#1
(This post was last modified: 02-14-2016, 05:35 AM by SharpSpine.)
Today I am starting this thread to welcome and introduce Cihan Keskin. I found his Instagram feed and saw that he is one of the few to test a prototype of this new Rocnel razor. From his feed it appears that he has a wide range of experience with different razors; DE, SE, & straights.

I look forward to Cihan joining our community here at DFS & to reading his upcoming review on this unique modern razor which is coming in at an unbelievable price.

kwsher and Freddy like this post
>>> Brian <<<
Happy beeps, buddy! Happy beeps!
#2

Member
Austin, TX
This is great Brian and thanks- look forward to reading more of Cihan's thoughts as he takes the Rocnel SE razor through the paces.

Freddy likes this post
Kevin
#3

Member
Greenville, SC USA
(02-06-2016, 10:56 PM)kwsher Wrote: This is great Brian and thanks- look forward to reading more of Cihan's thoughts as he takes the Rocnel SE razor through the paces.
For sure, Cihan! Write on; little is better than competent reviews and comparisons.

Freddy likes this post
Does Mean I Must Buy High End Shaving Gear?
--Roger--
#4
Good evening gentlemen. Thanks to @SharpShine for inviting me. I am sorry for the delay but I am having an extremely busy time at work. I have very little free time recently but since there are many questions about this razor I wanted to use some of it and answer some of your questions with a small review.

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We started having some new wet shaving products producers from Turkey in past few years. First Tipsoft Luxury Brushes entered our lives. After that Barbaros Razors (Also accepting pre-orders for their product through their website. I was also one of the test users and waiting in the queue for my very own Barbaros razor.) and Rocnel came. Rocnel is a new razor brand but not a new company. They have been producing metal goods and components both under Rocnel brand and as OEM for many years. Company is equipped with not only one CNC machine but with a complete machine park. They are very experienced in their field. This is why they have many certificates including ISO. Chief engineer Murat Usta himself is a wet shaver and currently they have a custom made DE and currently on the production line this new SE series. Rocnel SE razor attracts a lot of attention with its $25 price tag. Some say this can't be true but it is true. They are using class 316 stainless steel, which is the hardest steel on the market but they have a big advantage in the design of this SE. This razor is one piece and the design requires very short CNC time. Therefore they are able to offer it for only $25 + shipping. And the shipping cost is around $7 for most of the world. Mr. Usta asked me to try his razor and give him some feedback before they went into serial production. I tried the razor for a little longer than a week and I need to say that I was impressed. I will try to explain you as much as possible in this review.

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Shaving Character: They are planning on offering 3 head choices. Mild, Medium (P) and Aggressive. In first production runs they will offer only P heads. I have also tested the P head and I need to say that it is mild but more aggressive than DE89/R89. For me R89 is pretty mild but good so once you go a little more aggressive I need to say that it is in a very sweet spot. But if you love extreme aggressiveness I would suggest you to wait couple production runs till they offer aggressive heads. Once loaded blade doesn't move at all. There is not even any micro chattering. Due to this design even though the blades are standard snapped in half DE blades they perform bit different than DE but little similar to a classical SE blade. You can get a very nice and clean shave in two passes. I personally would suggest pairing P head with a sharp blade.

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Loading the Razor: I saw that many people are actually confused about how the blade is being loaded and unloaded. Head is CNCed from one piece solid steel. There is a slight curve on the head and the spring tension created by this curve holds the blade in its place. You don't need to worry. It is very easy to slide the blade inside the razor but you need to push the blade to the end with some force from sides. It is very easy to put the blades in and take them out but razor really doesn't move at all once it is loaded. It doesn't even micro chatter. It is very easy to load the blade. Just snap a DE razor into half and load it to the razor from front. It doesn't matter if the DE blade brakes even or not since the head always touches the middle and the sides are always left outside. You can break these sides later if you don't find them aesthetic. I kept them on in most of my shaves and they didn't disturb me once. You can watch the video below to see how the blade is loaded and unloaded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAjHElg-MW8

Weight & Balance: My first criticism about the Rocnel SE was its handle's weight and height. Handle was a little heavy for my taste and bit long for this design, making it difficult to use on neck area. Mr. Usta told me that he send me one of their standard long DE handles attached to the SE head and actual SE head will be similar size to DE89/R89. Look of the handles will be the same but it will be little shorter and lighted. I am really happy to hear it personally. I am sure final product will be more effective while shaving neck area. Leaving the handle aside, this razor has its center of gravity pointing front. Since it has a heavy head this makes an easy shave without any pressure possible. Blade cuts bristles easily like an axe.

