Rocnel Sailor adjustable Vs REX Ambassador

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone would please care to compare the above two adjustable DE's in terms of smoothness, efficiency and overall quality of shave.
I have the REX and love it and was thinking of getting a Rocnel sailor series with the brass adjustment ring to complement my REX.
Right from the start though I see the Rocnel has a thicker head which is a minus to me as it might be difficult to shave around the nose area.


Thank you for your help.

Not a sailor series but i owned an original rocnel adjustable from release day (eventually sold it along with others to help my kid with college expenses). I currently own a rex N production series (and MANY other adjustables).

Fit, finish and feel are excellent on both. i like that the rex reminds me of a better rendition of the gibbs reglable (which i've also owned and sold). The rocnel has a different look of a more high end design, along with price. to me the difference is like that between shelby mustang and a ford gt; neither gets kicked out of bed.

comfort on both is wonderful and i can't complain about either.

for efficiency, despite my initial doubt of the safety bar design; the edge goes to rocnel (again, along with the price difference).

all that being said they are both razors that you will not regret; i fully appreciate the purchases i made and will get another rocnel adjustable as soon as my finances permit.

I can't really answer your question because I have no experience with the Rex. I did once own the Rocnel Sailor v2 (not the brass dial). The sailor is built like a tank. The fit is impeccable, very tight tolerances. The design is pretty cool. The markings were very hard for my old eyes. I barely made out setting numbers and couldn't quite make out the setting with letters.....it was EJECT. Too bad I learned after the adjuster post flew across the room. Ok, maybe not across the room but onto the carpeted floor. It was my first experience with the design and while the designer in me could appreciate the mechanism, I wasn't going to conform. The head profile was taller than I like in modern razors (as you noticed). If I had been fortune enough to get the brass dial version I'd have kept it. I think there was only 10 of those. Did Rocnel produce more?

I would recommend the B&R adjustable first if you can find one. Second would be the Rex. Third would be the Rocnel.

For me, the major downside of the Rocnel is that it does not accept all blade types— feather sized blades posts only. This limits you to Feathers and some Russian blades. If you like feathers then this is no problem but if you prefer another blade then this is an issue. This aside I would say the Rocnel is the smoothest and highest quality. No real competition there for an adjustable.

B&R is similar to the Rocnel but accepts all blades. I have no complaints with my Rex but the B&R seems a little bit simpler and better put together. Rex is a smooth shaver though. I sold my Rocnel and kept my B&R and Rex. Can’t go wrong with either.

You could also buy a Mergress or Progress, save a ton of cash, and get great shaves. But we all know that would be no fun.

Never heard of a DE that doesn't accept all DE blades. I thought they all had the same cutouts in the middle. Is that wrong?

Never heard of a DE that doesn't accept all DE blades. I thought they all had the same cutouts in the middle. Is that wrong?

Rocnel Elite razors (including the Sailor) are the only ones I am aware of that have different sized blade posts. They have slightly larger blade posts which are designed to fit the slightly larger post holes in Feather and few other blades. This arguably helps improve blade rigidity and ensures exact and even blade alignment. You can force some other blades onto the posts, but its a tight fit and does not always work.

I was able to pick up a new B&R Adjustable with the Top brass ring dial that Phil put on the BST for a great price. First use last night first Pass WTG On 5 then XTG and ATG on 4. Wonderful smooth shave just getting feel of stubble 16 hours later. The SS is matte finish and the brass ring is polished. I have had 2 Rex razors, the first one had a lot of miles on it going back and forth to RE for issues, they were very good about it, the second one really lost its smoothness once I hit 6 in the dial. First impressions are I like the knurling on the Rex better but the shave with the B&R was smoother and more efficient. Does anyone know which version of the B&R this is.

There are no “versions” that I am aware of—all built to the same specs.

However, there were a few runs of the polished B&R adjustables before the silver matte finished and the black finished runs became available from my recollection of the order of releases.

There are no “versions” that I am aware of—all built to the same specs.

However, there were a few runs of the polished B&R adjustables before the silver matte finished and the black finished runs became available from my recollection of the order of releases.

Thank You Not much information on these that I can find

I was able to pick up a new B&R Adjustable with the Top brass ring dial that Phil put on the BST for a great price. First use last night first Pass WTG On 5 then XTG and ATG on 4. Wonderful smooth shave just getting feel of stubble 16 hours later. The SS is matte finish and the brass ring is polished. I have had 2 Rex razors, the first one had a lot of miles on it going back and forth to RE for issues, they were very good about it, the second one really lost its smoothness once I hit 6 in the dial. First impressions are I like the knurling on the Rex better but the shave with the B&R was smoother and more efficient. Does anyone know which version of the B&R this is.

We apparently have similar tastes and catch similar posts.