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BigD's Rockwell 6S Jet Black Review

BigD

BigD

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My review of the Rockwell 6S Jet Back Razor Review

I’ve used the Rockwell 6S for over a year now. It is my first high end razor. I have yet to find another razor that is as versatile, efficient, and as smooth as this razor. The Blackland Sabre comes close, and is a great piece of kit, but for getting under the nose the Rockwell 6S is a bit more effective. When I saw Rockwell had brought out a limited edition Jet Black version my RAD kicked in and ordered. So far I have not been disappointed.

  • Pros;
    • High quality build out of 316-L SS
    • Can dial in your shave with any blade for any part of the body
    • Higher settings mow through the most course of whiskers
    • Easy to clean and maintain
    • Great knurling for a sure grip
    • The New Coating gives even more grip
    • Great price for what you get (My opinion)
    • Great new look
  • Cons;
    • You have three base plates to keep up with
    • It is injection cast molded
    • Not a polished look or feel (still smooth)
    • The instruction sheet is vague on which plate to use and when
    • You must experiment to find the correct plate for the blade you are using

  1. First Shave
    1. Blade used
      1. Dorco Prime STP-301 (1)
    2. Soap
      1. Vintage Colgate Mug Shave Soap
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. One nick on the chin taken care of by an alum block
      1. My fault
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. This being a new toy and all I was biting at the bit to for its first use. To be honest, I was shocked that the razor was a bit more efficient with more blade feel than the regular Rockwell 6S model. I think the coating gave it just a hair more gap. It was not uncomfortable in the least. In fact, it felt really good.
  2. Second Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco ST-301 (1)
    2. Soap
      1. Colonel Conk Bay Rum Soap
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. I decided to go with the cheaper version for the current Dorco offerings that has no teflon coating. Just a platinum coating and plain stainless steel. The last time I used this blade I was new to DE shaving and it felt rough. I was also using it in a VdH TTO with a lot of blade chatter. Last time I was on vacation my wife had purchased Dorco ST-300s and I had no issues with these blades while I was home using the Rockwell 6S and the Rockwell Model T. I figured I would try the ST-301s again. No issues. I couldn’t tell the difference between these and the Dorco Prime STP-301s from the shave the day before. The blade and the razor gave me another great shave. I am pretty sure as I use this blade I will start feeling the difference on the third or fourth shave compared to the STP-301s. Again, the Rockwell 6S Jet Black feels slightly more efficient than the regular 6S. As far as glide the new coating doesn’t seem to hinder the shave at all.
  3. Third Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco ST-301 (3)
    2. Soap
      1. Modern Williams
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. Another fantastic shave. Between the Rockwell 6S Jet Black, the Dorco ST-301, and a great Modern Williams lather I just had an amazing shave. I had a shave with the Dorco Prime STP-301 (2) with my regular Rockwell 6S using Colonel Conk Santa Fe Cedar to remind myself how the Rockwell 6S compared. It was also an amazing shave. The Rockwell 6S Jet Black is just slightly more efficient. Not by a long shot, but just ever so slight.
  4. Fourth Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco ST-301 (4)
    2. Soap
      1. Vintage Colgate Mug Shave Soap
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. A superb shave all around. I can’t get over how wonderful this razor is. Rockwell really knocked it out of the park with this razor. The 6S is fantastic and I thought it couldn’t be beat. I was wrong. The coating just gives it just that little bit of extra gap to really make it edge out the non-coated 6S.
  5. Fifth Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco ST-301 (5)
    2. Soap
      1. Stirling Agar form Stirling Soap Co.
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave Conclusion thoughts
      1. As smooth as butter. Smoother, even. Butter is jealous. My next shave, even though the Dorco ST-301 is holding up, will be an ender shave. I will find how it performs on my armpits.
  6. Sixth Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco ST-301 (6)
    2. Soap
      1. Stirling Spice form Stirling Soap Co.
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
      4. Underarms R3
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. This was an ender shave. The blade was finally showing its age and I could feel a bit of roughness. However, it was still good enough to give a great shave. It performed well under the arms. Very nice.
  7. Sixth Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco Prime STP-301 (3)
    2. Soap
      1. British Leather form Stirling Soap Co.
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. Nice shave.
  8. Eighth Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco Prime STP-301 (4)
    2. Soap
      1. Arko Puck
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Another superb shave.
  9. Ninth Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco Prime STP-301 (5)
    2. Soap
      1. Modern Williams
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. Modern Williams performed fantastically with this blade. By taking the time to build a perfect lather with this soap creates the best lather you can get. I even was able to find the European version of Williams Aqua Velva Ice Blue and After Shave Balm. Just a top notch shave. The next shave will be an Ender Shave for the Dorco Prime STP-301. For the money I get one or two more shaves with the STP-301 than the ST-301 making the STP-301 a better buy.
  10. Tenth Shave
    1. Blade Used
      1. Dorco Prime STP-301 (6)
    2. Soap
      1. Stirling Soap Company Stirling Spice
    3. Passes
      1. With the grain with setting R6
      2. Across the grain with setting R5
      3. Caddie Corner to the grain R4 (From chin to upper ear)
      4. Underarms R3
    4. No pick ups needed
    5. No nicks, cuts, or irritation
    6. Shave conclusion thoughts
      1. Just a final fantastic shave. Totally amazing how well this razor performs. Even though it’s a bit more than the regular Rockwell 6S, it’s worth the extra.
 
