I mis-spoke and stand corrected. I meant to say the last few runs not months had no returns. I'm thinking that the return in March may have been from some earlier production runs? Sure sounds to me like they have a good hold of things but that's not to say that they are perfect. Nice to know that Matt makes good on the returns.
Rex Supply Ambassador...
- Thread starter Sharp&Shiny
- Start date
Actually it was a N1 production run razor, so that would be the latest run... Though I believe its the only one from this run it would definitely say that things have gotten better but at this point with the track record being what it has been, no excuse for it at all... Thats just my opinion though...
The date codes, as I understand them, are modeled after the Gillette dating system. N1 refers to the 1st quarter of 2018 and not to the production run. It's my understanding that Matt has batches (production runs, if you will) of parts for 200 razors at a time. Those parts are deburred, tumble polished, and assembled (including additional operations such as swedging, etc) by hand (mostly by Matt). Some parts are rejected. I think there are 8 or 10 parts for each razor. Based on my conversations with Matt they had the machine shop schedule enough parts for a total of 1000 finished razors in the first quarter (N1). Since the beginning of the year there have been significant design/engineering improvements implemented based on feedback from customers and those people in the "industry". These changes involved the cap, blade tray, neck, and guard. I'm sure that Rex Supply is striving for zero defects. In the world of manufacturing that is always the goal. Did the initial offering have a few issues? For sure, but they seem to have made great strides. And, it seems that they stand behind their product.
- Thread starter
- #124
Hello Gentlemen,
I decided to ask this question here so I do not derail another thread I posted on. I have been wanting to purchase a Rex Ambassador and there is a group buy happening elsewhere and now it’s cheaper so I can’t ignore it. RAD
. To the guys that own it. How does this razor(especially the newer runs) compare to others.
Like I was told that it’s more efficient than than the 17-4 but not as smooth.
I own and use the Ti Baby Smooth, Mamba, Game Changer, Paradigm 17-4, SS General, Supply, some vintage Schick Injectors.
I decided to ask this question here so I do not derail another thread I posted on. I have been wanting to purchase a Rex Ambassador and there is a group buy happening elsewhere and now it’s cheaper so I can’t ignore it. RAD
. To the guys that own it. How does this razor(especially the newer runs) compare to others.Like I was told that it’s more efficient than than the 17-4 but not as smooth.
I own and use the Ti Baby Smooth, Mamba, Game Changer, Paradigm 17-4, SS General, Supply, some vintage Schick Injectors.
I recently bought a new Ambassador and I've shaved with it on settings 1 thru 3. Astra SP blades and Stirling Soap. Setting three is more aggressive, efficient, and smoother than my vintage Gillette Red Tip (for me). I decided that for the meantime I will be using it on setting two and maybe 1.5. Very smooth and no irritation. I have sensitive skin and can't imagine what settings 4 thru six must be like but I can tell you it would be very aggressive. Again YMMV. I also shave with a OneBlade using modified Gem PTFE coated blades and the Feather blades that are specified for it. The Ambassador on setting two feels similar (to me) to the OneBlade. Similar shaves.
I did a shave comparison with a Vintage Gibbs #16 adjustable and on settings 5 on both I found the Gibbs more efficient but definitely smoother. The Rex is not as efficient as the Timeless .95 DC but more efficient than a .68 OC but again not quite as smooth. I liked it but I wish it were high polished as I think it would have better glide. The group buy is a good deal so if you really want one I’d go for it.
I agree with you the Rex is an excellent razor but it didn't Glide as well as my Timeless or the Rocnel Sailor adjustable
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Thanks for posting this. It motivated me to sniff around some in other places, which is always a good thing to do, plus it's nice to know about the buy.Hello Gentlemen,
I decided to ask this question here so I do not derail another thread I posted on. I have been wanting to purchase a Rex Ambassador and there is a group buy happening elsewhere and now it’s cheaper so I can’t ignore it. RAD
Like I was told that it’s more efficient than than the 17-4 but not as smooth.
I own and use the Ti Baby Smooth, Mamba, Game Changer, Paradigm 17-4, SS General, Supply, some vintage Schick Injectors.
You both have excellent taste in razors, and you both are fortunate. Gibbs, at least the 16 and 17, are hard to come by these days, as you know. (At least I don't see them eBay.) For that reason alone, I myself am more interested in how the Rex compares to the Fatboy, Slim, and Parker Variant - these being the three more readily available adjustables that I own. I gather from different posts that the Rex can be as aggressive as any of them and also quite mild. Would you say that is true to the extent of your experience? Also, is the Rex as smooth as a Variant or a good copy of a Fatboy or Slim? -- Thanks.
