Anybody still make a decent slant razor? Merkur doesn't make them as they used to.

The threading on my old Merkur bakelite (guessing 1930s) has worn out in the handle. Picked up a 39C thinking I would get the same thing.

I find it horrible in comparison. Not a smooth shave and very mild, yet irritating. Using a Polsilver blade. I actually fished out my old bakelite from the bathoom trash as the head is still good and thinking of finding another old merkur razor and swapping out the handle. If anyone has tips, would appreciate.

So I took to measuring the angle, and got this:


Very weak. My old one has a angle of 11.4 while this modern model has an angle of just 3 degrees? Wow. Not cool. Not at all.

For those that don't understand slant, which seems to commonplace, here is a basic graphic I did to explain what it does:



Other people explain it differently, but the way I think of it is like a snow plow. The blade is the same length (as they're standard) but if you put your plow at an angle, you attacking less area (hair) and thus with more blade. Same here. So more angle gets more "slant" effect.

Also, looking on top, I noticed this is particularly bad design from Merkur for the new one.



vs



On my old one, the blade sticks out uniformly and is equidistant from the edge of the comb guides. Not so with the new one. I don't think their designers accounted for the slant's geometry. On either side, the blade sticks out more at one end than on the other (opposite sides, opposite ends). Imagine if it did that with your normal razor? Same result: ouch! What I think caused my irritation.

Tested it many times changing the blad, this is the razor's natural tendency. Now, I can force it to be uniform distance, but that is not the natural drop in result I got with my old one.

Not here to bash a razor many people like. To be fair, the quality on this feels solid, like a mini-barbell when the bakelite was feather-light (my pref) and the chroming seems heavy. The price is fair for all that. but I feel the design messed up what was so nice in the original and many people must be missing out on an extinct classic.

Sigh. Anyone have suggestions? Either to fix the old one (thread is on the top of the handle - is that interchangeable with other Merkur's of the era) or for a new slant?

I don't, really. I have a modern production 37C that I use occasionally and I've been happy with. But I've never tried one of the old Bakelite versions to compare with. My vintage slant (Mulcuto) is on the mild end of the spectrum.

I wonder if it's worth tracking down a vintage Hoffritz slant. They're still Merkur, but perhaps don't have the same issue with the head geometry you're experiencing.

Others may have better suggestions.

maybe seller change this defective merkur

You've got the blade in wrong. The edge of the blade should be parallel with the top cap, not the safety bar. Also, I find the 39c shaves much smoother with a steep blade angle.

I've never used the vintage slant, so it could very well be the better shaver. But I definitely get smooth, close, and comfortable shaves from my 39c. I think it's a great design.

That is the angle of that head for the better part of 70 years... All they did was scallop the cap. There used to be more aggressive forms of slant besides.. And you have the blade in wrong on that. Align to the cap's line

If you like your old one so much, have a helicoil repair done on the handle's threads or something

Razorock Stealth Slant (I have an aluminum v2) is not bad, but a bit mild for my taste.

You have to differentiate between Schrägschnitt und Torsionshobel. Your old model is Schrägschnitt -- you could practically duplicate that by using any Gillette and holding the handle at 11.4 degrees.

The Torsionshobel will actually twist the blade, an entirely different experience. I agree that you're not correctly aligning the blade but the razors are like apples and oranges. I would consider searching eBay.de for a suitable replacementif that's what you want as they're certainly still out there.

I don't have one but I hear the ikon slant and the ATT slants are good.

videdster said:

I don't have one but I hear the ikon slant and the ATT slants are good.

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I have both the iKon Slant w/ Teflon coating and ATT S1 and both are top notch razors. The latter is my favourite shaver.

I also have the Ikon and the ATT S1 and am not entirely thrilled with either. I don't think either is as slanted as your old Merkur especially the ATT. I have alignment issues with both of them though the ATT is probably not too bad in this arena.

I'm curious, what don't you like with them?

211bma said:

I also have the Ikon and the ATT S1 and am not entirely thrilled with either. I don't think either is as slanted as your old Merkur especially the ATT. I have alignment issues with both of them though the ATT is probably not too bad in this arena.

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Looks like you need a shavecraft #102, not a torsion slant

I don't like the blade alignment problems especially on the Ikon, and the ATT is barely a slant but there are still some alignment issues. I tried to contact ATT I heard that they were really great in the customer service department but never heard back. Of the two I prefer the Ikon it is probably the razor I get the most audio feedback from though.

Yeah, I think I might like the 102 but can't seem to coordinate having enough disposable income with being able to find it in Stock somewhere!

nemo said:

You have to differentiate between Schrägschnitt und Torsionshobel. Your old model is Schrägschnitt -- you could practically duplicate that by using any Gillette and holding the handle at 11.4 degrees.

The Torsionshobel will actually twist the blade, an entirely different experience. I agree that you're not correctly aligning the blade but the razors are like apples and oranges. I would consider searching eBay.de for a suitable replacementif that's what you want as they're certainly still out there.

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+1 What Doug said. Your original bakelite slant is a "humpbacked" slant like the Mulcuto, which is the inspiration for the Ikon #102. This is the modern razor you should try as I think it should give you the closest experience to your bakelite. They should be back in stock soon. FWIW I just got one used and while I've not tried any other slant, I really like it and find it to be a better shave than any conventional razor I've used. Just my $0.02.

I have a 39C and it works great. Have had no problems with it at all and it has worked well with my blades and the gap is good and even. I would look into Above The Tie's Slant. They make incredible stuff. It's not cheap, but the quality is top notch and you can dial in what you want with them.

The only slant I've used is my ATT S2. It's a wonderful shave, almost as close as my R41 but not quite as close as my H2. Smoother than my H2. I have no alignment issues, but I do need to crank the handle down.

surfshaver said:

+1 What Doug said. Your original bakelite slant is a "humpbacked" slant like the Mulcuto, which is the inspiration for the Ikon #102. This is the modern razor you should try as I think it should give you the closest experience to your bakelite. They should be back in stock soon. FWIW I just got one used and while I've not tried any other slant, I really like it and find it to be a better shave than any conventional razor I've used. Just my $0.02.

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Heads up, they are available today, i just ordered one.

Alex3030 said:

Heads up, they are available today, i just ordered one.

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From where--They still say out of stock