Rockwell 6s DE Razor First Use & Thoughts (Head Shaving)

[saj]

hey people so i just had my first ever head shave with the rockwell 6s de razor which i paired with a gillette silver blue for it's second use bare in mind I usually bin the blade after one use

had just over 24 hours worth of growth an bare i mind i have very thick coarse hair too and I wouldn't normally shave so soon after my last head shave but was excited to finally try out this razor

started off with the number three plate as I was like might as well start down the middle then went onto the plate four as I felt I need a bit more aggression and did the whole of the head shave with number four

I'd say I'm an average sort of speed head shaver, defo not the fastest but felt quicker then normal not sure if it's due to shaving less hai growth then what I'm used or whether credit goes to the razor tbh

anyways the razor was so smooth, absolutely no blade chatter at all WTG, XTG & ATG, the razor mowed it down comfortable and felt very smooth, no real irritation and not much sting with the alum block post shave

I don't usually shave as often as I like but I assume ill be using plate 5/6 most the time in the future imho

although I got the stainless steel handle on the iKon slant x3 which i recently tried after a few strokes I put it down knowing it was way too mild for me, so this is my first real stainless steel de razor I've used,

It feels like real quality using it,
I can now understand why some wet shavers say they consider stainless steel razors to be more of a lifelong razor

wasnt sure if I'd like the whole flipping plates as oppose to switched a dial but honestly it's so easy, such a minor thing now that I've used it but I could understand why someone may be a bit apprehensive to buy the razor based on it not being adjustable in the 'traditional' way

I now see why across the board I've always read and heard good things about the Rockwell 6s, like they say the proofs in the pudding

very impressed with this razor

 

[South Dakota Guy]

The 6S was my first razor and it still gives me great shaves.

 

[saj]

The 6S was my first razor and it still gives me great shaves.

Which plates do you find you tend to use?

 

[Benoni]

To me, the Rockwell 6S is still the most versatile razor on the market. For head shaving, I do prefer the Henson AL13 (med) but for face shaves the Rockwell performs exceptionally well. It strikes a perfect balance between efficiency and smoothness, it's also not picky when it comes to blades.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Which plates do you find you tend to use?

I have settled on R4. I am a daily shaver so the higher blade gaps don't seem to help with anything.

 

[ouchyfoot]

You didn’t mention what you used for lather.

 

[saj]

To me, the Rockwell 6S is still the most versatile razor on the market. For head shaving, I do prefer the Henson AL13 (med) but for face shaves the Rockwell performs exceptionally well. It strikes a perfect balance between efficiency and smoothness, it's also not picky when it comes to blades.

I've also got the Henson medium but obviously YMMV but to me it's more mild compared to say the plate 4 of the Rockwell 6s

 

[saj]

I have settled on R4. I am a daily shaver so the higher blade gaps don't seem to help with anything.

Yea can see plate 4 being a good daily driver

You a head or face shaver?

 

[saj]

You didn’t mention what you used for lather.

Proraso pre shave and Arko shaving stick with muhle badger brush I got

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Yea can see plate 4 being a good daily driver

You a head or face shaver?

Just face for me. Some people who struggle with shaving against the grain find that using the R4 for the with and across the grain passes then flip the baseplate and use the R2 for the against the grain pass allows them to get a comfortable 3 pass shave. That might be why the R4/R2 and R3/R1 are combined. At least it makes sense to me. I personally don't have an issue going ATG so I stick with the R4 for all passes.

 

[luv2shave]

Congratulations on the razor and the splendid shave !

The Rockwell 6S as a package is a great razor to have. The plates, while cumbersome to many wetshavers, makes it a life time performer with the same accuracy and precise tolerances that the CNC Milled or injected moulding process intended to deliver from the CAD drawing board to manufacture floor.The spring mechanism in twist to adjust adjustable razors (vintage and modern) have caused most good razors to be doomed. Uneven gaps even in CNC milled modern adjustable razors and the number of moving parts will eventually cause a fail in tolerances and gaps / exposure and defeat the purpose of being operational for life times. The Rockwell 6S on the other hand will work the same after a 100 years if cared for.

