I got mine from KJ a while back and I can say it is an absolutely fantastic razor imho. I maxed it out at first just to see where it would go and I found that 4-4.5 is about my sweet spot with almost every blade i've thrown at it.
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Rockwell Model T...anyone?
- Thread starter Batman
- Start date
Okay, I’ve put in half a dozen shaves with the T and I have been astonished at how smooth yet deliciously efficient it has performed. No fillers, artificial flavorings or preservatives. Just good, clean excellent shaves. The doors line up perfectly, the tto knob turns buttery smooth and the adjustment dial is steady without fear of accidentally moving it out of position during one’s shave. Blade goes in and out like a breeze with excellent blade alignment, no wiggle or play in the blade tray. I’m seriously impressed with the quality and performance of the T as a whole.
Me too Gus. I have begun to live this razor almost as much as my SE Asylum RX “Kate”!
You know, I've become a razor snob in that if the razor is not made of some type of exotic metal or CNC'd that it just can't be a quality product. I mean that's been my thinking as of late. And this razor and a few others have proven me wrong. Which, by the way is not hard to do. It's just a really good razor and shaver. I've had no problems with it at all and the quality of shaves have been just, well superb. Made mostly of brass with some stainless internals and a chrome plated zamak blade tray. And the finish and plating is very well done.
I've beaten up Rockwell in the past and perhaps at times they deserved a bit of a ribbing. But, their Model T has been a very, very nice surprise so far.
The 6s and 6c razors are also very very nice but I preferred the 6c as for me it was more aggressive than the 6s.
I agree. It felt more efficient and yet smooth. The 6c that is....
Just a quick update and sort of a thread revival/jump. Just a real good shave this evening with the Rockwell Model T. I’ll be coming up on a year with it (received in April ‘19) and still works and operates as the first day that it got into my hands. Works quite well with any blade I throw at it but, my best shaves have come with a Feather. The silo doors open and close as they should as well as the adjuster plate moving through all its dial adjustments. Blade alignment and exposure is spot on at both sides and along its length. Quality of components has been excellent from top to bottom and the shaves have been equally as good.
I won’t discuss price at depth as that is so subjective with each individual and we would have an equal amount of pros & cons on both sides of the argument. I paid $100 as a supporter and I can honestly say that it was worth the price in investment. Would I pay more for it now after the fact as I believe it’s going for a $150 on their site? Probably not as now at that price the Model T is on the verge of competing with more exotic alloy razors. That being said, none of those razors are adjustable and to acquire one you’d have to cross the $200+ threshold but, you get what your paying for in quality, alloy and craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the Model T I feel is stuck in No Mans Land. Excellent for a low to mid-budget razor but, not quite there to compete with the heavyweights or elite razors that are commanding the higher price and investment. And I think that hurts them. @Spang brings up a very solid point on where it was trying to be marketed in the wet shave segment. That’s tough and a solid dilemma Rockwell has in their hands.
To bad as it is a very capable razor.....
I won’t discuss price at depth as that is so subjective with each individual and we would have an equal amount of pros & cons on both sides of the argument. I paid $100 as a supporter and I can honestly say that it was worth the price in investment. Would I pay more for it now after the fact as I believe it’s going for a $150 on their site? Probably not as now at that price the Model T is on the verge of competing with more exotic alloy razors. That being said, none of those razors are adjustable and to acquire one you’d have to cross the $200+ threshold but, you get what your paying for in quality, alloy and craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the Model T I feel is stuck in No Mans Land. Excellent for a low to mid-budget razor but, not quite there to compete with the heavyweights or elite razors that are commanding the higher price and investment. And I think that hurts them. @Spang brings up a very solid point on where it was trying to be marketed in the wet shave segment. That’s tough and a solid dilemma Rockwell has in their hands.
To bad as it is a very capable razor.....
Clouds
Shave Member
I agree with you.
I prefer mine with Wizamets but as they say YMMV
The price point is a problem but I believe that a bigger issue is that they have is that it was plagued with problems and delays and that stigma seems to have stuck around.
