Review: Rocnel SE50 razor

Cristobal said:
Interesting. Where is it sold (other than extrashaving)?
Each time I try to go on the extrashaving website, it dangerously freezes my computer:eek:...
Click to expand...

I think, but might be wrong, that extrashaving is so far the only vendor that Rocnel is using.
Availability is a bit up in the air but sounds like August-September at this point.
 
Shave Report #1​


It had only been 24 hours since the Timeless Razor had done away with my stubble so I wasn't overly bearded this morning.
There was the usual scruffy feeling though running my hands across my face. My beard doesn't grow extremely dense - I'd say medium - but it's rather coarse.

I was really looking forward to trying out the SE50. It has a loading mechanism that I quite frankly have never seen before and if it's one thing I admire it's creativity and innovation in an area that sometimes seem to have stagnated.

But, it obviously also need to perform so let's have a look.

Loading the blade
As covered in the opening post the blade is places on the base plate and you slide the topcap in from the side, in a machined groove, until it covers the base plate. You then secure the head by twisting the screw a few times until its locked in place.
It's easier than it sounds but I do wish that the slots that the blade rests on on the base plate were a little bit more pronounced so that they would stay put a bit more. There is a little bit of dexterity required to load it. Having said that...today was the second time I played around with loading a blade and it took me seconds.

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Once the blade is in place the sides of the head lines up very evenly. The base and top plate are exactly the same length - as opposed to the upcoming DE42.
I did notice an interesting thing though - the back of the head leaves a slight 'gap' when the head is secured. It might be a side effect of the tension lock and it doesn't seem to have any impact on the shave of course but thought it was worth calling out.
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The original Rocnel SE (that takes DE blades snapped in half) was designed so that, even if the tabs were snapped off, small pieces of the blade would still protrude on the sides. It caused me - and others - some concern but after a few uses it was one of those things that stopped being an issue in reality.

Taking a closer look at the head once the, in this case a Feather Pro, blade is loaded one can see that there is a small amount of blade exposed on both sides of the head;
(Apologies for shoddy "macro" photos - lost my close-up lens :))
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The amount of blade extending past the head is not as significant as on the original SE and I didn't honestly see it as an issue as this amount is something I see on a number of razors - including the recent Timeless Razor.

Shaving
It became apparent within a few strokes down my face that it's rather mild razor.
If you're the kind of person who likes the idea of these SE razors using the Feather/Kai blades but feel that the Mongoose/Cobras are too aggressive this razor might be the one for you.
Mild yet surprisingly efficient.
As expected (hoped) the 'blade overhang' had no impact on the shave or how I moved the razor around my face.

After two passes (WTG and ATG) I was very clean shaven and there was never any fear of cutting myself as I often get with the other common Feather/Kai razors. Mild. Efficient. I believe it's a "P" (mild) model just as the original Rocnel SE.

The head is huge. At 69gr it's quite something to balance during your shave.
I did find myself wishing it had been trimmed by 20gr or so to make it feel a bit more balanced.
I'll be trying it out with various handles to see if I can find a good balancing sweet spot.

So a quick summary;
- Interesting/different loading mechanism where the tabs on the base plate could be a bit more pronounced to help keep the blade in place,
- Slight blade overhang on the sides that doesn't seem to affect the shave,
- A rather mild shave that felt very comfortable and was surprisingly efficient
- A big, heavy head :)

I was chatting with The Cleanshaver earlier in the week about the razor as he had also received his and I made the comment that the Rocnel razors might appeal the most to "DYI"-kinda people..the model airplane builders...the tinkerers. The razors are quirky, very efficient but might require a bit more time and practice in handling and than your off-the-shelf Merkur.
That's neither good or bad - just different. And having options is never a bad thing :)

My shave today was great. Was it flawless? No but it was quirky, fun and gave me a clean shave.
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Shave Report #2​

This morning I tried out the Rocnel SE50 with two days of growth so that it would have a tad more to work with than on the first shave.

I also changed two things; loaded a fresh Pro Blade and put a longer Mongoose handle on the head.

As always two passes- WTG and ATG.
No real surprises or discoveries this shave but the fact that this is a milder SE razor did really come through today.
I could move this thing around my face pretty much any way I wanted and was never in any real risk of cutting myself. Had I done the same with my beloved King Cobra the sink would had been stained red.
What I really like about the SE50 is just that - very mild in its 'shaving demeanor' but also very efficient (two passes and I was clean shaven).
If you're the type of shaver that crave an aggressive shave this "P" version of the SE50 might not be for you - but if you've tried the Cobras for instance and found them to be too aggressive then this might just be the right razor for you.

The head does still feel very big and heavy. There is a 'shaving with a sledgehammer' feeling to it - but at the same time I never got to the point where I wanted to/needed to stop. This razor with a lighter/smaller head would however be an absolutely fantastic offering as a mild, stainless steel SE razor.

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I had a first go with my Rocnel SE50 this morning, using a Feather Professional.

Even after a few days recently using the Executive Shaving Claymore and an Alumigoose (with Kamisori blades), the SE50 head comes across as massive, although of course it's no wider. I'm not sure I like the way that the blade ends peek out, but that seems to be a Rocnel SE characteristic, unless the user does some blade-trimming.

I suppose it might be possible to load a blade directly from the dispenser, but I found that it was much simpler to eject one and locate it by hand. A very small amount of dexterity is needed to put the thing together properly, without displacing the blade, but I find the whole design absolutely fascinating. The 2-stage locking, where the grubscrew is wound in to retain the top sliding cap, and the handle then tightens up on the grubscrew to hold the whole lot together, is simply brilliant. The quality of manufacture and finish is, as usual with Rocnel, absolutely superb and faultless.

Although I always find a new Feather/Kai/Kamisori blade a bit rough on first use, this razor still performed in "Mild" mode. However, on two passes, it's about as efficient as anything I've ever used.

It's a lovely razor, and, yet again, Rocnel have, in the British idiom, "got it taped".
 
Having used my SE50 for a few days now, I've noticed that when the grubscrew is tightened only by hand to retain the sliding top cap, it can work itself loose. That allows the cap to be slid sideways when pushed, and I suspect that it might fly off if the razor is shaken too vigorously to rid it of water etc.
The grubscrew has a recess for a 2.5mm hex Allen key, and, rather than just tightening it with fingers, I've found that using an Allen key (without excessive force) tightens it up just so.
I'm also inclined to think that it might benefit from a minor modification, where a recess or dimple is made in the top cap to receive the point of the locking grubscrew. That would both locate the grubscrew and prevent any sideways cap movement until it is slacked off. I'll be looking at making this mod. in the next day or two.
This isn't intended as a criticism of the razor, by the way. As I've said before, it's a very inventive and effective design, displayed in a top-quality piece of manufacturing. What's more is that it delivers me some of the best shaves I've had.
 
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