Muhle R95 Rocca Review - First Use

[CCS]

Just to prove to myself the slots don't matter, I shaved a little earlier with my Birch Rocca (and matching brush). I intentionally used Proraso Azur Lime preshave and cream. This line is goopier than some of the stuff most of us are familiar with as it's designed for single blade, not DE shaving so it will clog a DE razor fairly quickly. As I normally do no matter the razor, every few strokes, I turned on the hot water to rinse the razor. No issues, no challenges, no problems and ended up with my usual BBS shave with 3+ passes and buffing. Had a Nacet blade that was 3-4 shaves in. The handles for both the razor and brush repel water naturally and I clean and dry my gear after each use so all my razors are pristine anyway.

If one prefers another razor, that's one thing (this is my favorite razor to look at but I have a few that are better shavers for me) but one need not worry about slots on the bottom or the birch bark handle. Just rinse the razor under the tap and turn it off when rinsed.

 

[JimL911]

Please point us to your comparison thread. The slots are meaningless, sorry.

The OP had problems with it clogging. In case you didn't see it...

"But it clogs up like a Mother! I needed to take it apart twice for cleaning before I was done! This plate has no rinse slots on the bottom, and I think that's it's only fault. It would be a great daily, but for my purposes as a 2x week shave, I don't think it'll cut it."

There are a lot of threads about the Rocca and Dart.

 

[ivan_101]

1) I think it's the best looking one (I love wood handles) and 2) it was in the B&B FS section at a decent price. The only place I found the cap/plate pieces for sale (without needing to buy a complete razor) was at proshave.com in Europe, and they don't seem to ship to the USA.

I just watched a GeoFatBoy video where he used them side by side. He liked both but the Rocca won on closeness, smoothness and hand feel.
*This is funny because there's a current thread about him and his videos, pretty much dogging him. I like his product reviews, and that "EJ 3ONE6 vs Muhle ROCCA Showdown" video was an excellent comparison video.

Never head problems with rising my R94. But the proper way is to hold it under the water flowing from the tap

About that video by Geofatboy you saw. The Rocca has 4 head versions. The earlier ones were more aggressive than the latest ones. It has been reported here by a user. So we don't know which version was used in his video vs the 3ONE6. I have R94 version 4 and the 3ONE6, and I can tell you I definitely get closer shaves with the 3ONE6.

 

[CCS]

The OP had problems with it clogging. In case you didn't see it...

"But it clogs up like a Mother! I needed to take it apart twice for cleaning before I was done! This plate has no rinse slots on the bottom, and I think that's it's only fault. It would be a great daily, but for my purposes as a 2x week shave, I don't think it'll cut it."

There are a lot of threads about the Rocca and Dart.

The OP used his razor incorrectly. There is no faulty design choice in the Rocca, just faulty use. I was the first to respond about his issues.

 

[Maxwedge]

I will have my second shave with the Rocca tonight. I'll rinse it under hot water to clean it.

*I have always swished the razors back-n-forth in a full sink, because that's how I learned to shave. That's how Dad did it, and all my male room mates before I got married. Now I know!

And I didn't mean to imply the handle would be damaged by water. Obviously it won't. I meant that I was removing it to keep it "pristine" in case I sold it later. No soap or anything in the grooves. The stacked birch rings have a definite texture and I didn't want to be scrubbing it with a toothbrush if I decided not to keep it.

 

[Esox]

We can do without the bickering.

 

[CCS]

I will have my second shave with the Rocca tonight. I'll rinse it under hot water to clean it.

*I have always swished the razors back-n-forth in a full sink, because that's how I learned to shave. That's how Dad did it, and all my male room mates before I got married. Now I know!

And I didn't mean to imply the handle would be damaged by water. Obviously it won't. I meant that I was removing it to keep it "pristine" in case I sold it later. No soap or anything in the grooves. The stacked birch rings have a definite texture and I didn't want to be scrubbing it with a toothbrush if I decided not to keep it.

You don't need to worry about it like you are. You won't need to scrub it with a toothbrush. You ought to search some reviews here of that particular model and how the handle works and lasts without issue. Put a coat of wax or oil on it if you fret. There's info about that here as well. Swishing razors in a dirty sink basin full of water might be the way our father's or grandfather's did it but running it under a hot tap with no water in the sink basin is the cleaner, more sanitary way to rinse a razor and uses less water if you don't keep the tap running.

 

[luvmysuper]

You don't need to worry about it like you are. You won't need to scrub it with a toothbrush. You ought to search some reviews here of that particular model and how the handle works and lasts without issue. Put a coat of wax or oil on it if you fret. There's info about that here as well. Swishing razors in a dirty sink basin full of water might be the way our father's or grandfather's did it but running it under a hot tap with no water in the sink basin is the cleaner, more sanitary way to rinse a razor and uses less water if you don't keep the tap running.

