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The Bakelite Slant

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A “new old stock” (NOS) razor has been making a splash lately, the Bakelite Slant.   Manufacturered in Germany decades ago, it’s currently offered in very limited supply by The Italian Barber (the best way to check for inventory may be to follow @razorockjoe on twitter), the NOS Bakelite Slant has been generating a lot of interest in parts of the old school wet shaving community so I decided to get one to try for myself.

The Slant Razor Design

For those of you unfamiliar with a slant-style double-edge razor, it has an intentionally odd head geometry, “torquing” a blade so it cuts hair at an angle rather than straight on. Think of it like a guillotine or a snow plow.  Here’s a video I made a while back that touches on how it works:

If you want all the dirty details, HERE is a more in-depth explanation (hat tip to the Shave Nook forum 🙂 )
The only slant design razor extant has been the Merkur Slant (models 37C and 39C), so I think it’s natural to compare them.  The Merkur is an all-metal razor vs. the Bakelite’s, well, plastic material.  Here are the Bakelite and the Metal versions side-by-side:
The Bakelite is a three-piece razor, while the Merkur has two pieces.  As you can see the Merkur head is considerably smaller but it looks like the Bakelite razor torques the blade a bit more (though I don’t have any way of measuring it to confirm).  The weight difference is dramatic: 0.5 oz. for the Bakelite vs. 2.6 oz for the Merkur 37C.

So…How Does It Shave?

Shaving with the metalic Merkur Slant has–for me–been surprisingly pedestrian: pretty much like shaving with any other heavy duty DE razor, such as the Merkur HD.  That is, until it’s loaded with a high-performance blade like a Feather or an Iridium/Polsilver. Then it becomes incredibly efficient, mowing down anything in it’s path.  On the other hand, I must be extremely careful of technique: A Merkur Slant/Feather combo requires close attention lest there be blood drawn.
I’ve also used lightweight, plastic razors before (including the Merkur Bakelite) and always found them OK but inferior to heavier, better balanced razors.
So I wasn’t about to try the Bakelite with a Feather on the first try.  Instead I loaded my favorite “middle of the road” blade, an Israeli-made Personna (AKA Crystal).  The Crystal works well for me and I find it “forgiving” but still “sharp enough” (“your mileage may vary” of course).  Those previous experiences, combined with the middle-of-the-road blade, tempered my expectations considerably.  Frankly, I wasn’t expecting much out of the shave.
(By the way, the balance of my “shave of the day” included the WSP Monarch brush, RazoRock “Don Marco” soft shaving soap, and Ursa Major toner and aftershave balm. More on those products later….)
And the first few strokes on my cheek seemed to confirm that expectation.  However, as I started to work at it and subtly adjust the razor angle and pressure I suddenly found a sweet-spot.  The clouds parted, the rays of the sun shown down, and I may have even heard a Heavenly Chorus in the distance (though it could have been choir practice at the church the next block over).  The Bakelite’s larger head presented a bit of a challenge under my nose but with some judicious schnoz-manipulation I was able to get by.  My cynical expectations were smashed and I was rewarded with an excellent shave!
Subsequent shaves were equally good–close, comfortable, and smooth.
Perhaps it’s the (possibly) greater torquing but I find a high-performance blade wholly unnecessary in this razor.  I don’t think this would be a good razor for a beginner, others just aren’t going to care for the very light weight and plastic look, and some may be put off trying it by the steadily rising price (supply vs. demand at work).  But an experienced shaver should be able to eventually “dial in” the right angle and pressure to use it effectively and get a terrific shave.

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17 thoughts on “The Bakelite Slant”

  1. Just jagged a lovely brown bakelite german slant razor,boxed,called a GASO-95.Its brand new.really well made brass screw and ferrule baseplate a really thick hunk of bakelite,heavy.It looks scary and i am happy to use neos and other slants.This one scares me tho anybody heard of it.?

  2. Mark, any chance you or anyone you know is willing to sell your bakelite? There are two items in my husband’s shaving collection he has told me many times if I use they’re not really replaceable & to be incredibly careful with. You’ve probably guessed one is his bakelite slant. Well tonight when I was getting my shavestick out of the cabinet his bakelite fell out and broke the top clean in half. I’m in desperate need of a new razor or at least a new head if someone has a broken handle one. That would help out this little wife tremendously.

  3. Weight is always a concern for me… I just love the heaviness of the typical Merkur 34C and my lovely weber dlc.
    Question… can you screw in a bulldog handle, or is it all one piece?

  4. I have been looking at this razor for a while thanks to Palpz’s reviews on this blog and his own blog. After the review from Mantic, I sat at my desk refreshing Italian Barber’s website and corresponding twitter feed until he posted more of them for sale. Once he did I jumped on them and bought one. I can’t wait to try it out.

          1. not at all… a customer offered to make a sample for me, so we are giving it a try; I have no clue if it will work or not, but I love to experiment and throw ‘stuff at the wall’… life gets boring without fun little projects;-)

  5. Great review. I enjoy mine, still getting used to the feel however.
    One question I have about the Bakelite is why they stopped producing it? Is it because it is made from Bakelite?

  6. Same here: took a while to learn/”tune in” to the right angle, but once located, the shave is extremely comfortable while being extremely close—and with no burn or nicks. Quite a remarkable little razor. It took several shaves before I fully “got it” and then I really fell in love with the razor.
    I use my regular blades (Astra Superior Platinum and Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge, mainly) with no problems. Feathers tend to be nicky for me, so I wouldn’t use them in this razor for sure.

  7. Great review! I’ve used the bakelite slant a few times and it’s an excellent shaver. I hope that those companies who have slant razors in production take note on its design.

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