REX Ambassador: My thoughts.

Hey Everyone - Matt here

Thank you all so much for the feedback. It is truly appreciated and I have been reading lots of reviews on facebook and some of the forums.

This razor project has been a long time coming - and it was certainly a big project to take on for our first razor. But we also wanted to make a splash into the razor world and the thought of being the Nth company with a 3 piece razor wasn't very appealing. We certainly have plans for razors like that but we wanted to do something big to get the ball rolling.

There have been learning lessons along the way but I'm still confident that we achieved something that no other USA razor maker has ever taken on in decades - no small feat.

My post here isn't a defense of anything - the product speaks for itself. I am confident that the 1000 razors we produced with this run will not be the last, instead the first of many more.

PRICE
$249 - that sounds like a lot of money. And it certainly is. The price is in no way arbitrary. It is based solely on the costs to produce the product, make it available for wholesale purchase, and of course make a reasonable profit. All while being done in the USA. All while being milled and lathed out of stainless steel by CNC equipment.

There are 8 machined components on this razor and 2 springs. That is 10 parts total - more than 3x the amount of parts on a $150-$185 stainless steel boutique razor from other companies out there. And while a few of those companies can offer their products to other retailers for wholesale (ikon, above the tie, pils, rockwell), many cannot. This is a MAJOR influence in the price, but also the distribution. We don't want the Ambassador or any other REX products to be exclusively for Razor Emporium. In fact we are already getting requests from retailers around the world to carry it - and that will be possible. I don't want supply issues to be a hindrance of availability. I don't want people to have to turn to ebay to get these or wait for production runs.

FINISHING
The components we received from our local AZ machine shop were generally very good. This company has made parts for aerospace, auto and medical industries. This razor certainly put them to the test. We had to create special fixtures to hold the parts and it was challenging to say the least. I understand now why many other companies (rockwell, timeless, charcoal, ikon) have never taken on milling parts but rather chose to cast them. It is extremely difficult and even though things are "CNC" there can be variations. It still takes an operator to make things happen correctly.

We did the finishing in our own shop using both automated tumbling and manual deburring / polishing. Myself and my crew are used to working around vintage Gillette brass parts - learning to finish Stainless steel took some adjustments. As of today we have shipped out around 150 of the pre order razors. There are still 850 razor assemblies to finish that will sell in the coming weeks / months. Overall most people are very happy with the razor in its fit and finish. There have been some comments of small flaws and we will work to make sure that these are corrected before anymore razor leave our shop. We tried to balance the semi matte / gloss finish with smoothing out any marks - if you polish too much you end up with a mirror surface - and if you mirror one thing you have to mirror everything. Bottom line- your feedback was heard and appreciated.

PACKAGING
We wanted something that served as both a nice retail box and possible travel box. We also wanted to have it made in the USA and not feel cheezy or low quality. The box we came up with was simple and effective. We had the printing done local and did embossing, folding, gluing all in our own shop. While some companies give a metal or chipboard box with their razor, this wasn't possible for us because most of all this type of packaging comes from Mexico or China. We wanted American made. The box I loved from a local company would have added $50 to the retail price and I just couldn't justify that. Instead we will be offering a deluxe leather travel case for this soon. Some people have commented that the box was tight- yes it is snug by design. It became more snug when we added the lifetime warranty card  - a decision made in the last few weeks after box cutting dies were already created. I think you'll find with that card removed the box is much easier to pull apart. And don't forget that the first Gillette razor came in a white cardboard box without even a logo (1903).

PERFORMANCE
I've been hearing rave reviews that this razor has already become many people's favorite. I think the geometry of the blade and weight is certainly something pretty special. It is intuitive and easy to use - I am so glad that people are enjoying it! We had many beta testers along the way and we are so glad that the end result is a razor that is worthy of the Rex name. It is truly one of my favorites to use at home.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This is our first offering of our first razor. No this is not a prototype. We did create 7 prototypes over 3 years but there is something very different about making 1 of something and 1000. To think that we would have something of this complexity done 100% flawless on our first go is setting the bar very, very high. Gillette didn't release their first TTO until 30 years of making 3 pieces, and their first adjustable 50 years after the first double ring. We produced something that I am proud of and I think will be well remembered. We have already thought of improvements to the design that can aid in manufacturing, and are even considering metal injection molding a few of the really tricky and costly parts to produce (the cap alone consists of 1/2 of all machining time.) But these learning lessons only happen when the rubber meets the road and you take a chance and do something instead of talking about it. Honestly I was tired of hearing people ask if there would ever be an American made adjustable razor again- so I decided to make it happen.

