I think I may have made a mistake by investing in the KickStarter project Rockwell Razors. Anyone else feeling remorse?
I dont own one but haven't heard all the great of comments about them and I guess I wont own one either!
Just curious, what is it about them that isn't good? The quality in their advertising pictures looks suspect so if those aren't perfect then I can only imagine what the actual razors are like in general, but why are you afraid to use them? Seems like an interesting idea, but also kind of solving an already solved problem in a less efficient way
I have been using mine for the last 9 or 10 shaves, and it will likely be my daily driver. I am using the original top cap, I removed the burrs/slag on the bottom with a Dremel. Blade rests straight, no wave. Paired with the #5 replacement baseplate, (mine have minimal bow). I have been very surprised with the results, nothing but DFS and BBS for the past 4-5 shaves. Not sure I want to try the replacement cap, mine was way overworked with a lot of material removed altering the way the blade bends to generate gap and exposure. From what everything I have read not everyone appears as lucky as me being able to use the old and new to combine to get a useable razor. It's unfortunate they have issues, but feel they are addressing with their last update, getting new manufacturing partners, supplying everyone with new caps again, etc...
I have not even got around to trying to polish up the Top Cap, I will start using it after a 30day rule I am doing with one of my ATT Razors. But before I do that, I will clean the set up, and try each base plate for a week. I also received two replacement sets of base plates and Top Caps, so I might team them up with some Weber Handles. Who knows..........Adee do! (old play on a TV commercial from the 1960's and 1970's)
On both the originals and replacements (which I received last week), all base plate bars are bowed outwards. This results in more blade exposure on both ends of the bars and, on all of the base plates. I just think it is a recipe for lots of nicks. I was expecting a somewhat more professional looking and usable product. Don't you feel a little put-out that you feel that you have to polish it to make it look presentable? That is, to make it look like a quality/finished product? I would be interested to know if your edges are perfectly straight., Thanks! Have you checked the bars with a straight edge?
No I have not yet done that {checked the bars with a straight edge} Yes I do {put out}, I was going to give one of these as a "Birthday Present", also "SWMbO" noticed that the presentation boxes were creased,on the tin lids. Not really noticeable unless you had it under bright light. They sent me two replacement sets of Base Plates and Top Caps, they seem worse than the originals. But there again I have not really examined them. So I guess the birthday boy will get an ATT 5pc. Set.
Kinda disappointing project in my opinion. I honestly think they got over their head with it. They should have started with an more humble project, an simpler razor, maybe not stainless, and if that gone well, they could have moved up on quality. I also find the advertising being kinda off. They focused this razor at cartridge users. And, as i gave a few looks over the comments, many are from people that never used a safety razor before. They don't know how to use it, they don't know they should treat it different from their cartridge razors. Add this to the fact that they have few caps that they need to replace and switch them around for getting better shaves, you kinda have the recipe for disaster even if you are able to deliver an perfectly functional product. But you deliver a bad product too, that's even worse. The bad thing is that now they are out from Kickstarter. Their project was funded and they should now produce and sell their product. And they do. The bad thing come from the part that they don't deliver what they should. I don't think they will be able to keep sending faulty parts to customers. They are loosing money with every "adjustment" of this kind. At one point there won't be enough money for it.
I measured them with digital calipers. Per their listed specifications the width of the base plate should be .98 all across. Here are my layman's attempt to measure. I secured the plates to my workbench, plotted as best as I could the measuring points and measured by hand, so I know they are not perfect. Old - Replacement R 1-3 Letter End .974 - .973 Middle .995 - .978 # End .976 - .976 R 5-6 Letter End .980 - .981 Middle .999 - .984 # End .979 - .982 R 2-4 Letter End .974 - .979 Middle .999 - .985 # End .975 - .981 Replacement plates R1-3 and R5-6, although not perfect, are closer in tolerance than the originals. The worst of the 3 plates in both original and replacement is the R2-4 plate.
I think that is bad! Not sure what they allow for their tolerance but again, I wouldnt want one as that seems to be poor machining to me. I am no expert but I worked in manufacturing and quality control for a very long time (most of my life time) and those numbers dont impress me at all. It doesnt look even close to a flat grind job!
Thanks, I also think it explains why I get the best shaves with plate 5 (replacement), closer tolerances to the design. And although the plate is not perfect, for me I get fantastic shaves with it.
