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Rockwell 6S in Blue - Quality Razor for Face and Head Shaving

Initial thoughts:

The 6S gave what is easily one of the best shaves I've ever had in over 30 years. A beautiful razor that is perfectly balanced, as all things should be. :thumbup1:


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This morning was a head and face shave day and it was my first shave with the 6S. The minute I held it up to my head I knew I was in for a treat. The weight of the 6S made shaving effortless and dare I even say that it seemed to go faster? When I was done I had zero irritation, zero nicks, and zero weepers and I'm usually good for at least a nick or two. This was the first time that I can recall shaving my head and using absolutely zero pressure, 100% gravity assisted. All of the cartridge razors that I had used in the past and even the DE Vikings Blade razor I was previously using required at least some pressure, even if minimal.

For its maiden voyage this morning, I paired the 6S with an Astra SS. This was my first time using an Astra blade of any type and it seemed to perform very well. I have coarse, curly hair and this sliced through about 2 days worth of growth. @saj1985 suggested that I use the R6 plate but I went conservative and used the R4 plate. There was just a couple of spots I had to go over a 2nd time so I think I should have just listened to him. I may try the R5 plate before jumping to the R6 plate. I do have a tuck of Feather blades that I'm looking forward to trying for the first time. I'll give the included Rockwell blades a chance, although there isn't much love for them on here.

@Lee93 mentioned that there were quality control issues with his so I'm hoping that I'll be able to avoid those. Later tonight I'll try each plate with a blade and make sure that they all align properly.

So far I feel I made a great purchase, no buyers remorse at all. Rockwell has another satisfied customer.
 
I have a red one and the finish is pretty crappy. BUT mine was one of the first ones sold about 18 months ago and apparently the quality is much better now. Rockwell warranty is great IME anyways.

It is a great razor. Enjoy!
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
I like that it is blue or has a color. Their drab grey standard model gives me a depression. I am already depressed by matte finish. The Rockwell finish isn't my favorite for sure, but blue, red, black... I must say the blue is looking good there, I already looked at the blue one before, yeah, blue... yes.

I gave my old Rockwell to my neighbor a few days ago. He loves it, too! More than I ever did.

For what it is worth, the Rockwell can get close and is smooth, but in this regard I can take a Game Changer .84 with SB or OC. Or my new Styletto to increase efficiency even more. Or just most of my more aggressive razors.

The Rockwell is with all plates a bit too much on the mild side for me, please nobody feel offended now, that's just how I see it. But I started wetshaving with a R89 and found it lacking, went to the R41 straight. Just like I totally admire the Henson AL13 Medium on an intellectual basis: perfect machining, thoughtful design and then... just too light and too mild for my liking.

This said, you might have placed a blue bug, to be precise this blue Rockwell 6S, in the back of my mind... :thumbup1:
 
I kind of wanted a black 6S, but it wasn't worth the extra $30 USD to me.

What method is used to give the steel its color?
 
I kind of wanted a black 6S, but it wasn't worth the extra $30 USD to me.

What method is used to give the steel its color?
I totally get what you mean about the price. I found a discount code online which cut the extra $30 in half.

Regarding their color application method, their website says this - "These new razors include a special coating of our proprietary oil paint & process. It outperformed PVD in all our tests!"

I couldn't find anything more descriptive than that so your guess is as good as mine: a proprietary PVD process, electrostatic painting, a couple of kids with cans of spray paint, elfin magic, who knows.
 
That's great to hear! I honestly think everyone would enjoy using this razor and appreciate the build quality. I recently picked up a 6S after having owned a 6C for a while and swearing I didn't want an S. I only bought it because it was less than half price but I'm glad that I did. The 6C is a great razor but the S is just that much better. I was concerned that the finish being less smooth would make the head drag but I haven't really noticed it. This is the one razor I own that feels like it will last forever.
 
That blue is STUNNING!

Any idea on its durability?
In a word - questionable.

A few days ago I noticed that paint was missing on the threads of the post under the cap and when I ran my fingers across it I was able to loosen more paint without trying. Upon closer inspection I found a paint chip missing on the cap itself. I began looking closer at the plates and found one plate had missing paint in 3 spots, all small but not the point. Also the handle has circular paint scrapes on the top around the opening that screws into the cap post. I'll share the pictures I sent to Rockwell.

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Obviously none of this impacts the shave, it's just absolutely disappointing because this is a brand new razor and for a company that prides itself on the durability of their paint process, I'm underwhelmed.

I do have to give their customer service department credit. I sent an email explaining the paint issues I found along with these pictures. The person I dealt, Brar, with was very apologetic and is shipping me a replacement at no cost. He blamed the damage on either a fluke during production or rough handling during shipping. I'm inclined to blame production (and Quality Control) as the razor and it's components are fairly secure in the box but it did make multiple stops before it got to me so who knows.

Time will tell if my second razor has the same issues. If shipping goes like it did the first time (and now factoring in the holidays) we're looking at a solid 2-3 weeks before I get it, but regardless I'll keep everyone posted.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
It will be interesting to see if the replacement blue razor will not suffer similar paint flaking. The flaking happened at contact points, so I am worried it cannot be avoided and happens sooner or later. It seems to be literally paint and not a coating.
 
