Hang my Head in Shame
I had loaded blade from side like an injector so it was insecure. Reloaded with freshly snapped and ready to go, little tabs snapped off too. No protruding sharp bits , so ready to go.
YES- I have used it,report in a bit.
Rocnel SE review(s)
- Thread starter Darkbulb
- Start Date
I had loaded blade from side like an injector so it was insecure. Reloaded with freshly snapped and ready to go, little tabs snapped off too. No protruding sharp bits , so ready to go.
YES- I have used it,report in a bit.
Thur 12 May
With a quick lather from OSP, it was with a bit of caution that I approached my first shave with a Rocnel. I had an injector on standby just in case. Well it is very heavy, and as I was not sure about the angle I placed it flat against the
face and slowly angled it to feel it bite.
The first few strokes felt awkward, and I wondered how much blood would be spilt. I used the weight of the Razor and no pressure with very short strokes. Having done right cheek area , proceeded onto neck go slowly in that area and it works well.
I then moved to LH side, by then the weight did not seem such a problem,and cleared cheek and neck with ease. I was really pleased to find that despite the bulky head, I was able to shave chin and upper lip utilising very small strokes.
Then used the Razor, to do polishing up of all areas. The Result was extremely good, no nicks/irritation.
I would not class this razor as mild, and I would advise new users to take time with the Shave, adopt a very light touch and let the weight do the work. Considering its price, I think it very good value in terms of build quality and shave ability.
With a quick lather from OSP, it was with a bit of caution that I approached my first shave with a Rocnel. I had an injector on standby just in case. Well it is very heavy, and as I was not sure about the angle I placed it flat against the
face and slowly angled it to feel it bite.
The first few strokes felt awkward, and I wondered how much blood would be spilt. I used the weight of the Razor and no pressure with very short strokes. Having done right cheek area , proceeded onto neck go slowly in that area and it works well.
I then moved to LH side, by then the weight did not seem such a problem,and cleared cheek and neck with ease. I was really pleased to find that despite the bulky head, I was able to shave chin and upper lip utilising very small strokes.
Then used the Razor, to do polishing up of all areas. The Result was extremely good, no nicks/irritation.
I would not class this razor as mild, and I would advise new users to take time with the Shave, adopt a very light touch and let the weight do the work. Considering its price, I think it very good value in terms of build quality and shave ability.
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I had a first go with this today.
The setup was halved Polsilver Super Irridium, Nanny's The Spicey One bowl-lathered with Vie-Long horsehair.
Although it's only marginally narrower than, say, the Rockwell on the washbasin next to it, the Rocnel head gives an impression of narrowness which reminds me of a ladies' razor. I think that's more of an illusion, but immediately made me "think wary" about how to use it in areas like the spot between the jaw and neck near the ear.
It seemed quite tempting to get it into smaller areas, especially in the XTG pass, for one stroke rather than the two (one above, one below) that I'd normally use, but, even with the tabs cut off, there's a small bit protruding which could make a nasty mess.
It's quite a heavy razor, but not excessively, and although I wasn't sure how it would work on downstrokes, especially on the point of the chin, the right angle to avoid digging in was easy to find, although not especially instinctive. That's possibly because this is a very different SE to use compared with the Mongoose(s), Schicks, PALs, Natural Angles and the rest that I use. Again, this is probably psychological on my part, and to do with it holding a very sharp DE blade.
The blade is held rock-solid, and the fact that it does so, in such a tightly-machined narrow slot, strikes me as being a miracle of design and manufacture.
Out of interest, I applied the alum test, and although I didn't think the shave was anything but smooth, there was a bit of stinging. I put this down to concentrating too much on manipulating the razor round my face and losing sight of keeping a check on pressure. The weight adds to this, but I think I might do better with a longer handle, which I'll be trying. I also plan to have a go with a 100mm aluminium handle.
All in all, it's a smooth-shaving, non-aggressive razor, which does need some thoughtful use and concentration, at least for the first few uses. The tabs, even if cut off, require caution in use, but I'll see if I can prepare them better with the other half of my blade; speaking of which, the life of each razor blade is automatically doubled, so there is an element of economy (not that economy figures very large in this lark). I'm still amazed at the quality for price of this, though.
I would say that this is definitely not a razor for a single-blade (DE or SE) novice, and probably not too suitable for someone starting out SE use. I'll be using it quite a lot, though (at least until my Single Edge turns up).
The setup was halved Polsilver Super Irridium, Nanny's The Spicey One bowl-lathered with Vie-Long horsehair.
Although it's only marginally narrower than, say, the Rockwell on the washbasin next to it, the Rocnel head gives an impression of narrowness which reminds me of a ladies' razor. I think that's more of an illusion, but immediately made me "think wary" about how to use it in areas like the spot between the jaw and neck near the ear.