The goal would be for a second round of razors to come out sometime next year that could possibly have a retail price of $199 or even lower. We don't want REX to be a boutique brand -  rather a brand of quality American made shaving accessories. Apple released their iPhone years ago to much acclaim but continues to put out newer and better versions all the time. The Ambassador is a razor design and it will continue to evolve naturally. If we waited for the perfect time to do something - it would never happen because perfection is unobtainable. But in striving for it we reach excellence instead.

Thank you all for your feedback. You are the reason why we do what we do. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions comments or suggestions.

Regards,

Matt

Thanks Matt.

Folks, Matt's a great vendor and I've gone back and forth with him a few times. He's always been transparent and prompt with replies. Bear in mind that this a 'first' generation product (one of many I hope!) and some unique personalities is always going to be present in each individual razor. I feel that's part of the charm and authenticity of product.

The Ambassador looks to be great razor and Matt is to be commended for pulling it off. What follows are intended as constructive criticisms and I hope will be taken that way. Regarding transparency I think Matt can, and some would say should have learned a couple lessons from his colleagues.

Razorock and Ikon both learned that promising low and delivery high is better than the reverse. Thus, do some of their products -- Stealth Slant for example-- come with a "don't expect perfection in finish" warning labels. It saves them a lot of headaches by doing so, and generally customers are happy when they get their razors and can only say "hey, this looks way better than I thought". And now the Stealth Slant is a $200 razor on the used market. Explaining after delivery why it's difficult to deliver a perfect finish is definitely the second best way to go here. A "there may be some machining marks" advisory would have gone a long way.

I'll stop kicking the dead horse of design origins after this one last shot. PAA (others too but especially​ PAA) is upfront in their website descriptions and promo materials about their tribute razors being old designs. They tell you which razor they copied and why they made the changes they did to improve performance or reduce cost. I think this is commendable, both for the individual customer who values transparency, and for the health of the hobby as it increases interest in these old razors.

Matt thus far has to my mind been quite dodgy about this. While he brought Gibbs originals to Big Shave West, there's now nothing on the RE site to suggest the Ambassador is 90% a stainless steel copy of the Gibbs/Personna Adjustable (now with little slots instead of the pre production round Personna posts), and Matt's video would have you believe it's rather some kind of Gillette-Gibbs hybrid (Gillette gets top billing in that singular mention) . He says things like "we tried to make the knob and adjustment dial match in their visual appearance" as if Gibbs hadn't made that decision in 1937. Now as others have mentioned how Matt approaches marketing is irrelevant to whether the Ambassador is a great razor, or worth its asking price, but I think the PAA approach is a healthier one for this community of enthusiasts and collectors.







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FINISHING
The components we received from our local AZ machine shop were generally very good. This company has made parts for aerospace, auto and medical industries. This razor certainly put them to the test. We had to create special fixtures to hold the parts and it was challenging to say the least. I understand now why many other companies (rockwell, timeless, charcoal, ikon) have never taken on milling parts but rather chose to cast them. It is extremely difficult and even though things are "CNC" there can be variations. It still takes an operator to make things happen correctly.

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From the Timeless site:

That is why we only use high quality materials, and precision machining methods to produce the best razors possible.

From the Timeless site:

Each razor is manufactured here in the USA, in our state-of-the-art CNC machining facility.

From the Timeless site:

Both pieces of this open comb safety razor head are solid 304 Stainless Steel. Using cutting edge technology your razor head starts off as a raw billet of stainless steel. We then cut, machine, hand polish, and clean your razor head to a brilliant shine or give it a matte finish (your choice). The result is precision you can feel.

