SteveInSac—February 9, 2024
Short story: I've had this razor for several weeks and finally had the real test tonight shaving my head. I started out with the #1 razor for my morning shave until working up to the #3, which is about perfect for me. It's great that I can still go up a few more for even closer shaves. Close shave with no irritation and no nicks. The razor has a thick handle and good weight so it's easy to control. This was the first time shaving my head with a single blade, so it took a bit longer but no nicks. I was hesitant to spend the $$ for the Rockwell, but it's money well spent. This will last the rest of my life. Long story: I'd been a member of dollar shave club for a number of years and while I didn't like the waste and the cost, I got a decent enough shave. They up and changed their razor style which is horrible and I started looking for options. I saw an ad on Instagram for a safety razor and I was intrigued, but after buying their razor, you had to buy their proprietary single blades. That got me thinking about an old travel razor I had inherited. I've started to become pretty disillusioned with all the marketing of what amounts to disposable products. This IG advertised safety razor was selling the concept of old single blade shaving, but by buying their razor you're tied to using their blades at a buck apiece. Sure, it's better than the multi-blade razors that are expensive and filling up landfills, but with how inexpensive the double edge blades are, why did we ever stop doing it the old way? I bought the Astra blades - a pack of 100 for $8.50 - and was already way ahead of that advertised brand. The travel razor I have is vintage, but still in pretty good shape. It's small though and not much to it. I got a really nice shave with it, even though I had to endure a few nicks and abrasions until I got the hang of it. I stuck with it and it was doing the job, but I already knew I was already going down the rabbit hole. I won an auction for a vintage Gillette adjustable razor. It was just about $25, which is a decent price. I discovered that the popular vintage razors can set you back $100 or more. So, the one I bought was reasonably priced, but as it turned out there was no setting I could use that didn't cause at least a fair amount of abrasions or a few nicks. I was already looking at another vintage razor when I decided to research new razors. I looked into the Merkur and Muhle, but ultimately settled on the Rockwell. I didn't know just how well the interchangeable plates would work, but it's a pretty simple and effective design. As I said, the razor has a nice weight to it - most of that comes from the plates. I started with the #1 and it did a decent job, but it took a few passes to get a close shave. The #2 was better. The #3 though has been the sweet spot for my daily shave, but I may end up moving up to the 4 for head shaves. Again, I like the flexibility of the different plates to find the perfect setup. Overall, I'm quite happy with the Rockwell and while I was starting to get into the vintage razors and potentially collecting, I have no reason to now. Happily. Read more
Froze—April 17, 2024
I have a Viking Emperor adjustable razor, and it was a good razor till it became corroded and the base metal wore off and I started getting shaving irritation. After much research, I decided to try the Rockwell 6C and the reviews DID NOT disappoint! If this is your first time using a safety razor, I suggest you start out using side 1 of plate 1 till you get about 6 months of experience with it, then flip that plate over and go to side 2 for about 6 months, then exchange the plate for the next one up and use side 3 for 6 months, then go to side 4 for 6 months, after that it's up to you if you want to try side 5 or 6, must people after experience will use side 4 or 5 depending on the coarseness of the beard. Some blades may require you to go up or down a number, you won't know till you use a blade and get a sense of how it's cutting. Once you find a blade you really like, stay with it, then you don't have to guess about which plate/side to use. As the reviews said, this razor gives an extremely smooth shave, and nearly impossible to get a nick, I don't want to say impossible but so far, I haven't gotten a single nick which with the old razor I would get at least one every time I shaved. This razor uses plates instead of a butterfly system to adjust the blade pitch for closeness, and while having to change plates is a bit of a hassle vs twisting a knob, the pitch is consistent with the plates which is why it shaves so smoothly while the butterfly system cannot do that as well...according to reviews. That type of system makes swapping blades a bit of a hassle vs butterfly styles, but I am more than willing to put up with that hassle in exchange for the extremely smooth irritation and nick-free shave I'm getting. Blade choice is a personal thing, unfortunately, you