First DE Shave… what to use?

Ejog said:
Now to hide the cost of my new hobby from my wife who still believes that this will save money from cartridge shaving, when we all know that my quest for the perfect DE shaving products has only just begun.
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A good starting point is to memorise this sentence and practice it repeatedly, until you can say it naturally without hesitation :

"What ? .... Oh That ? ........ I bought that ages ago, don't you remember me showing it to you at the time ?

It works well for many things, not just shaving gear :LOL:
 
I’m a bit late on this…

Rockwell… plate 1 feels like there’s no blade in it. Plate 2… you’ll wish you tried plate 3. Plate 3 with a Personna Platinum, then

I would recommend watching shaving videos, but when I look for them I always get naughty ladies shaving their delicate bits. My search engine has a wicked sense of humour, maybe… couldn’t possibly say.
 
Maybe a bit late on this topic, but I recognize the situation the first time you use the Rockwell 6S or 6C. Which plate to choose, which blade will fulfill the prophecy? I bought a 6C recently because it got so many positive evaluations, that are a bit surprising to me. Someone here even stated: ‘you started with the best razor… that should be used by everyone…’ I don’t fully agree.
I’ve been a wet shaver all my life, used all sorts of razors, but up to now I have never found the ultimate DE razor… So I switched to SE, used a few vintage razors like the Schick Injectors type E and I, and ended up with the Blackland Vector as my favourite ‘reference shaver’. The Vector never lets me down, giving me the pleasant after-shave-feelings other razors only promise me in their advertising.
But the idea of not being able to find a comparable DE machine kept on nagging in my mind, so I decided to give the Rockwell a chance. I started with the plates 3 and 4, but got unsatisfactory results, possibly due to the Rockwell blades that came with the razor. Other brands of blades (Gillette 7o’clock yellow, Feather,…) performed remarkably better, but up to now I can’t get close to the comfort, smoothness and ease that the Vector gives me.
For the time being, I will continue using the Rockwell (in the meantime I’m using the 5 and 6 plates with a Feather blade), but I can’t keep myself from thinking now that some beard types (mine: coarse, growing out in all directions,…) can’t be ‘beaten’ with a DE razor, but prefer the somewhat firmer, stiff AC-blades used in SE-razors. Or - in other words - the perfect DE-razor simply doesn’t exist.
 
Ejog said:
Post-Shave Update:

In the end I chose a Nacet blade on plate 2, which I felt was a fair compromise between heroic and wuss.

All went really well on the first and second pass, so much so that I went for a third.
I’m pleased to report that it was a very pleasant and successful launch into the world of DE shaving.
My face is so smooth that I may have to consider a temporary change of pronouns.

Lessons learned:
Remember to wet my face before adding lather between passes, or the alum block will teach you your error later.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post, it’s always helpful to have some encouragement.
Now to hide the cost of my new hobby from my wife who still believes that this will save money from cartridge shaving, when we all know that my quest for the perfect DE shaving products has only just begun.
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Glad to hear that. The way to keep this as a shave and not a hobby (Believe me I have spent some money in this game, and do not wish to spoil anyone's fun) is to be happy with what you are using. You said you had a perfectly good, enjoyable shave, why then think anything will improve by chucking money at it? It took me a very long time to realise this. No offence to anyone who does treat Shaving as a hobby, we all like to have an interest in something, but if you wanted to try to wet shave to improve your shaves, you have already achieved that goal.
 
wayne_m said:
Glad to hear that. The way to keep this as a shave and not a hobby (Believe me I have spent some money in this game, and do not wish to spoil anyone's fun) is to be happy with what you are using. You said you had a perfectly good, enjoyable shave, why then think anything will improve by chucking money at it? It took me a very long time to realise this. No offence to anyone who does treat Shaving as a hobby, we all like to have an interest in something, but if you wanted to try to wet shave to improve your shaves, you have already achieved that goal.
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Now that’s just crazy talk!



Seriously though, you’ve started strong and it’s not likely you’ll find something that shave significantly better than the Rockwell (in my opinion). But you can find razors which are prettier, more exotic etc

If I were you I would really get to grips with the Rockwell and see which plate (s) you like best. Many people here will compare a razor’s aggressiveness / effectiveness to a Rockwell plate. Once you know which plate you prefer finding your next razor could be less of a gamble.
 
wayne_m said:
Glad to hear that. The way to keep this as a shave and not a hobby (Believe me I have spent some money in this game, and do not wish to spoil anyone's fun) is to be happy with what you are using. You said you had a perfectly good, enjoyable shave, why then think anything will improve by chucking money at it? It took me a very long time to realise this. No offence to anyone who does treat Shaving as a hobby, we all like to have an interest in something, but if you wanted to try to wet shave to improve your shaves, you have already achieved that goal.
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Very much agree with this. Wish I’d chucked a whole lot less money at this ‘hobby’. Doubt you’ll get better than the R6S anyway. Shoulda kept mine.
 
I have a Rockwell 6C, which being chrome plated has a different feel to the 6S, but the plate and head designs are the same.

The sweet spot for me is Plate 4 with a Feather blade. Most blades work well with a Rockwell - it really is that well designed - but that's also a combination I've worked up to. I began with plate 3, and its a good 'daily' plate. Plate 4 feels a little more aggressive when you first try it, but you'll soon find that it offers a great balance of efficiency and comfort. I switch from Plate 4 to Plate 3 between first and second passes. Some find that cumbersome to do, but honestly it isn't. It takes a few seconds to switch the plate out, if you have the additional plate ready.

For me, Feathers are great blades, but like the OP I have reasonably thick hair and not especially sensitive skin; they match very well with the Rockwell, but I also find Perma-Sharps and Nacets to be a very good fit too.

Experiment with blades and plates - it's fun, and the Rockwell is a fine razor to try different combos with.
 
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