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Muhle Rocca vs Edwin Jagger 3ONE6

For quite some time now, the Rocca has been my favorite DE razor. I have used DE razors for many years, having had long periods with only one or two razors. For quite a while it was a Gillette Super Adjustable, bought new in the 1970's, then a combination of Merkur Progress and Edwin Jagger DE89. In recent years, however I've cycled through the following DE razors:

• Gillette Super Adjustable
• RazoRock Old Type
• Merkur Progress
• Merkur Futur
• Merkur 37C (slant)
• RazoRock Game Changer .68 Safety Bar (SB)
• RazoRock Game Changer .84 SB and Open Comb (OC)
• Rockwell 6C
• Fatip Open Comb (piccolo and grande)
• Edwin Jagger DE89
• Edwin Jagger 3ONE6
• Muhle Rocca

I still own the Fatip, the 2 Edwin Jaggers and the Rocca; the others I have sold, traded or given away. I use the DE89 when I want a very mild razor and don't mind that it doesn't shave as closely as some others. Mostly, however, I use the Rocca or one of my SE razors. The 3ONE6 arrived on the scene just a couple of days ago. I'm perfectly happy with the Rocca, but as most of you will understand I'm still looking for something "better". I've set my upper limit at $100, so that has eliminated trying something like Timeless, Charcoal Goods, Wolfman, etc. I was going to go for the Blackland Dart, but I was able to get a great deal on the 3ONE6. So is it "better" than the Rocca?

First some numbers. The Rocca head is quite a bit heavier at 1.40 oz. vs 1.09 for the 3ONE6. The birch handle on the Rocca, however, while longer and larger in diameter, is significantly lighter at 1.45 oz. vs the 3ONE6's 1.93 oz. The Rocca handle is 3.75 inches long; the 3ONE6 is 3.5 inches. I have posted some pictures of the two, including one in which I switched the handles. The matte finish of the two is similar enough that the switched handles match perfectly.

On to the shaves. Yesterday I shaved with the 3ONE6 for the first time. It was a very comfortable shave. The knurled handle is thinner than ideal for me, but it provides plenty of grip. Based upon the numbers (which I didn't have before the shave) it would seem that the razor's head would be quite light for the hefty handle, but it doesn't feel that way. It feels well balanced and quite agile. I had no problems easily shaving in those tight spots under the nose, for example. I always do a two pass shave with a tiny bit of touch up, and I was left with no nicks, cuts or irritation and a near perfect BBS shave.

Today was a side by side with the Rocca. Since I have used the Rocca for quite a while now, it is very familiar and comfortable in my hand. By way of comparison, you can feel the extra head weight of the Rocca, but it's not a plus or minus, just a difference when compared to the 3ONE6. I do like the extra diameter of the Rocca's birch handle - in fact, it is my favorite razor handle full stop. I plan on trying some shaves with the Rocca handle on the 3ONE6. The big surprise is the results: the 3ONE6 side is noticeably smoother than the Rocca side. Tomorrow I will switch sides to make sure this is not a result of my technique varying from side to side, but I've done this often enough that I will be very surprised if the results differ from today's.
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As far as i have understood it the Edvin Jagger razor is made by Muhle that sell it as R89 and that the Rocca is the stainless steel version of the R89.
I don't think that is exactly correct. I don't know whether Muhle makes any razors for Edwin Jagger, but the razor head design of the Edwin Jagger DE89 and the Muhle R89 are the same. There are some differences, e.g. the threaded post on the R89 is either brass or stainless steel whereas the post on the DE89 is zamak and often corrodes over time. The Rocca is stainless steel but it is not the same design as the DE89/R89. The head geometry is completely different.
 
As far as i have understood it the Edvin Jagger razor is made by Muhle that sell it as R89 and that the Rocca is the stainless steel version of the R89.
The DE89 is a collaborative design by Edwin Jagger and Muhle and manufactured separately; see here Muhle R89 and EJDe89 same head? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/muhle-r89-and-ejde89-same-head.347854/#post-5148240
The Rocca is is a different design; see here Muhle Rocca Version 4 - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/muhle-rocca-version-4.579109/page-2
 
From a very mild shave:-

Vintage Gillette Tech & Feather AS-D2 & Rockwell R1 Base Plate
Rockwell R2 Base Plate
Fatip Testina Gentile Closed Comb
Edwin Jagger DE89 & Muhle R89 & Rockwell R3 Base Plate
Game Changer .68P
Merkur 34C (short handle) & 38C (long handle)
RazoRock MJ-90A
Merkur Slant 37C (short handle) & 39C (long handle)
Karve 'B' Base Plate
Game Changer .84P
Karve 'C' Base Plate & Rockwell R4 Base Plate
Edwin Jagger 3one6 <------------------------------ Sorry Edwin Jagger you've lost against the Muhle Rocca
Rockwell R5 Base Plate
Muhle Rocca v4.0 R94, R95 & R96 <----------------- Very very SMOOTH!!! as YMMV!!
Karve 'D' Base Plate
Rockwell R6 Base Plate
Fatip Grande Open Comb & Fatip Piccolo Open Comb, Schöne Italian Open Comb
Karve 'E' Base Plate
Muhle R41
Karve 'F' Base Plate
Karve 'G' Base Plate
iKon Tech

To very aggressive shave:-
 
My second side-by-side shave with the Rocca and 3ONE6 was less definitive. My wife agreed that he 3ONE6 "may have" provided a closer shave, but it was really hard to say for sure. Both razors are a pleasure to use with some blade feel but not enough to induce any anxiety. The 3ONE6 feels a bit more agile to me; the Rocca seems sturdier. Both are smooth and comfortable. I plan to try the 3ONE6 with the Rocca birch handle after a few more shaves with the Edwin Jagger knurled handle.

