Shopping for a first razor

I am shopping for my first razor and have heard good things about Boker so i was wondering if this would be a good starting point i guess im just skeptical about the price.

the big problem here (and this has to do with most ebay razors) is that it is almost certainly not shave ready. if it was to be your first razor i am guessing (and maybe incorrectly) that you don't have the hones nor the experience to hone it up. theres nothing wrong with this as i am still new myself, if it were me i would check out the classifieds here and get a shave ready razor. with a boker on ebay in my limited experiences of surfing for deals they typically go for about $20-30 in the end. with that you don't really know what your getting either, the pics are never great. then you have to send it away to be honed which is no only a pain but also costs a bit. so in the end if you find a razor on the classifieds for $60 shave ready you will know the edge is sharp enough and know it is coming from a reputable person (BTW i don't have any razors for sale in the classifieds :)).

you will also need a strop. look to Tony Miller for a great product and good prices. also Kenrup had some great shave ready starter kits, they might still be available and they come with a strop. that gets you going right away and then you can buy a neat old razor and have it honed. just my thoughts though.

Do yourself a favour and get a razor from the classifieds. On top of the eBay razor you are looking at, you will need 200 USD or more in equipment to make it shave ready. The thing has rust on the edge and will need substantial honing work. You will find much, much better razors in the 50-100 USD range in the classfieds at the moment.

The advice by chee16 is spot on. I wouldn't buy that particular item. You did the right thing by asking for advice.

Take another close look at the pictures. See how the photography tries to hide the rust erosion. Why would a seller do that? Well I will tell you. The seller is trying to fool somebody who doesn't know, so that they will purchase the razor. Remember the simple buying rule. Let the buyer beware.

Usually, low price E Bay razors require a lot of work and you will need a lot of specialised tools, skill, patience and time to bring the razor back to life. Many are not repairable.

There are few bargains to be had on e bay and the razors from reputable dealers are very good but IMHO they are expensive compared to the prices asked by the forum members in the classifieds section.

A good vintage Boker that has been cleaned and is shave ready will cost you between $50 and $100 on this forum. Yes they are good razors. But so are lots of other vintage razors with less well known names. Keep an eye on what the members here write about the blade they are selling. You can buy a fantastic razor for about $50 and that is a true bargain as it will probably be capable of shaving your face for the rest of your life just so long as you learn how to look after it, carefully.

+1 With the advice from above. You are not really saving any money by buying something on ebay. It is extremely unlikely the razor will come shave ready. Which means after you pay for the razor plus shipping, wait for it to arrive, send it out to one of the honemeisters (cost of honing plus shipping both ways) and wait more time for it to arrive, you could have already been shaving with a good quality shave ready razor. The ones in the classifieds are good razors, not from a member looking to dump bad razors. They are selling them for a variety of reasons, but not dumping. You are going to need the following at a minimum:

1. Shave ready razor
2. Strop (hanging the best, but a paddle will work too)
3. Soap/cream (personal choice)
4. Brush (can be had for as little as $5)

You can also check the Vendor's Corner for starter sets. Again, good qualtiy at attractive prices.