Been curious about this razor for a while, and when one popped-up on the BST,
I snagged it.
Birch Handled model.
Overall, this is a very fine mid-aggressive razor. A little blade-feel, and above average efficiency.
I was on a beach vacation the prior week, without a single shave; so the Rocca had to contend with 7-day’s growth - no problem!
Ive read here some had concerns for “clogging” with this razor’s lack of lather slots in the design. Again - no problem! I periodically rinsed as I shaved, as frequently as I normally do with other razors, and noticed no difference in this regard.
The birch handle is quite long (~4”+) but also fairly lightweight. I was immediately surprised and put-off by the length when un-packaging. (I manually shortened my Razorock Ti Halo handle to about 3.5”, because I REALLY disliked the length with the SS Lupo) but in use, this handle worked fine with the Rocca. Maybe also being a bit wide circumference keeps things “porportional”? The stacked-birch handle is pretty cool-looking, too; and I didnt find it slippery in use.
The machining of the head is nice and tight tolerances, and I fitted it with an Astra SS blade to start. It mowed-down ~80% of my beard in first WTG pass, and I was somewhere between BBs and DFs after a typical 3-pass shave. Zero irritation, weepers, nics, etc.
Paired with Mitchell’s Wool Fat soap/Simpsons Commodore X2 (best) and Speick aftershave splash.
Good Stuff!
For comparisons, I might concur with an earlier thread than this shaver ranks ever so slightly above the Lupo for me. With those two being my best overall. The Karve brass running a close 3rd - only because that OC-E plate demands a bit more attention while in use or it will create a few weepers for me.
With the Rocca (and Lupo) there was no period of “dialing-in” my technique - It just immediatley gave a great shave. Other razors in my small collection, like Karve, FOCS, and Dart, took more experimentation to get it right.
Some here have mentioned that Muhle is manufacturered with tighter tolerances and better materials than its German-counterpart Merkur, and I will agree with that - although my Progress is still a great shaver (and my only adjustable)
I snagged it.
Birch Handled model.
Overall, this is a very fine mid-aggressive razor. A little blade-feel, and above average efficiency.
I was on a beach vacation the prior week, without a single shave; so the Rocca had to contend with 7-day’s growth - no problem!
Ive read here some had concerns for “clogging” with this razor’s lack of lather slots in the design. Again - no problem! I periodically rinsed as I shaved, as frequently as I normally do with other razors, and noticed no difference in this regard.
The birch handle is quite long (~4”+) but also fairly lightweight. I was immediately surprised and put-off by the length when un-packaging. (I manually shortened my Razorock Ti Halo handle to about 3.5”, because I REALLY disliked the length with the SS Lupo) but in use, this handle worked fine with the Rocca. Maybe also being a bit wide circumference keeps things “porportional”? The stacked-birch handle is pretty cool-looking, too; and I didnt find it slippery in use.
The machining of the head is nice and tight tolerances, and I fitted it with an Astra SS blade to start. It mowed-down ~80% of my beard in first WTG pass, and I was somewhere between BBs and DFs after a typical 3-pass shave. Zero irritation, weepers, nics, etc.
Paired with Mitchell’s Wool Fat soap/Simpsons Commodore X2 (best) and Speick aftershave splash.
Good Stuff!
For comparisons, I might concur with an earlier thread than this shaver ranks ever so slightly above the Lupo for me. With those two being my best overall. The Karve brass running a close 3rd - only because that OC-E plate demands a bit more attention while in use or it will create a few weepers for me.
With the Rocca (and Lupo) there was no period of “dialing-in” my technique - It just immediatley gave a great shave. Other razors in my small collection, like Karve, FOCS, and Dart, took more experimentation to get it right.
Some here have mentioned that Muhle is manufacturered with tighter tolerances and better materials than its German-counterpart Merkur, and I will agree with that - although my Progress is still a great shaver (and my only adjustable)
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