Rockwell Razors

Rockwell Razors is a Canadian shaving-goods company based in Toronto, best known for reusable, adjustable double-edge safety razors and related grooming products. It was founded in 2014 by Gareth Everard, then an undergraduate student, who launched the brand's first razor through a crowdfunding campaign [8]. One company profile lists the founding year as 2015, but 2014-dated press coverage of that first Kickstarter is the more widely supported date [14].

Rockwell built its identity around an alternative to disposable cartridge razors and subscription shave clubs, emphasizing personalization, durability and reduced waste. It sells directly through its own online stores and through third-party retailers, and remains in operation.

Rockwell began in 2014, when Gareth Everard — an undergraduate juggling coursework and a thesis — designed an adjustable safety razor and took it to Kickstarter. The debut product, the Rockwell 6S, launched in October 2014 with a modest $12,000 goal. By the company's own account, pledges reached roughly $18,000 within a day, and the campaign went on to raise close to $148,000 from about 2,500 backers [7]. Contemporary press framed it as a student-run startup that beat its target in under 24 hours. In the months that followed, Everard is said to have taken weekend bus trips from Toronto to oversee quality-control work as the first units were prepared [7].

The company's early path was rocky. The first 6S shipment, in January 2015, arrived with manufacturing defects [7]. After attempts to correct them failed, Everard invested his own savings and switched production to metal injection moulding, eventually re-fulfilling every backer over the course of more than a year. The recovery became the basis of a widely shared "comeback" narrative. A later razor, the Rockwell Model T, returned to Kickstarter and, according to a press release, funded in under six hours and was billed as "the most-funded men's grooming product Kickstarter of all time" [11].

Rockwell's core line centers on adjustable double-edge safety razors. Its signature model, the 6S, is machined from 316L stainless steel and made in the USA [8]; the 6C is a lower-priced chrome-plated alloy version, and the T2 uses a dial-based adjustment mechanism. The feature common to the range is a patented adjustable system with six settings, labeled R1 through R6, that varies blade angle and exposure [4]. Lower settings are pitched at sensitive skin and newcomers moving over from cartridge razors, while higher settings are meant for coarser hair and beard work. Replacement blades are made from Swedish stainless steel and sold as a recyclable, low-cost alternative to cartridges — the company puts the cost at roughly 12 cents per blade, with each lasting several shaves [5]. Beyond razors and blades, the brand sells brushes, soaps, creams and a solid cologne. Rockwell says it has sold more than 100,000 adjustable razors.

The company describes itself as "a real alternative to overpriced cartridge razors and gimmick-filled shave clubs" [2], returning repeatedly to three benefits: personalization, eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness. Its mission — "customize your razor, stop buying cartridges, and reinvent your shave" — frames a razor as a long-term purchase rather than a recurring cost. Reviewers have positioned the line as appealing both to value-minded buyers and to gift-givers introducing someone to wet shaving. Rockwell generally sits at a premium price point: in one review the 6S retailed around $100 and the 6C around $50, with the broader range spanning roughly $40 to $250 across models and finishes [8].

Environmental positioning runs throughout the brand's messaging. Rockwell markets its razors as completely plastic-free and its steel blades as recyclable, drawing a contrast with disposable cartridges. The company cites an estimate that about two billion razors are sent to US landfills each year and says it is "continuously searching for new ways to reduce [its] environmental impact," pointing to changes in shipping and packaging among other steps [3]. No third-party environmental certifications are documented.

Rockwell attracted press from its earliest days, with 2014 coverage of the first Kickstarter and later attention for the Model T campaign. Within the wet-shaving community its razors have been reviewed favorably: one Sharpologist reviewer called the 6S a favorite razor after a decade of traditional wet shaving [13], and a Bespoke Unit review praised both the 6S and 6C for a close, comfortable shave.

Rockwell Razors remains active. It runs direct-to-consumer storefronts serving customers across North America, the UK and Europe, and distributes through third-party retailers including The Razor Company, New England Shaving Company and Walmart [1].