Bought a RazoRock Mamba 53. Hate it. Deeply.

[BigJ]

Sorry!! BST may be a good option. You could also do a PIF.

 

[slim6596]

Good gosh, .053"?!?! I would think the blade box would be about as effective!

I don't remember, does Italian Barber do the return thing? You might be able to send back for an exchange on a somewhat more exposing head.

No returns of razors to IB. They said (when I asked) that this “no return” policy was part of the reason they can offer razors so cheap.

 

[Brutus]

Hate it? Deeply?

Sell it. Soon.


The end.

 

[Java]

Good gosh, .053"?!?! I would think the blade box would be about as effective!

I don't remember, does Italian Barber do the return thing? You might be able to send back for an exchange on a somewhat more exposing head.

First, to all, I apologize for my demeanor the other day. I was ... yeah ... I was rather inebriated and not in a good state of mind. Right now, I am in only one of those states, lol.

Yeah, 0.53mm. That's the blade gap. My favorite razor, the Rockwell 6S with the R3 head, works absolutely wonderfully for me even though it has a 0.48mm gap. My skin is like Jell-O, but not as tough.

No, there's more going on here. It's not the 0.53mm blade gap that is the issue. There are two other factors, blade exposure and angle, that are at issue.

I would like to try a Mamba 70 and/or BBS head, but the way RazoRock handles pricing and availability, I'm just not willing. I'd have to pay nearly as much for the 70 or BBS head as I would for the full razor. And would my 53 top cap work with either? No clue. Not going to do it.

 

[kaufdrop27]

First, to all, I apologize for my demeanor the other day. I was ... yeah ... I was rather inebriated and not in a good state of mind. Right now, I am in only one of those states, lol.

Yeah, 0.53mm. That's the blade gap. My favorite razor, the Rockwell 6S with the R3 head, works absolutely wonderfully for me even though it has a 0.48mm gap. My skin is like Jell-O, but not as tough.

No, there's more going on here. It's not the 0.53mm blade gap that is the issue. There are two other factors, blade exposure and angle, that are at issue.

I would like to try a Mamba 70 and/or BBS head, but the way RazoRock handles pricing and availability, I'm just not willing. I'd have to pay nearly as much for the 70 or BBS head as I would for the full razor. And would my 53 top cap work with either? No clue. Not going to do it.

Your 53 top will work with the mamba 70 plate. It will not work with the bbs plates.

 

[Ron R]

And it's too bad, as the razor's build quality is nice. It looks much better than I thought it would. The HD handle is very nice. I like that the head/cap conceals the blade tabs (the main reason I bought it in the first place), but replacing the blade is a bit awkward, since it's the reverse of what I'm used to, given that the blade alignment pins are on the head, rather than the top cap.

I bought the Mamba 53 because I normally use a Rockwell 6S with a R3 head, which has a 0.48mm blade gap. I thought the Mamba 53's 0.53mm blade gap would be fine, since I'm also able to use Rockwell R4 (0.61mm) and other heads. But no.

The shave with the Mamba 53 was simply awful for me. It just wasn't cutting it -- literally. I had to make pass after pass after pass for some reason, and eventually just gave up on it. I thought I wasn't getting the angle right, but nothing I did made it work. I'm not a complete idiot and I'm not new at this. It was strange.

It tore up my neck, and left me with razor burn. And I still had to go over it with my 6S.

I was using a Crystal Super+ Platinum blade; the same blades that have worked well for me in many other razors ("worked well" meaning at least "got the job done").

I know, believe me I know, everyone else in the world has had good experience. I get it. You have your own threads. I'm mostly venting, because I'm upset about this bad experience, given that it's really not worth returning this razor, since I'd have to pay return shipping and a 15% restocking fee. And actually, since I used it, I'm not even eligible to return it.

I nearly forgot to mention that I have mega-sensitive skin. It's a curse. All this makes me appreciate my 6S all the more. I don't mean to shill for Rockwell. I have my complaints against them as well. (Every single thing I say, I feel like I have to "INB4" against.)

I would just try a Kai SS Extra wide blade, it will give a bump up in efficentcy and I use them in my mild razors and they work well. You get a little more blade exposure or blade feel that sometimes folks want in their razors. Superior to shimming a razor in a razor IMO.
The blade is 9/1000 wider or .0045 inches per side than a Standard Astra SP blade and I will have a few tucks always for my mild razors I collected when first learning Traditional wet shaving.

Some more information on the Kai SS Blade.

Participation PIF - The Mysterious KAI Blades

Participation PIF - The Mysterious KAI Blades Legend has it that a 1,000 years ago, a mystical meteor crashed to Earth into the Sea of Japan causing the Mighty Godzilla to rise from the murky depth of the ocean. Fishermen from a local island retrieved the meteor, delivering it to a renowned...

www.badgerandblade.com

Have some great shaves!

 

[kingfisher]

Isn’t Razorock overthinking their gear too much? (Pins on a plate why?)...

Pretty sure the pins on the baseplate save money in the CNC manufacturing process.

