Unusual slant razor

**Etalex** · 06-11-2007, 08:04 AM

I just bought the razor below. Now this is what I call a slant! I've measured the angle of the head to around 35 degrees. The manufacturer is Sesam, a Swedish company about which I don't know very much. I assume it dates from around the 50s, but someone else could probably fill me in on that.
The head is in white/cream bakelite, and the handle in dark red bakelite. The head is attached to the handle via a stainless steel attachment, and comes off for opening/blade replacement.
The razor isn't heavy, but it does have some weight, concentrated at the top of the handle, so I think there is some metal inside the handle.
It came in the original box, with three different original Sesam blades, one "Rostfria" (stainless), one "Gold", and one "10 Luxe". It seems that the razor has never been used. I'm very curious to see how it shaves.

Alex

**daniel** · 06-11-2007, 08:07 AM

Are you sure that thing is even safe for use? Yeowch.

**Leisureguy** · 06-11-2007, 08:32 AM

Odd looking. Reminds me of the old "yoyo" --- the weed cutter you swung back and forth when the grass & weeds were too high to mow.

**Etalex** · 06-13-2007, 02:56 AM

I shaved with it this morning. I think I have found my holy grail. For the first time in my life I know what a BBS shave is!
I loaded it with a one-shave-old Feather blade and lathered up some Proraso red. I was careful not to use any pressure, and the relatively light weight of the razor actually seemed to help avoiding pressure. I usually do at least four passes (three with the Merkur slant) plus touch ups, but after two passes with this razor it looked like I was done. To make sure, I did a XTG pass, but noticed that was unnessecary, since the whiskers had already been cut across in the first two passes. Similarly, an ATG pass, or even skin stretching, did not seem to add much.
The result: the closest shave of my life with only a small cut (which was my own fault, since I applied too much pressure to a spot).

I imagine that shaving with this razor is in some ways similar to shaving with a straight or a shavette, but I can't tell since I've never used either. At the same time it is by construction a safety razor, so even though the blade exposure seems to be high, it must be safer than a cut throat.
The shearing action of this razor is wonderful, and the result is extraordinary. However, because it is technically very demanding, I can understand that these razors never became very popular.
The result: the closest shave of my life with only a small cut (which was my own fault, since I applied too much pressure to a spot). I have previously used a Futur, a Merkur slant, and Gillette Slim and Fat boy, respectively.
There is a special kind of satisfaction in shaving with an instrument that probably very few of the other highly regarded gents on this forum have ever tried.

**Leisureguy** · 06-13-2007, 08:29 AM

Gee, now I want one! Sounds very good, and certainly it's an interesting device. I'll keep my eyes peeled, though it certainly must be a rara avis.

BTW, have you ever used the Merkur Slant Bar? How does this compare?

**Etalex** · 06-13-2007, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Leisureguy

Gee, now I want one! Sounds very good, and certainly it's an interesting device. I'll keep my eyes peeled, though it certainly must be a rara avis.

BTW, have you ever used the Merkur Slant Bar? How does this compare?

I would say that the Merkur slant is quite different, although it is certainly closer to the Sesam slant than a non-slant razor. Because of the way the Merkur slant "twists" the blade, I would propose the following analogy with guillotines (I know it is a slightly morbid analogy; it is however very natural):

common non-slant razor - guillotine with non-slanted blade (seems to have been used on precursors to the French guillotines, such as the Scottish Maiden)

Merkur slant - guillotine with a crescent blade (this was apparently the first design proposed by Guillotin's committee)

Sesam slant - modern French guillotine and later (the design with a slanted blade)

The Merkur slant gives a certain amount of shearing action, just like a crescent blade, but it is far away from what a blade with a 35-45 degree angle produces.

Alex

**Leisureguy** · 06-13-2007, 12:03 PM

Good analogy. Thanks. I'm on the lookout for the truly slanted razor. :)

**mace** · 05-04-2011, 06:42 AM

Ahhh

Thank You Etalex!

I just got mine in the post today. Not as strikingly beautiful as Yours, mine has a black handle and a red head.

I will give it a try tomorrow.

More info here: http://www.prv.se/spd/search?lang=en...content=109997

and here: http://www.prv.se/spd/pdf?landkod=SE...3D%3D&dokkod=C

**kingfisher** · 05-04-2011, 06:48 AM

Basically this razor just has the "Gillette Slide" built into it.

It seems to me that a similar effect could be accomplished by just turning your regular razor to an angle and then shaving straight down, but I guess it would be easier to do with this razor because the handle helps guide the way.

Interesting thread.

**amishmotorboat** · 05-04-2011, 07:10 AM

There are others like this.

Neo-Gam
Neo-Lux
Neo-Ras

Other variations on this theme include razors which have a ball joint under the head, like the Peroni and Pacific.

And then there are others like the Mulcuto and various other bakelite razors which have a cap which is thicker on one end than the other, matched with an inversely thick bottom plate, resulting in a slanted blade.

Still others hold the blade normally, but have a wider bar guard on one end than the other.

And then of course there are Merkur, Fasan, and a host of lesser knowns which give the blade a helical twist.