Rex Ambassador owner thread

Just as a side note, I finished off the week's shaves with the Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum [Dark Blue] blade using my Gillette Slim yesterday and iKon SBS razor (obviously non-adjustable) today.  Both gave me reasonably good shaves (the Slim's was better) and I have used both of them more than the twice I have so far used the Rex.  In my opinion, the Rex is easily better than either of those.  The Slim does give me very nice shaves but the balance, angle, and fit and finish of the Rex just work so much better for me.  I realize that comparing the Rex to the SBS is comparing apples to oranges but they are both newer razors; neither was even a dream when my 52 year old Slim (L-1/1966) was made.  Matt seems to have combined the very best of old and new into the Rex and the work that went into it is obvious.

Had my first bad shave with the Rex today. I could feel the blade going south so I upped the aggression setting and tried to squeeze one more shave out. Bad Idea. Normally I'd reach for a mild razor the day after a bad shave, but instead I'll try a new blade and dial the Rex down to wuss mode. This could prove to be a swiss army knife of shaving. The test drive continues.

June 21, 2018

Another fantastic 2 pass + some buffing around the chin. 3 shaves in and the shaves have been nearly flawless to be honest. Extremely well balanced razor with fit and finish that’s worthy of it’s price. Exhibits excellent smoothness throughout the whole adjustment range with better than average efficiency, especially up towards the higher end with relatively good blade feel yet still maintaining a very good smooth feel. It has been a delight to use and certainly no regrets in acquiring the razor. Granted, I purchased the item for $181, but that was because I participated in a group buy. If I’d had sampled it before hand, I may just have gone out and purchased it at retail value. It’s top quality, expertly crafted and one that will outlast us a couple of lifetimes over. If your in the market for an heirloom quality piece that happens to be adjustable, you’d be hard pressed to find something of equal or greater value. I’d highly recommend the REX without any reservations.....

Did I fail to mention that the Stone Cottage Shave Cream delivers? Great stuff......

I guess I need some tips from those who are getting great shaves with REX.

I am having difficulty getting an irritation free shave. Especially on my neck where beard grows sideways and lays flat on the skin.

The ATG pass feels fairly uncomfortable as if my hairs are being pulled instead of sliced through. I get significant alum burn after the shave. So far I have tried Bolzano and Wizamet Iridium Super blades (two of my favorites). I tried settings 2 to 5.

I can get comfortable near bbs shaves with many other DE razors : BlackBird, Charcoal, 34C, Fatboy, Red, 6S, Karve (to some extent), straights, SEs etc. What do you think I am doing wrong? I took a break from REX today, used one of the razors I am familiar with and got a great shave.

I think my lather is pretty good.

I guess I need some tips from those who are getting great shaves with REX.

I am having difficulty getting an irritation free shave. Especially on my neck where beard grows sideways and lays flat on the skin.

The ATG pass feels fairly uncomfortable as if my hairs are being pulled instead of sliced through. I get significant alum burn after the shave. So far I have tried Bolzano and Wizamet Iridium Super blades (two of my favorites). I tried settings 2 to 5.

I can get comfortable near bbs shaves with many other DE razors : BlackBird, Charcoal, 34C, Fatboy, Red, 6S, Karve (to some extent), straights, SEs etc. What do you think I am doing wrong? I took a break from REX today, used one of the razors I am familiar with and got a great shave.

I think my lather is pretty good.

On my second shave I experimented with a shallow blade angle that caused a lot of irritation. Once I changed back to a more normal range (25-30 degrees) the irritation went away completely.

The last two shaves have been perfection. 2-pass BBS going WTG and ATG on setting 6.5

I haven't experienced any issues on the ATG pass with the exception as noted above.

Tonight was my second shave with the Rex, a bloodless BBS.  I set it at WTG=2, XTG=3, ATG=3, and touch ups=4.  I did notice some stickiness, but much less than the first shave.  I think this is because besides the two Rex shaves, I've used nothing but SEs and shavettes for about two months now.  So I am zeroing in on the proper angle and pressure for for Rex.  In short the stickiness is me, not the razor.  As I've said before, the workmanship on my Rex is impeccable!  I think the picture does not quite do it justice.

I guess I need some tips from those who are getting great shaves with REX.

I am having difficulty getting an irritation free shave. Especially on my neck where beard grows sideways and lays flat on the skin.

The ATG pass feels fairly uncomfortable as if my hairs are being pulled instead of sliced through. I get significant alum burn after the shave. So far I have tried Bolzano and Wizamet Iridium Super blades (two of my favorites). I tried settings 2 to 5.

