After years of thinking about it, I finally pulled the trigger on one of these yesterday. Now the dreaded wait begins but from everything I've read, this thing should shave like a champ.
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After years of thinking about it, I finally pulled the trigger on one of these yesterday. Now the dreaded wait begins but from everything I've read, this thing should shave like a champ.
The main thing I learned to watch with them is aligning the blade from the top when I tighten it down. There is enough play in there to where you can have more blade exposed on one side than the other, or it can be a little askew. I use the thumb and fore finger on each end of the blade to position it while I snug the top cap down. Other than that it is a matter of which blade works for you. Run your passes like you would with a normal designed razor and the twist in the head does the rest. :gl:
I am close to ordering one of these puppies as well, except I'm looking at the 39C. I'm very interested to know about the results -- perhaps you could let us know how it goes.
:beer1:
The 39C has a 4" handle. The 37C has a 3" handle. I have a slight preference for the 39C because of the longer handle.
Hands down, the slant is the best razor I have ever used. I have been under the weather the last several days and have been using it instead of my usual preference of straight razor. I really think if the public using a multiblade razor would give the slant a try the multiblade would lose a lot of business. For those scared of the sight of a slant bar, the 34C (3" handle) and 38C (4" handle) would also whip the daylights out of the multiblade.
My feeling is that the multiblade razor (which I used for about 40 years because I wasn't aware of alternatives) is a fraud that has hoodwinked the public and the reason it has become fashionable to shave infrequently. My face always felt freshly slapped with a multiblade.
To those who are thinking about purchasing a slant: do it, you will most definitely not regret it.
To those who just pulled the trigger on one: congrats :tu
Phil at Bullgoose tells me it will be here tomorrow evening. I'm gonna skip the morning shave so it has a bit of stubble to work with. As long as I've been stalking one of these, I'm totally stoked to have finally bought one. It will be the only razor in the fleet that has never shaved anyone else's face. :)
When using a slant, do you have to angle the head in a special way to do a straight across section such as the sideburn line or the bottom lip, or does it just work without thinking about angle?
Thanks,
Max
IME you can just use it as you would a normal razor. That is the 'secret' of the slant head. Actually, older DE collectors referred to them as "twisted head" razors. Some razors were made with a normal straight head placed on the handle on a slant, such as the Mulcato and a few others. They are truly slanted heads. The Merkur and others from the pre and post WWII era have the head twisted but straight across relative to the handle. After you've become accustomed to it you might try some tricks like the 'Gillette slide' but in the beginning just use it as normal until you get used to it. IMHO.
I use my 37C the same way I use my 34G. The Slant is a bit more aggressive than the HD, but nothing that a careful successful user of the HD can not handle, in my opinion. I have had no issues with uneven blade alignment. The Slant shaves a little closer than the HD, but with a bit higher risk of irritation. I get close irritation free shaves, but I have to pay closer attension than when using the HD. I use Feather blades.
It was my favorite razor until I got the R41. After I shaved with my 37c I couldn't go back to my 34c. Compared to my R41 it's actually somewhat mild. It's bark is worse than it's bite which yields a great shave. Have fun!
I have the regular 34c and it's twisted brother (whatever name he carries. 38c?). I like them both, but I find the shave from both on a par. Neither seems better than the other. Perhaps the slant does the job that bit easier though. :)
Mick
Had a shave this morning with my Merkur slant, LOVED IT! I used a new Feather blade, had a week's worth of growth and Philosophy's Razor Sharp shave gel and ended-up with a BBS shave; the Merkur w/Feather blade mowed right through it!
I must admit, I used a Personna Red with the slant a couple of times, did not get a close or comfortable shave than with the Feather; you need an extremely sharp blade and a steady hand and you will end up with a satisfying shave. Finished with a Rose scented aftershave balm (actually, it was a hand lotion) but it did the job wonderfully.
You can't beat that Slant as far as I'm concerned for DE shaving.
I have both the 37C and 39C. I find that I like the longer handle a bit more, but they both shave fantastically. I used to use Feathers until I discovered Polsilvers.
I prefer the longer 39C handle too.
Probably some people who started shaving with a short-handled Gillette Superspeed prefer the 37C because that's what they're used to. I switched over from Gillette Fusions, which had the longer handle, and I'll guess why I like the 39C better.
I got my 37C a few weeks ago and I love it! The only trouble I've had so far is getting a straight cut right below my right sideburn, but I think practice will take care of that. :beer1:
I've been using a 39C with feathers now for a while. It shaves awesomely. Getting the sideburns square just takes some time to get used to. The nice thing about a bad shave is that it only takes a few days (at the most) to recover from.
The problem I have with the 39C is under my nose. I have a few whiskers that are up really tight. No amount of angling seems to get them. I hate to admit it, but every now and than I resort to a Bic Metal to clean up the details...
I just got a 37c and shaved with it for the first time yesterday. It's a terrific shave with a yellow 7 o'clock. I don't find it particularly more aggressive than Gem SE's. It's definitely worth the purchase and is in my rotation of favorites.
The slant was my first foray into wetshaving. I didn't know it was supposed to be scary or vicious (it's not), so in my case, ignorance was bliss. After finding "my" blade, it was an awesome shaver. The angle was intuitive, it was really easy to feel when you got it right. I'm a straight shaver now, but this has got me nostalgic, so I think I'll load the ol' Merkur up with a fresh Wilkinson Sword. Happy shaves.
Reading this thread kicked in my RAD......so of course I had to have one, and of course I ordered one.....there goes that credit card and my marriage if my wife finds out I ordered another shaving item.....I can't keep telling her that the boxes that come to the house daily were actually ordered and paid for months ago just coming now bc they were on backorder!
Dammit now I gotta go get a 39C just in the interest of research mind you. :)