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.