BigD's Rockwell Model T Review

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by BigD, May 15, 2019.

  1. BigD

    BigD Well-Known Member

    Big D’s Rockwell Model T Review



    First Shave:

    Blade: Dorco Prime (1)

    Soap: Modern Williams

    Aftershave: Alum/Styptic/Brut Splash On

    Cologne: Brut EDT

    Deodorant: Brut

    First Pass (WTG)

    Due to having the Rockwell 6S I figured I would mirror my settings with the Rockwell Model T. My first pass was with the grain on setting 6. I was immediately shocked. The aggression level seemed more like my Muhle R41 than mirroring the 6S. The 6S is efficient on R6, but not as aggressive and efficient as R6 on the Model T. I first did my cheeks. Everything went fine. When I was doing my neck my lather didn’t seem to be as slick as it usually is. Things went fine with my mustache and chin area.

    Second Pass (XTG)

    Again, mirroring my typical shave with the Rockwell 6S I lowered the aggression of the Model T to R5. It was still shockingly aggressive, but not as aggressive as the Muhle R41. Again everything was fine until my neck. For some reason the lather was just drying out.

    Third Pass (\TG)

    For the third and final pass I mirrored my Rockwell 6S shave and lowered the aggression to R4 for my lower chin to upper ear pass. Even on R4 this razor is aggressive compared to the Rockwell 6S. However, it was getting to a point where I felt over confident. I had given myself three nicks. One nick bad enough that even after using an Alum Block I had to get out my Styptic Pencil.

    Conclusion:

    The shave was about as BBS as I could get. I’ve come to the conclusion I like pain. After rinsing off the alum, drying off, and putting on the Brut the sting really made sure I was awake and ready for the working day.



    Second Shave:

    Blade: Dorco Prime (2)

    Soap: Derby Puck

    Aftershave/Cologne: Arko Gold Aftershave/Cologne

    Deodorant: Old Spice Endurance

    First Pass (WTG)

    I mirrored my first shave using the R6 setting. Again, extremely efficient and aggressive. However, even using the Derby Puck the lather dried a bit on the neck.

    Second Pass (XTG)

    Again, I mirrored my first shave and went with the R5 setting. I could have stopped after this pass. Except for some pick ups I was at Good to Go level.

    Third Pass (\TG)

    Continuing the mirrored shave routine I was now using R4. I achieved BBS with this pass without any nicks or cuts. There were no pick ups needed.

    Conclusion:

    The weather here is changing. It is still trying to go from a cool wet spring to a hot dry summer. The latrine facilities I am using seem to be dry. Everywhere I have gone I have had to wipe down the mirror to see after my shower to shave. No wipe downs needed here, but it also means my lather seems to dry pretty quickly. I will try to make sure my lather is super saturated from here on out. I’ve just been in a rush in anticipation of putting blade to face with this new razor. I did not use the alum this time after the shave. I went straight to the Arko Gold. Apparently I love pain.



    Third Shave:

    Blade: Dorco Prime (3)

    Soap: Arko Shave Stick

    Aftershave/Cologne: Alum/Arko Cool Aftershave/Cologne

    Deodorant: N/A

    First Pass (WTG)

    Due to circumstances out of my control I had some serious beard growth going for just little over 48 hours of not shaving. I was not able to take a shower, but was able to use a washcloth. Not ideal, but at this point something is better than nothing. I face lathered the Arko Shave Stick and began with the R6 setting. This mowed down the bulk of the growth like a hot knife through butter. I made sure my lather was on the wet side. The slickness and cushion were spot on.

    Second Pass (XTG)

    Using the R5 setting I was able to get a good close shave.

    Third Pass (\TG)

    I did not do a third pass due to my next shave probably being too close to the next one.

    Conclusion:

    This was a do or die shave. The water supply has been spotty for the last 56 hours as of this shave. I shaved just enough to be passable for work the next morning, but not aggressive enough if I have the chance to shave when I wake up I can get a good three pass shave in.



    Fourth Shave (Blade Ender Shave):

    Blade: Dorco Prime (4)

    Soap: Proraso Green Soap

    Aftershave: Alum/Proraso Green Lotion

    Cologne: Taconic Hunter Solid Cologne

    Deodorant: Urban Lumberjack Eucalyptus Mint

    First Pass (WTG)

    Just having had a two pass shave less than eight hours prior and this razor being more aggressive than what I am used to with the Rockwell 6S I went with R4. Still smooth and efficient. I don’t know if I had had a twenty four hour growth if it would have been as efficient, but it worked today.