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Production Quality: The prototype I tested was not fully polished. Mr. Usta said that small details will be takes care of before serial production. He recently shared couple pictures and I need to say that the production quality seems amazing and razor feels extremely good in hand. No need to wory about it here. I think quality is far above a $25 razor.

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General Remarks: First of all this is a first time design. I have never seen a razor for snapped in half standard DE blades. I know some people put marks on their blades to use them more than once. With this razor they don't have to anymore. It had a very different but interesting and enjoyable character. You need to use it a few times before you can completely adjust to it. Way it feels in hand is slightly different than a DE razor. This is an amazing razor for $25. Please let me know if you ever find something similar. Also, please let me know if you have any questions. I will try to answer them the best I can when I have time.
#5
Sorry if I over looked but when and where can one buy this razor.
#6
(02-11-2016, 12:19 PM)Chaddy Wrote: Sorry if I over looked but when and where can one buy this razor.

Chaddy, simply visit their website or email them: rocnelrazor@gmail.com .

They are taking preorders now (no payment info needed yet to get in line) & shipping should start in March. I believe shipping cost is estimated to be around $7.

kwsher likes this post
>>> Brian <<<
Happy beeps, buddy! Happy beeps!
#7
ckeskin, thanks so much for such a detailed review. I must say I'm pretty impressed with how the blade is held in the razor head. My biggest concern with this design is the blade since DE blades never worked for me. Can you compare the shave of this Rocnel SE/DE with any of the traditional SEs out there?

I also like that there will be different heads available to tailor the aggression. I presume that it will be changing the blade gap, but could you possibly know more about that? I doubt that blade exposure could be modified much without risking loss blade movement within the razor head.

My last question initially is how easy is it for the razor to get clogged with lather & stubble? There aren't any lather flow slots in the head so I imagine the head will need to be rinsed more often throughout the shave.

Thanks again for sharing your experience here. I know many others are looking forward to knowing more before ordering, even if the financial barrier is so low at just $25 + $7 shipping.

kwsher likes this post
>>> Brian <<<
Happy beeps, buddy! Happy beeps!
#8

Member
Austin, TX
ckeskin Welcome- you have definitely raised the bar for a 1st post! Thanks very much for the detailed and comprehensive overview on the Rocnel project.

Looks very cool and is an extremely interesting use of the DE blade. I have never snapped one nor had the need to and, although it causes me minor concern, it appears to be fairly straightforward.

Did you find it difficult to establish even blade exposure based on both using half the blade as well as the mounting of same? Not clear how clean the break is on the blade- I may have to try this just to see.

Regardless, a very interesting and creatively designed razor.

SharpSpine likes this post
Kevin
#9
SharpSpine , if DE shaving never worked for you this one won't work as well. At the end of the day it used a DE blade. The feeling is slightly different since it doesn't leave any place for blade to chatter but it is not a SE blade. I used couple GEM models with a few SE blades (mostly with GEM PTFE though). This razor is not similar to a classical SE. But hey, I have good news, I know Rocnel also has plans to produce a razor for classic SE blades and another for Feather AC blades. But we might need to wait a while since this razor's production will keep them busy for a while.
With this razor they adjust aggressiveness by changing the angle of the blade slot. It is fairly an easy design to make changes.
There is a large channel under the blade if you look carefully. It doesn't get clogged at all. I am used to shaving my face in four even pieces and rinse my razor only 4 times in one pass. I did that easily with this one as well.

kwsher , thank you for your kind words. No need to worry about snapping the DE blades. It is really easy and safe. And also no need to worry about how the blade sits in this razor. It doesn't matter if you snap the blade unevenly. Blade's centre sits into razor and snapped parts stay outside. Blade always sits even because of it.
#10
Thanks for the thorough answer ckeskin. I will be sitting out this version. However, as you mentioned Murat did inform me of a razor that will use the Feather AC blades but I didn't know of one that will use the traditional SE blades. Very cool! Happy2
>>> Brian <<<
Happy beeps, buddy! Happy beeps!


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