Thanks for the review! I'm sorry that it is a let down. I was hoping this would be a success. I had considered supporting them, but decided to go with ATT instead. From reading on the other forum, I have not seen anyone report getting a good razor. They all seem to have wavy blades and some even have warped base plates. Seems like a huge QC issue. On the Kickstarter page, it appears that they are responsive and wanting to correct the issue. However, first impressions are the most important. This maybe the death knell for them. The sad part is that these are obvious defects. I doubt they ever saw samples of the production lot. They just approved prototypes and then the production models were manufactured and shipped.
Ouch, I wouldn't want to be the guys behind the razor right now if I went by the comments that are being posted: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1358607332/rockwell-razors-shaving-reinvented/comments
Yes I have sent them info. They have responded via the kickstarter page basically saying they are looking into it and will make it right. Their immediate fix so folks can use the razor is replace the top cap with another like I have shown. Others have said not all 3 piece caps work. If the cap has real short threads it won't extend through the plates to be gripped by the handle. My Merkur 15c cap works, others have said some EJ heads work as well as a razorock. With it being a kickstarter program theses things happen and I'm very willing to help them where I can, if they ask me.
Yeah they are taking a beating going back to missing promised ship dates etc...having worked in all aspects in manufacturing and distribution I went into it knowing the possible pit falls, probably more than they did actually. They seem like design guys and in my experience design guys are not exactly strong in operations (no offense to anyone out there in design ). If folks will be patient, I think they will get it straightened out, but it won't happen over night.
Just wanted to update for anyone interested. The owners just sent out a notice stating they will be replacing the top cap and base plates to everyone free of charge as soon as the new parts are ready. I figured they would make it right and they appear to be doing just that. No timeframe on replacements yet.
I chipped in to their KS campaign a few months ago with $1. Mainly just to get info when they started shipping and to satisfy my curiosity. I guess I get what I paid for
What a terrible start for a company. I work in automotive and am responsible for the end of line testers. We follow a safe launch plan, 100% through the tester and 100% through manual inspection jigs. It is a pain in the ass, but better than a quality spill like this.
It's the same everywhere. I have no engineering talent, but have been a purchasing wonk long enough to know that this is a straight up case of "stuff happens." And, just like Mr. Murphy said, it always happens at the worst time. My employer makes medical equipment with 7 to 8 digit price tags. I've got a bevy of ready-fire-aim stories. Bet we could swap for days (but let's not!). The Rockwell KS really exceeded their funding goal. Hopefully, they have enough capital and supplier support to "make it right." I really applauded their KS, but could not back it at the time. I wish them the best of luck. ... and you, too! Let us know how it works out.
I have had the razor for over a week know, I filed and polished the top cap so it would fit correctly. The three alignment post are too small in diameter, so you have to align the blade to be straight. I have tried all plates and gotton a good shave, for me I have gotton the best shave on plate 3. Once you get the the razor dialed in, it is an extremely good razor, shaves alot closer than my murker 23c. I really like the weight of the handle and the top head, best double edge razor I have used.
Looks like the answer to a non existing problem. Looks like an adjustable 3 piece shaver that is a pita to adjust,just my opinion.
Sort of. I have a slim adjustable that works great. I was intrigued by a new product, made in USA (although the guys behind it are based in Canada), out of stainless. I think once they correct the problem parts it will be a good razor. It really isn't a pain to adjust, various base plates with different gaps, I guess similar to the ATT but at 1/5 the cost. And in no way am I comparing the ATT with the Rockwell, one's a Bently, the other has the potential to be a Cadillac. One good thing about this obsession, lots of roads one can or can not venture down.
Well said...so you find the plate for your beard growth then what? IMHO being built out of stainless steal and built on the North American Continent is very cool I just think they need to decide if they are going to compete against ATT then they need to build a better shaver and not worry about their bottom line so much.
I would say it's no different than any other adjustable, find the plate/gap that meets your needs for that particular shave. Plates can be changed in the middle of the shave just like any other adjustable if one wants, requires more to do, but I guess no different than the ATT in that aspect. For me it's different enough to give it a chance, however if I had an ATT probably not. From the business end, and from my experience in manufacturing and retail distribution, the ATT probably has a cost of goods sold (COGS) of around 100 bucks, Rockwell 23 with their current retail price points. With the fit and finish differences between the two it seems easy to see where the added costs are for ATT. Can Rockwell eat into their gross margin enough to compete with ATT? I don't think so, but I am arm chair quarterbacking here with making dangerous assumptions, just thinking out loud to your question. I hope my tone is coming across as intended, friendly, non defensive etc. I enjoy these types of questions that makes one think from more than one approach.
Ok so if Rockwell happen to tighten their QC and the tolerance of the plates should be easy assuming they are using a cnc lathe at minimal cost to their bottom line. Rockwell could just put out a SS shaver as their bread and butter shaver at a lower production cost,then go back and re-think a 5 piece shaver they have options. To put out a sub-par product in thier first go is in bad form.
Don't forget it was a kickstarter project. What was backed by over 2,100 people was the adjustable plate concept, not a plain SS razor. Should they have delayed initial shipments, had a better QA process and probably 2 dozen more things? It appears so, but now that that ship has sailed, I think they are doing everything they can to correct it. To little to late? Maybe, especially with their target consumer being a small group. Forums, social media, etc...can make or break a product/brand extremely fast. I think the only way they pull out of this now is to have a razor that performs as designed and sooner than later. On the flip side, I would rather wait as long as it takes to get what was promoted, if they ship bad parts again I don't think they recover. They are in an almost no win situation now, but I always pull for the underdog.
Pro: Even though the first run maaaay not have been of the quality that it should have been I do think it's really neat that there are entrepreneurs out there that find developing products in the wetshaving industry attractive. Con: Poor execution and delivery may taint an area to the point that potential backers give up supporting it. But, my hat off to anyone gutsy enough to back initiatives such as this as not only are you showing other entrepreneurs that it's a viable area to be in - but you're also helping individual offerings to get to 'the rest of us' after you guys have gone through the initial periods of pain
