Black Straight Razor - Shave Ready Straight Edge Razor, Japanese Steel + Biblical Wood Straight Razor for Men, Barber Approved Straight Razor, Mens Straight Razor, Leather Case, Close Shave, Best Gift

I really wanted to like this razor as it looks well designed and constructed but it arrived not ready to shave at all. So I stropped dutifully but without any improvement. I then honed with the stones (1K, 3K, 8K, 12K), did 50 stropping runs and shaved. No improvement at all. When I run my fingers over my "shaved" face, it feels like I have removed soap but very little hair at all. I have to resort to my trusty Dovo to finish my shave properly. Even my $18 Gold D does a far better job than this. I will try to hone and strop again, as some contributors say this is the way to go to achieve the desired result. Plus, I have to say I love the look and feel and weight of the razor (hence the two stars). Shame it won't shave.Update: I sent the razor back to Naked Armor and they rehoned it for me for free. What a difference that made! A very smooth and enjoyable shave and this razor will now take pride of place in my straight blade collection. I dealt with customer service agent Laura who is very responsive and helpful. Excellent result.

After shopping around a bit for the perfect razor, I have found it.The blade handles very well, and unlike some of the cheap (novelty) razors out there, you need never concern yourself with unweildiness except by your own errors. It is very tight and smooth in its construction. The steel is excellent.It seems some out there expect the razor to be perfectly sharpened for immediate use. While I was not expected mine to come as such, it did.A note of caution however, this is a tool. A tool which requires skill and knowledge. If you do not have enough respect for this tool to learn how to properly use it, do not get it. If you have no intention of picking up a whet stone (or a variety thereon) do not get a straight razor. If you have no intention of getting a strop, do not get a straighter razor., etc. This is a beautiful and dangerous tool and it deserves better than to be wasted by some fool who will disrespect it.Excellent product. Would definitely buy again.

The razor arrived well presented and looked good in the box. It was packed for travel and had some grease applied. I cleaned it up. It looked good and felt heavy in the hand. My other straight razor is a Dovo and it is a lot lighter. I was looking for a heavier razor that opens solidly. However I feel that this is just a bit too much on the heavy side.The razor is not shave ready. I honed and stropped it and used chromium oxide and it still doesn't get as sharp as the Dovo. It pulls on the beard when I shave. The blade itself is a thicker metal. I will try honing and stropping again. If that doesn't work I will take it to a specialist for sharpening. I hope that this will improve the shave. I am a bit disappointed so far but I am still hopeful I can get this sharp enough and get used to the weight.

The only thing decent I can say about this product is that it was not dull… The wood was all scratched, so was the metal. The metal finish on the interior edges of the razor were horrible also; it has jagged edges that were not finished properly and can easily cut your hand if not careful… not happy with the product and definitely not worth the price point.

It looks pretty nice but was dull as dishwater out of the box. No amount of stropping was able to sharpen it and I had to use a ceramic sharpener to set the edge. However, once I did that and ran it across the strop about 20 laps, it cut the hair off of my forearm like a hot knife through butter. Will be testing on my face tonight. We'll see if it holds an edge. It seems to be of high quality; but you may need to invest in a whetstone or other sharpening device.UPDATE: It still wasn't sharp enough and I had to invest in a $12 sharpening stone. I used the stone to get it as sharp as possible and stropped it a few times. Took the hair off of my neck under the chin and then lost it's edge. So I stropped it for about 50 more laps and it held it's edge to give me a fine, complete shave. The key is getting that razor edge and then stropping liberally and correctly before and after use. In conclusion, it's a great product; but you'll need to put the time and effort into getting it functional. It's a great razor for beginners like myself. Don't send it back because it's dull and isn't working. Half the fun is getting it functional and maintaining it. IMPORTANT: throw that leather travel case in the garbage. It will tarnish the metal very quickly.

When I first received this razor, I was apprehensive. It was not shave ready, as advertised, and I have never sharpened a razor. It’s a little different with knives. Anyway, honed it and it shaved pretty well lots of razor burn, but ok. I tried another razor and learned that I hadn’t honed this razor enough. So, after spending more time honing and stropping, I have a very sharp razor that shaves very well. I’m a newbie to straight razor shaving, but this was a great starting point. I love this razor. It’s beefy and well made.The long and short of it is, it’s a great razor if you’re willing to take the time to sharpen it, or have it professionally honed. If you’re not willing, maybe you should reconsider straight razor shaving. I highly recommend it to anyone, newbie or experienced shaver.

Please do not buy this Razor. It cannot shave. I have honed it several times and stropped it. It cannot hold an edge. I suspect the metal is not hardened correctly. With hind sight, I should have done more research on this company. Don't be fooled by its good looks.Update 3/19/21The Razor is a rebranded “Gold Dollar” . I sent it to Razor Emporium to have it honed. It shaves perfectly well now. They reassured me that the blade metal is of good quality and that it should hold a shave. I have been using it for a month with leather stropping and it still shaves well.