Rockwell 6S v. Merkur 34C: The key differences

[mozartman]

When I started back with DE shaving, I bought a Merkur 34C and used it every day for six months. Four months ago, I bought a Rockwell 6S and have used it nearly every day since, and like it much more than the Merkur and every other razor I have tried. But why? The designs are very similar. I usually use plate 3 on the Rockwell, which is similar in aggressiveness to the 34C. But imho, there are two crucial design differences, which I've tried to show in the comparison photos below.

First, the supporting rails on the base plate are spaced further apart on the Rockwell. This means the point at which the blade is clamped to the razor head is closer to the blade edge, i.e., the clamp distance is less. Second, the Rockwell cap has a greater curvature, or a smaller radius of curvature, which means the blade is bent or curved more sharply when loaded.

What both these design features do is make the blade more rigidly held in the Rockwell, and less prone to chatter or flexing. Clamp distance is a crucial parameter for rigidity, imho, and shorter clamp distance means more rigidity, other things being equal. Greater blade curvature also results in less flex as the already flexed blade acts as a spring and pushes with more force against the cap. Designs with less blade curvature need to compensate with less clamp distance to maintain rigidity. Of course, greater curvature has an impact on blade angle, but that can be compensated for with other parameters.

My theory is, the Merkur, like the vintage Gillettes, was designed for the thicker gauge, stiffer, less flexible blades that were standard in the olden days. Rockwell has made some subtle but very useful modifications for the thinner more flexible modern blades.

 

[albsat]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Highspeedlane]

I'm telling you, Rockwell nailed it with the current generation 6s. I was reminded that this morning when I did my normal before work shave. With plate R4 and a Kai blade on its second shave, the stubble just disappeared leaving a smooth, day lasting shave in its wake. I stray from time to time to rotate other razors and blades but every time I come back I'm reminded why it's a keeper.

 

[JTshaves]

Very interesting comparison. I have a 6C and both times I have attempted to use the R3 plate, I get a large amount if irritation. I’m regulated to the R2 and R1 plates.

I just got a Gillette Tech in the mail today that still needs to be cleaned before I use it. I’m curious to see how it performs.

 

[ShavePastor]

I'm telling you, Rockwell nailed it with the current generation 6s. I was reminded that this morning when I did my normal before work shave. With plate R4 and a Kai blade on its second shave, the stubble just disappeared leaving a smooth, day lasting shave in its wake. I stray from time to time to rotate other razors and blades but every time I come back I'm reminded why it's a keeper.

Completely agree Lane! The Rockwell is so right!

 

[jldallas]

The 6s's closer to the edge rails and greater curvature may also explain something else that I've noticed, the 6s seems to make it harder to distinguish what brand of blade is in the razor and in general blades I find mediocre in other razors seem to be better in the 6s.

 

[psyc0ld]

And I find with the Rockwell that blades last longer than my edwin jagger. I'm able to have 5-6 shaves with the rockwell and only 3-4 with my EJ.

 

[Dave in KY]

I'm telling you, Rockwell nailed it with the current generation 6s. I was reminded that this morning when I did my normal before work shave. With plate R4 and a Kai blade on its second shave, the stubble just disappeared leaving a smooth, day lasting shave in its wake. I stray from time to time to rotate other razors and blades but every time I come back I'm reminded why it's a keeper.

Absolutely agree. Right now out of town and have my karve with me, but while enjoying I want to use my 6s again too. It turned me to modern razors.

 

[Highspeedlane]

Completely agree Lane! The Rockwell is so right!

Absolutely agree. Right now out of town and have my karve with me, but while enjoying I want to use my 6s again too. It turned me to modern razors.

Indeed, the OP is noting things I've wondered myself about with regard to the differences between the 6s and other razors. Besides cap curvature and clamping, it's the only razor I own that has a completely smooth surface safety bar. Though that may or may not contribute anything to this equation, it is a difference.

