Yay, I'm on deck. I have to admit, I'm really eager and really apprehensive. I really want to like this razor, because it looks awesome. On the other hand, my bank account really wants me to hate it...
Great review. I am with you on just about everything you said about the Rex. I too am not in love but I REALLY like it. I can see one in my den one day.Ok, so I had my last shave today, and I'm ready to share my thoughts. If you want the cliffnotes, it's a fantastic razor that could easily hold it's own with the rest of my favorites. I'm not convinced that it beats any of them, though.
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As a reference point, I'm a head, cheek, and neck shaver. I like pretty aggressive razors and generally do a single pass with the grain, across the grain in just a few trouble spots. My current razor rotation is:
I've also had a chance to try out a Rockwell 6S (Thanks, Gus) and a Homelike Start, so combined with my ATT H1 and H2, I have a little bit of experience with other stainless offerings.
- Fatboy @ 11 (I have blade gaps set 2 levels higher than standard)
- Slim @ 9
- Futur @ 6
- Progress @ 5
- MMOC
- ATT H1
- Schone / Fatip
- 2013 R41 (Often paired with a Yaqi Mellon/Beast Top Cap)
Appearance is awesome. It's a beautiful razor. No obvious tooling marks, no finish imperfections, and I like the brushed, yet somewhat polished stainless look.
It's a pleasure to hold, as well. The knurling is perfect, I like the small, yet pronounced knob at the bottom of the handle. The handle length is perfect, and the balance is great. It's a bit heavier than I prefer, but that's to be expected with stainless, especially an adjustable. I know some people have had issues turning the dial while shaving, as it doesn't lock into position. Not an issue for me. I tend to hold my razors near the end, which is why I like shorter handles.
The aggressiveness is just about right for me up at 6 or 7. I don't know that I would ever really use it lower than that, but that's how I use my current adjustables, too. I like the way Matt covered the tabs, so that the head tapers. The Start razor just made the entire head wider, which made the razor head-heavy, and also made it difficult to line up sideburn and beard edges. This is way better. Up on 7, it has a bit more blade feel than I was expecting, but nothing that felt overly dangerous or anything. I only ended up with a single weeper on the back of the head, and that was a small bump that any of my razors probably would have caught.
The one thing I could nitpick is blade loading. It doesn't seem quite as easy as my Progress, though I would say that gets balanced out by the fact that you don't have to worry about cap alignment the way you do with the Progress.
My Progress is probably my most comfortable razor on my neck, which is my most sensitive shaving area. I think the Ambassador can match it there. I think it was just as smooth. My Fatboy with the custom blade gaps is probably my most effective razor on my head. The Ambassador is really close. If I had to pick one razor that gives me the best head shaves between the Ambassador, Fatboy, Progress, and R41, I'm not sure I could single one out.
When I signed up for this pass around, I was hoping that I'd either REALLY love this razor, or not be impressed at all. That way I'd have some level of confidence about whether I should save up for one or not. I'm trying to be a bit more minimal with my life, so I'm trying to stick to one-in, one-out. I would say this ended up being a REALLY like, rather than a REALLY love, which makes the decision much harder. I could probably justify getting rid of the Futur and replacing it with an Ambassador (although that's not going to help the funding much).
I'm signed up for a Timeless .095 pass around as well. I'm going to wait until I've had a chance to try that one before making my decision, but I suspect that the Ambassador will go on my Christmas list at a minimum. There's still a chance I might sell my ATT H1/H2 and then save up a bit more for the Ambassador.
Thanks again to Gus for his generosity and being willing to organize these pass arounds. I've now gotten to try two razors of his for the cost of shipping. Two razors that I never would have purchased for myself due to the risk of not liking them. One of the two has turned into a likely purchase in my future.
First, I would like to thank @GlazedBoker for his selflessness in sharing this part of his shave den with me and the rest of the community here at B&B. You are as true gentleman and it’s members like you that make this place as special as it is.
I've used the Rex Ambassador for 5 shaves now and am ready to provide a consolidated review before sending it back to its home. I’ll start with the razor itself and them move into the shaves.
