Thread: Need quick help to decide on 2nd razor

Hi guys

I apologize if ending up to be a rather long post... wasn't my idea at first.

I've been shaving with a 5/8 Dovo round point for some months. The edge is in imminent need of some honing, and luckily the set of hones (5, 8, 12k Naniwas) is arriving tomorrow. Problem is, I am new to honing and worse, there is a visible chip in the blade that I'm not sure it will go away so easily, especially if I end up finding that I'll need more stones than I'll have in hands soon.

As I was already beginning to look for a second razor, I decided to get it as quickly as possible, which means preferably buy it shave ready and from Europe. I want a 6/8 to 7/8. I was at first inclined onto the Wacker set

Art.Nr. 1049.

From the reviews I read, they would be good razors for very good price. They are quite clean-looking which would be good maintenance-wise (I would want it for regular "heavy duty" use), but from what I read these razors take quite some time in the stone to get a good edge. Not buying a trully shave ready would violate one of my initial goals but, well, I would also in principle not be looking for a pair of razors. About honing the Wackers, would I be able to bring them to full operational state quite easily? I read that they are slow to hone, but are they just "slow" because of the steel (which wouldn't be a good thing for a learner? less mistakes...) or are they somehow "tricky"?

I would also appreciate other suggestions of similar alternatives in the same class - 6/8 to 7/8, spanish/french/square point. I have some ideas but would be good to listen to some suggestions.

Welcome to SRP. I would not put too much stock in getting a good edge right out of the gate in honing. It's not rocket science but more of an art. Many of us have had a learning curve to the shave ready edge so it would be good if you took that understanding while starting out. You may hit a home run with your first razor, ,who knows, but don't go into it expecting the hit.

THere are several shops in Europe that sell new shave ready razors. Kook through the vendor's corner furum here: Vendors Corner I have not purchased from Europe so I can vouch for anyone in particular. You may also look through the Revisor site for a razor here: Home Good luck

Digger,

I have both razors, purchased separately and can't recommend them highly enough. My experience is also that they take some fussing with on the stones, but when you get them dialed in, they're magnificent. I would say its worth having them sent to a pro or maybe an experienced member for honing. You'll thank yourself for getting those two. I have two of his full hollows as well, and I would not likely do that again. They're very nice, but both have some warp or wave (7/8 Antik - sold out, and 15/16 scalloped back round point - sold out). I like that 1/4 hollow so much I keep a new one, unhoned, in case anything happens to the one I shave with.

Hi guys

Thanks for the answers and sorry for the delay. Your impressions did indeed help me to decide. In the end, my decision was to get the Wackers in the hope that they will make a really good set for everyday's use. The Revisors are indeed nice although not so easy to chose from. One of the lessons is that it takes a long time to find a razor if you're looking for something specific! Possibly I will to send one razor out for honing (this is one of the reasons that made me decide on the set), let's see how it goes. Meanwhile I'll try to get up to speed with the hones, I'm ordering some coarser stones not only to get those chips out of the Dovo blade but also to be able to practice with my knives (only practice leads to perfection!).

Cheers!