Revisit of Rolls Razor

[johnmrson]

I bought a Rolls razor when I started collecting DE's and SE's a few years ago. I tried it a few times and couldn't get a decent shave out of it so it went into the display case and there it's languished. Earlier this week I was sorting through my old DE's and SE's as I sold a bulk lot of about 80 to razors_ej (another member here from Melbourne). As I've been shaving with a straight for a while now I thought I'd revisit the Rolls. I took the blade out, removed the guard and honed the blade by pushing it up and down a coticule for a 100 or so laps. I sprayed the original Rolls strop with diamond spray and stropped the blade 50 or so times. Let me just say wow. What a fantastic shave I got from it. I can understand that if you haven't shaved with a straight before then these don't really make sense and are difficult to use. It'll still take a little while to get used to shaving some of the more difficult areas with what is effectively a straight cross section on a stick but the learning is all part of the fun.
The Rolls will now become a regular part of my shaving rotation

 

[ShavinBacon]

I had always wanted to try the rolls early on when I first started wetshaving. I even bid on one on eBay losing out to a fellow member here. Every once in awhile when I read these success thread, I still think about it. Congrats on the shave and new tool in the rotation.

 

[Luc]

Good to see you John, you know the drill, where's the picture?

 

[razors_ej]

I saw someone give a demo of the rolls razor in one of the antique stores I visited. Unbelievable contraption but I wasn't tempted to put one of those anywhere near my face!

John - I tried out one of those gem blades for my first SE shave last night. It's gonna take me a bit of practice to get the hang of it. 1 pass was enough for a first go and I finished off the shave with a flair tip. Not too bad but a bit raw, bit like my first DE shave.

 

[johnmrson]

I saw someone give a demo of the rolls razor in one of the antique stores I visited. Unbelievable contraption but I wasn't tempted to put one of those anywhere near my face!

John - I tried out one of those gem blades for my first SE shave last night. It's gonna take me a bit of practice to get the hang of it. 1 pass was enough for a first go and I finished off the shave with a flair tip. Not too bad but a bit raw, bit like my first DE shave.

G'day Brad, yes, those Ted Pella SE blades are pretty sharp. Understandable that the first shave felt a little harsh. The SE blade has little to no flex so it really comes down to the shaver getting the angle and pressure completely spot on. Stick with it though. The best safety razor shave I ever had was with a GEM 1912 and a Ted Pella blade. I swear my face was still BBS after 3 days.

 

[weizemanner]

I find that I really have to use the Gillette Slide when I use a Rolls. The in-case sharpening system never seems to get them quite as sharp as I like my razors to be, there s always a little tugging. The resulting shave if I take my time and work with the blade is usually DFS or BBS. I especially like them on my neck where the hair grows straight E-W and it is almost impossible to straight razor shave WTG or ATG without picturing Sweeney Todd.

 

[kcb5150]

When honed properly, they give an incredible shave.

 

[Gafer]

Inspired by this thread, I broke out my own Rolls this morning. I've had it for some time but tried shaving with it a few times and gave up. My Rolls came shave ready and will easily shave arm hairs so I've always attributed my lack of success with the Rolls similar to my lack of success with a straight. This morning was a different story. I didn't do my entire shave with it, just the major areas and let me say it was a DFS. Skin stretching as is done with a straight is essential. This is something I've been doing more lately even with a DE and I suspect why it went so much better with the Rolls this morning. Since I'm off work this week and have more time for the important things in life (read: shaving) I think I'll try hitting the Rolls every day for awhile and see how it goes.