Where do you get the notion that Timeless does not use CNC equipment? It's plastered on almost every page. Where does the claim "never taken on milling parts but rather chose to cast them" come from? I can't find the word "cast" anywhere on their site?

If the CNC operator is not "making things operate correctly", fire him. Find one that will produce quality work....or raise your QC and reject every subpar part that hits your doors. You are paying for perfection, accept nothing less. Deliver nothing less. Timeless seems to be able to. Cast or not.

From the Charcoal Goods website:

Stars & Stripes Handle - Brass
Machined from solid bar 360 grade brass, the handle is first machine tumbled, then hand buffed

Magnum Handle - Coppeer
Machined from solid bar Tellurium Copper, 5/8" diameter and 3-1/2" length

Maze Handle - Stainless
Machined from solid bar 316L grade stainless

Heads
Each head is machined from solid brass and will be individually serialized.

Matt I have no problem showing you the best detailed pictures that my camera can catch from lets say my Razorock - Wunderbar $130, Titanium Baby Smooth $100 and Hawk SS $60 so you can see how is possible to achieve "almost" perfection when it comes to CNC machining ( a few notches or notch below Wolfman and Timeless) and at what cost?...

I personally don't think that you are over charging for the razor, not if it was in the quality level equal to Razorock ( excluding Wolfman and Timeless because they are overkill, way too pretty that one feels sorry to shave with them lol)

My personal opinion is you are yet to find a proper CNC shop, from the pics shown above of your razor there is no doubt that the CNC either needs maintenance or recalibrating or the CNC is not suited for manufacturing such small pieces of metal.

Your razor deserves the $250 price tag but not with that quality, most likely Razorock quality. If I was on your place I would shop around for another shop, don't give up though because you will eventually find one with decent prices and that offers quality craftsmanship.

I hate to say this but made in USA now a days means not a damn thing.

Shaved with mine this morning and it gave as good a shave as my Wolfman, Charcoal and Timeless Ti as well as my Toggle and Wunderbar so.....

100% agree with Blagoja Rajevski . Great concept, $250 is fair price ($199 would be better) and guessing many hours of development. Seems most everyone likes the performance of the razor. The razor could become the next big thing (in shaving).

Also seems like most everyone has been critical of the workmanship. Now would be a good time to admit "appearance quality issues" . Perhaps some readers have knowledge of good machine shops.

I do like Made in USA for smaller volumes and new products. Easier to work with vendors on problems or design issues. The Rockwell model t is being produced off-shore and guessing part of the reason for the 7 or 8 month delays.

"Shaved with mine this morning and it gave as good a shave as my Wolfman, Charcoal and Timeless Ti as well as my Toggle and Wunderbar so....."

So that $130 Wunderbar is looking like a good deal? :-)

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"Shaved with mine this morning and it gave as good a shave as my Wolfman, Charcoal and Timeless Ti as well as my Toggle and Wunderbar so....."

So that $130 Wunderbar is looking like a good deal? :-)

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

You wont regret the purchase, although I think the Ti BBS is a tad bit smoother but same efficiency, now on the other hand the SS Hawk its a notch above them all and its much cheaper, but the reason of it being above them its because is just right aggressive wise and super smooth but the results you get with it is because of the performance of the AC blades

"Shaved with mine this morning and it gave as good a shave as my Wolfman, Charcoal and Timeless Ti as well as my Toggle and Wunderbar so....."

So that $130 Wunderbar is looking like a good deal? :-)

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

You wont regret the purchase, although I think the Ti BBS is a tad bit smoother but same efficiency, now on the other hand the SS Hawk its a notch above them all and its much cheaper, but the reason of it being above them its because is just right aggressive wise and super smooth but the results you get with it is because of the performance of the AC blades

I've had a Hawk (and others) and don't much like the AC blade form factor for my head shave. I do see a Wunderbar in my future.

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I saw this elsewhere but I thought worth posting here for those with finish issues:

"Received an email from Matt @ Razoremporium regarding complaints about surface scratches. Matt has offered to fix the problem no charge to his customers who bought the razor including two way free shipping. Since my razor does have some light scratches I will be sending my razor back for repair. I thought this is truly fantastic customer service."

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