I can get comfortable near bbs shaves with many other DE razors : BlackBird, Charcoal, 34C, Fatboy, Red, 6S, Karve (to some extent), straights, SEs etc. What do you think I am doing wrong? I took a break from REX today, used one of the razors I am familiar with and got a great shave.

I think my lather is pretty good.

Kick down. I’m at 2.5 on the collar.


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I guess I need some tips from those who are getting great shaves with REX.

I am having difficulty getting an irritation free shave. Especially on my neck where beard grows sideways and lays flat on the skin.

The ATG pass feels fairly uncomfortable as if my hairs are being pulled instead of sliced through. I get significant alum burn after the shave. So far I have tried Bolzano and Wizamet Iridium Super blades (two of my favorites). I tried settings 2 to 5.

I can get comfortable near bbs shaves with many other DE razors : BlackBird, Charcoal, 34C, Fatboy, Red, 6S, Karve (to some extent), straights, SEs etc. What do you think I am doing wrong? I took a break from REX today, used one of the razors I am familiar with and got a great shave.

I think my lather is pretty good.

That’s hard to call. What’s your prep like? Do you use any pre-shave cream? Do you face or bowl lather? There’s a lot of variables in ones shave but, since your getting some good shaves with other top notch razors, perhaps it’s an adjustment or tweak you might have to make to your technique. I found that the sb guard on the REX follows the contours of the face pretty snuggly. That could be a potential problem as the guard could possibly ride over the hair preventing the exposed blade to getting to it and slicing it effectively. In your case, as is in mine also, the hairs on my neck grow sideways from the throat area outward, laying very flat against my skin. It’s a pain in the tuckas if I don’t get my angle and form right.

Solution for me was this. Starting from earlobe to throat, which is my ATG pass on my neck, once I start the razor moving towards the throat area I do a bit of skin stretching. I’ll place my hand, either hand depending if I’m going left to right or vice-versa, on the lower part of my neck to creat just a bit of tautness while simultaneously turning my head in the opposite direction of the stroke. I feel as though the hairs tend to stand out just a tiny bit more and it allows me for a smoother, more controllable pass. I’ve also employed at times sort of a semi hook on the same pass either upward or downward, sometimes both as I reach near the end of the stroke just before I bump into Sir Adam. It has worked very effectively, especially during straight shaving for me. You can also try “bullfrogging” the neck and throat area in helping to get those hairs to rise up a bit more. I can’t tell if you would need to increase blade exposure/gap, as I don’t know the tolerances and sensitivities of your skin. I do usually increase gap/exposure just slightly or adjust the angle so that I feel/ride more blade when I perform this pass. It might take a couple of tries with the REX, but I think it can deliver for you.

Hopefully this can help you out or maybe even give you some more ideas on how to attack your stubble in that area with the REX. Perhaps someone else can chyme in and give their thoughts and ideas on how to potentially solve this issue. Good luck...

I guess I need some tips from those who are getting great shaves with REX.

I am having difficulty getting an irritation free shave. Especially on my neck where beard grows sideways and lays flat on the skin.

The ATG pass feels fairly uncomfortable as if my hairs are being pulled instead of sliced through. I get significant alum burn after the shave. So far I have tried Bolzano and Wizamet Iridium Super blades (two of my favorites). I tried settings 2 to 5.

I can get comfortable near bbs shaves with many other DE razors : BlackBird, Charcoal, 34C, Fatboy, Red, 6S, Karve (to some extent), straights, SEs etc. What do you think I am doing wrong? I took a break from REX today, used one of the razors I am familiar with and got a great shave.

I think my lather is pretty good.

On my second shave I experimented with a shallow blade angle that caused a lot of irritation.  Once I changed back to a more normal range (25-30 degrees) the irritation went away completely.  

The last two shaves have been perfection. 2-pass BBS going WTG and ATG on setting 6.5

I haven't experienced any issues on the ATG pass with the exception as noted above.

Shallow as in blade almost parallel to face, right? ( where as steep would be blade being perpendicular to face)?

I will confuse shallow and steep when it comes to razors and blades.

Had my first bad shave with the Rex today.   I could feel the blade going south so I upped the aggression setting and tried to squeeze one more shave out.   Bad Idea.  Normally I'd reach for a mild razor the day after a bad shave, but instead I'll try a new blade and dial the Rex down to wuss mode. This could prove to be a swiss army knife of shaving.  The test drive continues.

I did 3-pass shave in "wuss" mode this morning . But I did so because my shave from yesterday was simply amazing...unbelievably close and comfortable that I didn't need to shave today. But I wanted to shave so I notched the Rex down to the 2-setting and did a quick 2-pass shave.