So i'm back with another monthly review! As before, each blade will be reviewed based on a 2 pass (plus touch up) shave using a Van Der Hagen long handled razor, Van Der Hagen Luxury shave soap and a generic Fento badger brush. I run through 2 of each blade and use each 4 times; for a total of 8 shaves per brand. I'll be grading based on sharpness, smoothness, longevity and consistency. Price will be a factor but only if it's very cheap or expensive since most DE blades are pretty cheap comparatively.
Up this month: Rockwell Razors (Swedish Super Steel Razor Blade.) This blade is the namesake of the Rockwell Razor company and they tout that “The pure stainless steel that forms these blades protects them against rust, while the specialized treatment that crafts these blades ensures the blades retain their exceptional sharpness.”
What that specialized treatement is i couldn’t tell you, but i didn’t notice any discernable coating (like wax or ptfe). Like the name says, they’re “Swedish Steel” but it does not list where the blade is actually manufactured. If anyone is interested i’ll contact Rockwell to find out. The razors are selling on the Rockwell website for $12 per 100 so they represent a good deal in terms of DE prices. The packaging is understated if perhaps a bit on the plain side, and the blade itself is simply printed with “Rockwell Razors” and “Swedish Stainless Steel”.
So the big question, as always, is how does it shave?
First off, the sharpeness is very much what i would consider neutral. As in dead center between a dull and sharp blade. A little bit of a tug during shaving but not totally unpleasant; and sharp enough to get the job done fairly well. A while back someone posted a sharpness chart with various brands. I’d put these in the exact middle.
Smoothness was similar to sharpness in that it was solidly...mediocre. No nicks or weepers, but some slight irritation with every shave. Nothing i’d consider bad or great. Just really, really...ok.
Longevity was about average as well (sensing the trend?) Rockwell’s website says you’ll be able to get between 4-8 shaves out of the blades and i’d say that’s about spot on. Shave #2 on both blades was the best, while shaves 3 and 4 started to show noticible dulling. I’d say they would be good until around shave 6 which puts them at about average for longevity.
Consistancy was the exception to the mediocre performance of the Rockwell. Both blades shaved exactly the same and dulled at the same rate. There was no noticible difference between the two so the quality control seems very solid.
So what’s the overall verdict on the Rockwell? Well, how many synonyms are there for “average”? Vanilla, unexceptional, humdrum, so-so, milquetoast...I’ll stop.
Basically this blade reminded me a lot of the VanDerHagen blade i started out with. It gave me a good shave with little fuss or irritation, but it was simply bland (see there’s another one!) Could you do worse than buying 100 Rockwells for $12? Absolutely. But you could also do better. Overall, i’m giving the Rockwell a middle of the road (last one i swear) 5 out of 10.
So that’s it for this month. Next up will be the Rapira Super Stainless. Until then, happy shaving!
Up this month: Rockwell Razors (Swedish Super Steel Razor Blade.) This blade is the namesake of the Rockwell Razor company and they tout that “The pure stainless steel that forms these blades protects them against rust, while the specialized treatment that crafts these blades ensures the blades retain their exceptional sharpness.”
What that specialized treatement is i couldn’t tell you, but i didn’t notice any discernable coating (like wax or ptfe). Like the name says, they’re “Swedish Steel” but it does not list where the blade is actually manufactured. If anyone is interested i’ll contact Rockwell to find out. The razors are selling on the Rockwell website for $12 per 100 so they represent a good deal in terms of DE prices. The packaging is understated if perhaps a bit on the plain side, and the blade itself is simply printed with “Rockwell Razors” and “Swedish Stainless Steel”.
So the big question, as always, is how does it shave?
First off, the sharpeness is very much what i would consider neutral. As in dead center between a dull and sharp blade. A little bit of a tug during shaving but not totally unpleasant; and sharp enough to get the job done fairly well. A while back someone posted a sharpness chart with various brands. I’d put these in the exact middle.
Smoothness was similar to sharpness in that it was solidly...mediocre. No nicks or weepers, but some slight irritation with every shave. Nothing i’d consider bad or great. Just really, really...ok.
Longevity was about average as well (sensing the trend?) Rockwell’s website says you’ll be able to get between 4-8 shaves out of the blades and i’d say that’s about spot on. Shave #2 on both blades was the best, while shaves 3 and 4 started to show noticible dulling. I’d say they would be good until around shave 6 which puts them at about average for longevity.
Consistancy was the exception to the mediocre performance of the Rockwell. Both blades shaved exactly the same and dulled at the same rate. There was no noticible difference between the two so the quality control seems very solid.
So what’s the overall verdict on the Rockwell? Well, how many synonyms are there for “average”? Vanilla, unexceptional, humdrum, so-so, milquetoast...I’ll stop.
Basically this blade reminded me a lot of the VanDerHagen blade i started out with. It gave me a good shave with little fuss or irritation, but it was simply bland (see there’s another one!) Could you do worse than buying 100 Rockwells for $12? Absolutely. But you could also do better. Overall, i’m giving the Rockwell a middle of the road (last one i swear) 5 out of 10.
So that’s it for this month. Next up will be the Rapira Super Stainless. Until then, happy shaving!
