Adjustable Razors with dial

[firstsafety]

I noticed that Rockwell is releasing a new adjustable razor the Model T as of April of this year. I have also seen it in some SOTD postings, so some lucky ones must have early access. Mr. Rockwell, I presume! I have a Merkur Futur and am planning on replacing that with a Rex Ambassador in the upcoming year. I just wanted to hear from folks using adjustable razors, especially those with dials and what they think of them. I am focused on the razors you can purchase new at the store or online. I know there are some great vintage adjustable razors, but that would be different discussion. I am also not including the Futur clones because I think cloning animals and razors is immoral. Can you discuss build quality, durability, problems, etc? Any preference? Is the Rex that much better than the others? What other razors should be part of this group? Also, whatever happened to the Merkur Vision? And, finally, which adjustable razor is the best adjustable razor ever made including all vintage, clones, originals, and futures?

Rockwell Model T (April 2019) $119.00
Merkur Futur $72.20
Merkur Progress $58.20
Rex Ambassador $250.00

 

[ackvil]

The only ones I have tried above are the Merkur Futur and Merkur Progress. The Futur was bulky and the model I had (five years ago) was a pain to change the blades. I sold it after a few shaves. The Progress is my favorite adjustable. I had three: two short handled ones I had converted to a Mergress and a long-handled one also a Mergress. I recently sold one of the short handled ones but kept the remaining ones.

As for vintage, the Slim and FB are both good ones.

 

[santamariasteve]

Both the Rockwell Model T and the Rex Ambassador are receiving rave reviews from knowledgeable trustworthy shavers.

Google 'em.

 

[firstsafety]

Both the Rockwell Model T and the Rex Ambassador are receiving rave reviews from knowledgeable trustworthy shavers.

Google 'em.

I found a thread on the Model T from July of 2018. I assumed since they mentioned an April release that is was a new product, so I did not search for as well as I should have. I see that this process for Rockwell to release this razor goes back years. I also see that the Rex is really different because it is the only one not made of pot metal. Rex says all the components are stainless steel thus the razor is more valuable than the others.

 

[muzichead]

Model T was released last year in 2018. I'm pretty sure that they still haven't shipped all the razors yet from the kickstarter project and there are still some that haven't received the initial offering as yet. There are a couple threads here in the DE forum if you search for it...

 

[firstsafety]

So, the reason they say pre-order on the site is because they are still catching up from the kickstarter? That must suck. I read through what I could find on the Model T, thanks!

 

[Grundi]

@firstsafety, I participated in the current Rex Ambassador passaround that @GlazedBoker is hosting. The Rex is definitely a very nice razor with top-notch build quality. The "infinite" adjustability is sweet; it micro-adjusts instead of set intervals. If I had the $$$, I would buy one. I also tried the Rockwell 6S (in another passaround), but thought the Rex was better.

I haven't tried the Parker Variant (dial-based adjustable razor in the $60 range), but I like the looks of it and it's on my list. The razor is carried in brick-and-mortar shops and fine online establishments.

 

[Clay S]

Gillette Slim is hard to beat, especially for the price. I can find every few months at antique malls for $10-15.

The Rex is a very high quality, well made razor that shaves very well. More than I would spend, unless I had children that I might pass it down to. I suspect it will last a few lifetimes.

 

[Shavemd]

I picked up a Barbaros-Rocnel adjustable on the BST for a good price and it’s 316 SS. I like it better than the Rex, Future, Vision, and Variant razors that I had.

 

[Runnin_Ute]

I have a Gillette Slim. Despite the fact that it was made in 1963, I get great shaves with it.

 

[dmshaver]

Another new adjustable is the Ming Shi 3000. I'm still waiting to see what reviewers have to say about this one.

As far as my favorite adjustable, the Slim.

 

[John Rose]

Also, whatever happened to the Merkur Vision?

See Discontinued Merkur Vision 2000 ?

 

[inkybme1]

A bit about Rockwell. Their first Kickstarter campaign produced the 6S, which was a stainless steel razor with three (2-sided) baseplates. The idea was the user could use a different baseplate to customize to their preferred aggressiveness. Initially, there was some manufacturing issues, so Rockwell at their own expense, re-manufactured the 6S razor with some improvements... thus the 6S version 2 was born. The 1-hour podcast about the manufacturing issues is available on the Sharpologist website. I own the 6S, V2 and it is an excellent razor that is in my rotation.

Later, Rockwell offered a chrome-plated version of the 6S at a lower selling price ($50). Same razor, but not stainless steel.

The Model T is their latest Kickstarter campaign. This project has been delayed by more than a year, and Rockwell took their time so as to not repeat the manufacturing mistakes from their first campaign. The good news, is they should be very close to fulfilling their Kickstarter obligations and selling directly to the public through their website. Yesterday, I received my Model T in the gunmetal finish. It is absolutely gorgeous and the build quality is exceptional. When turning the dials, to open the doors, or to adjust the razor's blade gap, everything is secure and firm. When I turn a dial, it will stay where I leave it, until I decide to turn it again. So, depending on how much you want to spend, I can recommend Rockwell razors.

 

[OldSkoolMillennial]

The only ones I have tried above are the Merkur Futur and Merkur Progress. The Futur was bulky and the model I had (five years ago) was a pain to change the blades. I sold it after a few shaves. The Progress is my favorite adjustable. I had three: two short handled ones I had converted to a Mergress and a long-handled one also a Mergress. I recently sold one of the short handled ones but kept the remaining ones.

As for vintage, the Slim and FB are both good ones.

Is the conversion to a Mergress a DIY thing or someone else does it?

 

[ackvil]

Is the conversion to a Mergress a DIY thing or someone else does it?

It is done by an individual. I don't know if he does it for individuals now; at one time he did. At one time he was a vendor here on B&B.

 

[Billy T.]

The Progress is kind of a turn off with that ugly plastic knob, also kinda sad that the Futur isn't stainless steel. Regarding the Model T it looks like a modern Gillette FatBoy sadly it isn't stainless steel either.