Rockwell 6S Review attempt (With Photos)

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by dbersh, Jan 2, 2015.

  1. PatrickA51

    PatrickA51 Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Mar 1, 2015
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  2. PatrickA51

    PatrickA51 Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]
    #26
    They're On Their Way!
    Posted by Rockwell Razors

    Hey Backers,

    We’re so happy to finally announce… Your pledge rewards have been repolished, machined, checked and assembled, and are ready to be handed off to our shipping partners. This is what 2500 razors looks like:

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience while we spent the last few weeks doing quality control on each and every razor to ensure you all receive a Rockwell 6S that will give you a top-notch shave. We’ve learned a ton through the designing and manufacturing of this first batch of the Rockwell 6S, and it’s been great to have the support of you, our backers, over the last months. We’re going to continue to innovate and improve our razors as we strive to make the most comfortable shave for everyone.

    After the razors are dropped off with our mailing service, they’ll be getting all the packages injected into the appropriate shipping channels as soon as possible. Requested replacement heads are all being dropped off along with these razors. We have over 2000 razors going to over 66 countries, so it's not as simple as walking into our local Canada Post office. To get over this complication, we partnered with a third party mailing service to prepare customs documentation for each of these countries, and split up these boxes of razors into thousands of individual unique packages. With that in mind, please be patient while your razor is prepared and inserted into the appropriate shipping channel. Shipments will be picked up by the postal services through next week, and you should all expect to receive your razors in the coming weeks!

    Thank you again for all your support, we can’t wait to hear your feedback on your new Rockwell 6S!

    Gareth & Morgan
    Co-Founders of Rockwell Razors

    [​IMG] Like
    Comment on Kickstarter
     
  3. PatrickA51

    PatrickA51 Well-Known Member

    I have not used either of the two that I received when I backed this project.....They were put away, earmarked.
     
  4. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    Very interested to get the corrected parts. Hopefully their issues are behind them and I can use the razor as designed (no frankenrazor). If it is corrected will be using in my planned April Focus....if not well...I have a great handle at least....
     
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  5. PatrickA51

    PatrickA51 Well-Known Member

    I have to agree with you on that. They look to me as being well built. But the polishing left a lot to be desired. I got two of them when I signed up.(I only ordered one) I contacted them about it they said thanks but to keep the extra one. I may break out my polishing wheel (Dremel tool) and see if I can clean the first one up,
     
  6. Shotwell

    Shotwell Well-Known Member

    Anxious to see what the final product looks like, and see a detailed review with photos when you give it a try!
     
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  7. Shotwell

    Shotwell Well-Known Member

    Best line in their video.... "You don't need... rotating balls on your face."

    Truer words were never spoken.
     
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  8. PatrickA51

    PatrickA51 Well-Known Member

    Yes the statement no truer words hits it squarely on the nail head....or should I say on your face?
     
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  9. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    Certainly will update with photos when received. Haven't received shipping notice yet, takes a while for fulfillment center to process 2500 orders.
     
  10. Hawk

    Hawk New Member

    Received new parts today, top cap and plates all line up correctly.
     
  11. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    I haven't received mine yet. Sounds like the top cap was corrected. Are the plate bars straight and how is the finish?
     
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  12. Hawk

    Hawk New Member

    The top cap is straight and polished on the underside, the plate bars are straight and edges polished .
     
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  13. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    Good to hear the plate bars are straight. I just have to wait for delivery, let us know if/when you use and what you think if you could please.
     
  14. Hawk

    Hawk New Member

    Unfortunately the top capp is not fixed the cap is too narrow, too much blade exposure . I still have to use cap from one of my Merkur razors. I love the look of this razor and the weight, the base plates are fine. I polished the parts with mothers mag so they look good. They made some improvements but the top cap needs to be made wider.
     
