REX Ambassador: My thoughts.

My... How far manufacturer expectations have fallen if that is considered great customer service.



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My... How far manufacturer expectations have fallen if that is considered great customer service.



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Well, at least he offered to do it free of charge and offer free shipping both ways. I guess it's a start in the right direction. I'd like to note that a similar situation came about with Rockwell and their first run razors. And when you think about it, it was actually almost 2 runs before they ironed out the kinks and got it right. They survived. Hopefully RE can similarly get the issues cleared up, which I think they will eventually. Personally I'm hoping they succeed 100%. It would be a great success story and a product that is made domestically from start to finish right here in the USA.

** You've Spoken, We Listened
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Friends and loyal customers,

We greatly appreciate all the buzz you've created around receiving your Rex Ambassador Safety Razor! We understand your life is busy and not all of us have time to write a long post to share your experience, (you just want a great shave!) So it means the world to us that so many of you have taken the effort. Most customers are loving the feel and performance of the razor - and for that we are truly honored!

All razor components go through various tumbling and polishing steps in our shop. Some people noticed very small little tooling marks left. If you've ever polished something, you know the shinier it gets, the more you notice small blemishes. We're now doing a final brushed process that is quick and effective at eliminating this. Below is an example of the razor as delivered (left) and brushed (right):







** Brushed Steel Finish
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** What is it?:
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We originally were trying to achieve a tumbled industrial finish, reminiscent of the acclaimed Fatboy razor. We have decided that a traditional brushed stainless steel finish minimizes tooling marks and gives a more even look to the razor cap, guard and "end caps" on the side profile. The finish is soft and smooth and gives the razor a high-end look.


** How do I get it?:
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Razors ordered after 9/21 will be finished in this manner automatically. To take advantage of this opportunity for our pre-order customers, all you have to do is reply to this email letting us know you're interested, we will then send you a pre-paid shipping label, perform the work, and ship your razor back to you at no charge!

As for design inspiration - of course the Gibbs is the major influence here. Their adjustment mechanism is the heart of the Ambassador. While we are not promoting that fact - we are not hiding from it. We deal with customers all over the world- and not everyone is a major razor enthusiast who knows about every model that has ever been produced. Customers come in our lobby everyday that have never even heard of wet shaving, DE razors, but are just looking for a better shave.

Outside of Gibbs, Gillette was the next major influence on the razor. The handle length is near identical to the Slim - that's because I have one in my bathroom and love it! But the larger knob for TTO action is taken from the Fatboy - something Gibbs did not do. Also, the knurling is inspired by the Toggle, as is the Red Dot dimple (whereas the Gibbs has a piece of plastic that protrudes out of the knob). The numbering system and dots is also closer to the Gillette razors, we didn't use hash marks or an N in the middle, just all numbers. The serial numbering is a Gillette thing, and of course the date code reference picks up where Gillette left off. The inspection ticket is inspired by a 1908 pocket edition set I have - in fact the copy is near identical because I liked it so much. The simple pull apart box was inspired by Gillette TECH boxes from the 1950's. Ambassador seemed in line with Gillette names (Executive, President, Senator, Aristocrat...) but was never used by them. And the name REX means King in latin, of course another reference to King Gillette.

As to releasing a new razor- you are correct that we could have been more upfront about the tooling marks. But as my above post states- we have issued an email this morning to all customers and are offering to have them come back for a brushed finish. It is something very close to the PILS razors from Germany and overall I think it really makes this razor look top notch. I'm sorry that I didn't experiment with it sooner.

Thanks for all the feedback - I really do appreciate it. I've been in the wet-shaving community since 2005 - I'm here to stay and I want to make sure that we do right by our customers and produce products that people love.

Thanks all,

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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As for design inspiration - of course the Gibbs is the major influence here. Their adjustment mechanism is the heart of the Ambassador. While we are not promoting that fact - we are not hiding from it.

Crikey Matt, even just now you skip over the head design which is the only the most important aspect of the razor's performance and distinctive appearance.





IMHO you're way overstating the importance of the Gillette influence (seriously, the style of the red dot?)

Looking at the Toggle, I do see what you did there to Gillette-ify the Gibbs. All smart design choices mind you but come on.

"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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The Wundebar is an excellent razor! I would encourage anyone who is into the hobby to pick one up, when you can get one of course. Joe has done a better job at stocking them semi-regularly.

Back to the Rex, shaved extremely well for me and now that you have the option of getting the brushed option for free, I'm more inclined to keep mine just the way I got it!

It still would be nice for you to either retract the statement about Timeless, etc....or substantiate the claim they use cast parts because they can't run a CNC properly.

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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? :-)

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The Wundebar is an excellent razor! I would encourage anyone who is into the hobby to pick one up, when you can get one of course. Joe has done a better job at stocking them semi-regularly.

I hope that continues, currently no stock.

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My... How far manufacturer expectations have fallen if that is considered great customer service.



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I have been lucky enough to only have to return two razors for bad manufacturing. The vendours gave their apologies and graciously offered a refund (since they had none in stock). I had to pay to ship it back but I did get a full refund of the purchase price. I didnt ask for return shipping and they didnt offer. My e-mail from Rex was they would send out a postage paid to me and ship it back at their cost. This was pro-offered. My experience, this is pretty good on the customer service side of the business. I guess if I were terribly unhappy with the fit and finish i could ask for a refund. That might be a better test of customer service.

Just a suggestion.

"As for design inspiration - of course the Gibbs is the major influence here. Their adjustment mechanism is the heart of the Ambassador."

I don't follow why anyone (jmudrick) would call Matt out for not presenting the entire list of design influences. The comment about the adjustment mechanism does not mean he's hiding the similarities in head design, which has been much-discussed and IMO is actually a feature of the razor, one which played a major role in my decision to purchase.

The old debate about the shave quality of a $30 razor vs that of a $300 razor also is tiresome. A Honda will get me there, but a Ferrari it's not. End of story, really. Someone else said it here but it's important: materials, design, manufacturing process, heft, durability, exclusivity, all of these factors matter. To me, just as much as the shave do, or I WOULDN'T BUY an expensive razor at all. And I certainly wouldn't own the razors I do.

Nobody in these forums is here because they view shaving as a mundane daily chore. We're here because it's a hobby and a lifestyle, and I thank Matt for adding something tangible and real and of value, which he has done here.