The Karve CB razor has more efficient plates however as a package the 6S with its double sided plates is a must have razor to own.

 

[saj]

Congratulations on the razor and the splendid shave !

The Rockwell 6S as a package is a great razor to have. The plates, while cumbersome to many wetshavers, makes it a life time performer with the same accuracy and precise tolerances that the CNC Milled or injected moulding process intended to deliver from the CAD drawing board to manufacture floor.The spring mechanism in twist to adjust adjustable razors (vintage and modern) have caused most good razors to be doomed. Uneven gaps even in CNC milled modern adjustable razors and the number of moving parts will eventually cause a fail in tolerances and gaps / exposure and defeat the purpose of being operational for life times. The Rockwell 6S on the other hand will work the same after a 100 years if cared for.

The Karve CB razor has more efficient plates however as a package the 6S with its double sided plates is a must have razor to own.

Tbh I don't understand the plates with the karve as from what I understand it's not an adjustable

 

[BlueSkyLight]

Thanks for this thread, waiting for my 6s since three weeks to be delivered. Very excited to use it soon!

 

[saj]

Thanks for this thread, waiting for my 6s since three weeks to be delivered. Very excited to use it soon!

Three weeks for delivery? That's a long time

 

[BlueSkyLight]

Three weeks for delivery? That's a long time

It is shipped to Germany, I guess due to covid and customs it is stuck at customs Hope it will find its way to me soon

 

[saj]

superb headshave with the rockwell 6s and feather combo,
very smooth and no irritation, used plate 6 and now,
where i think this razor excels is atg diagonally on the sides of the head,
literally zero blade chatter, feels very solid and robust

 

[saj]

funny thing is i remember in one of the million and one threads i made,
the member on this forum @TexOkie Shaver said youve hit your zen moment with the rockwell 6s de razor and the feather de razor blade combo, i can totally understand why and who knows maybe im at that point now two? lol

 

[Southsider]

Tbh I don't understand the plates with the karve as from what I understand it's not an adjustable

It is very straightforward. You simply switch base plates. For its base plates, Karve uses a lettering system, from AA to G from least to most aggressive, while Rockwell 6S uses numbers with the lower number being less aggressive. Today, for example, on the first pass with the grain, I used a D base plate on my Karve. For my next pass, across the grain, I removed the D plate and put the less-aggressive C plate on my razor. Neither the Karve nor the Rockwell 6S are adjustable in the strict sense. You have to change the base plate on each system to "adjust" it.

I have both and would not part with either one. I love my Rockwell 6S--it is built like a truck and provides easy mindless shaves. I also have one of the original brass Karves with plates AA through F.

 

[saj]

It is very straightforward. You simply switch base plates. For its base plates, Karve uses a lettering system, from AA to G from least to most aggressive, while Rockwell 6S uses numbers with the lower number being less aggressive. Today, for example, on the first pass with the grain, I used a D base plate on my Karve. For my next pass, across the grain, I removed the D plate and put the less-aggressive C plate on my razor. Neither the Karve nor the Rockwell 6S are adjustable in the strict sense. You have to change the base plate on each system to "adjust" it.

I have both and would not part with either one. I love my Rockwell 6S--it is built like a truck and provides easy mindless shaves. I also have one of the original brass Karves with plates AA through F.

if you had to keep the one, which one and why?

 

[Southsider]

if you had to keep the one, which one and why?

I would be hard put to decide. Fortunately, I don't have to decide and, as stated, am keeping/using both. My Karve is better machined and is more precise. My Rockwell 6S is more durable and is simply a pleasure to shave with. I am fortunate enough to be able to maintain my modest collection of modern razors without having to part with any of them.