have to try a lot of different ones till you find the one that works best for you and your razor. According to the reviews, the stainless steel (S) version could last longer, but it's not as smooth shaving as the chrome plated (C) version according to reviews, but the S version is made in the USA, and the C version is engineered in the USA but made in China. I wish that Rockwell would bring the production of the C version back to the USA, but I opted for the C version because of the reported smoothness of the shave over the C. I opted for the gunmetal chrome version, and I'm glad I did, I think it looks better than the white chrome, but that's subjective. I seriously doubt that I could find a better shaver at any price, I might find an equal one but I would pay a lot more money for it. I strongly suggest potential buyers to read the reviews that are all over the internet on this razor and not the reviews here on Amazon, a lot of user error reports taint products that are good products. I read some of the complaints on this razor, some said the blades didn't align properly, could have been a manufacturer error, or a user error, all I know is mine aligns perfectly all the time, I think there were issues with the first batch of these razors, which if mine is any indication they seem to have corrected the problems. Another had problems screwing it together, mine goes together smoothly, again that could have been due to the first batch not being made well in China. Another one said it wasn't as good as a disposable, actually, it's superior to a disposable, so his issue is user error. It does take some time to learn how to shave with a safety razor, and even longer with a straight blade. One reviewer said it cut his face up, which is completely user error. This person was probably pressing into his face with it like you would with a multi-blade razor, you can't press into the beard, you have to let the weight of the razor itself press against the skin, no additional force is necessary. I have been using a safety razor for about 3 years, with other razors I had I would nick myself about once a shaving session, I haven't nicked myself once yet with the Rockwell. You also have to take short 1-inch strokes, and not drag the razor across the entire face as you can do with a multi-bladed razor. Watching You Tube videos on how to shave with a safety razor is immensely helpful. Another said it wasn't suitable for certain sensitive skin types, well tell that to the billions of men who used those razors for 20-plus years before the multi-bladed systems became more popular, and there are still a lot of men using them today which is why there are so many choices of safety razors on the market now, you could barely find these things 15 years ago, now suddenly the market is flooded with them and the prices have come down, so they are becoming popular again. Some people complained it broke when it fell on the bathroom floor, most bathroom floors are tile, so just about anything you drop on tile is going to get damaged or broken, the solution to that is not to drop it! I would rather have the razor break than chip the floor, just saying. Read more
DK—July 12, 2025
This is an amazing razor. I am new to double edge razors and tried a few of the lower cost brands and was not a big fan, but came across this brand, and after looking for one I could adjust to my needs bought this one. I am glad I did. Pro: Adjustable with out the knob, I find those hard to read, Rockwell does make one with the adjustable knob, but I went for the inserts. Even though you need to unscrew the whole thing to change sizes, I didn't find that to be a big deal, only took a min while shaving. The feel is great just heavy enough and you can get the angle that works with your adjustment and face. I was surprised at the adjustment level I ended up liking. I have a light beard and can't grow one of those beatiful think ones, and still ended up liking setting number 5. Setting 4 was good too, just found the 5 setting worked better for the way I shave. The other pro is getting replacement blades. You are not stuck to any manucators brand like the cartrige systems. They are way cheeper. You can get them for .5 cents if you look around. And better for the envoirment if your into that. Cons: The only real con is they make 2 style one with 2 adjustments and 1 with 6 adjutmens. I am glad I went with the 6 adjustment since the other would not have had my preference. Because they have 3 plates once you find the setting you like, there is no storge for the others. I wish they included something small to store in your medicine cabinet. The blades that come with it are not so great, but will work in a pitch for 1 shave. Besides those which are not really a big deal. Which is why I gave it 5 stars. Over all if your looking for a double edge razor and want quality without breaking the bank this is a winner. Best shave I have ever gotten. Read more
