0530hrs and it’s a cold morning, well for Asia, think it rained during the night , so scuttle time! (rare event that I actually use hot water instead of ice in the scuttle) and thought I might as well make this a PAA shave, including digging out PAA’s Atomic Rocket brush.
Great scent. Fantastic shave. Between the Ascension and the Masamune, I don’t feel the urge to pick up the Model T. Well I did for last evening’s shave, setting it to 1, wasn’t a BBS, didn’t felt like chasing BBS with it, just wanted to clean up and even at setting 1 the blade felt way too much like a shavette.
Rockwell really fucked up with the Model T. And yes, several days and still no response to the email I sent. That is terrible customer service from Rockwell.
Went to their site and tried chatting with a CS via online chat. Finally got a response and they will be sending me a replacement T bar. Apparently someone in management was drafting a reply but never got around to sending a reply. Since it is very possible that mine is borked they promised that it will fix the blade Alignment and extreme blade exposure feel. We’ll see.
And finally, I am just going to say one thing that anyone who has used Atomic Bay Rum will understand. “THE BURN! THE BURN!!! WHOOOOOO!”
Going to game a bit till time to go to the doctors. Doc wants to see me and take more blood for tests. Can’t eat till that is done due needing to fast. Bah! I want my bacon.
The problem when you have too many (or as I keep telling my wife, “No such thing as too many soaps!”) great soaps is that you can take awhile to get around to using all of them. Been awhile since I used Soap Commander.
Awesome, fanfuckingtastic performance.
Coupled with PAA’s Ascension with a Feather Blade (best buffing razor ever) and I got a perfect, no cuts, no nicks, no weeper, no irritation, true glass “I keep touching myself” BBS shave.
Finishing with the Clubman Pinaud’s Brandy spice and Soap Commander’s Ambition aftershave balm was just icing on the cake. Brandy Spice’s scent plays very nicely with Ambition’s light sandalwood, verbena and citrus scent, loving it!
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
Praise John Frum! Amazing, awesome musk sandalwood scent.
Still taking a break from the Model T. Will go back to it after this, technique, care and familiarity, or that is what I tell myself is what one needs to get perfect shaves with a DE Razor, and I’ll need to develop all the above with that Razor.
The Ascension on the other hand, perfect true glass BBS shave easy. Still by far my favorite weapon of choice.
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
After much hype, a good many “perfect 5 stars” recommendations, and a crazy long wait, I finally received mine and was initially really happy to be able to pack up my 6S and perhaps store it to hand it down to one of my sons in the future. The reality is, if you loved your Rockwell 6C/S, this isn’t anywhere as good as, nor even close to the performance of the Rockwell 6C/S and if you own a 6C/S, hang on to them.
THE CONs : As of time of writing I have a digital caliper on the way but until then I will not have any exact measurements. I will update this post with the actual values when I am able to.
Positive Blade Exposure vs Neutral Blade exposure vs negative blade exposure.
From Badger and bladeWithout BladeWith Blade, notice the thread displacement.
Above pictures are not the most scientific of measurements (I’ll update when I get my calipers) but it does show that the Model T is a blade positive exposure razor.
The Rockwell Model T has a significant positive blade exposure compared to the 6C/S which is set to neutral. One of the reasons why the 6C/S is loved by myself is that the blade geometry whether you use a R1 plate or a R6 plate is neutral. That is to say given a +/-0.02mm variation, the blade isn’t usually sticking out nor is it inwards of your shave plane. This leads to a very smooth shaves while still having the blade set to have good contact against the skin to guillotine growth off.
I can only guess why Rockwell decided to go positive exposure instead of remaining neutral but this drastically changed how the razor behaved.
By itself it would not be so bad, however there is another flaw in the Model T that can catch even an experienced shaver unawares, especially when they are used to the perfect blade set up of the 6C/S and cause a significantly bad shave.
Blade alignment and balance. As you can see from the picture, one side has significantly more blade exposed than the other. I’d expect this from a made in China $10-20 razor, not in from $150 razor. While this is not 100% of the time, it has occurred often enough that I have to reset the blade positioning by opening and closing the silo till it sets properly in almost every other shave.
You can imagine the shave you get if you didn’t pay attention, while using a very sharp blade (Feathers for example) with an already blade positive exposure geometry on the side that has a significant part of the blade sticking out. And I am now wondering how many who have already commented on the very aggressive shave of the Model T might have very well shaved with a side that had a little too much blade or if they had noticed this problem at all. I don’t think I have seen it mentioned before, because I do believe like myself, we expected the Model T to not have such an issue.
The Model T hasn’t been one to give me “comfortable” shaves, well maybe if I set it permanently at ” 1 ” and leave it there, but that would defeat the purpose of buying an adjustable. While it does give me perfect BBS for all my shaves so far, care is needed and even so, I did nick myself once, with the odd weeper now and then. This is far from the almost perfect record my 6S had for not nicking me or causing weepers at all. I had hoped to retire the 6S but it seems that the Model T will be the one packed up instead.
The other thing that annoyed me was the lack of branding on the Model T. At the very least I was expecting a logo somewhere but there is nothing to indicate that this is in fact a “Rockwell” product. Probably to cut cost and production time and it is a rather minor thing but still, this isn’t a “cheap” (probably OEMed by Weishi / Baili) razor.