Paint flaking is one of the reasons why I bought mine with the brushed finish. I don't think I will buy another DE safety razor because this is easily the best I have owned and Rockwell customer service has been responsive. Does the wear off on the base plate cause discomfort during shaving?
At any rate good luck with your new tool and happy holidays.
 
Paint flaking is one of the reasons why I bought mine with the brushed finish. I don't think I will buy another DE safety razor because this is easily the best I have owned and Rockwell customer service has been responsive. Does the wear off on the base plate cause discomfort during shaving?
At any rate good luck with your new tool and happy holidays.
Fortunately none of the paint flaking impacts the quality of the shave, which I still greatly enjoy.
 
I've had very bad luck with finishes on razors, and that's one reason I bought the plain steel version of the 6S. I'd be very surprised if the blue replacement razor didn't have the same issue, especially where the handle meets the heads.

Also, FWIW, the last time I reached out to Rockwell customer service, they ignored me.
 
SITREP

The replacement razor arrived Tuesday evening and it has similar paint issues. In the pics below, the "old" one is on the left and the new one is on the right.

More paint has come off of the threads of the one I received almost 3 weeks ago and the paint chip on its edge is slightly bigger. The red arrow points to paint missing from the first thread of the new cap. When I opened the box the handle was loose on the threaded post and rattled about when I lifted it and this likely contributed to the paint loss. The backside is missing paint on the first thread as well. Surprisingly the plates had popped loose in the box but sustained no damage.

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This is a close up of the new cap and there is a tiny spot where paint is missing near the edge.

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The old handle is on the left and if you look at the last picture in my post above (#11), you can see that after almost 3 weeks of 2-4 shaves per week just how much paint has been lost where the handle touches the plates. Almost completely gone. That same location on the new handle is perfectly intact at the moment. You'll also notice the red arrow point pointing to new paint loss on the middle of the handle of the older one.

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Close up of the missing paint flakes on the older handle.

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And the other side of the older handle there's paint loss in 2 additional new places. The new handle on the left has all of its paint intact.

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These pictures were included in an email to Rockwell's customer service and I am waiting to hear back. I shared with them my disappointment with their paint process and my concerns about the longevity and durability of their paint. Despite the fact that I greatly enjoy the shave I get with my 6S, I cannot recommend their painted versions. And like @Java I will likely steer clear of razors with finishes in the future. Such a shame as it is such a stunning piece.
 
They should be embarrassed shipping products like this. I'd expect them to be familiar with the concept of "pride of ownership."

Hopefully they make it right by offering to refund you or send you an unfinished 6S.
 
I wonder if they paint over the natural matte bead blasted razor and if so would external paint jobs stay on permanently on metal in these bright colors? I know nothing about painting methods of metals but I do know that my razorock DLC coating is fast and hasn't flaked or chipped for all the time I've had it.
 
I have to admit I love the color, but since it's painted, I'm skeptical you'll ever achieve a finish that won't chip. Since the paint does not chemically bond to the metal, it will always be susceptible to chipping. Even super-hard epoxy paints can chip and flake. Even with anodized parts, the color can bleach out or change over time. I have a 6S I've just started using to compare against my Timeless Ti. So far, with Plate 4 it's a real nice shaver and comparable to the .68 SB IMHO. While it may not be as pristine as original, it's developing "character" just as brass develops a patina over time.
 
I emailed Rockwell last Tuesday as I hadn't heard anything and I got a reply that same day. Brar apologized for the delayed response and said that my concerns were sent to a team that would email me soon. He said that he would ask them to contact me asap. When I hadn't heard anything by Friday I sent them an email early that morning, stating that it had been over a week and that I was looking for their follow up to the pictures and concerns I shared with them. Still waiting.

I wonder if they paint over the natural matte bead blasted razor and if so would external paint jobs stay on permanently on metal in these bright colors? I know nothing about painting methods of metals but I do know that my razorock DLC coating is fast and hasn't flaked or chipped for all the time I've had it.

I have to admit I love the color, but since it's painted, I'm skeptical you'll ever achieve a finish that won't chip. Since the paint does not chemically bond to the metal, it will always be susceptible to chipping. Even super-hard epoxy paints can chip and flake. Even with anodized parts, the color can bleach out or change over time.
I don't know much about painting metal and I figured that eventually there would be some change to the paint over time, I just didn't expect it to be flaking paint straight from the box. For a company that prides themselves on their paint's durability, I find it hard to believe that the 2 razors I received are anomalies. Every time I screw the handle on the post I can hear the paint scraping away. At least a couple of times a week I'll find a blue paint fleck on the counter.

I have a 6S I've just started using to compare against my Timeless Ti. So far, with Plate 4 it's a real nice shaver and comparable to the .68 SB IMHO. While it may not be as pristine as original, it's developing "character" just as brass develops a patina over time.

I still really enjoy the shave I get from the razor and tend to use the R6 plate with most blades. That's a bit to aggressive for Feather blades (for me) so I flip it over to use the R5 plate for those.

They should be embarrassed shipping products like this. I'd expect them to be familiar with the concept of "pride of ownership."

Hopefully they make it right by offering to refund you or send you an unfinished 6S.
I agree that they should be embarrassed. I don't know what their solution will be but I'm hesitant to accept another blue razor if they were to offer it. I'm doubtful that the 3rd time will be the charm. Whether they offer a refund or a plain razor or something else entirely, I'll be sure to share whatever response I get.
 
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