Thread: I finally gave in.

Hello all. After years of temptation I finally ordered my first straight razor. I decided on the Boker King Cutter with white scales. I'm not going to ask if it will really be "shave ready" out of the box, because I know that is a very subjective question and is impossible to answer without more information. I'm looking for information regarding the scenario that it isn't shave ready. I didn't see any information regarding honing services on the website. I currently live in Memphis, TN, and I was wondering if there were any recommendations for local services or people that could hone the razor for me. If not, what do you guys recommend? I also ordered the Illinois #827 strop, but didn't order any kind of dressing or compound, because I wasn't sure if it was a necessity. So any advice regarding the razor or strop would be very helpful and appreciated. Any recommendations regarding soap, brushes, bowls, etc would also be greatly appreciated!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...wcat.php?cat=4
As to if your razors will actually come shave ready or not will depend entirely on where you purchased it. Some vendors are very diligent and hand hone every razor as part of the service and others do not offer any services above simply supplying the razor. My guess is that if the site does not offer honing services then it is unlikely that they hone their razors.

Welcome to SRP!
There are several vendors that hone new razors before sending them out. Keep that in mind for future purchases. I would say the chances of a factory edge shaving well are about 50/50, but they can almost always be improved. The tuff thing in this situation is that it's your first razor, so you don't know how to judge the quality of the edge. I would say try it and see if it can shave comfortably. If you feel it need some help there are several of us that offer honing in the classifieds section of this site. As far as soaps go, try Prorasso. It's inexpensive, works well and it's my go to soap.

Thanks for the help guys! Very happy to have all the wisdom I can get!

Another thing to consider is finding a member near you to act as a mentor. There is nothing that helps more than an in person hands on learning session or 3.

Bob

Here is a link to find members.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/memberlist.php?do=search

Pm me and ,ll see what I can do for you, my location is Oakland Tn, not far from Memphis, I've helped a few of the locals. Tc

forget the strop dressing,

Thanks for all of the replies guys! I just got home and my razor had arrived. I ordered the Boker King Cutter but they sent me the Boker Arbolito instead. I messaged the company to alert them of the mistake and I'm waiting to hear back from them. While I wait, does anybody have any experience with the Arbolito? A quick google search revealed the Arbolito is approximately double the price of the King Cutter, but I couldn't really find much information why it is so much more. Anybody have some insight?

The price difference is because the Arbolito is hand made.

https://www.boker.de/us/straight-razor/140519.html

Originally Posted by Iceni

The price difference is because the Arbolito is hand made.

https://www.boker.de/us/straight-razor/140519.html

I don't think it's any more handmade then their other models. They're all made from stamped blanks. I think they charge more for fancy scales and more attention to detail.