Hot on the heels of Rockwell Razor’s shipping the production model of their stainless steel “6S” razor comes their announcement of another Kickstarter funding project, this time for an adjustable razor, the Rockwell model T! As far as I know this is the first new continuously adjustable razor to come to the market in years. And I was able to get a look at (and shave with) the prototype.
Model T Specs
The look of the razor bears a passing resemblance to vintage Gillette adjustable razors, with a gap adjustment dial under the head and a twist-to-open (TTO) dial at the base of the handle. Both dials have a very smooth action. The numbers on the gap adjustment dials range from 1 to 6 and use the same gap distances as the corresponding base plate on the 6S–but since the adjustment is continuous any gap size from either end of the scale is possible.
As you can see from the picture above, the Rockwell model T (prototype on the right) is longer and a bit larger than the model 6S (on the left). The T’s weight comes in at 109 grams (without blade) on my digital kitchen scale, which is actually slightly lighter than my 6S (which runs about 115 grams) but I still consider it a heavyweight. The handle is about 3.5 inches (~9 cm). The head is a bit wider than average: about 4.5 cm x 2.5 cm and 1 cm tall on my office supply store ruler. For comparison purposes the Rockwell 6S head is about 4 cm x 2.5 cm x 1 cm tall and a bog-standard Edwin Jagger DE89 head is about 4.1 cm x 2.5 cm x 0.8 cm tall. Perhaps a more “apples to apples” comparison might be the Merkur Futur though, which has a head of about 5 cm x 2.5 cm x 1 cm tall and weighs 125 grams.
Unlike the stainless steel Rockwell 6S, the materials for the Rockwell T are the more commonplace chrome over brass. That should hopefully help keep the costs down. But a list price hasn’t been determined yet.
Yeah, But How’s The Shave?
Remember, I’m using a prototype, so my comments may or may not reflect on the final product.
For my first test shave with the Rockwell model T I used Rockwell blades. In retrospect I probably shouldn’t have done that since I don’t have a lot of experience with them. I was also rocking a three day growth of stubble. My first pass was at the mildest setting (#1) which knocked down the bulk of my stubble easily enough but was perhaps a bit less comfortable than I was expecting. I decided to repeat the first pass on a slightly higher setting (#2)–again, a bit harsh but not bad. The balance of the shave was at setting #3 and realized that’s about as high as I wanted to go. I got a “BBS” shave out of it but I did have a few “weepers” by the end. Although the settings are supposed to match the Rockwell model 6S I think the T is actually a bit more aggressive. The larger head turned out to not be an issue, as I was able to maneuver around my nose without much of a problem.
I used a more familiar blade for my other shaves, a Polsilver Iridium. Those shaves were much smoother-feeling, so I suspect Rockwell blades just aren’t for me (YMMV). But I still think this model T is a bit more aggressive “per setting” compared to its 6S counterpart. This is probably just an engineering tweak. On the whole though, once I was able to “dial in” my preferred settings, I got a really nice shave.
Be sure to take a listen to this Wet Shaving News podcast with Rockwell.
Be sure to check out the Rockwell model T Kickstarter page for up-to-date information.
When I seen the picture of the dial area on your site of the Rockwell T I was a bit shocked, the dial finish looks like an old Ebay Gillette Adj I got for $20.
Sure glad I seen that before I reserved one for myself.
Be interested to hear how it compares physically, workmanship and shave quality to the vintage Gillette Slim – as it sure looks like one from certain angles.
I have a fantastic low-end Merkur 180, which has a cap that flexes the blade when being installed. For the sake of variety (and because of positive reviews), I decided to buy an inexpensive re-branded Weishi twist-to-open (which does not flex the blade). Despite having perfectly even blade exposure, I hated the inexpensive twist-to-open for my face/beard type. It hurt my face and did a lousy job removing stubble, despite being touted as Mild.
I couldn’t resist grabbing a Model T when I noticed an Ultra Early Bird slot open up…I sniped it! It’s obviously going to be a high-end razor, which I’ve wanted for almost a year…I couldn’t resist my curiosity (and the discount). I was just wondering if my preference against my crappy TTO is really against all TTO, or what. I’m new to this hobby and can’t figure out why I hate my cheap TTO, except that it doesn’t flex my blades. Can anyone offer any insight into my experience and/or explain how a high-end TTO is different than a low-end TTO? Thank you.
Hi Mark – just curious, could you compare the blade angle with that of a Gillette Slim (or fatboy, etc)? I have a slim and I’ve always found that it does not bend the blade very much and so requires me to hold the razor at a fairly steep angle. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it’s different enough from most of my other razors that it is quite noticeable.
The page describes Zinc internal components. So much for plated brass construction.
The plated brass was a recent design update and in response to backer comments on Kickstarter.
Awesome post, we think we will like this model T as well and will look forward to talking about the results when we have the opportunity to test it out soon!
I received my updated 6S a few weeks ago and am very happy with it. As soon as I got the email about the Model T this morning, I signed up at the $79 pledge level.
The Head on this thing looks enormous — bigger than Donald Trumps ego. Were you able to shave under your nose?
Yes, actually it wasn’t so bad. Check the video at the end of the post.
My initial impression after the first 2 uses of my 1 sample Rockwell Stainless blade (first in a 39C then a Fatip Piccolo) was “worst blade I’ve tried”. I got numerous weepers and insane irritation, it was really unpleasant. HOWEVER, I pushed on and they came into their own on Shave#3, comfortable (no weepers no irritation) and sharp, as good as any. And I can now add that they’re longer lasting than most. With 2 head shaves already on the blade, this morning was the 12th face shave and it was just as good as Shave#3.
Despite the rough start, they’re now in my Top 4 of all blades I’ve tried [in order of preference, Blue Bird, Posilver SI, Feather | 5. G.SB, 6.Astra SP, 7. G.SharpEdge, 8. Merkur, 9. Crystal(IP)].
In fact, I’d say their performance is almost identical to the discontinued Blue Birds, as that exhibited similar harshness on each of its first 2 uses, then turned into a fantastic easy BBS every time and long-lasting blade.
I had 70 DE face shaves under my belt when I first used the Rockwell blade – about 60 on the 39C and about 10 on the Piccolo. I shave daily to 100% BBS ATG, rotating between my two razors. Ever since I got my technique down on each razor, it’s always blood and irritation free, except occasionally on the first few uses of a new blade.
Oh, I forgot to add: I’m in on the Model T. #211!
Rockwellrazors.com shows the price at $ 99.99.
Plated Brass! Ideal material for safety razors. IMO, keeping my eye on this model T
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