Rockwell 6S: I Have Found "The One."

[CalmAsHinduCows]

Close to 10 months in and the Rockwell 6S is still the only DE I exclusively use anymore. It is an absolute masterpiece of the wet shaving world.

Unfortunately, I've been hearing grumblings lately about quality control issues and people complaining about lack of customer service/follow ups. Has anyone had any negative experiences? I'd hate to see such a great company go down the tubes.

 

[simon_zzz]

Same experience here. The 6S is my one. If anything happens to it, and Rockwell quality becomes crap, there's that very popular Karve razor that many seem to prefer over the 6S...

 

[mozartman]

Same experience here. The 6S is my one. If anything happens to it, and Rockwell quality becomes crap, there's that very popular Karve razor that many seem to prefer over the 6S...

Yes, I'll bet the Karve is great too, but if I buy a brand new razor, I don't want it to be unplated brass. No doubt the 6S is beatable, but it's still on top for me and has been for over 300 shaves.

 

[Southsider]

-

Yes, I'll bet the Karve is great too, but if I buy a brand new razor, I don't want it to be unplated brass. No doubt the 6S is beatable, but it's still on top for me and has been for over 300 shaves.

I like both razors--both will remain in my rotation. I would say the Rockwell 6S is more durable but the Karve shaves slightly better. Additionally, the Rockwell seems less refined. The machining on the Karve surpasses the manufacturing process used to make the Rockwell. That said, the Rockwell is a darn comfortable shaver.

I am, however, curious--why do you say, "if I buy a brand new razor, I don't want it to be unplated brass"?

 

[Tester28]

.....people complaining about lack of customer service/follow ups

my experience was the exact opposite! I've never seen such enthusiasm, to the point where it is becoming intrusive.

over blk fri, I was on their site checking out some options....I registered an account to see what shipping costs were.
Read some reviews and saw some videos and decided this wasn't a razor whose looks I liked. To me, a razor must be look as good as it works, and I was in doubt due to the clunky looks of these razors.

While on the site I kept seeing popups every 3 seconds: Jim in guangdong has just bought one....Doug in Fairchild Texas has just bought one (the time in texas at the time was 5am)...and so on....very hard sell.

Thereafter I have been receiving automated emails every day from the founder Hi, its greg want to chat about the razor etc etc.....I
just wanted it to stop so had to create a spam filter for these guys.

 

[Southsider]

my experience was the exact opposite! I've never seen such enthusiasm, to the point where it is becoming intrusive.

over blk fri, I was on their site checking out some options....I registered an account to see what shipping costs were.
Read some reviews and saw some videos and decided this wasn't a razor whose looks I liked. To me, a razor must be look as good as it works, and I was in doubt due to the clunky looks of these razors.

While on the site I kept seeing popups every 3 seconds: Jim in guangdong has just bought one....Doug in Fairchild Texas has just bought one (the time in texas at the time was 5am)...and so on....very hard sell.

Thereafter I have been receiving automated emails every day from the founder Hi, its greg want to chat about the razor etc etc.....I
just wanted it to stop so had to create a spam filter for these guys.

That does sound intrusive.

The razor is clunky but works like a dream for most.

 

[Bakker1964]

It's a bulky beast, no doubt, but it mows down facial and scalp hair like a champ. Currently fixated on the R6 with Feathers Voshkods, and thinking of ordering some Nacet blades for trial. I own a Karve, but only with a "C" plate (for now. D, E, and F plates are ordered). I like the Karve well enough, but do not feel a comparison is fair right now until I get the remaining plates I want to match up to my 6S.

It's a nice problem to have.

 

[mozartman]

-
I like both razors--both will remain in my rotation. I would say the Rockwell 6S is more durable but the Karve shaves slightly better. Additionally, the Rockwell seems less refined. The machining on the Karve surpasses the manufacturing process used to make the Rockwell. That said, the Rockwell is a darn comfortable shaver.

