Rockwell 6S users - scraping versus cutting, what plate do you use?

[TheKman]

So the no.1 plate seems a little pointless for me, I've been using the 2-4 plates most regularly. Most recently I've found the two plate seems to produce a little more irritation than expected, while the three and four plates produce the smoothest overall result.

What I don't yet understand is whether this is due to the scraping action of the blade, or just because I intuitively do fewer passes over that same area. Especially ATG on the lower neck it seems the two plate feels catchy and can be slightly painful, where the three and four make more noise but seem to produce less catch and less irritation.

This morning I had two days growth and called up the four plate which resulted in a wonderful shave.

Which ones work better for you, and why do you think that is?

 

[JazzDoc]

I'm also loving the #4 shave. I don't bother with any of the others since my early experiments with them didn't compare with #4.

 

[TheKman]

I absolutely appreciate that perspective, but why is it so? The Engineer in me just can't accept this truth without a reason. Help me!

 

[JazzDoc]

I absolutely appreciate that perspective, but why is it so? The Engineer in me just can't accept this truth without a reason. Help me!

Ya got me. I'm retired and too lazy to reason why.
It just is. I'm happy with that.

 

[TheKman]

Says the guy who can get a nice shave from a Feather AS-D2! I wish!

 

[JazzDoc]

Says the guy who can get a nice shave from a Feather AS-D2! I wish!

KMan. You too can get a great shave with the AS-D2. It's all about slow and easy, no pushing on the razor head and just learning the handle angle where the feedback's telling you "yes"! It's also about a nice slick soap or cream with retained slickness or glide after you've taken off the lather. A necessity, AFAIC.

 

[TheKman]

I've tried and tried, but there just seems to be an incompatibility. Every so often I break out the Feather or a 70's Tech, stick a sharp blade in it and experiment with some new soaps, techniques and preps, but each time I manage to cut myself, irritate my skin or suffer some other misery. Then I put it away again and go back to the Rockwell or Timeless. With the Rockwell in particular I can be almost careless and get a good result.

I'm still on the hunt for the reason why. The Timeless has a similar blade angle to the Rockwell on plate four, both give me a great shave, and I thought maybe the blade angle had something to do with it. The Feather and the Tech are more acute.

*shrugs*

 

[Dryphter]

Plate 4 for me as well. 3 is good, but I've been using 4 for months and get excellent shaves. Why change what's working?

 

[JazzDoc]

I've tried and tried, but there just seems to be an incompatibility. Every so often I break out the Feather or a 70's Tech, stick a sharp blade in it and experiment with some new soaps, techniques and preps, but each time I manage to cut myself, irritate my skin or suffer some other misery. Then I put it away again and go back to the Rockwell or Timeless. With the Rockwell in particular I can be almost careless and get a good result.

I'm still on the hunt for the reason why. The Timeless has a similar blade angle to the Rockwell on plate four, both give me a great shave, and I thought maybe the blade angle had something to do with it. The Feather and the Tech are more acute.

*shrugs*

Funny, I just sent for a Timeless .68, scalloped cap and base with an 85 mm handle.
Really curious to see how it performs (for me)! I'll let you know.

 

[TheKman]

I have the .68 SB. It requires a little more care than the Rockwell but perform as well or better for me. You should have no trouble at all.

@Dryphter. Another one! No-one else cares why? It's driving me batty!

 

[03Jarhead]

I use plate 5 and 6. 4 also works but isn't as efficient. The more aggressive plates just cut my beard better.

 

[kyproset]

IMHO, the first plates are ineffective so one has to go over spots a few times with pressure probably, so irritation sets in. I use mine on plate 6 and a couple of shims and get BBS in 2 & corrections with no irritation.

 

[nav]

IMHO, the first plates are ineffective so one has to go over spots a few times with pressure probably, so irritation sets in. I use mine on plate 6 and a couple of shims and get BBS in 2 & corrections with no irritation.

I honestly believe this is the case.

If i use R2, i inadvertently push down and whilst i might get a decent shave, i do get some irritation afterwards.

