The Rocnel SE razor is a brand new single edge razor made in Turkey entirely of stainless steel that has been creating a lot of buzz in the shaving forums. If you've missed it, here is a little background.
The Rocnel uses a double edge razor blade split in half and retails for the unbelievable price of $25 (plus shipping from Turkey). Mine was under $40 delivered.
View attachment 660030
It arrived in a sturdy cardboard box wrapped in tissue on a bed of burlap.
View attachment 660031
It features a unique design that is extremely simple. The head consists of a single block of stainless steel with a channel milled to form the safety bar, a thin curved slit to hold the blade, and a threaded hole for the handle stud. That's it.
To use it, a double edge blade is split in half by bending it. The half blade is held by the ends and inserted into the slit until it seats at the bottom of the slit.
Once seated the end tabs are snapped off by pushing with a thumb. The slit is curved and the springiness of the blade holds it in place. This is all extremely easy and the whole process takes a few seconds.
It may not sound like it but this is enough to hold the blade securely in place. I experienced no problems with the blade moving, or with the blade chatter often encountered with DE razors.
With this substantial head and a solid stainless handle the razor is on the heavy side, weighing in at 4.85 oz, nearly as much as a Mongoose. The handle is medium length and deeply knurled. Smooth and lined handles are also available.
After 4 shaves I've found the razor to be moderately aggressive and exceptionally smooth. It will eventually be offered in three levels of aggressiveness but right now only the middle level is available.
The shave feels a lot like the Shake Sharp razor, not surprising since that is another single edge razor that uses a DE blade. I tried Personna Lab Blue and Med Prep blades which worked well, but the razor really strutted its stuff with a Feather blade, delivering a couple of "Wow!" BBS shaves, with no irritation or weepers.
The razor has one quirk. Note in the picture above that the edges of the blade protrude slightly from the razor. This is by design, as the blade would not seat properly if the razor were any wider. In addition, the blade is removed by flicking these edges with a fingernail.
It is possible to nick yourself with these edges when shaving around the nose or ears if you aren't aware of this. I managed to nip my ear lobe on my first shave. A tiny cut - didn't even require the styptic pencil. I adjusted my technique slightly and it was no longer an issue.
Rocnel is an up-and-coming company that will also be introducing a stainless steel razor with a sliding cap that takes the Feather Artist Club blades, a DE with a sliding top and possibly an SE using the classic Gem blade.
The Rocnel is being sold by Extrashaving, a Turkish retailer of shaving supplies. It is currently out of stock but is expected to be available again by the end of the month.
This would be a decent razor with a 3 figure price tag. At its current price it is an amazing razor.
--Bob
The Rocnel uses a double edge razor blade split in half and retails for the unbelievable price of $25 (plus shipping from Turkey). Mine was under $40 delivered.
View attachment 660030
It arrived in a sturdy cardboard box wrapped in tissue on a bed of burlap.
View attachment 660031
It features a unique design that is extremely simple. The head consists of a single block of stainless steel with a channel milled to form the safety bar, a thin curved slit to hold the blade, and a threaded hole for the handle stud. That's it.
To use it, a double edge blade is split in half by bending it. The half blade is held by the ends and inserted into the slit until it seats at the bottom of the slit.
Once seated the end tabs are snapped off by pushing with a thumb. The slit is curved and the springiness of the blade holds it in place. This is all extremely easy and the whole process takes a few seconds.
It may not sound like it but this is enough to hold the blade securely in place. I experienced no problems with the blade moving, or with the blade chatter often encountered with DE razors.
With this substantial head and a solid stainless handle the razor is on the heavy side, weighing in at 4.85 oz, nearly as much as a Mongoose. The handle is medium length and deeply knurled. Smooth and lined handles are also available.
After 4 shaves I've found the razor to be moderately aggressive and exceptionally smooth. It will eventually be offered in three levels of aggressiveness but right now only the middle level is available.
The shave feels a lot like the Shake Sharp razor, not surprising since that is another single edge razor that uses a DE blade. I tried Personna Lab Blue and Med Prep blades which worked well, but the razor really strutted its stuff with a Feather blade, delivering a couple of "Wow!" BBS shaves, with no irritation or weepers.
The razor has one quirk. Note in the picture above that the edges of the blade protrude slightly from the razor. This is by design, as the blade would not seat properly if the razor were any wider. In addition, the blade is removed by flicking these edges with a fingernail.
It is possible to nick yourself with these edges when shaving around the nose or ears if you aren't aware of this. I managed to nip my ear lobe on my first shave. A tiny cut - didn't even require the styptic pencil. I adjusted my technique slightly and it was no longer an issue.
Rocnel is an up-and-coming company that will also be introducing a stainless steel razor with a sliding cap that takes the Feather Artist Club blades, a DE with a sliding top and possibly an SE using the classic Gem blade.
The Rocnel is being sold by Extrashaving, a Turkish retailer of shaving supplies. It is currently out of stock but is expected to be available again by the end of the month.
This would be a decent razor with a 3 figure price tag. At its current price it is an amazing razor.
--Bob
