A great all-RazoRock shave with the amazing new Superslant

Italian Barber (aka RazoRock) has quite a bit of experience in making slant razors. It began with his discovering a large stash of vintage white Bakelite Merkur slants, probably made in the 1930s, still intact in original packaging. I have one of these, and it is a remarkably good slant.

That was a one-time deal, and when they were gone, they were gone. But the Italian Barber now had a bee in his bonnet, and he soon offered the Stealth slant, machined in aluminum. I have one, and it’s a wonderful slant, designed so that the handle is held fairly close to the face for the best angle (in contrast to, say, Fine’s aluminum slant or iKon’s stainless slant, both of which require the handle to be held well away from the face for a good glide with no nicks). 

The Stealth went through a few iterations as he tinkered with little adjustments to its design, and then it was dropped in favor of the stainless Wunderbar slant. This is a highly efficient slant that I found to be extremely uncomfortable, including quite prone to nick. Any deviation from perfect technique was quickly punished. Some men — the sort who enjoy a morning challenge (120 pushups, 80 crunches, 1-mile sprint, cold shower) — liked the razor a lot because it was a great razor if your technique was perfect, and you got immediate feedback when your technique faltered. But it was not a good razor for me, and I no longer have it. (I do still have my Stealth.)

Italian Barber has now released the third generation RazoRock slant (in general — I think the Stealth preceded the RazoRock brand name): the Superslant. The Superslant is machined stainless-steel and will eventually be available in 9 levels of efficiency: L1, L1+, L1++, L2, L2+, L2++, L3, L3+, and L3++. The initial release offers only the L1, L1++, L2, L2++, and L3. 

I bought L1++, and I used it this morning. I think he has another winner. It feels more like a regular razor than does the Stealth, and it has all the efficiency of the Wunderbar. I would rate the Superslant as extremely efficient, even among slants (which tend to be more efficient than conventional, “chop-action” razors because of the slant’s sliciing action.

AND the Superslant is extremely comfortable. It feels good on my face (and also in my hand: I like this handle a lot — It has crisp chequering, gives a good grip and excellent control). 

The shave was, in a word, superb. I may buy other baseplates at some point, but the L1++ felt good and did a good job, so I don’t have to rush.

The curve of the baseplate verges on the extreme (think of the RazoRock BBS or Baby Smooth), and that doubtless contributes to the comfort (and perhaps efficiency as well, by ensuring a good angle of attack and making the razor ride on the cap, not the guard).

The razor is currently sold out, but this is early in the product life-cycle, and that first batch was small. The razor soon will arrive in ample quantities, and my recommendation is that you get one.

My RazoRock Keyhole brush is a wonderful little brush and it easily made a fine lather from Zi’ Peppino, a shaving soap I like a lot for both performance and fragrance. That green-tobacco aroma is wonderful.

Three passes produced perfect smoothness, with nary a nick. With a splash of Zi’ Peppino, the ritual was complete.

The tea today is Murchie’s Ceylon Kenilworth: “Ceylon Kenilworth Tea is a bright and oaky Orange Pekoe, with body and strength. The Kenilworth Estate is known for producing creamy teas with rich, full body. A true ‘Orange Pekoe’ size leaf, producing a bright, oaky taste with body and strength. If you were to view Sri Lankan tea growing districts from above, you would see a lush green landscape of close rows of small bushes dotted with occasional prominent buildings of a tea-estate factory.”