First Razor: Ralf Aust ⅝, bought on ebay for less than a hundred

So—instead of buying a higher end razor first, I opted to get a middle of the road, lesser—not made in Pakistan or China—smaller than I would've liked—probably most likely used (still working that detail out on my own—not knowing the personal habits of its previous owner(s))—and whether or not, despite the 'shave ready' claim—if it is truly shave ready.

I was going to get a Dovo Bismark razor brand new, that razor doesn't come pre honed out of the box from the manufacturer but decided against it, not knowing any decent straight razor honers (is that right, is someone who hones blades, called "honers?"), I opted to go with an otherwise respectable brand (haven't read any bad reviews of the ⅝ Ralf Aust to date, just positives) that was used for the sole reason that the seller claimed—after confirmation, it will be honed before it ships.

On the off chance the sellers' honing service is substandard—which seems to be a trend with straight razors and ebay plus something as subjective as what exactly 'shave ready' means versus 'personal preference' in contempt of the 'hair test'—what are some of the better honing services out there?

http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...wcat.php?cat=4
This is the advertisements of members that hone for cash. There are likely more, but those are the ones that advertise.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RezDog

http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...wcat.php?cat=4
This is the advertisements of members that hone for cash. There are likely more, but those are the ones that advertise.

---

Perfect. Thanks, that'll for sure work out—meaning, it won't be all for naught.

I'm thinking I saw that Razor on eBay. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for many years.

Yes—it came down to the claimed to be shave ready, honed before shipping Ralf Aust and a needed to be honed, cracked scales, in the same ballpark cost wise, Wade & Butcher—both ⅝'s. Both sellers truthfully answered my questions of their razors quickly and were affable. All said, thus far—the experience of buying a straight razor on ebay is way better than buying fat bike parts on ebay. The irony, the fat bike parts are generally way more expensive and those sellers are usually discourteous and cocky when they oughtn't be.

What I'm thinking is, when I get straight razor shaving my head down pact, I'll give this razor to my son—and get something else.

If you want another shave ready razor you should check out the classifieds here! I got my first razor, a 5/8 Dovo, off the exchange for a great price.

Yeah, I noticed that when I checked out RezDog's classified link. There's a really neat Wade & Butcher Freemason razor in the lot. Definitely something to think about.