New Razor - Help

MrK1 said:
I'm thinking the same thing....
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I'm in whether I like it or not, but that's the risk of being a Kickstarter backer. What is a tad annoying is that I paid the $20 shipping fee, which is also supposed to eliminate or cover any further UK charges, about a month ago. I suppose it's one less thing to account for, but even so.

PS I've just been reading the latest crop of comments on the materials change, and quite a few aren't happy with the brass-zamak switch.
 
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Ferrum said:
I'm in whether I like it or not, but that's the risk of being a Kickstarter backer. What is a tad annoying is that I paid the $20 shipping fee, which is also supposed to eliminate or cover any further UK charges, about a month ago. I suppose it's one less thing to account for, but even so.

PS I've just been reading the latest crop of comments on the materials change, and quite a few aren't happy with the brass-zamak switch.
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I'm backing on Kickstarter as well, but if they change the product specs, aren't we allowed to cancel?

Brass and steel was the only reason I backed it. Otherwise I would have gone for a Parker adjustable and saved myself a few quid. Or spent a bit more and bought a Rockwell 6.

Maybe if enough people complain, they might reconsider the zamak.
 
I almost backed this towards the end of last week but noticed the update due over the weekend. Kind of glad I held back as this story seems to have a few more twists and turns in the chapters ahead.
 
MrK1 said:
I'm backing on Kickstarter as well, but if they change the product specs, aren't we allowed to cancel?

Brass and steel was the only reason I backed it. Otherwise I would have gone for a Parker adjustable and saved myself a few quid. Or spent a bit more and bought a Rockwell 6.

Maybe if enough people complain, they might reconsider the zamak.
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I don't think we can back out, but no doubt there will be discussion and response about this on Kickstarter.

I too was mainly interested in it because of quality and durability. That said, I seem to recall that there have already been component changes from zamak to better. I'll have a look at the project to confirm that.

There is also discussion on the lines of using brass and us paying a supplement. This is because the razor as planned before the change proved to be difficult and more expensive to manufacture.

I have a drawer of motheaten zamak razors, and the last I bought was a Parker 26, which was cheap enough and has a nice brass handle. I would certainly go for their adjustable if the UK price is right, but it's not really an heirloom piece.
 
MrK1 said:
I'm backing on Kickstarter as well, but if they change the product specs, aren't we allowed to cancel?

Brass and steel was the only reason I backed it. Otherwise I would have gone for a Parker adjustable and saved myself a few quid. Or spent a bit more and bought a Rockwell 6.

Maybe if enough people complain, they might reconsider the zamak.
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Not sure about U.S. law but under U.K. law you would surely be within your rights to cancel as Rockwell have changed the contract between you. You didn't order & pay for a pot metal razor but a brass razor. If you ordered a car with a 2 litre engine & the manufacturer delivered a 1.6 litre engine you would rightfully have cause to complain.
 
Jel999 said:
Not sure about U.S. law but under U.K. law you would surely be within your rights to cancel as Rockwell have changed the contract between you. You didn't order & pay for a pot metal razor but a brass razor. If you ordered a car with a 2 litre engine & the manufacturer delivered a 1.6 litre engine you would rightfully have cause to complain.
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The caveat here is I'm no lawyer but isn't a kickstarter backing different to a normal purchase contract in that there is no certainty that the product you are backing will come to fruition?
 
Oldestswinger said:
The caveat here is I'm no lawyer but isn't a kickstarter backing different to a normal purchase contract in that there is no certainty that the product you are backing will come to fruition?
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Correct. It's technically a form of gambling. No guarantee that you will see a return on your investment.

The problem that I see with the razor is that initially, it had zinc internal components, which were "sealed" away from moisture, etc. and probably would have been fine in that particular application.

Now the zinc is on the part of the razor that is subjected to the greatest amount of wear. I'm curious as to why Gareth chose to stick with casting, instead of either switching to stamped brass doors or machined brass or stainless steel doors.

I think I will keep my Kickstarter pledge, but mostly out of curiosity than any sense of anticipation anymore.
 
This is my first ( and so far only ) kickstarter project. I took a punt on a whim on the basis I could afford to lose the dosh if it all ended in tears, so anything I can use at fruition is a bonus. Who knows, this may become a classic and my proven provenance razor could be worth a fortune in years to come.

JohnnyO. o/
 
It seems that Gareth at Rockwell has listened to the cries about the zamak bits, and is going to produce a stainless model, as well as the zamak/other metals model which is currently the Kickstarter offering.
I quote from his email:-

"Stainless Steel Model T

All that being said, I absolutely get that there are some classic shaving enthusiasts who are simply not interested in a razor that includes zinc alloy. Therefore, I'm happy to announce we've opened up the manufacturing process for an all-stainless-steel Rockwell Model T! The razor will be manufactured using a combination of machined stainless steel, with MIM stainless steel replacing the cast zinc alloy parts at the head of the razor. We've been getting a few requests for this since the launch of the Model T campaign, and after additional encouragement over the last month, I decided it was time to pull the trigger. I can't provide timelines or precise “upgrade” pricing on this razor until about the end of April, but I wanted to open up a separate email list for backers who want to keep updated on the Stainless Steel Model T project development or want to receive the razor in lieu of the original Model T. You can sign up for that community here!"

Good for him, and an excellent example of responsiveness. Bravo.
 
I've had a few issues with Kickstarter over the years (not shaving/razor related) and while I can see that they have cleaned up their act considerably, there are still risks associated with backing a project. Personally, the saving I can achieve by being an Early Bird adopter opposed to just buying the item when on general sale isn't worth the hassle.
 
matt925b said:
I've had a few issues with Kickstarter over the years (not shaving/razor related) and while I can see that they have cleaned up their act considerably, there are still risks associated with backing a project. Personally, the saving I can achieve by being an Early Bird adopter opposed to just buying the item when on general sale isn't worth the hassle.
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Very true. I've backed 7 in about 3 years (4 shaving related are Rockwell 6S/T, Single Edge and Blackland/Blackbird) and all have come through eventually, except of course for the Model T, which is still current. Of the others, 2 were fine, and the one big problem project was sorted out (kind of). I haven't backed things for potential savings, but in the knowledge that I might not get anything back for my money.
I may in future back something new from someone who I've had a good experience with before, but it would have to be pretty special. As you point out, those that have "won through" in the end-Rockwell, Supply Provision, Blackland- tend to go on to sell their successful products on the open market, which is where, like you, I'm now more likely to be looking to buy.

I must, however, confess to a little glow of satisfaction when projects that I've backed work out well, and entrepreneurs like Shane (Blackland), Gareth (Rockwell) and Patrick (Supply Provision) build their businesses. It does mostly compensate for the frustrations and pitfalls of being a backer.
 
PLANofMAN said:
Yeah, I saw that. Makes me wonder if I should pull out of the backing party.
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I took a refund. I haven't shaved with a DE but once in months, so my plan has been for quite some time that I would sell it when I received it. The Zamak issue kind of torqued me off a bit; I would have never paid that much money for a zinc razor, and I am uninterested in a bump in price for a SS TTO.

Gareth replied to my email right away, and sent me my money within a day or two. I allowed him to keep $8 which covered his Kickstarter fee, although he did not push that option. I did not withdraw to be punitive, I just figured there was no sense in waiting any longer to recover funds from a razor I didn't even want anymore.
 
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