  15. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    From everything I have read and photos I have seen (still haven't received my replacement parts) everyone getting replacement parts are getting garbage that was reworked, over reworked actually, with chewed up finish, uneven/rounded top caps and even rust. Which I don't understand, it's supposed to be stainless steel. The folks getting the whole new razor for the first time are getting useable razors that seem to work fine but finish is not the best on plates and head. I am not expecting much to be honest. Looks like I will try to remove the burrs on my original top cap. But on my plates the guide bar is not straight (bowed out in center) on 2 of the 3 plates. Will be interested to see what get, maybe I will be surprised....but not holding my breath.
     
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  16. uclofts

    uclofts New Member

    I just pre-ordered one this week and then saw this thread I hope I get a useable one . there web site is saying shipping april 1st for new orders
     
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  17. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    I have read on others forums, those receiving razors for the first time now are getting useable parts. The problem appears to be for what was made in the initial run, like mine, and the replacement parts seem to be hit or miss. I am still waiting on my replacement parts. You'll have to keep us updated once you receive yours!
     
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  18. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    I received my replacement parts today. Base plates look good and although not completely straight, they are much closer and the "bow" is minimal. Example, the width of the plates is supposed to be .98 in. The measurements on the replacement #3 plate is .978 one end, .981 middle and .979 other end. So although not completely straight much closer than initial plates. #3 plate with initial release was .964 end, .988 middle and .969 other end. Doesn't sound like much and in big scheme of things probably not a big deal, but it was there.
    The top cap. The replacement cap was over worked which causes the gap and exposure to be extremely aggressive. They ground down the edges (to remove slag/burrs) and actually removed material from the cap itself which has altered how much the cap pushes down and flexes the blade. With less material on the cap the blade barely flexes now.
    I have reworked the original cap with my Dremel and removed the slag/burrs and it appears to have fixed it. Will be giving it a go tomorrow using original cap, replacement plates, and original handle (nothing wrong with handle, and think it is a great handle in design, feel and weight).
    Will try to take some photos if anyone is interested and shave review tomorrow.
     
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  19. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    I had to think for a while there...but no. No I don't.
     
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  20. dbersh

    dbersh Well-Known Member

    Update. Most folks who have followed this project knows there has been challenges to say the least. Fortunately I was able to piece together a useable razor. More than useable actually, the last 2 days I had great BBS shaves with my Rockwell.
    The creators of the razor and project posted an update today. It is lengthy but very informative.

    Reads digest version: they accept there are continuing issues. The have "fired" their manufacturing facility and have a new facility with a new process. When tooling is complete and parts come off the line they are replacing again to everyone new top caps for free for the 2nd time. I give these guys credit and appear to be in this long term.
    For those wanting the minute details here is their update post:
    Update #27

    Mar 19 2015

    Dear Backers,

    As the pledge rewards continue to reach our Canadian and American backers, and the international pledge rewards make their way around the world, we wanted to check in with all of you. We wanted to thank you for all your feedback by email, Kickstarter message, or on our comment board. Whether you've expressed satisfaction or disappointment with your Rockwell 6S, your feedback helps us immensely as we continue to work to improve our first product. We want to reiterate that we are committed to providing our backers with the best possible product. You, our backers, deserve a detailed account of what’s occurred so far in the manufacturing of the Rockwell 6S, and an explanation of how we intend to fix current deficiencies to produce the product that you’re looking for.

    Back in 2014, before we launched our Kickstarter, when we first engineered the flippable plate design featured in the Rockwell 6S, and set a funding goal of $12,000, we partnered with an investment casting (IC) manufacturer to make the caps and plates. We understood that they would be able to deliver a well-finished razor in all stainless steel at a great price to our early adopters on Kickstarter, at scalable volumes. After finishing up the IC tool, the prototype parts we were shown met our requirements, matching our engineered 3D renderings, with a very attractive finish. The manufacturers seemed experienced, confident, and offered to do in-house quality control, before sending the razors out to some of their partner finishers. In an effort to get the pledge rewards out to our backers as quickly as possible, we partnered with a fulfilment company in Michigan in December. The arrangement was that the razors went straight from the finishers to the fulfilment company, and would then be shipped out to our backers.

