Is there such a thing as an inverse or reverse Merkur slant?

Hi,

I was looking at my slant (39C) and no matter how I hold it, it dips from left to right.

I was wondering if there is one that dips from right to left.

This isn't just an intellectual question, with the current slant when you switch hands, to shave the other cheek or to shave the other side of the upper lip, one side gets the aggressive end and the other side gets the mild end.

This problem could be addressed easily if one were in possession of two specimens one of which would be the mirror image of the other.

Oh and BTW, the mirror version doesn't have to be made by Merkur.

It seems to me that if you use one side for one side of the face and then reverse it for the other side of your face....problem solved.

Of course, I'm still waiting for the coffee to brew so I'm not too brilliant as yet.

tim8557 said:

It seems to me that if you use one side for one side of the face and then reverse it for the other side of your face....problem solved.

Of course, I'm still waiting for the coffee to brew so I'm not too brilliant as yet.

Click to expand...

Actually, no.

Try it yourself. Hold it in front of you with with the narrow end of the rectangle aligned with your body. Now no matter how you hold it, the aggressive end will be on your right and the mild end will be on your left.

Imagine shaving your upper lip from right ear to nose with your right hand. The mild side makes contact with the skin. Then imagine shaving your upper lip from left ear to nose with your left hand. The aggressive side is now in contact with the skin.

QED

It is in this situation that a mirror version would be useful. Then you can use the aggressive side in both directions or the mild side in both directions.

I was just curious if such a thing was available

vsp said:

Hi,

I was looking at my slant (39C) and no matter how I hold it, it dips from left to right.

I was wondering if there is one that dips from right to left.

Click to expand...

Yes, I think Bizarro Superman shaves with one:

There are a few 'no name' slants that tilt opposite of the Merkur. Pomco made one that is a slant on one side and straight across on the other. All the Merkur slants I have seen are the same but I may not have seen them all.

The first one is a Kratz and the second is an Ibsen. They are both pre-WWII German made and have "D.R.G.M." stamps. D.R.G.M. (Deutsches Reichs- Gebrauchs- Muster) was used by the German patent office from 1877 until 1945.

Nice Slants you got there opencombcuke!

vsp said:

Hi,

I was looking at my slant (39C) and no matter how I hold it, it dips from left to right.

I was wondering if there is one that dips from right to left.

This isn't just an intellectual question, with the current slant when you switch hands, to shave the other cheek or to shave the other side of the upper lip, one side gets the aggressive end and the other side gets the mild end.

This problem could be addressed easily if one were in possession of two specimens one of which would be the mirror image of the other.

Click to expand...

Aggressive end, mild end???Whats that mean?

bones59 said:

Aggressive end, mild end???Whats that mean?

Click to expand...

if you look at the pictures of a 39c you'll see more blade is exposed on one end then the other

There is a certain amount of play in the pins that hold it and the blade. When I am tightening down on the top cap I hold the ends of the protruding blade to end up with equal exposure. I don't think that Merkur designed any of their razors to be more aggressive on one side then the other but I may be wrong.

Slant-Fan said:

There is a certain amount of play in the pins that hold it and the blade. When I am tightening down on the top cap I hold the ends of the protruding blade to end up with equal exposure. I don't think that Merkur designed any of their razors to be more aggressive on one side then the other but I may be wrong.

Click to expand...

I have a new 39c and was looking to get this very question answered, thanks.

Slant-Fan said:

There is a certain amount of play in the pins that hold it and the blade. When I am tightening down on the top cap I hold the ends of the protruding blade to end up with equal exposure. I don't think that Merkur designed any of their razors to be more aggressive on one side then the other but I may be wrong.

Click to expand...

I disagree. Forget play or a loose jiggling top cap. Assuming that a well designed, proper fitting DE 39C is a given, just look at the thing. The blade gap is lesser on the left and more on the right - ergo left equals mild and right equals aggressive.

vsp said:

I disagree. Forget play or a loose jiggling top cap. Assuming that a well designed, proper fitting DE 39C is a given, just look at the thing. The blade gap is lesser on the left and more on the right - ergo left equals mild and right equals aggressive.

Click to expand...

When I take a Merkur slant the 37 or the 39C and load a blade there is enough play in mine to move the blade side to side as I am tightening. Perhaps yours was made with closer tolerances.

vsp said:

It is in this situation that a mirror version would be useful. Then you can use the aggressive side in both directions or the mild side in both directions.

I was just curious if such a thing was available

Click to expand...

I think such an arrangement is possible, but it would have to be custom made. No razor that I've ever seen has that type of set-up.

In order to make it work, I think you'd have to use 2 half-blades instead of a single DE.

As long as we're talking about our wish-lists ... I'm wishing for two things ... and I'm surprised no manufacturer has come out with these yet:

I'm looking for a manufacturer to come out with an asymmetrical head ... Straight Bar on one side, Barber Comb on the other.

And I'm looking for a 3 x 3 set with interchangeable handles and heads. Straight / Slant / Comb heads and Long / Regular / HD handles. (I thought I could do this with Merkur, but apparently not. Leesrazors set me straight when we discussed it on the phone.)

Could you get an adjustable and just crank it wide open? Then it'd be agressive all the way across, correct?

dpm802 said:

I'm looking for a manufacturer to come out with an asymmetrical head ... Straight Bar on one side, Barber Comb on the other.

Click to expand...

It's a very good idea.

vsp said:

Hi,

I was looking at my slant (39C) and no matter how I hold it, it dips from left to right.

I was wondering if there is one that dips from right to left.

This isn't just an intellectual question, with the current slant when you switch hands, to shave the other cheek or to shave the other side of the upper lip, one side gets the aggressive end and the other side gets the mild end.
This problem could be addressed easily if one were in possession of two specimens one of which would be the mirror image of the other.

Click to expand...

Man, I'm not buying it. My understanding of the "slant bar" Is it forces the blade into a diagonal path relative to the direction of travel. In other words, instead of pulling your razor down and forward, or down and backwards at the same time (diagonal)(advanced technique). You just pull down, or up, and the slant bar head does what the other technique would do, it slices the whiskers off. I hope that makes sense.

bones59 said:

Man, I'm not buying it. My understanding of the "slant bar" Is it forces the blade into a diagonal path relative to the direction of travel. In other words, instead of pulling your razor down and forward, or down and backwards at the same time (diagonal)(advanced technique). You just pull down, or up, and the slant bar head does what the other technique would do, it slices the whiskers off. I hope that makes sense.

Click to expand...

OK everyone, forget the term mild and aggressive - we can debate that in a separate thread.

I hope everyone got the question - the current one dips from left to right.

Is there one that dips from right to left? Someone posted pictures of very old razors a few posts up.

Is there a _new_ unused razor available that I could consider for purchase that would satisfy my requirement? (As I said, we can debate the requirement itself in another thread)

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=520199&postcount=9

One more guy who thinks right is aggressive and left is mild