I have been reading a bit on this forum and thought it was time to join. A bit about me: I am 59 years old, happily married and living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for 13 years now. It's a nice place to live if you can deal with the cold winters and snow. I guess you could say that I am new to DE razors but it isn't completely true. When I was a teenager growing up in the late 70's I began shaving with a DE razor. I can't remember what brand or model but it was a butterfly type. I am sure it was cheap because my dad gave it to me and he was very tight with his money. I graduated high school (Houston, TX) in 1980 and I left for Navy boot camp a month later, where they immediately confiscated my safety razor and blades and had me buy a Gillette Trac 2? I guess it was taken to prevent suicides or something. I continued to use cartridge razors for the next 40 years. My cartridge razor of choice lately has been the Schick Hydro 3 and it has worked well for me. About a month ago I went to my local Walmart and all they had were a bunch of god awful 5 bladed razors. It pissed me off and I decided that I was done with cartridge razors so I did a little research and purchased a Rockwell 6S DE razor. I wanted a razor that wouldn't punish me too much as I relearn how to use a safety razor. I bought small packs of four blades, Derby Extra, Astra SP, Kai SS and Feather. I do wear a beard so mostly I am shaving just my neck, the patch of hair under my bottom lip and my upper cheeks. So far I have tried the Derby (not sure how much I like it), the Astra SP (much better than the Derby) and the Kai (also much better than the derby. I am only three weeks in using a blade a week. I am dealing with some minimal razor burn occasionally that I hope to overcome as my technique improves.
Newbie checking in
- Thread starter South Dakota Guy
- Start date
Welcome to B&B!!!
You should check out my "newbie blade PIF" in this forum!!! Simple directions if you're interested. You've pretty much answered everything here!!!
Lots of great info here and alot of great people!!!
You should check out my "newbie blade PIF" in this forum!!! Simple directions if you're interested. You've pretty much answered everything here!!!
Lots of great info here and alot of great people!!!
Welcome to B&B.
Welcome to B&B.
I like your choice in a DE razor.
I use The Rockwell 6s myself when I don’t use a straight razor. I use it with #2 and get zero irritation. I’m suspecting you’re pressing too hard. Let the weight of the razor do the work and remember the importance of beard prep before your put a blade to your face.
Like you i’m bearded so only shave my neck, upper cheeks and below the lower lip.
When you feel confident you might try to use a shavette above your cheeks and below your lip. It’s easier to make a straight line and to get in tighter spaces like under the lip. With the shavette you can see exactly where you’re placing the blade.
Good luck, any questions feel free to ask.
I like your choice in a DE razor.
I use The Rockwell 6s myself when I don’t use a straight razor. I use it with #2 and get zero irritation. I’m suspecting you’re pressing too hard. Let the weight of the razor do the work and remember the importance of beard prep before your put a blade to your face.
Like you i’m bearded so only shave my neck, upper cheeks and below the lower lip.
When you feel confident you might try to use a shavette above your cheeks and below your lip. It’s easier to make a straight line and to get in tighter spaces like under the lip. With the shavette you can see exactly where you’re placing the blade.
Good luck, any questions feel free to ask.
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks everyone. Snooks, I have been using the #3 plate. I probably should go back to the #2. I am planning on starting the Feather blades on the #2 for sure when I feel confident enough to give them a try. I am probably using too much pressure and figuring out the angle hasn’t been easy. I am almost tempted to shave off my beard just so I can get more experience in a shorter amount of time.
- Thread starter
- #6
Sorry Sanookd didn’t mean to butcher your name. I am going to blame autocorrect.
When I started using the Rockwell I did first pass with #4 the flipped it over to #2 for subsequent passes. Now I just use #2. However most of the time I use a straight. No need to go beardless. I maintain a short full beard kind of like Wolf Blitzer. But even when I use the Rockwell I shave my upper cheeks and below the lip with a shavette. I also make the sharp beard line with the shavette on my neck when finished with the Rockwell.
When I use a DE blade it’s Feather Astra and sometimes Kai. Feel free to ask questions
Another Welcome to you. Seems you’re getting off to a decent start. I’ll agree that your beard makes developing a better technique a bit longer process, but it will come. Enjoy your journey.
Welcome to the forum from Australia.
Welcome to B&B.
Again I welcome you to Badger and Blade.
@South Dakota Guy welcome to B&B. I too have the 6S along with a couple of vintage Gillettes and the new King C Gillette Razor. Every time I use one of the Gillette razors I end up wondering why I did that. My Rockwell with a Feather blade is a great combination for me. In this forum you will see the term YMMV quite a bit. It stands for Your Mileage May Vary. In wet shaving, that is a very true term. What works for me may not work for you. You just have to try a lot of variations, hopefully only varying one thing at a time. Just remember, you have to kiss a few frogs to find a prince.
Welcome aboard!
Welcome from the UK.
- Thread starter
- #15
Thanks! It's time for a new razor blade today so I am going to put the #2 plate in my Rockwell and take the Feather blade for a test drive. I have read more than once that a mild razor paired with a very sharp blade can give a close and comfortable shave.
- Thread starter
- #16
I want to thank everyone that has welcomed me. This is definitely a friendly site. I like the international makeup of the members. It is great to get some perspective from other parts of the world. I have spent most of my forum time on an American football blog site. It tends to get a bit unruly and heated. Imagine a politics and religion forum and you get the idea. This site seems more friendly and helpful. It is much appreciated.
Welcome to B&B!
- Thread starter
- #18
So I finally used a Feather blade and #2 plate in my Rockwell 6S yesterday and today. Those have been some comfortable and close shaves. I know using a #2 plate is like using training wheels on a razor but I might be sticking with that combo for a while.
Welcome aboard. It sounds like you're off to a great start.
Welcome to B & B, enjoy!
