My long-awaited Rockwell Model T arrived in yesterday’s mail. I had tried a prototype in April 2016. The product development cycle for Rockwell Razors tends to run long, with a fair amount of learning through experience (aka trial and error) along the way. They seem dedicated to getting it right, and that takes some time and experimentation. Obviously, the cycle is shorter if all the experiments work, but that is not in the nature of experiments, at least in my experience as a cook. However, you can learn a lot from an experiment that fails, and the Rockwell 6S, which had a painful path to perfection, is one of the best razors I own and is included in my list of favorite razors (based purely on criteria of comfort (which for me includes no nicking and feeling like it won’t nick) and efficiency.
So I was looking forward to this production version of the Model T, and yesterday it arrived in a very handsome presentation case with its own box. 
The quality of presentation makes it a natural for a gift, but you’d better hop to it: orders placed today are estimated to ship in April. Maybe order it for a graduation gift (late May, early June) or Father’s Day (16 June).
There are a couple of reasons it would make a good gift. For one thing, it’s the only modern TTO adjustable razor currently on the market. Other adjustables either use a multi-baseplate approach (like the Rockwell 6S) or are a two-piece razor with the adjustment done by slightly loosening the head (less than one turn), like the Parker Variant and the Merkur Progress. This is the first TTO adjustable DE razor since the Gillette Super Adjustable (last made in 1988).
With that background, let’s proceed to the shave. I followed my usual routine: shower first, wash stubble at the sink with MR GLO, rinse partially with a splash, and then apply lather. Stubble Trubble Up & Adam is a very nice soap indeed, with an espresso + vanilla fragrance, and is somewhat unusual in that it includes olive oil as an ingredient:
Stearic Acid, Distilled Water, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Sodium Lactate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Glycerin, and Fragrance
The company’s website is gone, so this seems to be another vintage soap, and it’s one that I like a lot.
My Maggard 24mm synthetic made a wonderful lather from it, and with that well worked into the stubble, I picked up the Model T and set to work. It has 6 marked settings (with continuous adjustment), which presumably correspond to the R1 through R6 plates of the Rockwell 6S, so I started with the setting at 3 since I mostly use the R3 plate.
The razor has a solid heft. It’s comfortable to hold, and it feels somewhat larger (and more substantial) than some of my other razors. It is quite comfortable to use, and it’s also highly efficient. I easily got a BBS result in three passes with no nicks or even threat of nicks—this razor is in the very comfortable + very efficient category. A good splash of Paul Sebastian finished the job. I picked it because its vanilla notes carried forward the vanilla part of Up & Adam’s fragrance, though another option would have been Phoenix Artisan’s Spring-Heeled Jack, to go with the coffee note.
One drawback of TTO adjustables (which the 6S adjustable finesses) is that such razors have moving parts. “No moving parts” is always a good feature for mechanical devices since moving parts bring problems, including wear and seizing. The Merkur Vision 2000, which seemed like a very fine TTO adjustable, turned out to have serious problems in use, particularly when used with hard water, which results in mineral deposits and soap scum and, ultimately, in a razor that just plain stopped working. I loved the razor initially, and when it froze sent it in to Merkur, which sent me a new one, and that one had the same inevitable weakness: use in hard water inevitably will cause internal mineral and soap scum deposits, and those in time gum up the mechanism.
Given that those who live in hard-water areas will inevitably have to disassemble and clean their razors from time to time, I strongly recommended back in the early stages of development that Rockwell design their razor for easy disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly, and I think they’ve done that (though I was disappointed that the box did not include a leaflet with diagrams that showed exactly the steps involved, along with an explanation of why it is occasionally required, along with tips on lubrication (something that moving parts in general require). Still, there is this YouTube video that shows disassembly is easy:
This seems like a small thing, but as shown with the Vision 2000, not being able to easily disassemble and clean a TTO adjustable razor can ultimately doom the product. (I really liked the Vision 2000 a lot until it didn’t work any more, and then I disliked it a lot.)
Initially, the Model T was intended to be an all-stainless steel razor. (Gilllette’s Fat Boy and Slim Handle, perhaps the quintessential TTO adjustables, were made of brass and nickel- or gold-plated.) However, that plan didn’t hold up to manufacturing realities, and this page indicates the razor is chrome-plated brass. That should work fine: chrome is harder than nickel, which Gillette mostly used, and will wear better. I could not find technical details on the Rockwell site, which surprised me. I like reading technical specifications (e.g., the ingredients in my shaving soap), and with a razor like this, the tech specs should (IMO) be part of the description on the website. They do state that the materials are Brass, Stainless Steel & Chromed Alloy. The obvious questions—which parts are which materials and why the choices were made—go unanswered. The page at the link lists no stainless steel and does not indicate the plating material for the internal parts. It says only:
- Chromed brass externals provide a timelessly appealing look. [but see update below: some of the externals are chromed zinc alloy – LG]
- Coated brass internal components ensure extreme durability.
Overall, it is an extremely nice razor that should last a lifetime or more, especially since you can readily clean out any internal gunk buildup. The shave is comfortable and efficient, and the razor feels good in the hand, substantial and strong.
It was worth the wait.
UPDATE: I notified Rockwell that I had posted my review, and I got this email:
I will take your feedback to heart and work to include a thorough breakdown of tech specs on the website ASAP.
To your comment about a disassembly leaflet: We’re just locking down a local printing provider to print Model T instructional inserts – though they do not currently include disassembly instructions, I will strongly consider adding this based on your assessment and comparison with the Vision 2000.
We’ll also be producing an updated disassembly and cleaning video that reflects the new one-piece t-bar design.
To clarify, the butterfly doors, safety-bar, thrust plate and t-bar are cast (chromed zinc), with some machining. The knurled handle is brass, internal components are brass and stainless.