With many other razors I own I can get smooth, error free shaves...BUT...if I make a mistake they will gently remind me, some more so than others. The 6s seems to be the only razor I own that lets me get away with far more carelessness. At zero-dark-thirty when I'm normally up to shave for a workday, there's plenty of opportunity for me to make a mistake

Just off the cuff I would say in addition to clamping distance it also has to do with a "perfect storm" of multiple design features that work together, which may include its weight (it lessens the tendency for me to want to increase pressure), the angle formed by the slope of the cap and safety bar, possibly the safety bar itself (only one I have that is dead smooth) and the degree of blade exposure for a given plate.

No one razor is perfect for everyone but I'm mightily impressed how close the 6s is to that benchmark.

 

[BigJ]

Excellent comparison!!

The key is that you gave both razors a good try before coming to conclusions.

 

[Flocko]

My two favourite razors compared with each other. Very interesting! Thanks.

 

[mozartman]

Excellent comparison!!

The key is that you gave both razors a good try before coming to conclusions.

I've used every de razor I've bought every day for at least a month, with few exceptions. That doesn't mean my experience with them has any special significance, of course.

 

[Newmania]

I don’t think blade rigidity is a major factor. Neither is a particularly rigid design. I'm going to borrow a pic of the 6s from a post last year by @TheKman. I also know from another post that Rockwell said the blade exposure is neutral on lower plates and negative on higher plates. I use the higher plates so I'll theorize on those. The Rockwell is the one on top.

A and D are relatively far apart allowing the skin to swell in toward the blade. But the top cap and base plate angle in toward the blade creating points X and Y which limit how far in the skin can swell. I think what the Rockwell does is give you the best of both worlds between aggressive and smooth. It blends some of the aggression of a B-D gap, with the safety of a B-C gap. It's forgiving because point Y will limit the fallout from extra pressure. And it does have good blade flex. So all of this combines to increase the likelihood that you're hitting a sweet spot of smooth efficiency. That's my best guess.

 

[mozartman]

I don’t think blade rigidity is a major factor. Neither is a particularly rigid design. I'm going to borrow a pic of the 6s from a post last year by @TheKman. I also know from another post that Rockwell said the blade exposure is neutral on lower plates and negative on higher plates. I use the higher plates so I'll theorize on those. The Rockwell is the one on top.

A and D are relatively far apart allowing the skin to swell in toward the blade. But the top cap and base plate angle in toward the blade creating points X and Y which limit how far in the skin can swell. I think what the Rockwell does is give you the best of both worlds between aggressive and smooth. It blends some of the aggression of a B-D gap, with the safety of a B-C gap. It's forgiving because point Y will limit the fallout from extra pressure. And it does have good blade flex. So all of this combines to increase the likelihood that you're hitting a sweet spot of smooth efficiency. That's my best guess.

View attachment 890076

Thanks, you make an interesting point. And I didn't expect unanimous agreement with my comment. But to be fair, I didn't say the Rockwell has the nth degree of blade rigidity. As you say, the basic Merkur 34C / EJ 89 / Rockwell 6S design approach likely isn't going to produce the leader in blade rigidity, I think in large part because other designs have a much smaller clamp distance. I was just comparing the Rockwell and the Merkur in that regard. The point you make about cap and safety bar geometry is especially good because it shows how blade angle, blade exposure, blade gap, guard exposure and the other standard parameters don't tell the whole story. IMO it also shows at least one way in which (as I said in my original post) Rockwell compensates for what I believe is a nominally steeper blade angle than the Merkur, as the more the skin is allowed to "swell", to use your terminology, the steeper the likely effective or actual blade angle on the skin.

 

[Newmania]

Thanks, you make an interesting point. And I didn't expect unanimous agreement with my comment. But to be fair, I didn't say the Rockwell has the nth degree of blade rigidity. As you say, the basic Merkur 34C / EJ 89 / Rockwell 6S design approach likely isn't going to produce the leader in blade rigidity, I think in large part because other designs have a much smaller clamp distance. I was just comparing the Rockwell and the Merkur in that regard. The point you make about cap and safety bar geometry is especially good because it shows how blade angle, blade exposure, blade gap, guard exposure and the other standard parameters don't tell the whole story. IMO it also shows at least one way in which (as I said in my original post) Rockwell compensates for what I believe is a nominally steeper blade angle than the Merkur, as the more the skin is allowed to "swell", to use your terminology, the steeper the likely effective or actual blade angle on the skin.

