Rocnel Elite

[LRod]

Further, my Nodachi with Masamune SB plate has zero blade exposure

Do you mean it feels that way on your face?
Asking because as for the physical attributes, the Nodachi cap has positive blade exposure regardless of the baseplate being used.

 

[APBinNCA]

Do you mean it feels that way on your face?
Asking because as for the physical attributes, the Nodachi cap has positive blade exposure regardless of the baseplate being used.

The Nodachi cap w/Masamune SB plate is listed as zero. All the plates w/Masamune cap are negative. The angle ATG is definitely providing more feel than numbers indicate. In fact, I have read that the Masamune cap/Nodachi SB plate feels similar because of the larger gap despite the slight negative exposure. But that's all ATG and has to be because of the design of the plates.

 

[LRod]

The Nodachi cap w/Masamune SB plate is listed as zero. All the plates w/Masamune cap are negative. The angle ATG is definitely providing more feel than numbers indicate. In fact, I have read that the Masamune cap/Nodachi SB plate feels similar because of the larger gap despite the slight negative exposure. But that's all ATG and has to be because of the design of the plates.

Interesting! You're right,
I thought the Tatara caps are what gave the blade exposure and the baseplate is what determines the gap for their razors. I just once again saw the chart on their website and see the difference. I never noticed!
That means I most likely wouldn't like a Masamune blaseplate. I'm glad I got the Full Nodachi!
And I've been thinking about buying the Nodaci OC baseplate too! Which from my understanding, up's the efficiency a bit but the tradeoff is less smoothness.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Interesting! You're right,
I thought the Tatara caps are what gave the blade exposure and the baseplate is what determines the gap for their razors. I just once again saw the chart on their website and see the difference. I never noticed!
That means I most likely wouldn't like a Masamune blaseplate. I'm glad I got the Full Nodachi!
And I've been thinking about buying the Nodaci OC baseplate too! Which from my understanding, up's the efficiency a bit but the tradeoff is less smoothness.

I’ve got the full Nodachi with OC and SB baseplates. First time I used it was with the OC plate and I loved the strong face feel and the way it carved stripes in the lather. After a while I found the OC a bit too much most of the time, though, and the teeth aren’t so smooth, so I switched to the SB plate. But you may very well enjoy it. Sounds like you appreciate a robust face feel and a really tactile shave.

 

[LRod]

If you really need "blade feel", I guess you could always use a barber razor or a straight razor... those would be the ultimate blade feel, I suppose. I have both but don't feel confident enough to even try one. I'll stick with AC SE and DE razors, at least, for now. Both @Mr. Shavington and @APBinNCA have both encouraged me to try my Kai Woody... and it is a lovely piece of equipment. I might get around to it one of these days, who knows?

That's great! I don't think I'll ever use a straight razor though. I'd love to have some interest but for some reason it's never caught my attention. And it looks like a lot of work with time involved. I'm not one of those guys that spend an hour shaving. I do take my time but I don't over do it. Maybe later in life I will, LOL!!
I really love the tools (DE & now the AC's). I like the feel of having the whole machine in hand.
In other news, I used the Claymore tonight with the Kai Titan mild blade. Fantastic!
It totally changed as compared to the Schick blades. I guess the Claymore just doesn't like the Schick's. I love them in the X1 though. And they work great in the RR Hawk as well.
I should've tried the Kai's in the Claymore earlier!
I also found the right angle now. It feels natural and performs great (for me) at a neutral angle. I guess since it's got that 90 degree head/handle, I was using it too steep.
The bottom line is that I got an excellent, smooth & very close shave and I see them getting even better!

 

[Cheekee]

I have an elite on the way to join my other 2.

Happy days.

 

[LRod]

Anyone notice that the teeth for the baseplate's comb are ridiculously sharp?
I could literally cut something with it (including my finger) if I'd purposely try!
I just noticed this when I took it apart to clean it today.
All my other razors teeth are smooth!
Wondering if this maybe was a contributing factor in my shave results.
Is it just mine or are they all like this?

 

[LRod]

Well folks, I've sold the Rocnel Elite!
I tried and gave it a couple more chances this week but it just didn't work as expected (for me).
A beautiful tool without a doubt but the beauty wasn't enough to justify keeping it.
Hopefully it's new owner can enjoy it to it's fullest!
As well all know, this is an endless quest!
It was fun,
LRod

 

[LRod]

Well,
I guess I'm still the owner of the Elite (for now)! The buyer requested a cancellation stating that he made a mistake thinking that it was a Sailor. So I had to relist it. Oh well!
We'll see when it sells!

 

[LRod]

Well, Once again sold this morning!
Hopefully this new buyer sticks!
So for the second time, I don't own an Elite any longer

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Well, Once again sold this morning!
Hopefully this new buyer sticks!
So for the second time, I don't own an Elite any longer

Congrats on finding a home for it. Clearly it wasn’t your thing and it’s good to know in what ways a razor might not work for someone, just as much as knowing who it should work for.

 

[Fiddler]

That was fast!

 

[LRod]

That was fast!

The amount of time I kept it or how long it took to sell?

 

[Fiddler]

Both!
I commend you for taking immediate action once you found
that one swallow (or positive review) does not a summer make. Hehe.