Well, thought I’d give the thread a bit of a jump start again because though it isn’t talked about as much compared to the more exotic alloy razors that it competes against, it is still quite a good shaver. I used mine this morning as it has been dormant for quite some time and truthfully it gave an excellent shave. Easy to get the cutting angle and it just goes about its business of reducing whiskers a stroke at a time. I’ve never experienced a bad shave with it and the razor still looks as good as the day I received it almost a year and a half ago. Truth be told I’ve only had about 20 to 30 shaves with it in that time but, it hasn’t disappointed on performance nor quality issues have surfaced. The TTO mechanism works flawlessly as does the adjustment dial. Nothing has come loose or fallen apart as of this writing. It’s a performer that shaves as good as its older sibling, the 6s and arguably for some (like myself) it shaves better. I used to think that when it was first released at under $100 USD, it was a pretty good deal. Once that Rockwell decided to raise the price of the Model T to $150 USD, I was sure that it was just to much for a Brass, Zinc & chrome plated razor with some Stainless internal components to give it some legs in durability. Today, I’m not so sure with the current world economic situation plus, the uber price tags that we are seeing in the luxury razor department. I mean, the Rocnel Sailor S Adjustable is nearly $700 USD and a host of other razors that have surpassed the $200+ price point. Of course they are made with better and costlier alloys that are meant to last a lifetime and even a couple of lifetimes and arguably the cost befits them as some of them are true works of functional art. Now I see the price of the Model T and say “that’s not so bad“ when I consider price/performance ratio. It’s not the prettiest or most exotic and it might not be the best shaver out there but, it’s pretty darn good for what it was designed to be. An affordable (in today’s economics) razor for the every day Man.
The shave today was again excellent.....
The shave today was again excellent.....
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Nice thoughts Gus
Clouds
Shave Member
I personally think that the biggest problem with the Model T is that Rockwell had very high standard to meet after their 6S/C. Then their delays in getting it to market - that was enough to annoy anyone.
I pretty much agree with everything that you have to say @GlazedBoker, at its price, its a good everyday shaver.
I pretty much agree with everything that you have to say @GlazedBoker, at its price, its a good everyday shaver.
I agree that with the Model T they shot themselves in the foot, multiple times. And I think that they have not fully recovered from those early mistakes and issues from the early runs. Will they? I really don’t know but, the Model T has turned out to be a real nice daily shaver if one only wants just a razor or two. Mostly made of brass with just the adjustment plate made of zinc, with decent care it should last quite awhile if not a lifetime. It’s a shame they’ve struggled with the T as I think they make decent products at affordable prices for the masses....
As a modern TTO, I have no complaints so far. I’ve been waiting for it to show a fault, a hiccup or just to somehow slowly deteriorate because of the so-called “inferior material” or “poor quality control” that many have defined or characterized it to be. Funny thing is that quite a few of those that have spoken negatively about the Model T from Rockwell have never actually used or even held the razor in hand. I won’t say that the razor is without its faults and the stories that are based upon fact are numerous of some of its failures, especially within the T-Bar assembly being a potential major weakness. For me and just me, the silo doors open and close smoothly. The blade tray holds the blade practically equally on both sides and exhibits equal blade feel on each side. The adjustment still works smoothly and fluidly as if on its first day of use. The quality and feel of shave that the Model T provides is actually quite good in my experience. Compared to the 6s, I find it a tad more aggressive at each stage of its adjustment and equally as smooth on feel. I’ve had the 6s some years ago and even had it in a pass around here for a few gents to try. Shave wise, I still think and believe that the Model T is the better shaver over its older razor sibling the 6s. It might lose out to the 6s in blade rigidity as a 3 piece design will always offer better clamping power over a tto design but, there is no need for one to think that the Model T does not hold the blade effectively because it does so surprisingly well.
Are there better options out there with more reasonable price points? Of course there are and the vintage adjustable Gillettes lead the way in tto land by a wide margin. Personally I think the bad rap that the Model T has received has been overblown and accentuated by some who despise or just don’t like the razor and what the manufacturer has tried to bring to the wet shave table. It’s a good razor that has cleaned up its reliability issues as far as I’ve seen in recent customer surveys. Just wait for a nice discount or sale. The price just might be a bit more justifiable for some. The good thing is that Rockwell will stand behind their product with very good customer service should one have an issue.
A great shave was had today. Great shaves to all….
Are there better options out there with more reasonable price points? Of course there are and the vintage adjustable Gillettes lead the way in tto land by a wide margin. Personally I think the bad rap that the Model T has received has been overblown and accentuated by some who despise or just don’t like the razor and what the manufacturer has tried to bring to the wet shave table. It’s a good razor that has cleaned up its reliability issues as far as I’ve seen in recent customer surveys. Just wait for a nice discount or sale. The price just might be a bit more justifiable for some. The good thing is that Rockwell will stand behind their product with very good customer service should one have an issue.
A great shave was had today. Great shaves to all….
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wombadom
TSC Yoda
I have the Model T and I like it fine. It's not a favorite but it's good enough I bought the T2 when it came out also. I can't speak about the T2 because it's still sitting in a container with other things I haven't used yet but plan to someday.
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wombadom
TSC Yoda
Thanks GlazedBoker for your well written and reasoned reply. I pulled out my T1 and T2 and plan on using them both this coming week from Dec 5 through 10. I'm going to use a new BIC Chrome Platinum blade in each one. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to do a side by side or day by day or 3-day by 3-day.
Also I plan on using the same soap or cream I will decide on today or tomorrow.
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