R3 is pretty much great for daily shaves as i get very close without a hint of irritation... As long as i don't push down at all.

R4 is fantastic also for BBS shaves but in this case, sometimes i get a little irritation even without pressure so it's just a tad much for my skin for daily shaves even though i prefer the result of the R4.

Overall, i absolutely love my Rockwell !!

 

[JazzDoc]

I honestly believe this is the case.

If i use R2, i inadvertently push down and whilst i might get a decent shave, i do get some irritation afterwards.

R3 is pretty much great for daily shaves as i get very close without a hint of irritation... As long as i don't push down at all.

R4 is fantastic also for BBS shaves but in this case, sometimes i get a little irritation even without pressure so it's just a tad much for my skin for daily shaves even though i prefer the result of the R4.

Overall, i absolutely love my Rockwell !!

Superb! It's great once you become "at one" with your razor.
Still, I always have the styptic pencil close at hand.

 

[Dryphter]

I have the .68 SB. It requires a little more care than the Rockwell but perform as well or better for me. You should have no trouble at all.

@Dryphter. Another one! No-one else cares why? It's driving me batty!

Ever since I got a Rockwell, I very rarely use anything else. Occasionally I'll use my Fatboy or EJDE89 (travel). I even scored a really nice 40's Super Speed that was 'OK', but the Rockwell seems to beat every razor I have tried when it comes to a consistent, irritation free shave (assuming I do my part). No idea why it is different. But it just works.

Maybe its the hefty weight which makes it easier to apply zero pressure?

 

[kyproset]

I have the same experience with the 6S. It's the smoothest DE I have ever tried and I have tried a lot, let alone owning about 40 DE's. The 6S beats them all. The only complaint I have, is that plate 6 is not aggressive enough and I use 2 shims sometimes when the growth is more than 3 days old. I have experienced a smoother razor however and it's not a DE. The El-Jefe on a pro is smoother, but one has to know how to adjust the exposure.

 

[walking_line]

Funny, I've been thinking about this same thing lately. When I first got it, I was using #2 daily, but now when I come back to it, I find I get some irritation or nicks. I feel like I'm not applying pressure, but maybe I still am inadvertently.

I usually go with plate 4 now, but find it's a little much for a daily driver (best every 2 days or I can feel a little raw in the van dyke area which is sensitive for me). But the shaves I get with it every 2 days are pretty amazing.

 

[TheKman]

IMHO, the first plates are ineffective so one has to go over spots a few times with pressure probably, so irritation sets in. I use mine on plate 6 and a couple of shims and get BBS in 2 & corrections with no irritation.

My experience is definitely different, aside from the fact that your configuration would almost certainly kill me. Plate two will produce the same immediate result for me, the two observations I make are a) that it's catchier and slightly less comfortable during the shave and b) after the shave I feel more irritation with a longer lasting BBS. Plate four on the other hand produces more noise and feel more comfortable during the shave, produces less irritation post-shave and last a few hours less.

For example, after a plate two BBS shave I won't feel any re-growth for at least six hours, sometimes as long as ten, as my beard doesn't grow fast. With plate four I notice roughness before lunch and have a discernible shadow by days end.

I agree that it's entirely plausible that fewer passes with a more aggressive configuration might produce this result. However, this does contradict two other observations; the fact that plate two feels catchy under certain conditions and the fact that I don't use any means of feedback other that sound to judge the shave. To be clear, catchy-ness has nothing to do with the number of passes (as far as I can discern anyway) and because I don't test the shave quality until the passes are complete it seems unlikely that I'd do a greater number of passes over any given spot.

This theory is full of holes and it's hardly scientific, but the only variable that stands out is the presented blade angle. Comparing one razor to another is difficult because there are a great number of variables, comparing one razor with different settings... the answer should almost be obvious and yet it eludes me.

Maybe it's already driven me batty. 8p

 

[lslick23]

I use 5 for daily use. 6 if I got time with 4 for the third pass. Love it so much I bought the 6c for my travel razor.

 

[ackvil]

I use the 4 or 5 plate. I don't see that much difference in those two. I have the .68 SB.