Sorry I did not mean to sound so dismissive of your comment. I do think that the Rockwell has more rigidity on account of the flex as you pointed out. But I suspect the benefit of the flex is probably felt more via steep angle (as you also pointed out) than via rigidity. I’ve used razors that clamp way out by the blade edge that are less smooth due to more blade exposure or some other counteracting factor. Some people on the boards swear by rigidity and I can’t argue with their results, but faces are different so I suspected that it was something else that makes the 6s work so well for me.

Great post either way — two of my favorite razors and I've been trying to think of what makes them different and why I get smother and closer shaves from 6s plates with a nominal blade gap less than the 34c.

 

[mozartman]

Sorry I did not mean to sound so dismissive of your comment. I do think that the Rockwell has more rigidity on account of the flex as you pointed out. But I suspect the benefit of the flex is probably felt more via steep angle (as you also pointed out) than via rigidity. I’ve used razors that clamp way out by the blade edge that are less smooth due to more blade exposure or some other counteracting factor. Some people on the boards swear by rigidity and I can’t argue with their results, but faces are different so I suspected that it was something else that makes the 6s work so well for me.

Great post either way — two of my favorite razors and I've been trying to think of what makes them different and why I get smother and closer shaves from 6s plates with a nominal blade gap less than the 34c.

No worries, and thanks again for your intelligent response. You smart guys, many of you with superior cameras and photography skills and even engineering and metal working backgrounds, have really taught me a lot about razors and shaving, and as a result the skin on my face is in much better shape. I'm very grateful.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I really appreciate this thread, because while I could easily appreciate that my Rockwell 6C was providing closer shaves with less discomfort than any of the various double edged razors I have used, I have never understood why. Looking at your excellent photos, I agree that it is a likely combination of factors that lets the angle be steeper while having the aggressiveness tamed by the extended edge of the base plate.

 

[Ricker99]

Thanks to all you fellas for a great thread. I’ve read this thread plus another recent thread and I’m left wondering... if I have been finding a slight problem with neck irritation over the years with my 34C, even trying a few different blades and adjusting my technique, would it be worth the money to get a 6S?

(Been DE shaving for five years, almost daily, usually use 7 o’clock green, but have tried assorted blade samples over the years too).

 

[DriftKing79]

Thanks to all you fellas for a great thread. I’ve read this thread plus another recent thread and I’m left wondering... if I have been finding a slight problem with neck irritation over the years with my 34C, even trying a few different blades and adjusting my technique, would it be worth the money to get a 6S?

(Been DE shaving for five years, almost daily, usually use 7 o’clock green, but have tried assorted blade samples over the years too).

Same here, the 34C & the EJ89 causes neck irritation,
But with my 6S nothing, only smooth, efficient and day lasting shaves.
The 6S is the King in my den.
6S>Progress>RexAmbassador>GC.84>........

 

[Nicholas]

Thanks to all you fellas for a great thread. I’ve read this thread plus another recent thread and I’m left wondering... if I have been finding a slight problem with neck irritation over the years with my 34C, even trying a few different blades and adjusting my technique, would it be worth the money to get a 6S?

(Been DE shaving for five years, almost daily, usually use 7 o’clock green, but have tried assorted blade samples over the years too).

Yes, it is definitely worth it.

The fact that it gives you six options, instead of just one, will help you to find the base plate that suits your neck the best. It sounds like the #3 would do the job. In my honest opinion, Merkur 34C is closer to the #4, so a little less would be just fine.

Rockwell 6S has absolutely no blade-feel and my also sensitive neck loves this razor. I highly suggest this.