Your particular method may be fine for you, but it isn't for everyone. The "cleaner and more sanitary" thing is a matter of personal opinion and tolerance level for "kooties".
But if that's what makes you comfortable, that's ok too.
There's guys out there who never experienced difficulties with rinsing 5 blade cart razors too. That's not been my experience though.

 

[Esox]

There's guys out there who never experienced difficulties with rinsing 5 blade cart razors too. That's not been my experience though.

I'm one of those. If my razor gets plugged up, disposable, DE or SE, my lather is too thick.

 

[wyze0ne]

I love this razor too. The birch bark handle was the initial attraction for me. I was pleasantly surprised with the shave it delivers as well. Excellent shaver! I've had mine for a little over a year and the handle still looks brand new with no special care other than drying it off after the shave. I also rinse mine under the tap and have never had an issue with it clogging.

 

[StewB]

When I use multiblade cartridges I can never get them clean enough between the blades for my liking. There's still "stuff" in there that just won't rinse out, even under running water (at least in a reasonable amount of time). Thankfully this isn't an issue for me with DE razors.

 

[ChriWilson]

Hotel or Cheapie toothbrush mitigates this

 

[CCS]

Comparing the Rocca razors to 5-blade cartridges is like comparing ducks to tomatoes. Not even close to the same thing with regards to rinsing them clean.

 

[StewB]

Hotel or Cheapie toothbrush mitigates this

A good thought. I've thought about doing that, but it seems to me that this would inevitably rub the brush bristles against the blades, which would either cut the bristles and/or have a dulling effect on the blades.

But in any case, I rarely use cartridges anymore except when traveling by air with only carry-on luggage, so I might try it at some point!

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I think I can address two of the issues that have been raised in this thread: Rocca vs 3one6, and Rocca clogging. I used to own both the Rocca with the birch bark handle and a 3one6 with a stainless steel handle. I agree with @Big_T that the 3one6 and Rocca are quite similar, enough so that I decided that I really didn't need both and sold the 3one6. I found the Rocca to be slightly more efficient, and I love the birch bark handle.

With regard to clogging, I shave daily, so I never have several days of growth that might clog the razor. But I have noticed that when I change the blade in my Rocca there is generally some "gunk" along the lower edge of the blade. That doesn't happen with my other razors, so I think that the lack of rinse holes does have a downside. That said, I have not noticed that the lack of rinse holes in any way affects the performance of the razor.

 

[Esox]

Comparing the Rocca razors to 5-blade cartridges is like comparing ducks to tomatoes. Not even close to the same thing with regards to rinsing them clean.

They can go well together.



But I digress...

I'm not familiar with the Muhle Rocca but, at a quick glance, it does have lather slots.

There are many DE razors that do not have lather slots. The Gillette Old Types and the Fatip would be two such examples.

Judging by that picture above, for me to plug that razor, my lather would need to be far, far thicker than I would normally make it but, I've also have been using Gillette 3 blade disposables since an arm injury several months ago and I dont manage to plug it either.

If I was to have a hard time rinsing the Roccas head out, I'd turn it sideways and let the hot water flow between the base and the bottom side of the blade. I would think that would do it.

 

[Medivh]

At one point I almost got one at a very tempting price, but I decided not to, since it's a very controversial razor with a love-hate relationship similar to the Fatip razors. Which is - you either love it, or you hate it.

 

[CCS]

At one point I almost got one at a very tempting price, but I decided not to, since it's a very controversial razor with a love-hate relationship similar to the Fatip razors. Which is - you either love it, or you hate it.

I haven't seen much hate. Maybe some ho-hum but I don't think the Rocca line is terribly controversial. I bought it mostly for looks and the only one I would have bought in the line is the one I did. That it turned to be a pretty nice razor is a bonus! I paid $80 for the razor a little bit more for the brush buying them from Ireland instead of here in the states. The shipping cost was about what the sales tax would have been on a purchase stateside.

 

[luvmysuper]

Comparing the Rocca razors to 5-blade cartridges is like comparing ducks to tomatoes. Not even close to the same thing with regards to rinsing them clean.

Theory is the same.
If the design doesn't allow for easy rinsing it really doesn't matter what razor it is.
If you have difficulty rinsing unless you do it a certain way, that would be problematic for me whether it was a duck or a tomato.
It may be for others as well.
Not everyone is going to like the same equipment.

 

[Maxwedge]

I did not mean to offend anyone with my review. It seems I struck a nerve with (at least) one member here. This was just MY take on a new-to-me razor head, and I've learned my lesson; I'll never write a review (on B&B) again.

I shaved with the Rocca again tonight. I rinsed with hot tap water instead of filling the sink, and I'm sure I used more water than my old way. The blade did not clog up on me like last time, but I still needed to disassemble it at the end to get all the scum out. Again, I don't need to do this with my other 6 razors, so if the only main design difference is the lack of clean-out holes, then this is a design flaw (at least to me). I'm happy if it works for you.

The shave was quite good. My skin is smooth and I have no complaints with the finished product. This just isn't the razor for me.