ROLLS RAZOR - Worth it?

[kstia]

So I have recently been shaving with my 1912 Damaskeene...I also have a Merkur slant and a long-handled R89. Today, I decided to lather up my Art of Shaving sandlewood soap with some extra glycerine (honestly, doesn't do half as good a job protecting my face as the AoS creams, IMO). I shaved the right side of my face with the R89, and the left with my Damaskeene.

The R89 gave me a cleaner shave, overall. Nothing major but certainly noticeable. The problem is, I much prefer a stiff blade on my face. The R89 glided effortlessly with a personna lab in it, but honestly, even though it's a smooth shave (much smoother than the GEM), it seems so much more harsh. My face, although it's dealing with a less smooth razor, prefers stiffer blades.

It's a weird conundrum that I'm sort of stuck dealing with, so I must find a solution. How do you gents feel about the rolls razor? I wouldn't mind giving one a try. Aggressive and a stiff blade, but not quite a straight edge...I'd opt for a newer blade if possible, or send an old one away to be professionally honed.

 

[BSAGuy]

I have never tried one, so have no personal experience, but give it a shot. Can't hurt, plus an excuse to buy another razor.

 

[pjgh]

Huge fun and a great shave! Yes, go for it!

But, do pick a good one. There are many new/old stock available as Rolls sold literally millions of those cases. Get one of those, but get one where you can see the blade - it should be mint. Again, there are loads of mint blades out there. Get one.

Clatter away and have fun!

 

[spidey9]

The Rolls is a fascinating piece of gear - I have two of them. Picking up a Rolls system, the first impression is one of quality. It is exceptionally well designed and engineered. It was definitely bucking the trend when it was introduced in the 1920's, when disposable blades were becoming very popular.

It is a razor at its most basic, being nothing but a slice of a straight razor type blade with a detachable handle and a little blade guard.

The case is made of relatively heavy gauge metal, and the plating is thick enough that metal polish can be used to bring it to a mirror shine without fear of damaging the plating.

The Rolls originally sold for around $10 and up, a lot of money at the time it was introduced. It is not difficult to find one in pristine condition at a reasonable price.

Much as I like the Rolls, for me it is more of a novelty than a daily shaver. I get a decent shave, but not as close as with my other SE's using modern blades. As always, YMMV.

I admit that I was more than a little nervous the first time I shaved with the Rolls (okay, scared half to death), but here is the shocker: Despite its intimidating appearance, it isn't really all that aggressive. The little guard bar is a brilliant bit of engineering and does an amazing job of taming the hollow-ground Sheffield steel bade.

Should you buy one? Sure - stropping and honing blade in the case and then shaving with it is a fascinating experience. However, don't expect it to replace your Damaskeene.

The Rolls has a dedicated following on these forums and you will find a long and very informative thread in the "Clubs and Associations" forum. There is also an entry in the wiki and a search will turn up numerous other threads.

--Bob

 

[kcb5150]

Get one and send the blade to bayamontate. Nelson has brought a lot of those rolls blades up to speed at this point....

 

[kcb5150]

And make no mistake, it is a straight razor, it may be on a stick but it is what it is..

 

[Bayamontate]

I love the Imperial #2, it's heavy and feels substantial when you strop, the Viscount are too light for me. The concept is so hip on these, the Darwin and Everite included.

 

[kcb5150]

The Darwin is a true safety razor and adjustable at that but expensive. It is a beautiful piece of kit though. Wilkinson empire is gorgeous and selling at an over-corrected soft market rate, but it feels a bit clumsy to use and that is me being kind. The rolls is quite nice to shave with once you get used to the balance point, the Wilkinson with the ribbed bakelite handle is nicer to shave with than the empire but it is built like crap, imo and has a funny angle. They are all well worth buying because they are all undervalued and fun to shave with. Imperial is great and the stainless viscount is real good. The silver plate imperial is beautiful, but it has the wretched popular mechanics that are unreliable to put it mildly. The rolls is definitely the best gateway to this style

 

[Calabash]

+1 Also a fan of the Rolls...great razor.
Be patient and find a nice one. Very important to have all components in great shape, the Hone must not have breaks or cracks, and the Strop leather supple with no cuts, make sure its a leather one and not cork version.
The most recent model is the Rolls Viscount and the version called the "Traveler" should have two blades in the set.
Once the Rolls blade is shave ready sharp...its a treat.

