Thread: slant bar options other than merkur?

so i'm interested in trying a slant bar.. but i'm not really too interested in a plain ol' merkur.. what are my other options?

Vintage Hoffritz,not alot else around.

The slant , also known as 'twisted head' is my favorite safety razor. I have a collection of them by various makers. Actually the Hoffritz branded slants were made by Merkur. Also the Coles, Lunawerke and Pomco were all rebranded Merkurs. There are vintage slants by Apollo, Ben Hur, Fazan, Krect and others with many being "no name" slants but IME they are not as well engineered as the Merkur.

The Merkur slant began as a 3 piece with a handle copying the early Gillette but sometime in the '50s (I think) the handle was changed to the thicker model we know today with the head attached making it a 2 piece with a top cap. I've shaved with all of the above and more slants. For me the geometry of the Merkur, the weight and balance is the perfect slant. Of course someone else might prefer a different one.

Below are examples of the Merkur 3 piece mentioned above with the more familiar 2 piece. Another oddity, a Pomco variant that was made by a company unknown to me. It has a slant head on one side and a standard head on the other and was marketed as a "ladies" razor. Finally, a number of no name slants in a spoon rack. DEs can get to be an AD too.

great info,Thanks

lol I knew Jimmy "the slant man" HAD would be able to produce the goods when it comes to his slant collection

Anyway, what's wrong with Merkur? They're nicely built, dependable razors.

thanks guys.. i do have a merkur34c in my rotation.. it's a very nice shaver.. i have nothing against merkur.. i just wanted to see my options..

merkur it is.

Just out of interest: what's the point of a slant bar? And does the other side of the bar slant the other way?

I believe it is to hold the blade at a slight angle to the hair. that way instead of the blade cutting straight through the hair, it is acting more like a guillotine and slicing it at and angle

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

...a Pomco variant that was made by a company unknown to me. It has a slant head on one side and a standard head on the other and was marketed as a "ladies" razor.

That Pomco's "slant" side reminds me of the old ladies Gillete Curve Fit razor. The curved shape on those was engineered to shave armpits, does the similar shape of the pomco give any benefits when face shaving?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Kees

Just out of interest: what's the point of a slant bar? And does the other side of the bar slant the other way?

Originally Posted by straightshot

I believe it is to hold the blade at a slight angle to the hair. that way instead of the blade cutting straight through the hair, it is acting more like a guillotine and slicing it at and angle

Kees, I think straightshot's explanation is correct. Check out the photo of the slant with the 'Diagonal Razor' card in the box. It basically says the same thing. The slant of the bar is mirrored from one side to the other. Most slant high left to low right but I have a few that are the opposite depending on the manufacturer.