- Thread starter
- #130
Well I’m probably going to pass on the Rex and may be go with my original plan which was to buy a Timeless Ti .95 OC and SB. I have razors that cover most of the mild to moderate but no aggressive ones and my Paradigm 17-4 requires buffing for BBS so I wanted to try something more aggressive. I was going to wait but the group buy brought it back into consideration. Idk what to do
And you also have nothing to lose with Timeless you have 30 days to use it keep it or return it. For the group by the price on the Rex's tempting I sold my original one because it didn't Glide and shave as well as my Paradigm or my timeless but I understand why people really like it because it does shaved well and it is an adjustableWell I’m probably going to pass on the Rex and may be go with my original plan which was to buy a Timeless Ti .95 OC and SB. I have razors that cover most of the mild to moderate but no aggressive ones and my Paradigm 17-4 requires buffing for BBS so I wanted to try something more aggressive. I was going to wait but the group buy brought it back into consideration. Idk what to do
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Well I’m probably going to pass on the Rex and may be go with my original plan which was to buy a Timeless Ti .95 OC and SB. I have razors that cover most of the mild to moderate but no aggressive ones and my Paradigm 17-4 requires buffing for BBS so I wanted to try something more aggressive. I was going to wait but the group buy brought it back into consideration. Idk what to do
As @rawfox1 said, you have nothing to lose. Also - and not to take away from the Rex - but the Timeless is a great razor. As yogi Berra said, "When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It". Whichever way you go, try not to second-guess yourself.
Well, so much for patience on my part. I just took the other fork in the road and pulled the trigger on the Rex at $181 with the group buy. Despite my cynical upbringing, I was persuaded to give the Rex a chance after reading Matt's detailed description of the Rex's problems and fixes, and his statements that all razors delivered in the group buy will be the latest version (either N2 or revised N1 versions identical to the N2). It seems this puts me on the road less traveled by, and hopefully, all the difference it makes will be for the good.
PS I would still be interested in hearing experienced comparisons of the Rex with other adjustables I know.
So, according to Matt, the N2 versions will be revised? With what revisions?
You may be right, but that is not exactly my understanding. Google "REX Ambassador Update" in quotes. You should find a long post by Matt in another forum itemizing the updates to date. There are mentions of possible future changes, but the possible changes I recall are to lower costs vs improving functionality, and they are mentioned as possibles, not definites. There is another thread in the same forum where, over a few posts, Matt talks in the context of the group buy about the revised N1 and about N1 vs N2 razors. This is the best way I know to summarize these posts without you reading through the threads for yourself:
- Razors shipped in fulfillment of group buy orders will be the remaining N1 razors and some N2 razors.
- The N1 razors will be "the revised N1 version".
- The N2 version razors "are exactly the same in every way as [the] N1 [razors that ship with the group buy]".
In any case, nothing precludes further revisions to the Rex (even to N2 razors), and there is no guarantee that the group buy razors will be problem free. But hopefully they will be problem free. My guess is that the group buy was necessary to breathe life back into the Rex, and I think Matt understands how much is riding on it. Stay tuned ...
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Totally disagree with this.Matt started the group buy because it was suggested/requested by forum members.From what I have seen,he stands behind the Ambassador 100% and always has.There are haters on the various forums that have been very vocal in as many posts as they can deriding the razor and the after sales service,but the vast majority of what I have seen has been very supportive and Matt has been transparent in his updates as to issues that were experienced in the first run release of the razor.
The group buy was not "necessary" at all,and was done because it was wanted by members of the forum it is happening on.Nowhere in any of the posts there did I see that Matt had anything pertaining to "how much was riding on it". Also notable that several that are participating,have joined the forum specifically to take part in the group buy.Otherwise they would have had nothing to do with the forum.
Whether you totally disagree with it or not won't by itself change how I feel, but I would like to help you feel better if I can. So for you, or anyone who is interested ...
I have gone from being skeptical to buying a Rex, which I mentioned a few posts above (#133). In post #135, I explained as best I could the information that changed my mind. As a matter of fact, I joined the other forum two days ago. When I decided to buy a Rex, I quickly made 10 posts in the other forum so they would turn on my PM privileges, enabling me to PM Matt my payment info. I did not buy the Rex because I thought it was a slam-dunk or without risk. I bought the Rex because:
- I like the way Matt explained what happened.
- I think he has handled a difficult situation well.
- I think he is offering a good deal as an inducement.
- But most of all, I think at the end of the day he will deliver an excellent razor.
Nevertheless, I don't think any good comes from discussing who is or is not a hater, and since including the word "necessary" has encouraged that talk, it was a mistake. I regret that. I do not regret thinking that the Rex still has something to prove, or that it has had a blemished rollout, or that slow sales may have contributed, if not to the group buy itself, then at least to the terms of it. I hope for the sake of anyone reading this that he or she can distinguish me and likeminded people from haters (whether or not we have bought a Rex). But FYI and with no disrespect intended, I'll be sleeping well tonight whether you can make that distinction or not.
In any case, I did not buy the Rex because I think there is zero risk. I bought the Rex because I think Matt is a capable and motivated businessman and he will deliver an excellent razor. This paragraph is the kind of stuff I want to talk about.
Well put. These are the reasons I bought the Rex in the group buy. I certainly don't need another new razor.
Wow.All I did was disagree with this statement that indicated the whole reason for the group buy was that Matt needed it...
"My guess is that the group buy was necessary to breathe life back into the Rex, and I think Matt understands how much is riding on it".
Your response after my post was very well written.Sorry you did not have time to edit your original post after I had posted mine,as your response clearly shows you took the time to reflect upon the statement I quoted,realizing that you indeed may have been mistaken, or misunderstood.
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