So, I've been using a OneBlade razor for several years now, and I've liked it pretty well, but I've been curious about old-school "safety razors" for some time now.
I ordered a Rockwell 6C (gunmetal finish) and some Feather blades, and I tried it out for the first time today, and it's quite excellent. Takes a much lighter touch, and does a better job, even with the next-to-least-aggressive #2 (out of six) base plate.
I like that it's both adjustable (by swapping baseplates) and completely devoid of any sort of mechanism, otherwise.
Didn't nick myself even once. Nice and smooth.
I suspect the thickness/thinness of the blade is a factor.
The single-edged blades for the OneBlade are as thick as utility knife blades, not bendy at all. The ones for the new razor are WAFER-thin.
@mcfate
The Rockwell is a huge upgrade in quality from what you were using, as are the those scary sharp Japanese Feather blades.
For me, I prefer slant razors, particularly the "twisted" type. It's a much different feel. My preferred razor for years has been an iKon X3, and after trying many different blades, I settled on PolSilver Super Iridium.
I won't get into brushes and soaps unless you ask.
I found the #2 plate to be very mild, even with the aggressive Feather blades. I'll probably swap up to a #3 after a few more tries.
@mcfate
The nice thing about that Rockwell system is you get to play around with your preferred blade exposure without buying an entire new head.
Yeah, that and the lack of moving parts were what sold me on it.
I suppose if money were no object at all, I'd consider Tatara Muramasa, admittedly because I kind of like the idea of a "cursed razor".
@mcfate
If I were spending that kind of money and wanted an adjustable razor, I'd buy a fully resorted Gillette Slim.
https://gilletteadjustable.com/
Curses always run you extra.
@mcfate
I will say that these folks are just about the best retailer for this stuff.
https://maggardrazors.com/