Slant Razors and the Gillette "Slide"

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by eddieb20842, Jun 10, 2018.

  1. HMan

    HMan New Member

    I’m curious, how many people are using the Gillette Slide technique?
     
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  2. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    I do the "Primo Slide", a variation on the Gillette Slide. The difference is that I tilt the razor head and still pull straight down towards the handle.
     
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  3. Tallships

    Tallships Well-Known Member

    I've used the Gillette Slide since the early '60's , I just angle my razor and go streight up (ATG shaver) or what ever direction my beard grows. Never really knew the terminology "Gillette Slide"when teaching my boys, I just learned by my dad's show and tell method, that's the way I taught my boys.
     
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  4. ordinaryshaver

    ordinaryshaver Well-Known Member

    Not only was Gillette an expert salesman, he was a great marketer. He took a technique that was from a previous technology, one that had it's own set of followers, and it's chief players, and made it his own.
    I have seen literature that first named this the "Gem" slide, that's right, it was first used in single edge shaving.
    While I can't speak to one slicing a layer of skin off, I can confirm that when I use the GEM or Gillette slide with my SE razors I do notice a bit of an improvement.
    Of course I also have to J hook and buff as well, but that just may be my growth.
     
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  5. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    I'm not sure I would give King Gillette personal credit for any of this. The first Gillette instructions pictured straight up and down strokes. By 1918 we were told short slanting strokes (not a slide). AFAIK the slide makes its appearance with the New Improved, some time after 1921, at which time KG was living in California and worrying about real estate and oranges.
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
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  6. ordinaryshaver

    ordinaryshaver Well-Known Member

    I stand corrected. I could have sworn I had seen it advertised in GEM phamplets before that time, however it appears as though I was mistaken
     
  7. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    You may indeed have seen it in Gem pamphlets but not Gillette's until after 1921.
     
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  8. ordinaryshaver

    ordinaryshaver Well-Known Member

    That's what I was trying to say, basically that it was in GEM phamplets before it was in Gillettes. It was called the GEM slide, before it was known colluqially as the Gillette slide.
     
  9. jmudrick

    jmudrick Type A Man

    Possible. My point is that King Gillette likely had nothing to do with Gillette's adoption of the technique as he had little to do with operations after 1910. These pre-Micromatic instructions don't mention the slide.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2018
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  10. ordinaryshaver

    ordinaryshaver Well-Known Member

    Gotcha. Sorry, I was confused about your original post.
     
  11. Tallships

    Tallships Well-Known Member

    I wonder when this so called Gillette Slide was invented or thought of. My dad was born in 1910, so he said he started shaving, i'd guess 1925, at age 15, like I did, His father taught him to shave and after he got his technique right, he was taught to first angle the razor then go straight down or up, like he taught me. He used to say "picture the blade as the blade of a guillotine it cuts the hairs better that way".
    Instead of holding razor straight and then angle downward, as pictured above. I was taught to first angle the razor, then shave straight up or down, both my dad and i shaved ATG, I still do.
     
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  12. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    That's what I do, but I call it the "Primo Glide" :)
     
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  13. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    068a653a68a191b77ee8ffea03f85015.jpg
    As Tom and I have proved, some vintage Gillette razors can be turned into slants, and if I can do it to a Tech, Gillette could have, far more easily. The only conclusion I can draw is that Gillette, as a company, had zero interest in the slant concept.
     
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  14. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    WOW, you guys are a creative bunch. Very nice and thanks for sharing. That is not a easy task with out wrecking the razor. How does it shave?
     
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  15. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Pretty much like a Tech. A tad bit more blade feel, and the blade feel is SE like, due to the twist adding stiffness to the blade.

    Probably qualifies for "mildest slant ever." Swapping out the handle for a stainless one ups the aggression to a two pass shave for me. (4 pass shave with the original handle).

    Adding two shims takes it to red tip levels of aggression with plenty of blade feel. More than I'm comfortable with.

    I think it's a smooth and comfortable shaver, and would be a great intro razor for someone interested in trying slants for the first time.

    The pre-war version is a bit more aggressive than it's post war brother. Still a smooth shaver, but harder to slant. Some of that is due to lack of experience on my part. It usually takes me a razor or two to work out issues with slanting a particular model razor.

    Tom has a lighter touch than I do, and claims he can feel the blade during the whole shave. He too prefers a heavy handle combo with the Tech slant. He thinks it's the best DE razor he's ever used, but he's also a committed SE shaver who rarely uses DE razors. @twhite (tagging him). He can add more to this if he wants.
     
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