2021/22 Rocnel Sailor Adjustable

Well, my Sailor MC arrived this morning. Sailed straight through customs with no paperwork required. It is a handsome beast. Number 16.

Well, I'm convinced.  Morning mail and shave.  To preface and TLDR shortcut, this is the finest razor I have used, DE, adjustable or other.  I have no idea what's behind the curtain in the innards, but just rotating the adjustment dial it feels exactly like a precision surgical instrument, which is interesting because Turkey along with Pakistan is becoming one of the top suppliers of quality hand instruments in the OR.  First kudo - three days from Izmir to the US, delivered.  Outstanding Plus.  Second - the razor design.  In spite of the weight (actually because of), it balances perfectly in the hand and is even what I would call nimble. The handle was a complete surprise - looking at photos it looked like it would be as slippery as a seal.  In fact, it is probably the most positive grip of any of my razors with the exception of the Rex with its jewel-cut hash marks.  I have no idea why, and it certainly looks like it would be ungrippable covered with soap, but it feels almost "sticky" (yes, I removed the label ).  And the head, which seems huge in photos, is actually a slim profile from the top surface of the cap to the blade edge, and fits easily under the nose and around corners.  The width of the handle is also almost perfect for an average hand, and likely small or large as well.  Some fantastic engineering and ergonomics has gone into designing this razor, and not just theoretical but very obviously actual in-the-hand use.  The workmanship represented by the fit and finish of this razor is apparent.  It is quality built as well as quality designed.  Worth the wait, and worth every penny of the price, to me.

The inaugural shave.  Astra SS, the baseline I use for all new razors.  Bravely shaved on setting 1 - next up different settings and different blades.  Bottom line, perfectly comfortable, perfectly smooth, and virtually effortless - the weight contributes to the ease of cutting. I have rarely had a better shave with any razor, new or familiar.  Yes, I'm a fan .  I would not have predicted it, and in fact did not expect it, but thanks to everyone who touted the virtues of the Sailor and led me to this discovery.  I suspect my quest for the perfect razor has ended, because this is as close as I've come.  I'll no doubt use my Taiga and Muramasa in rotation (because I can), but I don't think the Rocnel will be displaced from the top anytime soon.  Many thanks again to Murat for this marvel of a razor, and to my virtual friends for giving me the nudge!  

Well, I'm convinced.  Morning mail and shave.  To preface and TLDR shortcut, this is the finest razor I have used, DE, adjustable or other.  I have no idea what's behind the curtain in the innards, but just rotating the adjustment dial it feels exactly like a precision surgical instrument, which is interesting because Turkey along with Pakistan is becoming one of the top suppliers of quality hand instruments in the OR.  First kudo - three days from Izmir to the US, delivered.  Outstanding Plus.  Second - the razor design.  In spite of the weight (actually because of), it balances perfectly in the hand and is even what I would call nimble. The handle was a complete surprise - looking at photos it looked like it would be as slippery as a seal.  In fact, it is probably the most positive grip of any of my razors with the exception of the Rex with its jewel-cut hash marks.  I have no idea why, and it certainly looks like it would be ungrippable covered with soap, but it feels almost "sticky" (yes, I removed the label ).  And the head, which seems huge in photos, is actually a slim profile from the top surface of the cap to the blade edge, and fits easily under the nose and around corners.  The width of the handle is also almost perfect for an average hand, and likely small or large as well.  Some fantastic engineering and ergonomics has gone into designing this razor, and not just theoretical but very obviously actual in-the-hand use.  The workmanship represented by the fit and finish of this razor is apparent.  It is quality built as well as quality designed.  Worth the wait, and worth every penny of the price, to me.

The inaugural shave.  Astra SS, the baseline I use for all new razors.  Bravely shaved on setting 1 - next up different settings and different blades.  Bottom line, perfectly comfortable, perfectly smooth, and virtually effortless - the weight contributes to the ease of cutting. I have rarely had a better shave with any razor, new or familiar.  Yes, I'm a fan .  I would not have predicted it, and in fact did not expect it, but thanks to everyone who touted the virtues of the Sailor and led me to this discovery.  I suspect my quest for the perfect razor has ended, because this is as close as I've come.  I'll no doubt use my Taiga and Muramasa in rotation (because I can), but I don't think the Rocnel will be displaced from the top anytime soon.  Many thanks again to Murat for this marvel of a razor, and to my virtual friends for giving me the nudge!  

Wow, what a review! Well done and congratulations!

Murat is at the top of his game for sure. The evolution of the Sailor has seen it improve steadily, model over model.

I am looking forward to hearing how it performs as you move through the gap range.

Thanks for the affirmation. Its always nice to see someone enjoy a razor as much as me.