It seemed quite tempting to get it into smaller areas, especially in the XTG pass, for one stroke rather than the two (one above, one below) that I'd normally use, but, even with the tabs cut off, there's a small bit protruding which could make a nasty mess.
It's quite a heavy razor, but not excessively, and although I wasn't sure how it would work on downstrokes, especially on the point of the chin, the right angle to avoid digging in was easy to find, although not especially instinctive. That's possibly because this is a very different SE to use compared with the Mongoose(s), Schicks, PALs, Natural Angles and the rest that I use. Again, this is probably psychological on my part, and to do with it holding a very sharp DE blade.
The blade is held rock-solid, and the fact that it does so, in such a tightly-machined narrow slot, strikes me as being a miracle of design and manufacture.
Out of interest, I applied the alum test, and although I didn't think the shave was anything but smooth, there was a bit of stinging. I put this down to concentrating too much on manipulating the razor round my face and losing sight of keeping a check on pressure. The weight adds to this, but I think I might do better with a longer handle, which I'll be trying. I also plan to have a go with a 100mm aluminium handle.
All in all, it's a smooth-shaving, non-aggressive razor, which does need some thoughtful use and concentration, at least for the first few uses. The tabs, even if cut off, require caution in use, but I'll see if I can prepare them better with the other half of my blade; speaking of which, the life of each razor blade is automatically doubled, so there is an element of economy (not that economy figures very large in this lark). I'm still amazed at the quality for price of this, though.
I would say that this is definitely not a razor for a single-blade (DE or SE) novice, and probably not too suitable for someone starting out SE use. I'll be using it quite a lot, though (at least until my Single Edge turns up).
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Before ever I start - the handle's too short. Rectified that and ready to go!
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I would be Kinda Thinkin more of Adapting it to Take an Injector Blade if it was Possible..
Billy
InterestingI would be Kinda Thinkin more of Adapting it to Take an Injector Blade if it was Possible..
Billy
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First shave - no complaints. Nice and smooth. No cuts! It is rather heavy, much heavier than anything I've used before. It took a bit of concentration to keep it at the right angle, but I'm sure I'll get used to it over time.
I'm well chuffed for £25!
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I'm well chuffed for £25!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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How is the life of a blade automatically doubled?
Living wage in country of origen is one sixth that of ATT ? Plus associated lower overheads in terms of energy costs, worker taxes and insurance, business rates etc. This razor is probably at the top end of kit, pricewise, in its' home market.
JohnnyO. o/
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I would have thought not. Although a Schick-type blade might just fit in the slot (not too thick), a quick try suggests that they're a bit too rigid to bend in the slot, which is how they're retained. That is partly a function of the narrowness of that blade, which in turn means that even if it could be inserted, the edge would be within the razor, or only just out (assuming that the blunt edge is up against the bottom of the slot). I'd also think it would be a job to get it out, even if it did fit. Gem-type blades would need major doctoring to fit.
@Dave-the-rave I was being a bit facetious about longevity. If I sling a regular DE after 2 or 3 days, then 2 halves of a DE might last 2x2 or 3x2. Of course, that depends on whether a blade in a DE gets regular and entirely consistent use on both edges, which I'm pretty certain it doesn't. If the Polsilver is still shaving properly at Day 3 in the Rocnel, then I will be able to say with confidence that that blade, used with soaps x, y and z, will give me 6 days. I'll observe this for the first uses of this blade, but if there's any degradation, then I might be slinging a blade after 2 uses. Even so, I get an extra day (4 against 3). I hope it will shave for more than 1 day, anyway.
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Hm! not my favourite razor from thhe get go. Head is a little too narrow - I 'pricked' myself a couple of times with the exposed corners of the blade, expecting blood but none flowed. Angle sensitive - gets very rough away from the correct angle. Very heavy head needs compensation. Felt I had to be careful, untrusting for the entire shave.
Result was pretty much BBS but with a roughness on my tender neck that gave a goodly a/s sting.
Unless a blade snaps cleanly along the centreline, aggression of the razor will vary. My not uniformly wrapped Personna did not snap cleanly. I rate this as a mildly aggressive, efficient razor.
I'll try it again in a day or two but my current feeling is that this razor will be consigned to my once in a while collection.
Result was pretty much BBS but with a roughness on my tender neck that gave a goodly a/s sting.
Unless a blade snaps cleanly along the centreline, aggression of the razor will vary. My not uniformly wrapped Personna did not snap cleanly. I rate this as a mildly aggressive, efficient razor.
I'll try it again in a day or two but my current feeling is that this razor will be consigned to my once in a while collection.