Some firsts

I have some firsts for ya'... First, first is a new razor which is the first piece of shaving gear out side of DE blades and soap that I've bought brand new in some time. The second first goes to my first straight razor shave. I only did a single WTG pass with the straight, the second pass went to my slim set on 4. I'll probably continue this way until my technique, and honing skills improve. I have to admit it's not my first hone job... It was my second. So here's a picture of my new baby, a 6/8'ths Boker Silver Steel w/ Tortoise scales.
I do have a question however. I also have a vintage 6/8'ths razor, and by comparison the Boker is absolutely massive! Are all new production razors like this? If so I may have to take a look at 5/8'ths blades in the future.

Congrats! Don't be afraid to try things the other way around as well, with a quick DE pass to start with.

Awesome!!!! Way to go and might I add, that is a beautiful razor!

The Boker Silver Steel is among my favorite razors. When honed properly, nothing shaves better. Congratulations, you made a great choice for a first razor.

Congrats!

Hone job always sounds wrong....

Gamma said:

Congrats!

Hone job always sounds wrong....

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Unless you're from Remulak... Er, I mean France!

alpster said:

The Boker Silver Steel is among my favorite razors. When honed properly, nothing shaves better. Congratulations, you made a great choice for a first razor.

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Larogers said:

Awesome!!!! Way to go and might I add, that is a beautiful razor!

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Thanks guys!

jlindy said:

...I do have a question however. I also have a vintage 6/8'ths razor, and by comparison the Boker is absolutely massive! Are all new production razors like this? If so I may have to take a look at 5/8'ths blades in the future. ...

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So you're saying your new 6/8 Boker is bigger than your vintage 6/8? Do you have measuring calipers? Or do you just mean it feels more massive by weight? 6/8 is just a measurement, so if your vintage blade says 6/8 but is smaller than your new Boker, I'd say the last eighth of an inch probably has been lost to honing over the years.

Blade width is a thing of preference so if your vintage blade is narrower and feels more comfortable, then by all means, check out the 5/8 options out there.

My advice, if you are one to get hung up on acquisition disorders, would be to try everything from 5/8 up to an inch, and everything from hollow ground to full wedge. You might be surprised what you wind up preferring over time!

Enjoy that new steel.

jlindy said:

I also have a vintage 6/8'ths razor, and by comparison the Boker is absolutely massive! Are all new production razors like this? If so I may have to take a look at 5/8'ths blades in the future.

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I think some manufacturers of new production razors specify size from the portion of the spine that sets the bevel line to the edge, rather than from the back of the spine to the edge. If you [decided you didn't care about possible edge damage and] measured with calipers they'd be a millimeter or more wider than their nominal size. By contrast, a lot of vintage razors have their size advertised based on an actual measurement from the back of the spine to the edge since the seller often has no definitive way of knowing what size the razor started out as.

Oglethorpe said:

So you're saying your new 6/8 Boker is bigger than your vintage 6/8? Do you have measuring calipers? Or do you just mean it feels more massive by weight? 6/8 is just a measurement, so if your vintage blade says 6/8 but is smaller than your new Boker, I'd say the last eighth of an inch probably has been lost to honing over the years.

Blade width is a thing of preference so if your vintage blade is narrower and feels more comfortable, then by all means, check out the 5/8 options out there.

My advice, if you are one to get hung up on acquisition disorders, would be to try everything from 5/8 up to an inch, and everything from hollow ground to full wedge. You might be surprised what you wind up preferring over time!

Enjoy that new steel.

Click to expand...

The Boker is a much more substantial, heavier blade than my vintage razor being .22in thick at the spine/tang where the vintage blade measures .175in. I have a vintage 5/8'ths that measures a svelte .147in thick at the spine.
And yes SRAD is starting to take hold of me as I have my eye on a new 5/8'ths Revisor... Gaaa!
Here's a photo compairing the Boker to my vintage 5/8'ths to give you an idea of the mass of the Boker.

Hi and bienvenue à bord

This Böker is definitely a nice piece of new steel and and is not that massive compared with other 6/8 or 7/8 Solingen vintage blades . That was my second straight, not the easiest one to hone though but as Alpster mentioned, once properly honed it flies. Enjoy it.

SRAD is a nice disease which has contaminated all of us to a shorter a greater extent. I didn't find a cure yet as far as I'm concerned.... That said, do get the Revisor or whatever you like most at the beginning of your journey it's part of the fun and your tastes will probably evolve over time.

My 2 cts: most of all get a razor with a perfect edge to perfect your technique. This is essential !

Happy shavings

jlindy said:

The Boker is a much more substantial, heavier blade than my vintage razor being .22in thick at the spine/tang where the vintage blade measures .175in. I have a vintage 5/8'ths that measures a svelte .147in thick at the spine.
And yes SRAD is starting to take hold of me as I have my eye on a new 5/8'ths Revisor... Gaaa!
Here's a photo compairing the Boker to my vintage 5/8'ths to give you an idea of the mass of the Boker.

Click to expand...

Dont forget bevel angles play a role in the shave based on the spine width and blade width. Your smaller spine razor will have a mkre acute angle if both are 6/8.

A 6/8 hart is gonna dwarf those two.

Mango said:

Hi and bienvenue à bord

This Böker is definitely a nice piece of new steel and and is not that massive compared with other 6/8 or 7/8 Solingen vintage blades . That was my second straight, not the easiest one to hone though but as Alpster mentioned, once properly honed it flies. Enjoy it.

SRAD is a nice disease which has contaminated all of us to a shorter a greater extent. I didn't find a cure yet as far as I'm concerned.... That said, do get the Revisor or whatever you like most at the beginning of your journey it's part of the fun and your tastes will probably evolve over time.

My 2 cts: most of all get a razor with a perfect edge to perfect your technique. This is essential !

Happy shavings

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I guess that I was just a bit surprised by the mass of it, but I can see where that mass might be a good thing. I'm seeing where this razor can be a beast to hone to a proper edge. Thus far my results have only been 'fair' , so I'll be sending it out for a more professional edge.
RAD/SRAD is most definitely incurable as my DE collection continues to grow as well, and I don't even consider it an 'affliction' ! And yes I've 'pulled the trigger' on that 5/8'ths Revisor, along with collecting some materials to complete the restoration on my vintage 5/8'ths (it was my grandfather's campin' razor).
The journey continues...