First, I base my impressions from the KS campaign and the pictures posted here and there. Second, I've bought precision machined parts for over a decade. I don't think those plates are machined. I know they are not precision machined! Aren't those injection port marks in the photo? I think a couple of young engineers had a great idea and a pretty good design. I think they hooked up with a machine shop that wasn't up to the task. I sure hope that the shop is standing behind their work and not sticking the innovators with the bill! Hmm... I wonder if these will be appearing on the bay at bargain prices any time soon... I would pay $25 for one. Maybe $35. I'd have to think about it.
I agree, they must be cast since the first set i received has casting lines running along the ends of each base plate. In my email to Rockwell about the quality of the first set, I complained about the finish quality and mentioned the lines and how, overall, it looked like an unfinished product. The second set clearly had the lines ground off but, not very well. As someone else mentioned their reason for not contributing was that once he found the base he liked best, all others would just sit in the case. I, too, thought the same but, considering the price (as compared to ATT for similar concept) for an all stainless razor, I couldn't pass up the deal. Unfortunately, in this case, you get what you pay for. However, the handle is excellent, perfectly finished, nice weight, no casting marks, etc., which leads me to believe that they did not manufacture them and probably sourced them on Ali Baba. I thought about selling them on the Bay when I received the replacement bases but, since they were only marginally better than the originals and, in my opinion, unusable, I didn't want to risk my 100% rating. They say they have fired their manufacturing facility and will send out replacements to all in September. Why so long? KickStarter; what a concept. You get to play with everyone else's money with only the promise of being the first to receive their product (good or bad, no guarantee) and not receiving any interest in the company itself. It's like going to your family (worldwide in this case) and asking for a loan and specifically telling them that they will never see their money again and will be lucky to get a usable product in return. If I am investing my money in a company or call it "contributing" as KickStarter does, and I am assuming the risk of not just their success but, their ability to even produce a usable product, I want an interest (stockholder), no matter how small, in the company. I will be staying away from Rockwell and KickStarter in the future. If you do find them on the Bay, make sure the seller offers a no questions asked return policy to include all shipping. As for me, I will just lick my wounds and crawl back into my den.
Well, that's the thing with Kickstarter. You don't have the guarantee that you will have an good product at your desired time. It's not a marketplace. You take a leap of faith by putting your money there. The thing is, in razors, there is not too much to fiddle around. An not-so-perfect finish might not be a problem. Merkur had problems with their chrome, and they still have, but they make great razors, so users can overlook the aesthetics. But if the product is not functional, there is a problem. It does not keep the blade aligned, you don't have an functional razor. They have an legal obligation in making sure you end up with an functional razor, and they will probably manage to achieve it. But it might be too late for the company to have enough to go on with. I honestly can't understand how this can happen. They had small number of razors to deliver. Few hundred, nothing so big. Can't see how they can miss a problem like that. I kinda thing that they knew very well about the problems, but they thought it's better to deliver them and fix them after, than to deliver them, functional, few months later.
I agree with everything you say. They must have known, or should have known, how poorly they were made. If they did rush to ship to keep their supporters happy, it seems it back-fired. I don't get it. Where did they get the money to send out the second defective batch of razors and, where will they get the money to send out all new ones to everyone in September? It would be unfortunate but, my guess is that Rockwell will no longer exist by then.
I used to be a big fan of kickstarter. It was a lot of projects that just needed that extra boost to get them aloft. Most everything was done. Well researched, properly developed...real labor of love stuff. But now, increasingly, this is the story and result. Someone has an idea, but hasn't really done a lick of work on it. The whole process is expected to be subsidized by contributors, and the result is production delays, sloppy engineering, and general poor workmanship. Kickstarter has become the mechanism to fund get rich quick schemes. Instead of the formula being; idea/research/develop/test/refine/test/perfect/kickstart/produce/distribute, it has become; idea/kickstart/develop/produce/distribute. How could products handled in such a way be anything but mediocre? And frankly, if I do not sense that you have put every drop of effort possible into the project before asking for my money... I don't care how good the kernel of your idea is, I am not supporting you. The other unfortunate aspect of the new Kickstarter mentality, is seeing big companies that have the money and ability to launch whatever they want, using it as a platform for what boils down to advertising. It is a side benefit that it builds presales and provides no risk product development, but make no mistake, the PR generated is the goal. It upsets me seeing that more and more frequently.