I just had my first shave with the Sailor as well. Used it on level 4 with a new Kai blade, on 48hrs growth. I haven’t shaved before with anything that felt like this and it is a remarkable instrument. The best way to describe the experience is that it was like moving from consumer to professional gear, with the solidity and functional prowess of the Sailor. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this and I was surprised.

At level 4 it was very efficient - even more so with the weight - and very smooth. I could really feel the efficiency due to the gap, rather than the blade exposure (it didn’t have especially high blade feel like a Blackbird). It felt like I could just as easily shave through barbed wire with this thing. I kept it at level 4 for the whole shave and that was probably a bit too much for the third pass and touch-ups. Actually I don’t think I really needed a third pass at all but it is my habit. Got a great, really close shave that I suspect will last a while; a little redness on the neck where I overdid it this first time. Anyway, I think the adjustability of the razor is probably something I would use during a shave. High efficiency setting for the first one or two passes, then dial it down to finish off. How do you guys with long Sailor experience use yours?

I am looking forward to experimenting more with the Sailor. It is really something. Worth every penny when you compare the price against other razors.

I just had my first shave with the Sailor as well. Used it on level 4 with a new Kai blade, on 48hrs growth. I haven’t shaved before with anything that felt like this and it is a remarkable instrument. The best way to describe the experience is that it was like moving from consumer to professional gear, with the solidity and functional prowess of the Sailor. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this and I was surprised.

At level 4 it was very efficient - even more so with the weight - and very smooth. I could really feel the efficiency due to the gap, rather than the blade exposure (it didn’t have especially high blade feel like a Blackbird). It felt like I could just as easily shave through barbed wire with this thing. I kept it at level 4 for the whole shave and that was probably a bit too much for the third pass and touch-ups. Actually I don’t think I really needed a third pass at all but it is my habit. Got a great, really close shave that I suspect will last a while; a little redness on the neck where I overdid it this first time. Anyway, I think the adjustability of the razor is probably something I would use during a shave. High efficiency setting for the first one or two passes, then dial it down to finish off. How do you guys with long Sailor experience use yours?

I am looking forward to experimenting more with the Sailor. It is really something. Worth every penny when you compare the price against other razors.

Enjoy the honeymoon phase, its a terrific razor. Weight of the razor + kai's are the likely culprit. Caused me irritation as well. I've been using the sailor for the year and rarely go at or above 4 ( some on here go beyond the first full turn!) My favorite blades for this razor are polsilver, GSB, astra, wizamet. in that order.

I just had my first shave with the Sailor as well. Used it on level 4 with a new Kai blade, on 48hrs growth. I haven’t shaved before with anything that felt like this and it is a remarkable instrument. The best way to describe the experience is that it was like moving from consumer to professional gear, with the solidity and functional prowess of the Sailor. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this and I was surprised.

At level 4 it was very efficient - even more so with the weight - and very smooth. I could really feel the efficiency due to the gap, rather than the blade exposure (it didn’t have especially high blade feel like a Blackbird). It felt like I could just as easily shave through barbed wire with this thing. I kept it at level 4 for the whole shave and that was probably a bit too much for the third pass and touch-ups. Actually I don’t think I really needed a third pass at all but it is my habit. Got a great, really close shave that I suspect will last a while; a little redness on the neck where I overdid it this first time. Anyway, I think the adjustability of the razor is probably something I would use during a shave. High efficiency setting for the first one or two passes, then dial it down to finish off. How do you guys with long Sailor experience use yours?

I am looking forward to experimenting more with the Sailor. It is really something. Worth every penny when you compare the price against other razors.

What other razors would usually do in three, the Sailor does for me in two. I like any combination of 4-5-6 for pass one and 2-3-4 for pass two. Permasharps work best for me in any razor, and so they are fantastic with the Sailor.

I just had my first shave with the Sailor as well. Used it on level 4 with a new Kai blade, on 48hrs growth. I haven’t shaved before with anything that felt like this and it is a remarkable instrument. The best way to describe the experience is that it was like moving from consumer to professional gear, with the solidity and functional prowess of the Sailor. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this and I was surprised.

At level 4 it was very efficient - even more so with the weight - and very smooth. I could really feel the efficiency due to the gap, rather than the blade exposure (it didn’t have especially high blade feel like a Blackbird). It felt like I could just as easily shave through barbed wire with this thing. I kept it at level 4 for the whole shave and that was probably a bit too much for the third pass and touch-ups. Actually I don’t think I really needed a third pass at all but it is my habit. Got a great, really close shave that I suspect will last a while; a little redness on the neck where I overdid it this first time. Anyway, I think the adjustability of the razor is probably something I would use during a shave. High efficiency setting for the first one or two passes, then dial it down to finish off. How do you guys with long Sailor experience use yours?

