Review (5/5): Fantastic Razor Kit
$130 for this razor kit is a great buy.
What's in the box:
Stainless Steel 3-piece razor with 3 base plates (6 possible shave settings)
5 Blade Pack - An image on this page says it comes with 20. That's not true. It only comes with 5.
Shaving Cream (4oz)
Synthetic Brush
There is NOT a blade bank included in this box.
Review:
This is my first 'Double Edge' or 'Safety Razor'. I've tried all of the various cartridge razors before this, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to try a safety razor that uses plain steel blades. Update - After trying the plates, I'm really happy with the 2/4 plate for this razor. I can make the 1st pass on 4, then use 2 for the 2nd pass and get a really good BBS shave.
Also, this is my first time trying a shaving brush. This brush is soft, and does an excellent job lathering. I'm using way less of the shaving cream than I expected.
The razor is clearly solid, and is much heavier than the Harry's razor, or any other cartridge I've ever used. The handle is shorter than what I'm used to, at about 3-1/4", but turns out to be just the right length for dealing with the various ways I needed to hold this kind of razor to shave.
The shaving cream that comes with this kit is definitely the right stuff for shaving this way. It lubricates well, lathers well, and smells pretty good.
Since the kit didn't come with a blade bank, I've ordered one (also from amazon - the price here is better than the price on Rockwell's webpage). It should be here before I need to dispose of a used blade.
Overall - Glad I found this kit. It's a keeper.
PS - I'm still keeping my Harry's cartridge razor for travel. I don't like checking a bag for overnight business trips, and you're not allowed to take these razor blades through TSA at the airport.