I tried two slants this morning, but didn’t reach much of a conclusion. The effort was in response to this post by NeedsMoreMenthol on Wicked_Edge:

To all iKon #102 owners out there, I’d like to propose a little experiment. Try to consciously shave with the razor “un-tilted” as depicted in this diagram . It doesn’t take much, you only have to deviate by one handle diameter. My guess is that most people will find it shaves pretty much the same whether it’s tilted or not. It is my opinion that the #102 gets its shave qualities from the geometry of the head, and not by the tilt. Much like the legendary Gillette NEW (not a slant), which many people think gives the best shave of any razor ever made, iKon seems to have hit the formula just right (blade exposure, gap, angle, etc).

To show how slants differ in their slant, I lined up (L to R) a Merkur 37G, the #102, and the Above the Tie S1:

As you can see, the #102 has more slant than the S1, and perhaps more than the 37G. I tried to add a line to show the slant:

It looks to me as though the #102 has more slant than the others (thus more shearing advantage).

At any rate, after applying a wonderful lather from the organic asses’-milk shaving soap, using my new Plisson synthetic, I essayed the experiment—to no great success. I found it difficult to hold the handle at an angle, but I did satisfy myself that I do not unconsciously untilt the #102 (or the 37G, which I used for half my face). I was not able to shave enough to see whether the shave is the same without a slant, but in theory it should not be: a slanted blade cuts with more a shearing action than a straight blade, which cuts with a compressive action—pushing straight at the thing cut—which is why the Gillette slide is employed with a regular razor: to get some of the advantage of the slant.

I gave up because (a) it was difficult for me to untilt the blade, and (b) I could not shave enough each way to get a good comparison. I certainly detect in my general shaving that the #102 shaves with less resistance than, say, the #101 (not a slant), and I’m happy with that.

A good splash of Italian Stallion aftershave milk from Mickey Lee Soapworks, and a new week begins.