Huge fun and a great shave! Yes, go for it!

But, do pick a good one. There are many new/old stock available as Rolls sold literally millions of those cases. Get one of those, but get one where you can see the blade - it should be mint. Again, there are loads of mint blades out there. Get one.

Clatter away and have fun!

 

[Valley]

Not a bad shaver, as mentioned very straight razor-ish.

But yeah I agree you get a much better shave, as in closer and smoother, from a modern SS blade without all the work.


Still it is a neat concept and gives just as good or better of a shave as disposable carbon blades....if you're willing to put in the work that is.

If SHTF and blades can't be had this is gonna be my goto razor.

 

[kcb5150]

What did you hone your blade on initially? I assure you, if you max that rolls blade out, it is not going to be bested by even a pella...

 

[Valley]

What did you hone your blade on initially? I assure you, if you max that rolls blade out, it is not going to be bested by even a pella...

I used the factory hone, and don't get me wrong that sucker is plenty sharp, but you're just not gonna get as smooth and comfortable of a shave as you will with a plated and coated SS blade unless you can work miracles with a bare steel blade.

Maybe you're a master honer that gets some super edge with yours, but I've been switching off with a 1912 with a Gem SS Personna and the 1912 is definitely smoother and more comfortable, and a bit closer than the Rolls.

Now maybe with a few strokes on a canvas or linen it might get there but if I try just setting it on a strop it's gonna change the angle.

If you've got some pointers on how to make a bare carbon steel blade as smooth and close as a plated and coated SS blade please do feel free to share them.

 

[Mickey Oberman]

I shave with a Rolls Razor daily.

Yes. Get a good one. Have the blade sharpened by a professional, take care of it and you have a quality piece of equipment for life - and then some.

 

[kcb5150]

Carbon steel is actually easier to max out on stones than ss. On a lot of ss blades, that ptfe coating is just a crutch to be honest with you. Maxed out on any high end finisher after a progression and it will trounce the spined blade. Any straight razor maxed out on good stones by someone who knows what they are doing will romp on disposable blades, even feathers. I think outside of the case, you need two layers of .007" tape to maintain the case angle. Someone took feeler gauges to the mechanism to suss this out. Seriously, if you have spare blades, mail one to nelson and let him max it out on jnats or something.

 

[rambus007]

+1 for the Rolls Razor. I've got one that I bought off ebay a few years ago. It even have the history of where it was bought and who bough it! There was an address on it and I recently googled it only to find a shopping mall there. Anyhow I would said it's one of the shavers in my collection that I will never sell. I've even got 3 extra back up blade for it just in case lol. It handles like a safety razor but it comes with a hone and strop so really it's a mini straight razor with a handle. I am very comfortable using it because of the safety bar that is built into the blade. If you ever get one in good condition don't let it go!

 

[kcb5150]

If you just use the case, you really need to paste the strop to pull the edge over the top in terms of sharpness. It was meant to be used with paste. The darwin actually has a strop you flip and no hone. Just two strop surfaces each impregnated with fine grit pastes, one coarse one fine.

 

[Valley]

I'm actually quite satisfied with the shave I'm getting from it, it really performs better than I was expecting.


No I don't think it's the greatest shaving tool ever invented by man, but hey it's pretty good, comparable to disposable carbon blades or a straight razor.

Honestly though I'm not a huge fan of straight razor shaving in general, and that's basically all the Rolls is. Like a straight it irritates my skin and makes it bumpy, something I don't get from modern SE stainless blades.

I don't dislike it or thinks it's a hunk of junk, it actually works great but I prefer a blade that's more modern and that isn't as high maintainnence.

 

[kcb5150]

The weakness of the rolls in action is the balance point is funny. All the weight is ahead of the handle so it's not quite right in that regard. Sadly, the horribly unreliable telescopic handle has nicer balance, but as I said, it is horribly unreliable.

 

[Valley]

That and like a cut-throat you have to keep re-lathering. The little bar thingy is worthless at keeping lather in front of the blade the way a comb does.

 

[kcb5150]

your lather with the rolls should be mixed thinner and biased for glide vs cushion, it will improve your experience