Thread: Awaiting My First Razor: Boker King Cutter

I bought the exact same razor as my first straight. The only difference been that it did come shave ready from the vendor. When it was ready for a refresh I emails the vendor to see if they taped the spine when it was honed. The reply was surprising and a little disappointing. Apparently all they did was strop it on pasted felt to bring it to shave ready !

I have since reset the bevel and rehoned it. In my mind it now shaves better than when I first got it (that's not to say it didn't shave well before, it did).

If it was me I would send it out for a proper honing, that way you can be 100% sure it is as good as it can be. After that it is up to you weather you hone it yourself in the future but at least you know how it should feel I've been making bits of metal sharp for as long as I can remember but without that first honed razor I would never in a million years have understood just how sharp a shave ready razor is and would either have given the game up or struggled on with what I thought were shave ready razors.

Its up to you but it really is worth a few extra dollars to send that bad boy out to a pro. I know you will be itching to get shaving but honestly you will be doing yourself a dis service by not having your first shave with a blade you know for sure is ready for the job.

+1 to the advice to send it to a pro to get it honed right away. It will be worth every penny to have a truly shave-ready blade. Having read the text of their description, I'm not terribly confident that the vendor is too familiar with straight razors, and would not assume that they did anything to it in terms of honing. (For example: "A guarantor for the highest quality is the successful "finger nail test." Only the edge of a perfectly ground blade can be visibly bent on your thumbnail and returns immediately to its original shape when released. Cheap blades are too thick to do this, and for that reason they are referred to as "axes" by the experts." Riiight...)

However, the good news is that you've got yourself a great shaver there. Get it honed up, treat it right, and it will serve you well for years and years.

Thanks for the tips. I live near Chicago, which means I can find any product or service I want if I am willing to drive for up to an hour. Hopefully there will be a nearby pro who has reputed experience with razors. I would hate to wait on the mailman as well as the service.

There are a few members there that hone. There have been a few threads on it.

Originally Posted by Sirnanigans

Thanks for the tips. I live near Chicago, which means I can find any product or service I want if I am willing to drive for up to an hour. Hopefully there will be a nearby pro who has reputed experience with razors. I would hate to wait on the mailman as well as the service.

Check with the folks at Merz Apothocary down near Lincoln Square, or down by the Loop. They can probably steer you to a good source for a proper honing.