For me the bottom line is that these are two excellent razors that are a lot more alike than different. If I could only keep one I would be hard pressed to decide which to keep. I plan to keep both but may change my mind if I find that one or the other doesn't get used very often. For anyone looking for a smooth, efficient DE razor I would recommend whichever one has more eye appeal to you. If you already have one, you might pass on the other and look for something very different. (I am somewhat regretting not getting the Dart for that reason.)
 
My Rocca arrived yesterday. It's an entirely different razor than the 3ONE6. I have to say, on first try, I like it better than the 3ONE6. My only complaint is it's more difficult to rinse without the holes in the base plate.
 
My Rocca arrived yesterday. It's an entirely different razor than the 3ONE6. I have to say, on first try, I like it better than the 3ONE6. My only complaint is it's more difficult to rinse without the holes in the base plate.
I'm not sure if you're comment was in response to my statement that I found the two more alike than different. If so, let me clarify what I meant. If you look at my original post where I listed all (or at least most) of the DE razors I have used, the Rocca and 3ONE6 are more like each other than they are like any other razor on the list. The Edwin Jagger DE89 and Muhle R89 are identical razors, and it seems to me that both companies went from there to design new all stainless steel DE razors. Both companies came up with new designs, but both seem to me to show their lineage from that common design. Also, I find that the two razors perform similarly, although not without some differences as I noted above.

I was just wondering that since I had the Rocca, I maybe should have tried something more radically different, like the Fatip Open Comb Slant or the Blackland Dart. And regarding rinsing the Rocca, I haven't had any issues except when my wife shaves the back of my neck. I shave my face every day, so there are no long hairs to wash out, but we only do the neck every week or so. I do have to loosen the head to wash it out several times when she shaves the neck. If you don't shave frequently you might find yourself having to do the same with the Rocca when you shave.
 
I'm not sure if you're comment was in response to my statement that I found the two more alike than different. If so, let me clarify what I meant. If you look at my original post where I listed all (or at least most) of the DE razors I have used, the Rocca and 3ONE6 are more like each other than they are like any other razor on the list. The Edwin Jagger DE89 and Muhle R89 are identical razors, and it seems to me that both companies went from there to design new all stainless steel DE razors. Both companies came up with new designs, but both seem to me to show their lineage from that common design. Also, I find that the two razors perform similarly, although not without some differences as I noted above.

I was just wondering that since I had the Rocca, I maybe should have tried something more radically different, like the Fatip Open Comb Slant or the Blackland Dart. And regarding rinsing the Rocca, I haven't had any issues except when my wife shaves the back of my neck. I shave my face every day, so there are no long hairs to wash out, but we only do the neck every week or so. I do have to loosen the head to wash it out several times when she shaves the neck. If you don't shave frequently you might find yourself having to do the same with the Rocca when you shave.
Not directly, no, but reading through this thread I saw (naturally) a lot of comparisons between the two. Regarding the rinsing, I am a head & face shaver. The face hairs aren't so bad, but the hair around the temples and on the back of my head around the occipital area are darned thick and gunk up many razors with drain holes. The Rocca needs extra rinsing.
 
I'm not sure if you're comment was in response to my statement that I found the two more alike than different. If so, let me clarify what I meant. If you look at my original post where I listed all (or at least most) of the DE razors I have used, the Rocca and 3ONE6 are more like each other than they are like any other razor on the list. The Edwin Jagger DE89 and Muhle R89 are identical razors, and it seems to me that both companies went from there to design new all stainless steel DE razors. Both companies came up with new designs, but both seem to me to show their lineage from that common design. Also, I find that the two razors perform similarly, although not without some differences as I noted above.

I was just wondering that since I had the Rocca, I maybe should have tried something more radically different, like the Fatip Open Comb Slant or the Blackland Dart. And regarding rinsing the Rocca, I haven't had any issues except when my wife shaves the back of my neck. I shave my face every day, so there are no long hairs to wash out, but we only do the neck every week or so. I do have to loosen the head to wash it out several times when she shaves the neck. If you don't shave frequently you might find yourself having to do the same with the Rocca when you shave.
Just to update this a bit - I now have also purchased a Fatip Open Comb Slant (FOCS) and a Blackland Dart. Both are, as a I suspected, more radically different from the Rocca and 3ONE6 than those two razors are from one another. Of those four razors, the ones that get used the most are the Dart and Rocca. While both the 3ONE6 and FOCS are excellent razors, I don't find that I reach for them all that often. I would probably sell them on the BST, but in both cases the original handle was lost during our move this past summer.
 
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