Is a Rolls Razor Consider a Safety Razor, or a Suedo Straight??

So I was out antiquing this past weekend, and found a cased Rolls Razor for $12.50. Strop, and hone are in great shape. The included blade had a few nicks in it, and is not presently shavable (it's being sent off to be honed).

Decided if one Rolls is good, then two is even better, and won a second one off of E-Bay.

Then I bought an extra blade from Dr. Irving.

So anyway, I am greatly looking forward to figuring out the proper usage of a Rolls Razor.

So my question, is a Rolls Razor a safety razor, or a Suedo Straight? It's often called a "straight razor on a stick".

How much difference does the "safety bar" make in reducing cuts?

I may at one point try a straight, but thought the Rolls was a nice middle ground/ stepping stone towards a straight.

I played around with a Dovo Shavette, and a Fromm Hair Shaper with less than desirable results; I have given up on Shavette's.

I also frequently shave with my Gem, and Injector, along with using DE razors most of the time.

Very much like a straight but with the narrower blade more manoeuvrable.

I was under the impression that they were like single edge razors, but I've never actually seen one used.

holli4pirating said:

I was under the impression that they were like single edge razors, but I've never actually seen one used.

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Effectively, it's a wedge blade, that has a movable solid guard. The handle attaches to the back to the wedge blade.

The guard probably provides some protection for the face, but I imagine nothing like a true safety bar on later day razors. I am unclear how much protection the guard actually provides, as the blade gap created by it, is quite significant.

I use a Rolls Razor quite a bit for my shaves. I've heard it described as a straight-on-a-stick, which is an accurate description. It's really a pared-down version of the older 'wedge blade' SE razors - not all that different from a Henckels Rapide, for example.

In practice, the safety bar works very well - you can cut yourself, of course, but you'd have to work at it. For instance, it makes shaving ATG in the upper lip area safe - you can bang your nose without cutting it.

The blade has to be honed like a straight. The included hone is not really adequate by modern standards. Once you have a properly honed blade you can keep it sharp by stropping on the included strop for about as long as you could the average straight.

There's a discussion group for these razors (see my sig) where a lot of the honing/stropping issues have been dealt with. As the members of the group are learning about these razors themselves, please don't take the tips as Gospel.

Anyway, I think a Rolls Razor makes a great regular shaver. The shaves are every bit as smooth and close as I get with a straight, and it's a nice alternative to have. It generally takes less time than a straight shave too (not for Joel, perhaps --- can't beat that 1-pass shave for time saved).

If anyone in Victoria (or nearby) is interested, there is one available at Old Gold on Fort street. They are asking $40 for it (did not ask if they haggle ).

perogee said:

If anyone in Victoria (or nearby) is interested, there is one available at Old Gold on Fort street. They are asking $40 for it (did not ask if they haggle ).

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That price is very high. I recently picked up two sets for $12 each. Both were complete, in really good condition, and had the original box. One came from an antiques store, and the other from E-Bay.