Last edited:
D

dangerousrazor

a fantastic review!!! It will be very helpful to those who are interested in Rockwell 6s
 
Roedeer

Roedeer

I liked the review, too. Do Rockwell say what their black coating is?

Years ago, I remember reading about black oxidising processes for ferrous metals (a bit like anodisation for aluminium).

If it is an oxide layer, it ought to stick around pretty well forever.

On the purely aesthetic side, it looks great.

Meanwhile, the standard 6S, which is my daily favourite, is within a Pantone of the grey stuff it is scraping off.
 
ajkel64

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
The Black is a good looking razor. Thanks for your detailed review. A pleasure to read as always.
 
BigD

BigD

Roedeer said:
I liked the review, too. Do Rockwell say what their black coating is?

Years ago, I remember reading about black oxidising processes for ferrous metals (a bit like anodisation for aluminium).

If it is an oxide layer, it ought to stick around pretty well forever.

On the purely aesthetic side, it looks great.

Meanwhile, the standard 6S, which is my daily favourite, is within a Pantone of the grey stuff it is scraping off.
Click to expand...
I do believe it's a coating. I'll try to find out what that coating is. I think it is PVD.
 
Zoolander

Zoolander

It is PVD coating according to their website and FB page.

Made in the USA from pure stainless steel and topped off with a brand new PVD finish
Click to expand...

The razor and brush stand is available in the same Jet Black PVD option. However, there's an anomaly on the website. The razor stand appears to be available in Jet Black PVD too but when you add it to the cart it says "Matte Black - black outer coating only, inside may not be coated".

Anyway, thank you BigD for your thorough review!
 
Z

Zhang Doe

So how durable is PVD coating? I wipe my razors dry after each use. Very humid here; tropical weather, so I don’t like to leave razors to air dry.
 
Roedeer

Roedeer

I have read about PVD, and like it.
Zhang Doe said:
So how durable is PVD coating?
Click to expand...
The titanium nitride coating on tools like drill bits is certainly durable; they do it because it improves the lifespan.

Since it has a low coefficient of friction, and also happens to have an attractive gold colour, someone out there ought to PVD a razor with it.

If anyone from Rockwell is reading this, a gold-coloured Rockwell 6S with a TiN coating would get at least one buyer here, who likes reading materials science for fun.

I wonder if the same material could successfully be applied to a DE blade edge. It might result in a blade that was "a bit too good", from the seller's point of view.
 
joebrazil

joebrazil

I am waiting for my 6S, ordered during their black friday sale, regular matte black. Reading this makes me wish it were here yesterday!
 
Z

Zhang Doe

something better said:
Anyone had any success polishing the Rockwell? I am not a fan of the gray industrial look
Click to expand...
Can't point you to the specific post, but I have seen pictures posted by someone who didn't like the look either and polished it himself. It looked less gritty, but still gray and not even close to mirror finish ... though I vaguely recall that it looked a little patchy, whereby the head looked polished but base plate a little less so, though that may have been due to the limited photos or the angle.

You could say it looked like something closer to a razor and less like something that should sit next to your wrench and pliers in your tool box. :)
 
something better

something better

Zhang Doe said:
Can't point you to the specific post, but I have seen pictures posted by someone who didn't like the look either and polished it himself. It looked less gritty, but still gray and not even close to mirror finish ... though I vaguely recall that it looked a little patchy, whereby the head looked polished but base plate a little less so, though that may have been due to the limited photos or the angle.

You could say it looked like something closer to a razor and less like something that should sit next to your wrench and pliers in your tool box. :)
Click to expand...
Lol the finish and the size of the top cap are the worst features of that razor
 
Z

Zhang Doe

something better said:
Lol the finish and the size of the top cap are the worst features of that razor
Click to expand...
www.badgerandblade.com

Polished Rockwell 6s?

I know they now have a new kickstarter for their chromed and polished versions, but I purchased the normal 6s before I found that. The Rockwell 6s is a great shaver, but I feel it would be even better if the surfaces that touched the skin were super smooth and polished. Has anyone polished...
www.badgerandblade.com www.badgerandblade.com

I don't know if this was the one, but this is one example. Yeah, not for me.

The rhodium Rockwell 6S sold at Razor Emporium looks kind of nice, but seems like there is skepticism that the plating on that rough surface will stick over time.
 
Roedeer

Roedeer

I have a Rockwell 6C as well as the 6S. The 6C is shiny and smooth (chromed zamak), but it doesn't work any better, or feel any better on my skin than the matte 6S.

The unplated knurling on the 6S gives a better grip.

If I wanted something prettier, I would try a Timeless, rather than mess about with the finish on the 6S.
 
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