Thread: First straight razor, Ralf Aust or Revisor

Originally Posted by Utopian

It should work now.

Up and running.

Not good at all. Heck, even I can see it! Though probably it is still better than Boker. Boker doesn't seem to care about honing at all. Some say it is like a butter knife when they get it!

The only "New" Shave Ready razors I've received (factory edge) were the new TI Carbonsong numbered and promoted as shave ready razors, encouraging purchasers to try them without stropping, etc., as I remember it. They made special effort with these limited editions. The newer versions of TI's,

This is not to say an Aust isn't shave ready from his shop, but mine have come from SRD and are honed by Lynn. They are a quality razor and a good value for the quality.

A few stock photos of a few of the mentioned TI razors.

Nice TI indeed. Too bad the newer ones are a bit hit and miss. The particular Aust that I like is from SRD too. In fact it is offered only through SRD; if you go to Aust's website you won't find it! I wish SRD offered Revisor.

Remarkable. Lack of shave readiness is a non issue in the German forums. It is a major issue here. Incidentally the German forums have no honing services industry. True, there are a few people who offer honing, but they are few and far between.

That is not to say that the edge on that particular Revisor looks not too good. Then again, I have learned to never believe what I see on the Internet until it has been corroborated. Did that razor come straight from the maker? Maybe it did. Maybe it did not. For me, there is no way of telling. However, I have owned several Revisor razors, none of which had any issues. I know the people who make them, and I find it very, very hard to believe that this razor slipped thorough their QA process. Not impossible, of course. People make mistakes. But highly unlikely.

As for Böker, I find this claim highly amusing. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to explain further, but those who know me know that when I smile, there is usually a good reason.

So, lack of shave readiness. The German forums have come to the conclusion that a distinction between "shave readiness" and "connoisseur sharpness" makes sense, and reduces the stress level otherwise present in the ensuing discussions. Yes, almost any "factory" (calling Aust and Revisor that is slightly silly, though, they really are artisans, trained by or making use of the craftsmen who made a lot of the razors everyone is still waxing lyrical about) can be further enhanced. However, connoisseur sharpness is not required to shave. It is a pastime that some find entertaining. Me, I have never liked that level of sharpness. Many others don't, either. If I were making razors, I would try to cater to the needs of the majority of my customers. And it would seem that the majority of customers gets by with "factory edges". Putting a connoisseur edge on a razor would also, by the way, increase prices for razors from the EU drastically.

Using the word "factory" to describe a razor manufacturer my give a false impression of the scale of the operation itself. I think by now most here would realize that razor makers produce a product not on the same scale of mass production as Ford uses to produce cars but both operate factories.

I only have had 1 brand new razor and found that I could shave with the edge as supplied direct from the maker. That edge, even though I could shave with it, was a bit lacking. It gave a shave that was not quite as comfortable and smooth as I would have liked. So I would consider it shave able but not quite shave ready to my satisfaction. I do not think it has anything to do with being a connoisseur wanting a smooth and comfortable shave. I am not that fussy about ultimate sharpness, just sharp enough will do, but the edge has to be give a smooth comfortable shave.

Bob

Interesting point, Bob. However, Dovo do operate a factory. As, I am sure, do the Chinese makers. Aust, Revisor and Wacker operate Kotten. The term "artisan" is at best misleading, and does not apply to Solingen manufacture anyway. We are talking about skilled craftsmen (cf dual education system) and decades of knowledge. Artisan makers are, by definition, self taught, which means they have to reinvent each and every wheel. This approach may appeal to some. I personally prefer things that work, and have a sensible price/performance ratio.

Let's agree to disagree with regards to nomenclature. For me, a razor either shaves, or it does not. The rest is a) totally personal (cf the myriads of hone wars here), and b) seems to be more of a cultural thing (cf German forums).

Originally Posted by Utopian

This is my first attempt at uploading a microscope film. It also is this Luddite's first attempt at uploading a video to YouTube. Please bear with me. It turns out that my memory card was too slow so I had to record at a relatively poor image quality. Also, I have to focus by raising and lowering the razor so it is a little shaky. Sorry for anyone who gets motion sickness from this.

Anyway, this is my Shave Ready Revisor razor. The above referenced Kronenberg interview included the following.

Next, one of two hones. In the past five years, a growing number of synthetic and natural hones were introduced in various shaving forums. Seemingly every other month, a new super hone or honing technique is introduced, typically by people who make money by honing other people's razors for money. The Kronenbergs take a more traditional approach, says Günter, "I use the yellow hone with slurry, like we always did. When that does not deliver the expected results, which hardly ever happens, I use the grey one." Yes, things can - and, we believe - should be as simple as that. We will not repeat what the Kronenbergs had to say about people using more hones than that. Suffice it to say that they believe that what they use is sufficient, and that most people will be hard pressed to produce better edges using synthetic hones.

From what I have seen, I disagree.

This has more or less been my experience as well. Again, I don't consider this a deal breaker. Its just something that needs to be addressed upon arrival. But this is pretty much what the edges I've received looked like. No big deal. But it needs to be fixed up before I run with it.

Originally Posted by RobinK

So, lack of shave readiness. The German forums have come to the conclusion that a distinction between "shave readiness" and "connoisseur sharpness" makes sense, and reduces the stress level otherwise present in the ensuing discussions. Yes, almost any "factory" (calling Aust and Revisor that is slightly silly, though, they really are artisans, trained by or making use of the craftsmen who made a lot of the razors everyone is still waxing lyrical about) can be further enhanced. However, connoisseur sharpness is not required to shave. It is a pastime that some find entertaining. Me, I have never liked that level of sharpness. Many others don't, either. If I were making razors, I would try to cater to the needs of the majority of my customers. And it would seem that the majority of customers gets by with "factory edges". Putting a connoisseur edge on a razor would also, by the way, increase prices for razors from the EU drastically.

I don't know but "connoisseur sharpness" seems like a dismissive excuse for a lousy edge. Perhaps one shaver prefers the feel of one edge (natural vs. synthetic) over another. But in Utopians vid you can clearly see spots where the bevel is ruined or not fully established. In any case, its hardly consistent or clean. I get why it comes this way. Each razor would need the same additional care and attention that we put into it before it leaves the shop. That's a lot of man power if you're producing in any quantity. But, in my eyes, unless you hone a razor like the one in the vid, you're not seeing the true potential that razor offers. If my standards were that low I'd still be using a drug store disposable.

I don't think anyone is arguing that the edge in the video has a lot of potential. So why make that an issue? And who knows, maybe it did come from the "factory" like that.

Connoisseur sharpness is nothing more than an additional level of sharpness not required for shaving but appreciated by a fraction of users. For the chuckles, I let a beginner try stropping a few blades with connoisseur edges (synthetic and natural) . He brought them back to "dull but shaves" within a few strokes.

I cannot, and will not, speak for Thomas. Personally, however, I find your disposable analogy libellous. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.