I am, however, curious--why do you say, "if I buy a brand new razor, I don't want it to be unplated brass"?

Unplated brass can corrode pretty badly, especially in a wet or humid environment, if one isn't careful about maintaining it. I'd rather not give myself that chore. Of course, even "marine grade" stainless steel can rust if not kept clean and dry. I wonder what condition all the steel DE razors now being sold will be in 10 years from now. I'm sure many here wouldn't consider that a significant problem for either material, but I have a lot of real life experience in this area, and that's how I roll.
BTW, though I don't have a Karve, I do have a Game Changer, and that too has better machining and closer tolerances than the 6S. How important that is, whether in the short or long term, I do not know.

 

[Bakker1964]

I clean and dry my 6S after each shave . . . complete disassembly. I do the same thing with my Karve. Further, I have a supply of silica packets and keep one in the case with the razor during storage. Not worried about corrosion, and a nice patina on the brass is something to be desired, not feared, imo.

I expect both razors to outlast me, at this point.

 

[mozartman]

I clean and dry my 6S after each shave . . . complete disassembly. I do the same thing with my Karve. Further, I have a supply of silica packets and keep one in the case with the razor during storage. Not worried about corrosion, and a nice patina on the brass is something to be desired, not feared, imo.

I expect both razors to outlast me, at this point.

Yes, that's a reasonable approach, and even if you didn't want any patina, you could keep the brass shining brightly with a bit of polish now and then. But as I said, that's not for me.

 

[johnwick]

Close to 10 months in and the Rockwell 6S is still the only DE I exclusively use anymore. It is an absolute masterpiece of the wet shaving world.

Unfortunately, I've been hearing grumblings lately about quality control issues and people complaining about lack of customer service/follow ups. Has anyone had any negative experiences? I'd hate to see such a great company go down the tubes.

I received mine about a month ago. There was a black scuff on the top cap that took some work to get out. Also some indentations in the casting. Then there was some rust color around the screw that was perplexing, and I found the cause to be metal shavings inside the hole. Shook those out and no more dark rust color.

Despite all this the tolerances seemed to be correct and it’s a great shaver. I did not contact the company; for the money paid it was a good value and these were fairly cosmetic issues that don’t affect the shave.

 

[CalmAsHinduCows]

Oh wow - yeah, those were some of the reviews and complaints I had been reading about. Did you purchase the 6S or 6C? I read that they're shifting production for the C to China, which could be the reason why the QC is so shoddy.

Luckily, my 6S didn't have a flaw on it, blade sits true and straight, and it is a fantastic shaver. I just hope that they can work out their QC because I was planning on purchasing another for my brother-in-law for Christmas.

I received mine about a month ago. There was a black scuff on the top cap that took some work to get out. Also some indentations in the casting. Then there was some rust color around the screw that was perplexing, and I found the cause to be metal shavings inside the hole. Shook those out and no more dark rust color.

Despite all this the tolerances seemed to be correct and it’s a great shaver. I did not contact the company; for the money paid it was a good value and these were fairly cosmetic issues that don’t affect the shave.

 

[johnwick]

Oh wow - yeah, those were some of the reviews and complaints I had been reading about. Did you purchase the 6S or 6C? I read that they're shifting production for the C to China, which could be the reason why the QC is so shoddy.

Luckily, my 6S didn't have a flaw on it, blade sits true and straight, and it is a fantastic shaver. I just hope that they can work out their QC because I was planning on purchasing another for my brother-in-law for Christmas.

Yes sir it was the 6S. Luckily the blade aligns without effort and it seems all the plates are straight and tight. I think I might try my hand at polishing it up. I’m not a huge fan of the finish and I enjoy little projects like that.

 

[mozartman]

Yes sir it was the 6S. Luckily the blade aligns without effort and it seems all the plates are straight and tight. I think I might try my hand at polishing it up. I’m not a huge fan of the finish and I enjoy little projects like that.

