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open comb or slant?

I started a month ago with a Weber. Nice mild razor. Wanted to feel the power of the Muhle R41G. I've been using it for a couple of weeks. It's a wonderful razor. BBS with a couple of passes. I have a Merkur 39C HD. on order. I can't wait to compare my shaves between the two.
 
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Slant. My Merkur 39c is one of the best razors i own and it gives me a close, comfortable shave regardless how much beard growth. I love using it after a few days of growth and watch it mow down the hairs. Get a 39c if you want to shave with the sledgehammer!!!

sledgehammer
(ˈslɛdʒˌhæmə)n1. (Tools) a large heavy hammer with a long handle used with both hands for heavy work such as forging iron, breaking rocks, etc
2. (modifier) resembling the action of a sledgehammer in power, ruthlessness, etc: a sledgehammer blow.
 
Got both, rarely use the comb and the slant isn't all that. Hard to argue for buying "another one" if you're getting a good shave with what you've got. This is a diminishing returns business if there ever was one...
 
The correct answer is both. :thumbup:

Slants and open combs are my two favorite types of razors. Slants are super efficient, and OC's are nice to mix it up too, and can be quite aggressive (in a good way).

- Badger Bill
 
Got both, rarely use the comb and the slant isn't all that. Hard to argue for buying "another one" if you're getting a good shave with what you've got. This is a diminishing returns business if there ever was one...

What's your daily razor of choice?
 
Haven't tried a slant yet, but use an open comb as my daily shaver. Love the feel and close shaves I get with it. Currentrly using a Merkur but have a couple of Gillettes in my collection. Nice clean comfortable shave. Gotta try a slant one of these days.
 
If you're still new to this and get nicks and weepers a lot, I would go with the slant. I find them more user friendly. OC can be a little tough to handle at first but they are worth it when you get the technique down. I have two R 41s (2011 and 2013) and while they shave great they really demand your concentration. The 37c gives a great shave but can be used daily. And of course, YMMV :)
 
I like both but I lean towards the 39C. Among the OCs I have and like are the Gillette New, The Gem OCMM and the Gem 1912.

I should mention that I get incredible blade longevity with the slant. A Feather in a conventional razor will give me two good shaves and that is all. The same bladw will give me 19 close and comfortable shaves in the 39C.
 
Great info. Think I'll just have to get both to figure it out for myself.

That is what I did. I noticed I prefer OC, but this is a very much YMMV.

A slant will always have a different angle on the right side than on the left. This was not fitting well for me. I want the blade to have the same angle everywhere along the edge. Now the slant tries to compensate the difference in angle by having different gap. The problem still remains the same. The shaving experience along the edge will be different as the whiskers will be sliced at different angles.

For a slant to not have this problem, you would need to have a special made blade (which would probably be proprietary and not mass produced by different vendors).

OC razors on the other hand have less blade stiffness as a slight disadvantage over slants. I find this to be a minor disadvantage. As the whiskers can stand as they are between the pins in the comb, OC razors are working really well on longer growth. Of course they work well on smallest stubble too. I find blade buffing to be more nice with OC razors also,.
 
I like both, but I have to admit that slants give me a much smoother/closer shave it seems. Maybe it's just a skewed impression, but I do love my slant shaves.
 
I have the exact same doubt about the choice for my next razor...and I think it will be the R41, I will leave the slant for later,and then my choice will be the 39C.
I absolutely love the looks of the R41 ! And most people agree on its amazing performance.
 
You should try both, but I would start with an OC. I have recently become a convert. However, I could not find any advantage to a slant and will be selling my Sledgehammer soon. YMMV, as you can tell from the posts in this thread.
 
i am on the fence with this question. I rotate my Gillette New LC's and SC's with my slants, which include 39c, 37c, Hoffritz, and Ikon. Wonderful shaves from all.

Gus
 
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