To be fair, there are a number of Pros. Well made adjuster, good heft and feel (even though I did wished it to have been a little heavier) good silo mechanism sans the blade setting issue. If it had set the blade perfectly every time, I’d definitely score it higher at 4 or 4.5 but as such, if you were to be honest, there is no way that this razor should have scored so many perfect 5 stars reviews given its price and final product quality. It is as if those people only used the razor once, had a good shave and or because of confirmation bias, decided to validate their purchase.
Saving the best for last, if it is true that Proraso is going to discontinue the Siingle Edge Line of soaps and support software, best to get some while you can. This scent is the best of Proraso so far, at least for me. Other then Proraso Green, this is my favourite Proraso and I will miss it if it’s no longer available.
Going with the really sharp blades in the Model T and setting it to mild setting after yesterday’s two shaves with BiCs is performing as expected. While I don’t really like the positive blade exposure, I can work with it and with a little care, the sharp and mild setting just takes anything and everything off the face with barely any effort. The corked feather ran really smooth and like a broken record, the Model T gave yet another true glass “I keep touching myself” BBS shave.
But, for the first time in months, I got a nick this time. Was going up ATG just under the left cheek and the blade caught and bit. My fault though, I should have stretched the skin more.
If I keep to the sharper blades, I don’t foresee the need to go higher then setting 3 and most times just keep it at 2 and in between. Each shave needs a light touch but so far every shave has been a perfect BBS.
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
Pre-Shave : Shower , Proraso Wood and Spice Pre-Shave
Huh. Well this is one of those times where expectations and reality were two different beasts.
Based on the shaves previously with Rockwell’s own milder blades, I expected the when using the Bic for the blade to bite a little but instead it at setting 2, it was not only a smoother experience, it was also a very comfortable shave resulting in, again, a true glass BBS shave.
Probably in part, that I went down to setting 2, probably in part due to the blade just taking off growth like hot knife on butter. No cuts, nicks, irritation. Huh.
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
Pre-shave : Shower, Proraso White Pre-Shave
Soap : Proraso White
Razor : Rockwell Model T Setting 2, w/Bic Blade (1)
Still on #Prorasoweek and this time the very earthy Cypress and Vetyver. Proraso’s single blade line addresses some of the complaints that their creams not being slick enough but to be honest, I never really had any issues with their main line of creams.
While true that they may not be as slick as some artisan soaps can be, they get the job down. Though, I am pretty sure no one complains about lack of slickness with the single blade line.
The Model T is no doubt a performer. Again, it easily cleared all areas leaving true glass BBS skin behind. After tonight’s shave, I’ll be going with the more sharper blades, I foresee myself only going two passes with the razor when doing so.
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
Pre-Shave : Shower, Proraso Cypress and Vetyver Pre-shave
Soap : Proraso Cypress & Vetyver
Razor : Rockwell Model T at 3 w/Rockwell Blade (2)
Post shave : Proraso Cypress and Vetyver Beard Balm (works on skin just fine)
Can’t do a Proraso Week without Proraso Green. Love that Eucalyptus Menthol blast! I have a ton of Proraso Pre-Shaves to clear out so gonna use them very liberally.
The Rockwell Model T Adjustable Safety Razor
Material
Brass, stainless steel, chromed zinc alloy
Razor Weight
125 grams
Razor Length
95mm (3.74 inches)
Handle Length
89mm (3.5 inches)
Note that the blade is fully housed so there are no tabs showing and the silo mechanism is the type that requires you to make further turns of the mechanism knob after the doors are closed to set the razor up for use.
There is also a very slight positive blade exposure, just enough that you will definitely feel blade contact on your skin even with the lightest touch. This may also affect your technique, as the leeway that you had with the more forgiving 6C/S is no longer there. Newbies who are used to the 2C, 6C/S might press a little too hard and cause the blade to bite. A little care and presence of mind and you’ll be fine.
So how does it shave? While you might be using a safety razor, because of the more aggressive blade contact against your skin, at times especially when you go against the grain, this feels more like a Shavette shave, if not that of a traditional straight edge blade Razor.
Because of this, this razor is not as smooth nor will it be as forgiving compared to the 6C/S but so far, every shave I have with it on setting “3”, with the Rockwell Blade which is not the sharpest out there, has given me nothing but true Glass BBS shaves, even clearing my difficult spots with ease. Finding the right angle is really easy, the feel of the blade more than anything else is a great guide.
I will be trying the razor with other blades in the following days. With the positive blade exposure I am a little concerned how this guy will perform when using the sharper blades like BiCs, Feathers and Dorco Primes. I guess I’ll find out.
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
Pre-Shave : Shower, Proraso Green Pre-Shave
Soap : Proraso Green
Razor : Rockwell Model T w/Rockwell Blade (1)
Post Shave : Proraso Green Aftershave Splash, Prep Balm
After yesterday’s Proraso Red run, I now have the urge to use just give all my Proraso soaps some love and well needed use. They were after all my gateway into artisanal soaps.
2nd use of the razor from my own experience with the 6S, the Model T definitely has a more pronounced blade feel so I am pretty sure that there is definitely a slightly more positive blade exposure value compared to the true neutral of the 6S. So those who are thinking that the Model T will behave like the 6C/Ss will be disappointed.
I am going to keep the Model T in rotation to get a better feel of it but should be able to do a full write up tomorrow, after tonight’s evening shave.
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
Pre-Shave : Shower, Proraso Green
Soap : Proraso Blue
Razor : Rockwell Model T w/Rockwell Blade (1)
Post Shave : Nivea Men Deep Aftershave Splash, Proraso Blue Balm
Steve's Wet Shaving in Singapore 