    Second Pass (XTG)

    Taking it down to R3 my second pass felt smooth. It wasn’t as efficient as I thought it would be, but it got me to where I needed to be without irritation.

    Third Pass (\TG)

    Taking a chance I dropped down to R2 for this pass. Nowhere near as efficient as I wanted, but I was able to get a good pass out of it. I did have to do pick ups.

    Underarms

    Using the R3 like I would with my Rockwell 6S I proceeded to get rid of the underarm hair. I always do this on my Ender Shaves. Efficient and smooth was the task for this, and the Rockwell Model T didn’t disappoint. Not as smooth under the arms as the Rockwell 6S on the same setting, but good enough.

    Conclusion:

    As soon as I rinsed off the alum to this shave the water quit again. The poor guy in the shower showed his disappointment with some hearty verbal ques which cannot be repeated in mixed company. For the first time in awhile I had some pick ups, but it was to be expected using the lesser efficient settings. Really wetting the lather helped with the dryness I was experiencing with the earlier shaves. All in all I was able to get a great shave with a little more effort than I usually experience. However, using the same settings on the Rockwell 6S I would probably still be in the latrine scrapping away on my face. When things go back to the way they should be I'll stick with the more aggressive settings due to having twenty four hours between shaves.



    I ordered this razor back in October of 2018 with the hopes it would be shipped out November of 2018. Due to manufacturing issues the razor did not appear until early May of 2019. The Rockwell Team was more than helpful with this purchase. I had been transferred twice and my supporting unit changed three times since ordering this razor. They were on top of things changing my shipping address each time without question or delay. Between Blackland Razors and Rockwell Razors I am impressed with their customer service. Both companies have my dollar and support. Try getting this level of customer service in any other industry. I am completely amazed.



    All in all this is a great razor. If one is thinking this razor will just be a TTO Adjustable version of the Rockwell 6S you’ll be in for a shock. This razor is just slightly more aggressive. This is not a bad thing. Just adjust fire and keep moving forward. I will probably still use the Rockwell 6S as my daily driver and Rockwell Model T as my travel razor due to not having to keep up with three different base plates. However, it will be hard for me to keep in my Dopp bag all the time. I’ll have to bring it out for a ride now and again.



    If Rockwell can get these cranked out they’d have a solid hit on their hands. Seems the adjustable TTO is more of an engineering feat than one would assume. This is a $300 dollar razor for about $100. It seems a lot of the reviews want to compare it to the Rex Ambassador that’s going for about $250. I’m not sure if this is a fair comparison. One, the reviews seem to be using earlier versions of both razors. Two, the Rex Ambassador is not a TTO, but an upgraded Merkur Progress or Parker Variant. I don’t know if the Rex Ambassador gives a better performance. $250 dollars is a little steep for me to buy an upgraded Merkur Progress or Parker Variant at this time.



    I think what is killing Rockwell with this razor is the delayed manufacturing and all the rumors of what it was supposed to be made from and what it is made from. That’s why I will pre-order a product, but I will not back a Kickstarter/Go Fund Me campaign. That’s what Stocks and Bonds are for. This better protects the investor and the company. If you lose money in a Kickstarter/Go Fund Me campaign you do not get the write offs as you would Stocks and Bonds. Not to mention, the company doesn’t get the same tax protections if they raised money by Stocks and Bonds. To each their own. It's a great razor and for me it was worth the money and the wait. I am more than pleased with this razor.

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    Carson West, Tdmsu, 9nein9 and 5 others like this.
  2. DesertTime

    DesertTime Well-Known Member

    Terrific review. Glad you're enjoying the razor, especially after such a long wait.
     
    9nein9 and brit like this.
  3. BigD

    BigD Well-Known Member

    Thank you. Yes, it's a wonderful piece of kit.
     
    9nein9 and brit like this.
  4. PatrickA51

    PatrickA51 Well-Known Member

    @BigD
    Good review, glad you enjoy your Rockwell T, I too think that they have a good razor but all the wait time and not getting what you backed or pre-ordered truly sucks. To have to wait for over 2 years is bad. Anyway good review that was worth the time to read.
     
    9nein9, Hembree, brit and 1 other person like this.
  5. brit

    brit in a box

    great review sir..
     
    9nein9, Hembree, BigD and 1 other person like this.
  6. rawfox1

    rawfox1 Well-Known Member

    Good review. I also was on kick starter but got a refund after so much time. I do have the 6s and it is an excellent razor I use plate 6. Glad to hear the T is even more aggressive and still smooth

    Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
     
    Tdmsu, Hembree, brit and 2 others like this.

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