I have 4 razors. One of them has 6 plates that provide 6 different shaving experiences. And a key difference between all razors is their aggressiveness. Whether it’s blade gap or exposure or what, each razor feels different. And it’s time that I put together a list–albeit tentative–to rate them side-by-side.
A tentative list, you ask? Why tentative? Well, I have a couple of plans coming soon. One is that I want to purchase a 5th razor–specifically a Parker 55SL semi-slant. Slant razors have a head that’s bent and angled almost helically, which then bends and angles the blade to act more like a guillotine when drawn across the beard hairs. The theory is that this results in a cut that’s more like a slice than a hack–think a kitchen knife slicing food versus an axe cutting a piece of wood.
The other plan? My one year anniversary of double-edge safety razor shaving is coming up early in August, and I have plans to revisit my Van Der Hagen razor–aka the forgotten stepchild–with some blade combinations that worked very well in my other three razors. I want to do this for a couple of reasons: first to confirm or disprove that it’s just a terrible razor for me, and second to see if I can get a good shave with it with some very good blades.
So, how will I objectively determine which razor is best and which is worst? I’ve gathered data on the shaves (at least post Van Der Hagen, and midway through my use of the King C Gillette). So I can see how many great, good, and okay shaves each razor has delivered. So that will have to be most of the objective rating. But I also rate my razors in my head by how much they weigh and how they feel in my hand, how they look, and what kind of shave they deliver–keeping in mind that sometimes I just want a completely comfortable, mild shave, and sometimes I want a very close shave and I’m willing to accept some aggressiveness.
Now a problem here is that the Rockwell 6C (shown above), has 6 plates that vary the aggressiveness or feel of the shave. So I’m going to have to rate the 6C as 6 different razors. But I’ve never tried the plate 5 or 6. So that also needs to be done at some point.
So here is my tentative rating from bottom to top…or worst to best, depending on your outlook.
9. Van Der Hagen – The first in the collection, and I hadn’t learned a lot or had some of the software I’ve added since, but based solely on those experiences, it was the worst. Better than the multi-blade cartridge razors I’d been using, but only marginally. It always felt very aggressive. It frankly feels cheap, has a very short handle, which for me with big hands finds it a little difficult to manipulate. It gets the job done, but it isn’t as well designed, engineered, or made as the others in my collection.
8. Rockwell 6C Plate 6 – This is just assumed, and frankly I’m terrified at what this would feel like, but someday soon, I’ll just have to rip the Band-Aid off and give it a try. I expect that it would probably be uncomfortable but probably close.
7. Rockwell 6C Plate 5 – Again, another assumption because I think this might just be too aggressive for me. But I’ll be trying it soon.
6. King C Gillette – It should be noted that there is a considerable gap between the Van Der Hagen and the KCG in my mind. If I were to be left only with the King C Gillette, I wouldn’t hesitate. I like it’s weight, I like the design, and I’ve found blade combos with it that work very well. My only complaint is that the comb design seems sharp and harsh, especially the corners, and I sometimes wonder if it’s the comb that I find aggressive about it and not the actual blade contact.
5. Rockwell 6C Plate 1 – This is always a very mild shave, more mild feeling than the Henson. But one thing the Rockwell has over the Henson is its weight, which lets the razor do more of the work and keeps in contact with the skin more easily than the Henson. But, if I’m going to choose a mild razor, I’ll almost always reach for the Henson just because it seems to deliver a slightly better mild shave. I find myself more and more often skipping the plate 1 in a week’s shaves and instead using plates 4, 3, and 2. But I’ve never had a shave with the plate 1 that’s been lower overall than a 4.750.
4. Rockwell 6C Plate 4 – As I’ve started using it more (twice so far), I’ve found it to be a good option–aggressive feeling, but close. Again, the weight of the razor does the work, so it really guides me around my face. It is surprisingly comfortable and remarkably close, and delivers a quality shave that I’ve really liked so far.
3. Rockwell 6C Plate 2 – I keep debating this in my head, but I think the plate 2 is just slightly less mild than the Henson. But they deliver a similar experience, and again, the Rockwell would have a slight advantage on the Henson for weight. But every time I use the Rockwell, I just love the shave. It’s smooth, comfortable, and close, and I just love the feel of the razor in my hand. Since I’ve been using it, the plate 2 has only delivered one shave with an overall rating below 4.750, and that was a 4.625.
2. Rockwell 6C Plate 3 – This is probably the combo that I’ll reach for first with the Rockwell. It’s almost always the first combo for a week of Rockwell shaves, and it consistently has great shaves at or above the 4.750 overall rating. I have a lot of confidence in the feel, which is a medium-aggressive (certainly not as aggressive as the KCG), but still close, providing a sound to the shave that no other combinations deliver.
1 – The Henson AL-13 + mild – If I want a mild shave, this is what I will always reach for, despite its weight. It has a revolutionary design–a long handle paired with a unique head with a solid closed comb. And the angle and flatness of the head on the shaving surface makes the Henson just go where it needs to be for a shave. There’s no fiddling around to find the right angle. Just put it on your face and tilt it slightly and the head is almost guaranteed to land where it needs to be. Yes, it’s very light, but it just works and works well. The design and construction has me considering getting the Henson medium in the future. We’ll see if I pull the trigger on that because it is a $70 razor.
Also, though, I need to do a quick rating of the relative aggressiveness of my razors, from mildest to most aggressive:
- Mildest: Rockwell 6C Plate 1
- Henson AL-13 + Mild
- Rockwell 6C Plate 2
- Rockwell 6C Plate 3
- Rockwell 6C Plate 4
- King C Gillette
- Van Der Hagen
- Rockwell 6C Plate 5 (assumed)
- Most Aggressive: Rockwell 6C Plate 6 (assumed)
There you go. The ratings as they stand today. I’ll be coming back for a few shaves with the Van Der Hagen in August, so stay tuned for those!