The Razor
The Rex has a very nice weight to it. When you use it, it does not feel like you are holding a piece of tin foil. On the contrary, it feels like you are using a serious piece of equipment. I also really love the knurling on the handle. It is not sharp, but there is no way that your fingers are going to slip when you are holding this thing. The grip is just top notch. The handle is on the thicker side when compared to many of my razors, which is awesome for a guy with chubby hands like me. I would have preferred a slightly longer handle on it, but the handle is pretty standard and not unusually short. Lastly, I also like the shape of the head with the rounded ends that nicely hide the tabs on the blade itself. That is a very nice touch and the rounded ends give it an elegant look.
One thing that I did not like about the razor was the adjustment dial for aggressiveness. The dial moves way to easily for my tastes and I found it moving on my mid-shave from where I set it. I’m sure that had to do with where I was gripping the handle, but I would have preferred a dial that held firm more easily.
The Shaves
I struggled finding my sweet spot for the Rex, both in the proper angle and the aggressiveness for the first four shaves. I had a bit more success during my fifth and final shave however. I often had the razor skipping across my face as opposed to feeling a smooth glide, which was surprising. As for aggressiveness, I played with different level and landed on a sweet spot of 4.5 to 5, leaning towards 5. The 6 setting gave me a blade feel that I did not enjoy, so I was able to rule that our on the first shave. Alternatively, the 4 setting did not give me a close enough shave for my liking.
No matter the setting or angle, the razor was prone to giving me nicks and weepers, which I do not usually get with my razors or with my go-to Astra Superior Stainless blade, which I used for all five shaves. I also experienced some significant razor burn, which again I usually don’t get with my other razors. This was true even with the last shave, which was my most pleasant one and effective one.
All-in-all, I love the feel of the razor. It is clearly very well made, but the shave quality for my face just wasn’t what I would have hoped. As with everything here, YMMV. I am thankful for having has the opportunity to try the Rex out. While it may not be for me, it is clearly and impressive little piece of gear.
Well, the Rex has finally made it back home safely and sound. Thus, the end of the Rex Tour pass around. I would like to take a brief moment and thank all of the fine gentlemen that took the time to participate and put forth their experiences with the Rex in great detail for others to read and most importantly share those shave stories. The journey started nearly a year and a half ago and practically toured the Continental US, coast to coast. More importantly, it achieved this with nearly a single major setback during it’s travels minus a hiccup once or twice but, remarkably the razor made its destinations without much issue. Truly a great testament to those that participated and followed the rules set forth in insuring and securing the razor and its contents so that it could get to the next stop without delay (yes, the US Postal Service gets a pat on the back). I’m truly humbled and privileged that these eyes have seen some great comradery among this group of wet shavers that showed a true willingness to make sure that this pass around be a success. And for that, I am most grateful to everyone of you gentlemen.
Another thanks to the Administrators on the B&B who allowed me to kick-off this pass around with pretty much free reign on how to conduct it. Even though towards the end it was relegated to the Clubs & Brotherhood section severely limiting it’s exposure to a broader audience, I am truly appreciative of what the B&B Elders allowed me to do.
It was a hell of a ride and though mostly everyone here enjoyed the use and experience with the razor, it was I who actually reaped the benefit the most on just some great reads and invaluable information that was shared.
Thank you, Gents. Happy Shaves to ALL....
1. @ShavePastor
2. @Dave in KY
3. @Graydog
4. @NJDJ
5. @ED3054
6. @JTshaves
7. @Sharp_Obsession
8. @Keto
9. @Rory1262
10. @Grundi
11. @dezmil
12. @Clay S
13. @simon_zzz
14. @Feynmansbongos
15. @emwolf
16. @Odenihy
17. @dfoulk
18. @Clark Finestead
19. @bobmsp
20. @dmshaver
21. @DCRIII
22. @mozartman
23. @Ray Settanta
24. @cyberdog
25. @CzechCzar
26. @Cut Throat
27. @herbert7890
28. @JWK1
29. @amateriat
30. @valthun
31. @ram57
32. @Chef Glenn
33. @SolidSnake03
34. @Parallax
35. @Badger in the Sun
36. @‘Bout Time
37. @BBS-1
38. @MC Shaving
39. @vadim
40. @johnwick
41. @Olegausany
42. @ryinzana
43. @pdieten
44. @Zen Shaver
45. @Schinny
46. @Calm_Shaver
47. @P@tsfan6484
48. @gwsmallwood
49. @CarlosAT