Even if you don't polish it, it's pretty clear that the bead-blasted finish will gradually wear down to a shine at the main contact/friction points. No problem for me, but I'm surprised Rockwell doesn't offer a polished version, at a higher price if necessary. Obviously there's a demand for it.

 

[johnwick]

Even if you don't polish it, it's pretty clear that the bead-blasted finish will gradually wear down to a shine at the main contact/friction points. No problem for me, but I'm surprised Rockwell doesn't offer a polished version, at a higher price if necessary. Obviously there's a demand for it.

I agree!

I think Rockwell is still in quite the growing pains mode. The original 6S made from a different molding system failed them and now they’ve moved to the new system. Along with that came a move to China, which isn’t inherently bad if the production is excellent and made more affordable I suppose.

But from what I understand, they have gone on to develop a ton of new razors and products while customer service and quality may be waning. My preference would be for them to slow down and make their existing products the best they can be, I.E. introduce a highly polished 6S at a higher price point!

 

[mozartman]

I agree!

I think Rockwell is still in quite the growing pains mode. The original 6S made from a different molding system failed them and now they’ve moved to the new system. Along with that came a move to China, which isn’t inherently bad if the production is excellent and made more affordable I suppose.

But from what I understand, they have gone on to develop a ton of new razors and products while customer service and quality may be waning. My preference would be for them to slow down and make their existing products the best they can be, I.E. introduce a highly polished 6S at a higher price point!

All good points, including that "Made in China" is not necessarily the kiss of death, especially these days. Heck, I'm old enough (just) to remember when "Made in Japan" meant "Will fall apart immediately". And I'm guessing that in order to be consistently profitable and therefore survive, they need to both ramp up production and significantly reduce costs. Given that, the QC issues were probably inevitable. We'll see if they get by them.

 

[johnwick]

All good points, including that "Made in China" is not necessarily the kiss of death, especially these days. Heck, I'm old enough (just) to remember when "Made in Japan" meant "Will fall apart immediately". And I'm guessing that in order to be consistently profitable and therefore survive, they need to both ramp up production and significantly reduce costs. Given that, the QC issues were probably inevitable. We'll see if they get by them.

They will get it figured out. It’s kind of like buy a new car after the automaker did a complete redesign. The first year of those cars always suck. As far as Rockwell, their kickstarter batch wasn’t great. Now with production moved/outsourced again there will be some challenges. A year from now it’ll likely be perfect.

 

[Marlor]

Did you purchase the 6S or 6C? I read that they're shifting production for the C to China, which could be the reason why the QC is so shoddy.

The 6C has always been made in China. It seems to be pretty reliable in terms of tolerances, though.

The 6S is made in the USA, and is generally good, but with some bad batches. In the past year, a batch of faulty top caps went out (I got one - it was unusable), and there were some issues with discoloured parts reported in another forum.

The support (for the 6S at least) has been top-notch. So there’s no risk in buying one. Just a bit of hassle if you get a bad unit and need a replacement part.

 

[mozartman]

The 6C has always been made in China. It seems to be pretty reliable in terms of tolerances, though.

The 6S is made in the USA, and is generally good, but with some bad batches. In the past year, a batch of faulty top caps went out (I got one - it was unusable), and there were some issues with discoloured parts reported in another forum.

The support (for the 6S at least) has been top-notch. So there’s no risk in buying one. Just a bit of hassle if you get a bad unit and need a replacement part.

Agreed, though I don't think the 6C is made to as close tolerances as the 6S. The cap on my 6C only screwed onto the handle with difficulty when new, though a bit of oil helped with that.

 

[Marlor]

Agreed, though I don't think the 6C is made to as close tolerances as the 6S. The cap on my 6C only screwed onto the handle with difficulty when new, though a bit of oil helped with that.

I guess those problems exist with any razor. I literally couldn't get blades on and off my 6S with the first top cap I received, because the posts were too wide for the blades to fit. The second top cap was fine.

The main thing is that Rockwell's support is top-notch, so if you have an issue, they'll send out a new part without a fuss.