Thread: Should I stay with my King razor or get something better?

Hi guys. I'm back after several years hiatus. I have a Boker King razor that I got for about $100 ( straight razor for all requirements - BOKER Solingen, Germany ) when I first started a while back but I eventually gave up because I couldn't maintain the edge sharp enough for a comfortable shave. I practiced and practiced with my spyderco ultra fine ( Amazon.com: Spyderco Ultra Fine Benchstone with Pouch, 3 X 8 -Inch: Sports & Outdoors ) but the shave always hurt and the razor pulled (watched many youtube videos about how to hone a straight razor). It could be that my beard is very course and thick with lots of red which I hear contains more iron and could be contributing to the painful shave.


So I've thought about it long enough and I'm ready to give it a second chance because I find it hard to believe that I'm just not cut out for this sort of thing. I like honing and have the patience for it. I may not have a really great strop, but it is real leather. Hopefully you guys can shed some light on what exactly it is that I need to do. Do I need a new razor? New stones? New strop? All three? My budget is $250. Is that enough for what I'm want? There is some wiggle room if necessary.


If there is any other information, let me know. I'm very thankful for this forum with all the years of experience here.


Regards, Abel

My first suggestion would be to have the razor professionally honed to see if there is a difference. If there is then you mar need different stones. If you have it honed try it without stropping. If OK then strop next time. If not OK it could be your stropping method. Good luck.

Hi, I am not sure as I can't see the info, but i would wager that the spyderco stone isn't more than about 3000 grit, and hasn't been lapped flat.
My suggestion would be to get some of the more conventional razor hones like Norton or naniwa that are commonly used by members here.
Bouchie's suggestion of getting a professional hone job is probably your best starting point though. Once you have a benchmark, with a bit of practice you should be able to maintain the razor with a finishing stone assuming you don't damage the edge or let it go for too long.

Edit - I just read that the spyderco stone Is 4-6k so it is a good job I didn't put money down, however it is probably still a bit coarse for shaving straight off of.

Alright, thanks to both of you. I'll go along with the suggestion of getting it honed professionally. If the shave is smooth, then I'll have to get a new stone I'm sure. I just can't handle the pain of a shave that pulls. Pretty bad luck with DNA that I get sensitive skin and a course beard...

Go with a professional hone. Then maintain it with a CrOx pasted strop when it tugs and a 12k or 20k water stone when the CrOx stops working. After a few months you may need to touch up with an 8K stone. If you ding the blade, you can work the ding out with the spider co or reset the bevel.

My beard is red when it grows out and I have some sensitive skin especially on the neck. I don't have a boker but they seem to be quality razors from what I have seen. My first shaves sucked as well but with practice it all became clear. Light pressure is key too. Get that razor pro honed and then get a nice finishing stone for maintenance like a naniwa 12k. If you feel like you need a nicer or newer strop just go to tandy leather and get a 3x50 strip of the European cow leather and get some leather conditioner. You then have enough leather for 3 strops for the price of 1 nice one. That's what I use.oh and you can try shaving every few days instead of every day. That has helped me a tremendous amount.

One other trick I have used is to use some kind of face cleanser with the salicylic acid as the active ingredient. Use that to wash you face and let it sit for 30 seconds or so and then wash you face and proceed as normal. It seems to strip all the grease from the hair follicles and thus letting more water soak in to the hairs. In fact that's probably the number one thing that has made my shaves better. That and a good soap. I use bath and body works mac root shave cream.

Good luck man.

You can buy you a Norton ik for setting the bevel & a Norton 4k/8k for honing. You then might have some money left over for a 10k or a 12k finishing stone then go to Tandy Leather like cosperryan said & buy you some European cow leather & and some leather conditioner. Those stones will work well for honing your razor sharp then strop it but make sure you learn to strop first. If you go to the Library here you can learn to strop. You can also practice with a butter knife until you feel comfortable with stropping but one bad stropping stroke can dull your razor so make sure you learn to strop first.

With the combination of tough beard and sensitive skin, your shaving prep is at least as important as a sharp razor. Moisturizing your facial skin and beard prior to, during, and after your shave is critical. Myself and many deal with the same issue. My shaving improved dramatically when I developed a protocol that met the needs of my skin and beard. Shaves are close and comfy now.

Let me add some thoughts here about prep work. I had a fairly coarse beard and sensitive skin. Even with a fresh honed razor I can occasionally have a problem. In the shower I wash my beard with Neutrogena T-Sal (contains 3% Salycylic acid) and let it sit till the last thing I do in the shower. I rinse the T-Sal off with as cold water as I can stand and apply a thin coat of hair conditioner and leave it on. This will act, in part, as a pre shave lotion. I mix my lather with cold water (lukewarm is ok also), strop my razor, splash cold water on my face, apply a little bit of Cremo or Kiss My Face as a pre shave and then lather up. When I'm done shaving I rinse with cold water. I no longer use an alum block, I react too much to the alum. My aftershave balm of choice is Nivea Aftershave Balm for Sensitive Skin. No cologne (alcohol not always good for sensitive skin.) Along with sensitive skin I'm sensitive to menthol, eucalyptus and Shea butter and suffer form a mild case of Rosacea. As long as I follow this routine as religiously as possible I have had almost no irritation. I recently tried the alum block recently to see what would happen. In two days I was suffering from it again.

So, in essence, cold water lather, cold water shave, T-Sal, ASB for sensitive Skin = fewer skin problems and better shaves.

Also, adjust your info to show were you are. There could be amentor near you that can work with you on a one on one situation. After all, that's what we are here for.

So my comments would just be about the edge...

As other have suggested, get it Pro-Honed and when it comes back do not strop it before you try it..just carefully rise the blade and shave with it.
More that likely the results will be shocking in a good way.

There is some great info on making a Balsa strop with Crox in the Wiki.
With good stropping and judicious use of the Balsa & Crox you can maintain your edge for a long long time.
Glen -gssixgun has a thread on maintaining a razor with just Diamond/Crox for so long that he finally got bored and stopped...just so he could shave with something else.

Honing is more like Zen that sharpening stuff. I've sharpened a lot of "stuff" - from broadaxes to spoon bits to spoke shaves, draw knives and the usual plane irons and chisels and saws.

Razors are in a league of their own. I enjoy it a great deal and it can be relaxing to do but like shaving it is a skill that takes some time to master (and can be frustrating along the way)

It seems to be easier to learn if you start by maintaining a razor.

And this is the part were I suggest you check out the honing forum, the first few posts are a great primer on the subject.

Good luck and Smooth Shaving...