I am looking forward to experimenting more with the Sailor. It is really something. Worth every penny when you compare the price against other razors.

I am no fan of a Kai in any Sailor. I use GSBs and Astra greens in mine. Both are very smooth and plenty sharp for me. I don't think a Sailor benefits from extra exposure in a Kai or extra sharp blades like Feather's. Playing with the turret can get you all the exposure and gap you need.

Jumping off on L4 is pretty impressive! I play with my turret all the time. no rhyme or reason behind it. Sometime it descends and sometimes it is constant. Just depends on my mood. The infinite adjustment is superior to click settings on a typical adjustable.

Congrats on the new razor and I'm glad the maiden voyage was pleasurable.

I just had my first shave with the Sailor as well. Used it on level 4 with a new Kai blade, on 48hrs growth. I haven’t shaved before with anything that felt like this and it is a remarkable instrument. The best way to describe the experience is that it was like moving from consumer to professional gear, with the solidity and functional prowess of the Sailor. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this and I was surprised.

At level 4 it was very efficient - even more so with the weight - and very smooth. I could really feel the efficiency due to the gap, rather than the blade exposure (it didn’t have especially high blade feel like a Blackbird). It felt like I could just as easily shave through barbed wire with this thing. I kept it at level 4 for the whole shave and that was probably a bit too much for the third pass and touch-ups. Actually I don’t think I really needed a third pass at all but it is my habit. Got a great, really close shave that I suspect will last a while; a little redness on the neck where I overdid it this first time. Anyway, I think the adjustability of the razor is probably something I would use during a shave. High efficiency setting for the first one or two passes, then dial it down to finish off. How do you guys with long Sailor experience use yours?

I am looking forward to experimenting more with the Sailor. It is really something. Worth every penny when you compare the price against other razors.

I am no fan of a Kai in any Sailor.  I use GSBs and Astra greens in mine.  Both are very smooth and plenty sharp for me.  I don't think a Sailor benefits from extra exposure in a Kai or extra sharp blades like Feather's.  Playing with the turret can get you all the exposure and gap you need.

Jumping off on L4 is pretty impressive!  I play with my turret all the time. no rhyme or reason behind it.  Sometime it descends and sometimes it is constant.  Just depends on my mood.  The infinite adjustment is superior to click settings on a typical adjustable.

Congrats on the new razor and I'm glad the maiden voyage was pleasurable.

Well, I figured just dive in. If I didn’t like it at level 4 I could always change it. But it was really great; just too much for three passes. And honestly it was just a little irritation on the neck - not so much, and easy to dial out next shave.

They say the way racing drivers find the limit is by going over it.

I just had my first shave with the Sailor as well. Used it on level 4 with a new Kai blade, on 48hrs growth. I haven’t shaved before with anything that felt like this and it is a remarkable instrument. The best way to describe the experience is that it was like moving from consumer to professional gear, with the solidity and functional prowess of the Sailor. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this and I was surprised.

At level 4 it was very efficient - even more so with the weight - and very smooth. I could really feel the efficiency due to the gap, rather than the blade exposure (it didn’t have especially high blade feel like a Blackbird). It felt like I could just as easily shave through barbed wire with this thing. I kept it at level 4 for the whole shave and that was probably a bit too much for the third pass and touch-ups. Actually I don’t think I really needed a third pass at all but it is my habit. Got a great, really close shave that I suspect will last a while; a little redness on the neck where I overdid it this first time. Anyway, I think the adjustability of the razor is probably something I would use during a shave. High efficiency setting for the first one or two passes, then dial it down to finish off. How do you guys with long Sailor experience use yours?

I am looking forward to experimenting more with the Sailor. It is really something. Worth every penny when you compare the price against other razors.

I am no fan of a Kai in any Sailor.  I use GSBs and Astra greens in mine.  Both are very smooth and plenty sharp for me.  I don't think a Sailor benefits from extra exposure in a Kai or extra sharp blades like Feather's.  Playing with the turret can get you all the exposure and gap you need.

Jumping off on L4 is pretty impressive!  I play with my turret all the time. no rhyme or reason behind it.  Sometime it descends and sometimes it is constant.  Just depends on my mood.  The infinite adjustment is superior to click settings on a typical adjustable.

Congrats on the new razor and I'm glad the maiden voyage was pleasurable.

Well, I figured just dive in. If I didn’t like it at level 4 I could always change it. But it was really great; just too much for three passes. And honestly it was just a little irritation on the neck - not so much, and easy to dial out next shave.

They say the way racing drivers find the limit is by going over it.

Ha! I am with you there. I enjoy pushing the limits in lots of areas of life. Makes it fun for me and it keeps those close on their toes.

My cash was in for the MC back on July 24th, I feel late. When do some of you guys get paid out on this?