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Razor with rollers???

When I finish my Chinese blade project I want to do a "free sample" get them addicted wet shaving kit. Key is an under $10 razor. This just arrived and is interesting. It's adjustable, has a DLC like finish, comes with a stand and 10 dorco clone blades. Instead of safety bars it has ROLLERS and they do roll. It's $9.99 on Amazon. Name seems to be Wangssolid. Blade seats solidly and aligned. Going to try it out tonight. Anyone seen something like this before? Two last pictures are at setting 1 and setting 6.
 

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garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Interesting - at the present price with 10 blades & stand it might be worth it .. at least until the rollers stop rolling, at which point its the same effect as a shave bar eh?

I had a Futur way back when - it was too fiddly as I recall, but looks like this particular counterfeit has addressed some of that with the hinged top cap. Hopefully the hinge thingy is robust ..
 
Was not expecting that. New razor and untried blades, 3pass DFS++ on first use. You can hear the blade cutting but you don't feel it. You can feel the rollers. There is a sweet spot where you hear the blade cutting and the rollers rolling. Needs a little pressure to get there. No blood, no burn. I was adventurous and did all three passes cranked wide open. It's really different.
 
Everything old is new again... there was at least one sa ety razor from the 1930s or 1940s that had rolling safety bars.

So yes, we have seen this before.
Several indeed. Also, for the Gillette Old Type a replacement baseplate with rollers was available, and before the DE there were SE with rollerguards. Amongst others, the Wotan/Mandarin/... SE could be had with either comb or roller.
There's nothing really new in razordevelopment, only in manner of implementation. Five-bladed razors existed in the 1920s, vibrating razors in the 1910s. Heated razors, illuminated razors, all existed pre-WW2. Razors with rollers to moisten the facein the 1950s at the latest.
 
Why?

What is the benefit over fixed safety bars that don't roll?
I'm not sure - the shaves and been interesting. In experimenting a little, I think the rollers are easier on the skin and may keep the skin from bunching up into the blade gap reducing blood opportunities. It seemed to me that the rollers guided you to the correct angle instinctively. I do need some more shaves.

It sparked my curiosity so I did some research:

Rollers:
  • Potential advantages:
    • Some users claim they provide a smoother shave due to the rolling action reducing drag.
    • They may appeal to those who find traditional safety bars too aggressive.
    • Some designs claim to promote better blade alignment.
  • Potential disadvantages:
    • There's limited research to objectively support the claimed benefits of smoother shaves.
    • The rollers add complexity to the design, potentially increasing the risk of malfunction or cleaning issues.
    • They might be more expensive than traditional safety bars.
    • They are less common, making razor selection potentially limited.
Safety bars:
  • Advantages:
    • Widely available and well-understood design.
    • Offers different levels of aggression based on the bar design, catering to various shaving preferences.
    • Generally simpler and easier to clean.
    • Wider selection of razors.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Might feel more aggressive for beginners compared to rollers (depending on the specific bar design).
Right now I think it may be a good transition design for people coming from cartridges.
 
I decided to push it on this shave. Dialed it as far past 6 as it would go. Targeted a BBS. Progressively applied more pressure to see if the rollers protected better than a bar.

One weeper on the third pass below Adam's apple. Dr. Alum only had minor comments. BBS achieved with minor touch ups in the usual places.

I could put this in my rotation for in a hurry shaves. I think it would be a great transition from cartridges razor given the way the rollers seem to mitigate too much pressure. The loading and unloading blades is probably marginally easier for a novice than a three piece. Mount blade on base, close top, open top and blade comes with it. Being an adjustable it allows for discovering what's best for specific beard and skin. And it's just $10 with 10 decent blades included (I compare them to the Dorco ST300s, in fact I am pretty sure they are rebranded ST300s).

It could use a more grippy finish but as is it is more grippy than polished SS. While the blade comes with the top when you pop it, the tabs are not accessible. However turning the razor over drops the blade out. You can also easily push the blade up from the bottom at the sides without edge exposure. They should include instructions for novices.

If you gave $10 laying around its worth it for a different experience.
 

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While the head is bulky, the distance from the top of cap and cutting edge is 3.8 mm, only about 1 mm more than my Guerrilla.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
Thanks for reporting this!

The pros & cons of using a roller instead of a fixed safety bar made me come to this, IMO inevitable, conclusion:

Let's just use an OC with a SLOC or Mellon cap and call it a day. And the day someone puts roller pins in the teeth of an OC comb, well, it's a crazy world and now that I spelt it out it simply has to happen... :straight:
 
So after 10,000 shaves do the rollers need to be greased?
Hi,

Yes. With John Deere Corn Head grease. Because John Deere Track and Roller grease is no longer available. About 1980, crawler tractor rollers became sealed for life (their life, not yours) and eventually the roller grease was discontinued. However, the same type of grease is used in the corn heads of combines.


Do I need the :p icon? Ha!

I still use this stuff as I have two older crawlers here which need their rollers greased every 8 operating hours. It's different stuff. Says put like a grease until things move, then it flows like an oil.

Anyway, for me, I have seen vintage razors with roller guards and always wondered the same thing.
 
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