Post by mbwhoosh on Dec 5, 2009 18:21:21 GMT -5
I actually got this little beauty a week ago but because I got sick I wasn't well enough to play with it. Now that I have had some time to experiment with it I must say that I love this little piece of machinery.
I really wanted to try out the wedge blades of early SE's and the Rolls seemed to be the cheapest way of doing that so I began searching. I will admit I paid a little more than I should have for this one but it was one of the most complete sets I found that was in good condition and came with multiple blades unlike most others I saw.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
When shopping for a Rolls set you have to look at the hone to make sure it isn't cracked, the strop to make sure it isn't all torn up or dried out, and the blade to make sure it isn't chipped or cracked. Unless you find one in an antiques store your not really going to be able to try out the mechanism that flips the razor so you will just have to trust what the seller tells you
I'll be honest the main selling point with me was the fact it had 3 blades since you usally only see one if any come with these things. I figured if one was messed up or very dull I had 2 more chances of getting a decent blade.
SHARPENING:
I tested all 3 blades when I got them to see which was the sharpest using the thumb pad test (TPT) and ran the blade over the hone for about 15 laps then over the strop for about 30 laps and TPT it again. I reapeated this until I felt the blade was sharp enough and would pop the hairs off my arm without problem. As much as I like the inovation of the rolls sharpening device it is far FAR to short if you actually have to bring a very dull blade back to life. In that instance I would recommend teking it through a pyramid honing system otherwise your gonna be there a very long time......hey at least you'll have some forearms to show for it
SHAVING:
My first shave with the rolls was suprisingly pleasant I was weary of how it would perform after I sharpened it and prepared myself for the blade to tug the whiskers. Luckily no problems I lathered up and the Rolls performed beautifully. I was a little irratted having to rinse the blade after each section but I have been spoiled using my LC lately so I really shouldn't complain. The shave was nice and smooth I was suprised at the trouble I had doing a WTG stroke on my upper lip for some reason I just couldn't get the blade into position
Didn't matter though it worked just fine on the ATG pass and that's all that really matters with my shaves. The razor was a little mild but it was my first shave and may either have been my technique or may need to be sharpened more. Also if I sharpen it more and correct my technique and still find it to be mild I can always take the bar guard off and try it that way.
CONCLUSION:
I am very happy with my purchase and the Rolls performance
Once I get it dialed in right I see this becoming part of my main razors. The Rolls can be a little hard to find a complete set and if the blade is very dull the mechanism will take forever to get it shave ready again. However if you have a decent blade the mechanism will keep it sharp very well I'm happy to say and is a very nice shaver regardless of the stropping/honing mechanism and is worth a try if you happen upon one ;D
red is the strop black is the hone
the blades packaging
following are soem videos of the Rolls razor sharpening mechanism in action. These are not my Rolls, funny enough I found these on a british forum of beard enthusiasts (no I don't remeber how I got there). Basically the two sides have little prongs on them that make it so they will only fit one way. This makes it so you don't accidentally put them in wrong and ruin your strop or hone backwards. The black side is the hone and the blade leads when honing, the red is the strop and the blade trails when stropping.
Also one last thing I should mention is that this gentleman is doing this far too fast and rough. You should do this slow enough to so you can hear the click of the blade touch the hone/strop and then the second click of the gaurd bar as the blade switches sides. Doing it this fast can crack your hone or chip your blade. I will try and post some videos later but no promises.
I really wanted to try out the wedge blades of early SE's and the Rolls seemed to be the cheapest way of doing that so I began searching. I will admit I paid a little more than I should have for this one but it was one of the most complete sets I found that was in good condition and came with multiple blades unlike most others I saw.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
When shopping for a Rolls set you have to look at the hone to make sure it isn't cracked, the strop to make sure it isn't all torn up or dried out, and the blade to make sure it isn't chipped or cracked. Unless you find one in an antiques store your not really going to be able to try out the mechanism that flips the razor so you will just have to trust what the seller tells you
I'll be honest the main selling point with me was the fact it had 3 blades since you usally only see one if any come with these things. I figured if one was messed up or very dull I had 2 more chances of getting a decent blade.SHARPENING:
I tested all 3 blades when I got them to see which was the sharpest using the thumb pad test (TPT) and ran the blade over the hone for about 15 laps then over the strop for about 30 laps and TPT it again. I reapeated this until I felt the blade was sharp enough and would pop the hairs off my arm without problem. As much as I like the inovation of the rolls sharpening device it is far FAR to short if you actually have to bring a very dull blade back to life. In that instance I would recommend teking it through a pyramid honing system otherwise your gonna be there a very long time......hey at least you'll have some forearms to show for it
SHAVING:
My first shave with the rolls was suprisingly pleasant I was weary of how it would perform after I sharpened it and prepared myself for the blade to tug the whiskers. Luckily no problems I lathered up and the Rolls performed beautifully. I was a little irratted having to rinse the blade after each section but I have been spoiled using my LC lately so I really shouldn't complain. The shave was nice and smooth I was suprised at the trouble I had doing a WTG stroke on my upper lip for some reason I just couldn't get the blade into position
Didn't matter though it worked just fine on the ATG pass and that's all that really matters with my shaves. The razor was a little mild but it was my first shave and may either have been my technique or may need to be sharpened more. Also if I sharpen it more and correct my technique and still find it to be mild I can always take the bar guard off and try it that way.CONCLUSION:
I am very happy with my purchase and the Rolls performance
Once I get it dialed in right I see this becoming part of my main razors. The Rolls can be a little hard to find a complete set and if the blade is very dull the mechanism will take forever to get it shave ready again. However if you have a decent blade the mechanism will keep it sharp very well I'm happy to say and is a very nice shaver regardless of the stropping/honing mechanism and is worth a try if you happen upon one ;Dred is the strop black is the hone
the blades packaging
following are soem videos of the Rolls razor sharpening mechanism in action. These are not my Rolls, funny enough I found these on a british forum of beard enthusiasts (no I don't remeber how I got there
). Basically the two sides have little prongs on them that make it so they will only fit one way. This makes it so you don't accidentally put them in wrong and ruin your strop or hone backwards. The black side is the hone and the blade leads when honing, the red is the strop and the blade trails when stropping.Also one last thing I should mention is that this gentleman is doing this far too fast and rough. You should do this slow enough to so you can hear the click of the blade touch the hone/strop and then the second click of the gaurd bar as the blade switches sides. Doing it this fast can crack your hone or chip your blade. I will try and post some videos later but no promises.
I agree though holding the handle at the base allows you much more control and is much more efficient and easier.
