Have you heard of the Rolls Razor? It is a non-disposable blade razor with a built in hone and strop in the case. You hone the blade twice a year and strop it before using. A complete description and history can be found at the following link:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/3541/Rolls_Page.htm
When I was in the army back in the fifties I bought one. Somewhere along the way I lost it. Time has dimmed my memory of what kind of shave you got. When I found a "mint" one on e-bay, I bought it. It was indeed "mint", like brand new, at a very good price, $25.00. I forgot what a lousy razor it was. You are taking your life in your hands to use it and you don't get a very good shave. I used it this morning and of course cut myself. Does anyone out there actually use these things tp shave? I would not recomend using it except in an extreme emergency. Funeral directors could use it to shave corpses because they don't bleed.
My razor will go on display with other collectibles and I can tell people I own a Rolls. I can't help but be reminnded of Arnold Gingrich, the late editor of Esquire Magazine. For years he lusted after a Rolls Royce automobile. He was finally able to save enough to buy a used one. A year's experience with unreliability and vere expensive maintenance was enough and in his words he got rid of "this beautifully made piece of junk". That's how I would characterize the Rolls razor.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
You surprise me - Maybe the blade on your Rolls needed honing and stropping for a little longer.
After reading about the Rolls extensively online, I bought one on ebay which arrived today in very much used condition.
I spent a short while cleaning it and repairing the strop. Perhaps an hour at most to get it as close to original condition as I could.
Once done, I honed it and stropped it for probably the first time it's been done in 2 decades then gave myself a shave.
I had 1 small nick on my chin but I usually expect worse than that with my normal razor. Not bad considering it's the first time I've ever used a Rolls.
What surprised me though was how close a shave I got - A brand new Mach 3 blade doesn't give me as good a shave as the Rolls managed.
One further thing to consider is the model of Rolls you have. I got an Imperial #2, one of the original Rolls Razors. There are also a lot of 1950s Viscount models out there which are widely regarded to be of poorer construction quality.
That said, I'd consider sharpening the blade for somewhat longer and trying again.
I'm very happy with my Rolls and have decided to buy a couple more in better condition and use mine for spares. I have every intent of shaving with it from now on.
My rolls razor is tops. Great shave every time
I've got an excellent condition Rolls Imperial No.2, but I also gave up on using it due to my poor shaving experience. I've since heard plenty of older guys who experienced them first time around who have told me the Rolls razor was commonly referred to as the "Pimple-Nicker" due to it's very unforgiving nature.
That's exactly why there are so many perfect, boxed, near-unused examples which are easily available for little more than the price of a pint of beer.
Some chaps swear by them, most swore at them. It seems that it can be good but only for those with a smooth skin and beard growth which has a less-pronounced grain to it.
Even then, it cannot be used like a modern disposable blade razor where you just wash your face, lather up and then start shaving. You have to use it in a similar fashion to what it really is: a short bladed straight (a.k.a. "cut-throat") razor. The beard must be allowed to soften before shaving, so lather up with proper shaving soap as it doesn't dry out as quickly as aerosol foams, and leave it in place for a few minutes before applying the razor. You have to also use a lighter pressure than with a straight razor, as the longer blade of the latter spreads out the force applied to the skin and beard. by the time you've done all of that you'll have finished and likely have left for work already if using a modern disposable. For that reason alone, the few blokes I know who still use Rolls/straight razors tend to save them for weekend use only.
BTW: if you have one of the later models with the cork faced strop then replace it asap with an earlier leather strop. The cork one was a cost-cutting measure and is far inferior. Also, don't use the strop dry as it then has no effect on the blade edge (plenty of scientific proof, despite anecdotal claims to the contrary). The strop must be used with a suitable strop dressing. An alternative strop modification which works very well is to replace the leather pad with a suitably thin piece of MDF. No dressing is then needed but the strop must be kept bone dry to avoid swelling and must be replaced when it starts to roughen. MDF offcuts also make great strops for straight razors and many other blades like those on chisels and planes.
Sad to hear you had a bad experience with a Rolls.
Mine, a post-war Viscount, is arm-hair popping sharp and gives me a straight-razor quality shave (or better) every time around. Never a nick or cut. Similar to a straight razor, they do have an important care-and-feeding routine that must be observed. I think it was easy for me to use because I was already accustomed to straight razor blade maintenance-, shaving-, honing- and stropping.
It would be nice if you could try again in the company of someone already experienced with the Rolls.
A further note on folks with nicks or less than ideal results.
Assuming the blade is sharp and undamaged, the blade must lay practically flat on the face through every stroke; shaving with too steep an angle of attack would be an exercise in futility.
Keep near-flat on a properly lathered face the blade will ride nicely over facial irregularities and offer almost no sensation (except smooth skin).
If you get one, practice on your arm to see how very flat the blade can be to offer excellent results.
Post a Comment