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Is there anything that Muhle Rocca could do, that Gillete Slim Adjustable couldn't?

Good evening/morning gentlemen.

Long story short, I was just about to pull the trigger on the Muhle Rocca. Just wanted something that is smooth enough to use daily, yet efficient enough to get me clean with two pass shave (WTG/XTG) in the morning. From what I've read about the Rocca, it should fit the bill.
Then I paused and had a thought for a second: I have two Vintage Gillete adjustables-Slim and Black Beauty, using the slim more often. I use them on 5 or 6 depending on the blade. So, would the Rocca give me something more, strictly in the quality of shave department? We are not talking design and materials here, just the quality of shave.

For anyone that has used the Rocca alongside with vintage Gillette Adj. what are your thoughts?
 
All a spendy new razor will do is drain your wallet quicker than would the Slim.
Right now I'm rotating thru the "older" vintage razors: OT, Goodwill, LC & SC, Sheraton. Soon I'll be coming around to the "new" vintage razors: 40's Super Speed, Milord, various Techs, Slim and Super Adjustable. All give me BBS close and smooth shaves, and some of the razors have their own favorite blades.
 
Very different razors. The Rocca has more blade exposure and less blade rigidity, and shaves with a neutral/steep angle. There’s a lot of audio feedback when cutting through whiskers.

The Slim holds the blade more rigidly, shaves with a neutral/shallow angle and of course is adjustable.

I have sold my Rocca and kept my Slim. The Rocca was too aggressive and I don’t like blade chatter and long handles
 
I'm shaving with the Gillette Slim Adjustable given to me by Phil (luvmysuper). It is right there with my KGC. The setting is at 2 with a Wilkinson Sword (Gillette) blade. There aren't enough oooooos in smoooooooth to describe the shave. I'm appreciating every bit of it. Run with what you have and enjoy the great shave as well as the comfort of a good blade.

If it isn't broken, don't fix it.
 
Very different razors. The Rocca has more blade exposure and less blade rigidity, and shaves with a neutral/steep angle. There’s a lot of audio feedback when cutting through whiskers.

The Slim holds the blade more rigidly, shaves with a neutral/shallow angle and of course is adjustable.
^^ This^^
The Rocca shaves excellent imho, if I had to pick one of the two the Slim had to leave.

The level of efficiency is a higher with the Rocca than with a Slim on 5/6. But you still can crank up the Slim... The thickness of the handle is different. But I don't know if this point is of relevance for the OP.
 
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Iridian

Cool and slimy
MacintoshBR and JAHE already said things about the shaving characteristics of the Rocca I can confirm.

I would rather have the Rocca than the Slim. And to be brutally honest, neither razor would be my favorite.

My favorite or favorites are Wunderbar, Timeless Slim OC, Lupo .95 OC. Of these the Lupo is the least expensive and by far the most "mass compatible" razor, as the other two are rather special in comparison.

As usual, I would suggest taking a look at RazoRock first. Game Changer and Lupo are relatively inexpensive and will help you figure out what kind of razor you would like.

Maybe it is the Rocca indeed. From my personal point of view the Game Changer and Lupo family has more to offer.

In the end of is your money and your risk. The Rocca is a very nice razor, but in that ball park are the mentioned razors I much prefer as well. And I would also rather have a Yates 921-EH than a Rocca when it comes to shave quality. I like the handle of the Rocca more than the Yates though.
 
I have two Vintage Gillete adjustables-Slim and Black Beauty, using the slim more often. I use them on 5 or 6 depending on the blade. So, would the Rocca give me something more, strictly in the quality of shave department? We are not talking design and materials here, just the quality of shave.

For anyone that has used the Rocca alongside with vintage Gillette Adj. what are your thoughts?

This is such a pure and rational thought :thumbup1: that most of us (irrational) shave enthusiasts who part so easily with their money may need to pause for a moment and think.
I have all three razors that you mentioned, but no longer use any of them on a daily basis.

The Rocca (mine has the birch bark handle) was for a short while my go-to razor, but it quickly dropped off as the shave was not as close as my open comb Mühle (R41 with black handle). I had been attracted to the materials that Mühle had used for the Rocca, but after we moved house I found indelible stains on the stainless (no pun intended) steel surface of a razor that had been safely packed away in storage. I had not expected that and it dampened my enthusiasm for this razor even more.

While I have not used the Gillettes side by side with the Rocca, I do not recall that the Rocca had a significant edge over the vintage Gillettes.
It is nice to look at, the materials Mühle used were interesting, but the results of the shaves were not in any way a game changer.



Hope this helps…


B.
 
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This is one of those instances where no one can really tell you which will be better for you. I have both razors and prefer the Rocca to the Slim.....me and Slimmy never got along all that well. I prefer using a steeper angle and the Rocca excels here vs the Slim. I'm one that never really takes full advantage of adjustable razors. I tend to pick a setting and never adjust. Now the Aristocrat for some reason really agrees with me but not the Slim. The Rocca provides excellent daily shaves and stays in my regular rotation.

I'd say if you like the way you're Slim shaves, then stick with it. Although, if you wanted to give the Rocca a try, you can pick them up for about $75 new....not too shabby.
 
Thank you gentlemen! I really appreciate your input. I guess, I'll skip the Rocca for now.
The adjustables are very flexible razors for me. I don't go ATG on every shave, but when I do, it is almost always with an adjustable. The reason is that I could dial it down a step or two for the ATG pass, say 6 for the WTG/XTG and 4 for the ATG. This gives me the best possible shave, with least irritation.
 
I own the 3 razors. Rocca, Slim and Super Adjustable. My whiskers are very tough and nasty.
Use the SA @8 and the Slim @9. They give me significantly closer shaves than the Rocca.
 
I suggest this is one of those teasing questions that are inherently and ultimately answered roughly 50/50. It reminds me of the ancient questions, which is better the Fat Boy or the Slim? The NEW LC or the NEW SC?

50/50 or thereabouts. And all answers are correct.
 
I don't have this other razor you speak of but I have a Rocca (jet black version) and it rivals my Blackland Blackbird as one of the better razors I've ever used, if you do indeed ever decide to go for a brand new razor, the Rocca is a fantastic choice
 
Crank that slim up to about 7-8 you should be able to pull off exactly what you want here, no sense in wasting money on a Rocca in my opinion. If your not able to get the shave you are speaking of with a Slim then you may need to adjust your pre and post shave routine. Have you considered getting a 195? I like my fatboy shaves better than my slim shaves due to the shorter handle and the weight of it pushes it that much closer to my face then almost use gravity to shave
 
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