. Gem 1912) come closer to the feel of a straight by means of the thicker, stiffer blade.

Thanks, I would like former slant users opinions/current users opinions on slants. I read the reviews but they tend to be a bit bias as people who like them usually write them.

In that case, I'd say just spend your money on a fatboy. You can get as close of a shave with a fatboy when you learn to use it (in my opinion) and the fatboy is a really agreeable razor. Its well designed, shaves well, TTO, and little threat of razor burn on the lower settings. I think its the best DE that's been made, but I might be biased towards it and not the slant- though I do think the slant is a good razor.

A member on SMF described the Slant as a great solution to a non existent problem.:):)

Wouldn't the same effect of using a Slant be felt by using a regular DE and holding it....slanty?

yes it would, some people find this technique hard to master so the slant helps with this.

Plus having the bar slanted is sometimes easier to shave in areas rathan than having to hold the whole handle in a slant position:)

Also I feel it does a better job when "J" hooking

but what if you held the razor slanty while j hooking?...sorry it just popped into my head..lol

when you do a "j" hooking motion with a regular DE you are at one time or another already in a slanty position.

with the blade already in a slant position the "j" hook action becomes more of a "U" or "O" hook......you know what this hurts my head I'll admit defeat and just say it was all in my head and makes me feel better doing it with a slant:)

I think you'd prolly just end up digging the corner of the razor into your cheek. I wouldn't want to try it.

I think it is more a question of technique. I wouldn't recommend a novice use a slant because of the agressive and uneven blade gap. Someone who has their technique down should have no problem with a slant bar. Then again, once the technique is pat the choice of razor becomes one of preference.

As a longtime user of DEs and a newbie to straights, I'll add an opinion regarding sensitive skin. I have the unfortunate combination of sensitive skin and very stout beard, and I tried pretty much every vintage DE known to man. The one that gave my skin the least trouble was the Slant. I was scared of the thing after reading so many reviews about its aggressiveness, but the truth is that if you go very lightly and let the razor do the work, it's a beautiful razor for sensitive skin.

I did, however, eventually graduate from that to the Merkur Futur, which, despite the lack of a slanted blade, is even nicer to my skin, as long as its dialed down to a reasonable setting (i.e.--nothing over about 2.5).

Now I need to figure out which straight will do the best trick for that skin/beard combo...

I have sort of the same problem, sensitive skin and tough beard. I have a few straights but find the larger blades 6/8 heavy grind is the easiest on my skin. Maybe just me..

I use a straight daily. When pressed for time, however, I reach for my slant. It shaves very close and very fast. As stated above, the blade must be centered to avoid problems.