    Only the American shipments had left the fulfilment company before manufacturing inconsistencies were brought to our attention. There were two principal problems with the product the investment caster had produced. The first and major issue was that the investment casting process was not well suited for the production of the caps. While some caps were fine, many pieces had burrs and/or a slight bowing to the cap. The second issue was that the fit and finish of the caps was not where we wanted it to be. Overall, we were disappointed with the caps they had produced; they did not match the quality of the prototypes we’d signed off on. Additionally, we made the significant mistake of trusting the in-house quality control of the IC manufacturers and finishers, whose performance simply fell short. Frankly, at that point, we terminated our relationship with that manufacturer and will no longer be working with them. When the issue surfaced, we wanted to figure out a way to deliver these razors to all of our backers as quickly as possible while at the same time re-examining the best manufacturing method to mass-produce the caps for an high-quality all-stainless steel razor with an attractive finish.

    The initial run with the IC manufacturer had produced enough extra caps that we planned to rescue the best caps in order to be re-worked. We partnered with a machinist to grind down and correct the caps, and a local belt polisher to improve the appearance of the plates. The re-work fixed the existing problems, and addressed the issue of the blade not sitting straight. We performed a detailed QC to ensure the blades sat flat and the razors were usable. However, to flatten the underside of the cap, varying degrees of material had to be removed, and in some cases this has led to an increase in the aggressiveness of the razor. Some of you have reached out and seem quite happy with your Rockwell 6S the way it is, while others have made it very clear the increased blade gap has negatively impacted their shave. We have also heard that there is overall room for improvement with the razor, in particular with the cap. We hear all of you.

    We remain committed to manufacturing the high quality Rockwell 6S Razor we originally envisioned, and are happy to announce that we’ve partnered with a new manufacturer to make sure this happens. Our new manufacturing partner uses metal injection moulding (MIM), an advanced process well-known to be far more precise than IC. The best part is that this new manufacturer has made razors before, fully understands that there is absolutely no room for error in their tolerances, and have experience in performing highly detailed quality control on consumer products.

    The tooling process for the metal-injection-molded Rockwell 6S will begin in April of this year, while manufacturing is expected to begin approximately three months after tooling. We expect the new MIM razors will be available in September. How does this affect you? Once we have them, we will be sending every one of our backers a brand-new, stainless steel, MIM cap for their razor at no additional charge. If you ordered more than one razor, you will get the same number of caps as the number of razors you ordered. There is no need to send us an email to confirm your new caps, everyone is automatically “signed-up” to receive them as soon as they’re ready to ship out.

    We expect these new parts will provide our backers with the quality of reward originally expected when you pledged to support our project. If you find your current cap too aggressive, the MIM cap will absolutely fix that. If you like your current cap, you’re getting a new one anyways, because who doesn’t like being spoilt for choice. As is the nature of high-quality manufacturing, we know the parts are going to take some time to get made property, but we know they’ll be worth the wait. Clearly, the unanticipated reworks, extra finishing, and the free worldwide shipping of the replacement MIM cap was not a part of our initial budget, but we remain firmly committed to delivering your perfect shave. We hope you see both our devotion and financial commitment to do this right.

    We wanted to take this chance to thank you all for being loyal early adopters of a new breed of shaving, and hope you find this collaborative and iterative Kickstarter process to be as enriching as we do. The final Rockwell 6S that is mass-produced and available worldwide will be massively improved through this process. We choose to make an all-stainless steel, adjustable razor for under $100 not because it is easy, but because it is hard. Together we’re making a razor that will offer anyone and everyone a perfect, adjustable shave, without being locked into buying overpriced cartridges. Not that cartridges are adjustable anyways.

    If you need to change the shipping address you have registered with us, please send an email to info@rockwellrazors.com with the subject “Address Change”. This subject line is extremely important, so that we can properly filter the emails. If you have any other questions, please feel free to shoot us a message through Kickstarter messages.

    As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

    Gareth and Morgan
     
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