 

[pb199in]

First shave report with the Rocnel Elite!
2 pass WTG/XTG using a Personna Lab Blue blade.
Well, I've said this before that I'm up front with results when I try something no matter what!
First the razor's physical attributes:
It's beautiful, the workmanship, finish and details are absolutely perfect. You can tell that the metal used is
top shelf. It's perfectly balanced and the weight is pretty much spot on for a razor. The head geometry/size is
middle ground (medium sized).
Rinsing during shaving is probably the best I've seen on any razor. A one second pass under running water and
everything flows out with zero effort.
Now the shave:
It's definitely a steep shaving razor. I prefer neutral (about 30 degrees). I tried several angles and it performed
best while steep. At my normal neutral angle, it lost it's efficiency. So for the sake of getting the closest shave possible, I completed my passes at a steep angle. The problem is that at a steep angle you lose the smoothness factor.
And at a neutral angle, it's not much smoother!
I detected some chatter while shaving which I believe is what makes it so audible (it's wonderfully loud!). @Phoenixkh mentioned in his shave report how it sings. I agree!
I'll probably get ripped for this but here goes:
It gives a good shave but not a Tatara Nodachi shave! As of today, the Nodachi is still the "GOAT" for me!
The Tatara is the epitome of smooth and it's efficiency (close shave result) is only matched by my ATT X1 slant.
My Executive Outlaw shaved better too!
What I've paid:
Rocnel Elite: $320
Tatara Nodachi $130
A $190 difference!
Obviously the Rocnel is a work of art, it looks incredible! Plus it carries the Rocnel mystique
that commands that price.
But the Tatara's workmanship and materials are up there too!
Granted, this was my first shave. I'll continue to use it by trying a different blade and dialing in the angle.
For the first shave, the razor impressed my eyes but unfortunately didn't impress my face!
As always though, these were my results and YMMV!
We'll see how it goes with subsequent shaves!
LRod

can you please clarify whether the handle is hollow or solid. Thanks.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

can you please clarify whether the handle is hollow or solid. Thanks.

It’s hollow.

 

[pb199in]

I forgot I had started this thread and it would have made more sense if I had posted about my initial shave with the 2022 Elite here, rather than in the Sailor thread. So, with apologies for the duplication, I’m re-pasting it here so it’s easier for anyone to find….


Ooh. Just had my first shave with the new 2022 Elite and it was absolutely lovely - and surprising. It doesn’t feel like the Sailor, even though it looks like it. It feels smooooooth. I don’t mean mild. I’d say it‘s medium efficiency, something like the Sailor on level 2 - definitely lower than level 3 - and there’s a little bit of blade feel, comfortably so and not a lot. But the razor just feels really, really smooth when I draw it across my face.

I will wait and see how close my shave was and how long it lasts, but it just felt so smooth to shave with. Must be something to do with the safety bar and top cap, and the way they are finished. Smoooo-ooo-oooooth. Not sure I’ve shaved with anything that felt like this.

The razor felt nicely balanced, a comfortable weight, and the invisible handle texture really grips. I think this is going to be one of those razors I treasure because it’s not only good but it seems to have something unique about it that will be the reason I keep picking it up.

Smooooooth.

Was accompanied by a delightful creamy smooth lather (Kaliflower Tjära - pine tar) and the smoothest, softest brush in the world (Wald A1), finished off with my Goodfella’s witch hazel and a splash of lovely Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber aftershave. Kind of a special shave where everything came together. A nice way to end what was a quite stressful day.

Will get a few more shaves with it before I settle my opinion, and maybe do a side-by-side with my Blutt or something, but this was interesting and not what I was anticipating. Don’t expect a fixed-gap Sailor; the Elite is it’s own thing entirely.

please tell us whether the handle is hollow or solid. Thanks.

 

[pb199in]

It’s hollow.

thanks sir, will not consider then.

 

[pb199in]

Yes, Rocnel razors are all ‘solidly built’. I looked it up and your 2018 Elite was 140g, and the base plate really was strikingly thick. The 2019 Elite came down to 122g, but still a thick base plate, and the 2022 is 99g, with a more sculpted base plate (still thick in the middle, like the Sailor). My SE50 at 150g is crazy for a single edge razor, and I don’t think weight suits a single edge design - the Blackland Vector is more what you expect, though that actually isn’t super light.

It’s a big weight reduction bringing the Elite from 140g to 99g, so overall weight shouldn’t be an issue now, but I worry a bit about the razor being head-heavy if too much of the weight reduction is from the hollowed out handle rather than the base plate. The website does say the 2022 razor has redesigned balance, but doesn’t say which way. Personally I much prefer balanced or handle-heavy razors, and I don’t usually get along with head-heavy razors.

I’m still intrigued by the new Elite, and it looks considerably more refined than the older Elites, but it seems like it may not be my ideal in balance or efficiency. I’ll wait and see reviews before I consider buying one.

Murat confirmed via email that - "The handle is 14mm thick. It has a 7mm diameter gap inside. It has no effect on the durability of the product. In fact, the new handle and base plate design has made the product more durable."

 

[Cheekee]

Mail call

Finally after it was dispatched mid November. Thought it was lost more than once.