Thread: New Boker razors

ROTFL! One razor for your whole life! That's rich! Sorry, maybe I'm the only one (not) but there just seems to be something about straights that once it's in your blood, well... I guess I'm preaching to the choir here. Really funny joke though, thanks for the laugh. Regarding the post though, I'm not sure the new stuff is better or even as good as the old stuff. Maybe I'm nuts but my new DOVO Bismark almost seems... warped. It's been a pain to hone and I'm still not sure it's shave ready to my liking. Is that sacrilege to say something bad about DOVO?

Originally Posted by Blade Wielder

I hadn't heard about this. It's good news. It's really cool that this method of shaving seems to be continually popular. It really is the best way to do it, and because you can theoretically own just one razor for your whole life, it's certainly the cheapest way to go about it.

Originally Posted by straightcrazy

Maybe I'm nuts but my new DOVO Bismark almost seems... warped. It's been a pain to hone and I'm still not sure it's shave ready to my liking. Is that sacrilege to say something bad about DOVO?

A number of people have complained recently about warped DOVOs. The consensus seems to be to send them back to the seller.

Back to the original topic, I really like the look of that Edelweiss razor!

Hey guys I covered this info in the brotherhood site a while back but don't mind covering it here the Boker Co. is indeed making straights again with the help of Mr. Wacker. They look very nice but have a high price point in my opinion here is an email I received from Boker a little while back when I contacted him about the origins of these razors.


I am glad I could help and you are satisfied with the information I could provide.
As to Mr. Wacker: Yes, it is true that he is helping us a lot to get back into the manufacturing of straight razors.
It is 2 generations that Boker has not manufactured this highly sensitive product. So there is no know how available within our staff. The grinding is the most critical operation as you know. Mr. Wacker is probably the best in town as far as this craftsmanship goes. So, we are happy that we can learn from him.

Originally Posted by Doc

Hey guys I covered this info in the brotherhood site a while back but don't mind covering it here the Boker Co. is indeed making straights again with the help of Mr. Wacker. They look very nice but have a high price point in my opinion here is an email I received from Boker a little while back when I contacted him about the origins of these razors.


I am glad I could help and you are satisfied with the information I could provide.
As to Mr. Wacker: Yes, it is true that he is helping us a lot to get back into the manufacturing of straight razors.
It is 2 generations that Boker has not manufactured this highly sensitive product. So there is no know how available within our staff. The grinding is the most critical operation as you know. Mr. Wacker is probably the best in town as far as this craftsmanship goes. So, we are happy that we can learn from him.

I like the quote! Sounds like excellent advice!!!

The bending of the razors’ edge is no myth; I have read it in a few old books… and it makes scene.
The theory is, if the blade was properly hardened and tempered, the thin edge will flex under mild pressure from the thumbnail and “spring” back to its exact form without braking or becoming permanently deformed.
Steel too soft will not go back to its original form, but will permanently stretch, steel too hard will fracture. This is fact and you can test it with your own blade.
If you watch the Dovo video of the razor grinder you will see it… he is not testing the edge by trying to cut his thumbnail.

New-Old-Stock near wedge razors exhibit this same tendency to bend at the edge… The trouble with near wedge razors, after many honing sessions the thin concave part of the blade near the edge wears away and the bevels becomes large… in this case the blade near the edge is thicker and will not readily flex as when it was new, it also requires much more effort and patience to sharpen it… and knowing us humans, more often than not, we quit long before the edge is truly sharp… maybe the belief, “a razor that won’t bend, or too thick, wont shave well”.
Of course today our little dedicated community will spend the time to hone and sharpen a large beveled razor… but check out the posts of inexperienced honers who try to “hone” there skills with a near wedge razor… but then, even experienced honemiesters will tell you wedge razors are PITA to hone.

Back in the old days when the bevel of a “near wedge” razor (the standard of the day) became too large to hone easily it was reground. Regrinding is the thinning of the part near the edge thus reducing the size of the bevels so it will again bend and flex under the pressure of the thumbnail, and the razor will then be much easier to hone…
In those days there were many grinders who had the skill to regrind razors and other cutlery… grinding razors is a special skill, more so than grinding any other cutlery. The German Hollow Ground razors do not need to be reground because the part near the edge is thinner for a grater portion of the blade (viewed at the cross section 1/2 hollow/full hollow)… and when those razors became the norm there was no need to pass on the skill… so today the average cutler does not know how to regrind straight razors.

Now today we see all these “near wedge” razors that were marketed as “Extra Hollow Ground”… and we may wonder... those razors are so thick why would anyone call them "Extra......"?
Think about this, when those so-called “Extra Hollow Ground” razors were manufactured, that was the standard of the day… razors with more hollowing (full hollow ground/German Hollow Ground) did not exist.

I'm sorry, but it doesn't. It only makes sense with full hollow razors. 1/4 hollow and thicker will not bend on your thumbnail. Its too thick, your nail will break before the razor will bend.

Works only with full hollows because they are thin enough to flex. However, the too brittle and it will break theory also makes no sense. If it was that brittle it wouldn't even hone properly, let alone survive the grinding/polishing. Too soft makes sense. But if it was that soft, they probably just forgot to heat treat it. And even then, I'm not entirely sure steel is that soft.

Originally Posted by Leighton

I'm sorry, but it doesn't. It only makes sense with full hollow razors. 1/4 hollow and thicker will not bend on your thumbnail. Its too thick, your nail will break before the razor will bend.

No sir, your nail will not brake.... and the steel will bend.
This attached photo may help.
While not a NOS razor, but you can see the bevel is small, maybe smaller than most full hollow ground razors, the part near the edge is very thin and does in fact bend beyond the bevel under mild pressure form the thumbnail...

Any properly tempered and ground Near Wedge blade will do this.

I must also point out... This is in NO WAY anything like the Thumb-Nail-Test. In this case the blade is held flat against the thumbnail near the edge, and the thumbnail is pushed sideways against the bevel, and you can carefully slide the thumbnail along the length of the edge.

Originally Posted by Leighton

Works only with full hollows because they are thin enough to flex. However, the too brittle and it will break theory also makes no sense. If it was that brittle it wouldn't even hone properly, let alone survive the grinding/polishing. Too soft makes sense. But if it was that soft, they probably just forgot to heat treat it. And even then, I'm not entirely sure steel is that soft.

In those days razors were made mostly by hand. Evan today razors are still made by hand by a few manufacturers’. Mistakes can and do happen and it is not unlikely back then mistakes would happen more often than today and a few improperly ground or improperly tempered ("or forgot to heat treat") would get into the hands of customers. It is tests such as this one the customer will have an idea if he bought a good one or a lemon.

Originally Posted by straightcrazy

ROTFL! One razor for your whole life! That's rich! Sorry, maybe I'm the only one (not) but there just seems to be something about straights that once it's in your blood, well... I guess I'm preaching to the choir here. Really funny joke though, thanks for the laugh. Regarding the post though, I'm not sure the new stuff is better or even as good as the old stuff. Maybe I'm nuts but my new DOVO Bismark almost seems... warped. It's been a pain to hone and I'm still not sure it's shave ready to my liking. Is that sacrilege to say something bad about DOVO?

I said you could theoretically use one blade for the rest of your life!

You know, if the person is poor and cannot afford dozens of cool razors like I can.

it's *almost* a moote point where they're getting their blades from, as long as they're good (which, apparently, they are)

The important thing is that old razor manufacturers are starting to play the game again, It would no be surprised to see in a year or two companys making their own razors again - it's clear the business is there - or at least they believe it is.