Rocnel SE review(s)

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Darkbulb, Mar 30, 2016.

  1. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    I thought I'd create this thread so we could add our collective thoughts on the Rocnel SE razor as they begin to show up in people's mailboxes.

    I was one of the fortunate ones that were part of an early delivery round of the razor (don't worry - I still paid full price :)) and received mine today.

    Some quick data points to get out of the way:


    Price
    Razor and one handle:
    $25
    Shipping to the US: $8 or 10 (this may be fine tuned as Murat decided on final shipping option but it should be around that).
    Payment: You get a Paypal invoice

    Delivery schedule for pre-orders
    The last I heard, back in February was as follows;
    March - Domestic deliveries
    April - Domestic and starting North America deliveries
    May - North America deliveries
    June - North America and Europe deliveries

    (@ckeskin If you have any updates on that please do let us know)


    Material: 316 Stainless steel

    Country of Origin:
    Turkey

    Level of awesomeness:
    High

    The razor arrived approx 2-3 weeks after settling the invoice.

    Initial impressions:

    The razor arrives in a very nice, thick cardboard box with a waxed seal/stamp on a Rocnel tag.
    It all looks very professional.
    (My one comment here to Murat/Rocnel would be to maybe either skip the seal/stamp or place it inside a small plastic pouch. Mine had broken in transit and I had a gazillion small red pieces all throughout the box. Not a big issue of course but it did take a bit to clean out from the razor :) ).

    [​IMG]

    Inside the box was a hand written note from Murat.
    It's quite possible it's a string of four-letter words but I choose to believe that it praises me and my early order. (@ckeskin no need to correct me if I'm wrong :) ).
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    And there it finally was...the beast from Turkey.....The Rocnel SE!
    [​IMG]

    As you can see above I got both handles - the knurled one as well as the smooth Pils-looking one.
    More about those later.

    Quick first impressions:
    * Man, it's heavy and solid
    * Feels great
    * Great machining
    * How is this $25?
    * I need to shave...I just need to remember how to load it

    I think the last point is actually rather relevant. How DO you load the razor?
    It can be a bit risky to send the razor out w/out any instructions as this is quite a different razor as far as loading and blade handing goes. Ideally I would have loved for there to be a one page of 4-5 illustrations showing how to break the DE and then load - and unload the blade into the razor.
    Personally I think I will just go back and look at Cihan's video on youtube before I load a blade in it tomorrow.

    Let's talk about the handles and how they attach to the head a bit.
    As you can see in the photo below the handle each comes with a screw.
    This stainless steel screw can be fully removed from both the handle and head and there lies a potential issue if you are not careful - it appears as if the threads in the handle are deep enough so that the screw could accidentally be screwed into it so far that you would have a problem getting it out.
    Now, I didn't actually test that fully as I chickened out and didn't let it go all the way in.
    When screwed into the head it automatically stops at a preset depth though and then its easy to mount the handle to the head.

    [​IMG]

    Knurled handle

    The knurled one feels very, very safe when held. The knurling is quite honestly superb.

    Look at this pattern in rather extreme closeup:
    [​IMG]

    It's a very attractive razor in a functional, almost industrial way.
    [​IMG]


    Smooth handle

    Now the smooth handle is the same size as the knurled one. It feels just a tad heavier but that might just be perception more than anything. It does feel very, very elegant though. It's an extremely well machined handle. One of my pet peeves with razors is that the more inexpensive ones 'squeek' a bit when you screw the handle onto the head - the Rocnel is smooth as butter.

    Now, I do own some razors with a completely smooth handle such as the Pils and never had any issue with holding on to it during shaving so that is not a big concern of mine.

    [​IMG]

    Gratuitous photos:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The head
    It has two stamps on it - one on each side;

    "2016"
    (The dark spots you may see are not imperfections in the steel but actually tiny fragments of the wax seal. It cleaned right off).
    [​IMG]

    and "P"
    (I remember that Murat will down the road be making three different heads - Mild, Medium and Aggressive). I believe this is the Medium one)
    [​IMG]

    So there you have it - a rather quick 'first impressions' of the Rocnel SE.
    I am so far highly impressed by the looks and feel of the razor and how it all fits together.

    If there's an interest I'll post a shaving report tomorrow and add some photos of the blade loaded in it as well as some size-comparison photos to some well known razors.


    [​IMG]
     
  2. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    Coming up tomorrow: Shave report
     
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  3. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    This might also be of interest.
    I just received these images today from Murat and it's showing the new all stainless steel razor stand (pricing unknown):

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  4. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Thanks for breaking a trail for those to follow.
    My pre-straight razor experience included learning to snap a DE blade in two pieces for loading into a shavette.
    When you find the "How to install 1/2 of a DE blade" video, if you would please Sir include a link here? There may be members of the MTV short attention span generation along soon.
     
  5. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    Here is our very own @ckeskin showing how to load and unload the Rocnel:


    @ckeskin - Cihan, maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me...but did the prototype have a much longer handle?
     
  6. blashe

    blashe Well-Known Member

    Darkbulb very very nice write up and love how you put together the pictures of the razor along with describing it in details. The razor is truly a beauty!!! You know I remember before me saying the smooth handle looks better on this razor because it reminds of the Pills razor, but now that I look at it from your pictures I see that the knurled handle has such a nice machining job done to it, this helped me make my mind to choose the knurled one.

    Honestly this is not where it would end for me, once he offers the mild and aggressive head I will for sure get both of those and Ill probably choose one of the handles to be smooth. Lets hope he will offer both the mild and aggressive versions at the same time so we don't have to pay for shipping twice, and if he still keeps the price at 25 per razor, there is no need to order the heads only and constantly screw and unscrew the handles.... at that price point its worth buying the head with the handle as an complete razor.

    Great write and cant wait to read your write on oh how the shaving went
     
  7. Bussemand

    Bussemand Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the write up Darkbulb - of course we want a shave report :) It's a shame about the seal - I believe ckeskins was broken as well.
    I just realised that as Turkey isn't a member of the EU, the price of the razor +shipping will double for me after VAT and a customs fee are added. I'm having doubts now...
     
  8. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    The prototype's handle is longer. It was shortened to make the balance better...on @ckeskin's recommendation, if I remember correctly.
     
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  9. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    Ah gotcha. Hm, I think I personally would have liked for it to be longer - but that is obviously very subjective. Guess I'll see in sevenish hour or so.
     
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  10. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Here's the post:
    He doesn't specifically say that they changed it on his recommendation, but he does say that the longer handle was one of the things he didn't like about the prototype.
     
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  11. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    AGHisBBS and Darkbulb like this.
  12. Boojum1

    Boojum1 Valet Parking Available Here

    Thanks for sharing. I wondered how it would be loaded. Nice to know how to snap a blade in half too.
     
  13. ugadawg

    ugadawg Well-Known Member

    I'm looking forward to hearing about the shave and if it shaves like a traditional SE since it uses a DE blade. I can't believe it's so cheap. I hope it stays that way.
     
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  14. Radiotube

    Radiotube RADInOverdrive

    Very innovative! I may have to get onboard if the consensus is reached that it shaves as good as it looks!
     
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  15. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    @Darkbulb
    Wake up and shave already...
     
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  16. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    Shaved 30 mins ago :)
    Just need to find a window of time today to slap something up here.
     
  17. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

  18. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    Still waiting...
     
  19. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

  20. Drygulch

    Drygulch Snowballs

    I just saw one of these razors on a BST group on FB for $296. He said he purchased it on the bay for significantly more than $25 dollars. I am content to wait until they contact me and pay the $25.
     
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