 

[OldSkoolMillennial]

My Mamba 53 sits in a drawer collecting dust. Once I learned how to shave properly with a Tech it was a game changer. More efficient, admittedly not as smooth. Felt like I wasted $65 or whatever it was, when a $10 razor was more capable.

Though I am interested in those Lupos as they appear better designed.

 

[CCS]

My Mamba 53 sits in a drawer collecting dust. Once I learned how to shave properly with a Tech it was a game changer. More efficient, admittedly not as smooth. Felt like I wasted $65 or whatever it was, when a $10 razor was more capable.

Though I am interested in those Lupos as they appear better designed.

It's good for start-ups that people will buy their expensive reinventions of safety razors (and I have one as well, a Feather AS-D2) but like I often say, Gillette solved shaving by the end of the 1960s and a Tech razor of some sort is capable of amazing shaves, about as good as they get. The Feather takes the Tech design and refines into a, potentially, more attractive and solid razor. I think many of us who have been shaving for a long time prefer vintage razors and newer shavers seem to look for modern options. As to long lasting, my small collection of Gillettes is 65-100 years old and save for the 100 old one (being restored) all work perfectly and look great. Vintage razors may not be made from Titanium, bar steel, CNC or whatever, but they shave great, are inexpensive (if you're not in need of NOS, mint, or box and papers), and are available as adjustables if one wants to play with blade gap.

It's interesting to realize my newest razor, save for the Feather and a Jagger, is from 1964.

 

[Sami_]

Love the mamba both 53 and 70

 

[Old Navy_1]

I just recently purchased a RazoRock GC 68-P razor with the "Super Knurl" handle and a GC 84-P Baseplate, along with another handle. I have short overviews of my impressions. Suffice to say, I love both of my RazoRock Game Changers.

Having issues with the "Alignment Pins" being on the Baseplate, rather than the "Top Cap" is kind of silly. Especially, since the "Alignment Pins" on the Baseplate are machined to a tighter tolerances and Align the blade exactly, each and everytime.

It was a little fiddly the first-time I tried it. After that, no problem at all. It is a non issue. Just different.

Regarding your not liking the RazoRock Mamba 53? That's what makes a horse race my friend. Sell it, give it away, or put it in a drawer. Chalk it up to experience.

One man's treasure is another man's trash.

Good luck with your search.

b/r

ON_1

 

[Butch Waxx]

Lik

I just recently purchased a RazoRock GC 68-P razor with the "Super Knurl" handle and a GC 84-P Baseplate, along with another handle. I have short overviews of my impressions. Suffice to say, I love both of my RazoRock Game Changers.

Having issues with the "Alignment Pins" being on the Baseplate, rather than the "Top Cap" is kind of silly. Especially, since the "Alignment Pins" on the Baseplate are machined to a tighter tolerances and Align the blade exactly, each and everytime.

It was a little fiddly the first-time I tried it. After that, no problem at all. It is a non issue. Just different.

Regarding your not liking the RazoRock Mamba 53? That's what makes a horse race my friend. Sell it, give it away, or put it in a drawer. Chalk it up to experience.

One man's treasure is another man's trash.

Good luck with your search.

b/r

ON_1

Liking my .84 Gamechanger a lot!!!

 

[Dnallehekaj]

It's good for start-ups that people will buy their expensive reinventions of safety razors (and I have one as well, a Feather AS-D2) but like I often say, Gillette solved shaving by the end of the 1960s and a Tech razor of some sort is capable of amazing shaves, about as good as they get. The Feather takes the Tech design and refines into a, potentially, more attractive and solid razor. I think many of us who have been shaving for a long time prefer vintage razors and newer shavers seem to look for modern options.

I'll admit, I'm a Razorock fanboy. Particularly, the Lupo line. I like how sturdy they feel. I like how they look. I like that they cover the blade tabs. I love how they shave.

All that being said, my user grade prewar Tech shaves very, very well. It does not feel smooth during a shave like my Lupos. It feels cheap in my hand because it is so dang light. The baseplate looks like a thin, flimsy piece of junk that will be easily bent and ruined.

That thin baseplate has been around a lot longer than I have. That cheap-feeling razor will probably outlive me, and hopefully keep providing easy and great whisker removal services to someone long after I'm gone.

My prewar Tech rules! And you say they solved shaving by the end of the 1960's? So there's a better vintage Gillette out there? RAD is lurking in the wings, waiting to strike...

 

[pastmili]

When I read complaints about the Mamba 53 I sometimes wonder how many people who complain about it have the kind of facial hair that the product description says it was designed for. The description is fairly specific about that. I do have that kind of facial hair and for me it is an excellent razor. If someone who doesn't have that kind of facial hair complains about it that would be like buying the wrong size shoes and then blaming the shoes when their feet hurt.

 

[Java]

The website says:

The RazoRock Mamba 53 is the ultimate mild safety razor, perfect for people seeking an ultra-safe and gentle shave, especially for those with softer facial hair.​

That does describe me perfectly. Unfortunately I'd have been better off trying to shave with a shoe.

Unwatching.

 

[pastmili]

The website says:



That does describe me perfectly. Unfortunately I'd have been better off trying to shave with a shoe.

Unwatching.

I think you might need to take shaving lessons.