Böker King Cutter: any good?

Z

Zanuha

Joined
Sep 27, 2010
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I'm 13 and a knife nut. I got a cheap Braun 1-150 electric shaver a few weeks ago, but it just doesn't shave well, always leaves at least 1mm of hair behind. (Yes, I have facial hair.)
I've watched Cutlerylover's vids on straight razors, and I think I'd love to get one and shave with it, so I went to the website of a Finnish hunting store that also sells knives and razors, and they have a bunch of Böker shaving products, from soap to strops. I was thinking about getting the cheapest razor, the King Cutter for 100 euros, and another 100 euro's worth of accessories, such as a strop, soap, a soap bowl and a brush.

http://www.lamnia.fi/items.php?lang=en&gid=1&sgid=79&PHPSESSID=e016d50899fa9a141b388a3cc971ed52

There's a link to the store's shaving section, it's in English. I may be able to stretch my budget a bit for good reason. So my question is this: Is the King Cutter any good, and what about their other products?
 
Boker's best product, in my opinion, is their line of straight razors. From all of the ones that I've handled, they all passed the thumbnail test.

Wow, VAT is ridiculously high for Finland.
 
they are very good razors, however, I would recommend starting to shave with a DE razor first (old style safety razor) until you get things like lather prep and basic technique down, it will save you a lot of discomfort. your starting costs will also be lower, straight razors can get quite expensive to maintain.
 
You mean like the ones that have interchangeable blades?
What do you mean by maintaining?
 
I disagree with maintenance being expensive. Just learn how to sharpen them yourself. Find a beat up razor at an antique store for a few bucks and practice on that before trying it with a good razor. Don't try using a "made in China/Pakistan" razor-shaped object because most of them won't be able to achieve an edge that passes the hanging hair test. A cheap busted razor can, even though you wouldn't want to take it to your face.
 
I think what gadgetgeek is referring to is the cost of good water stones to sharpen your straight razor properly. 4k, 8k, 12k are the minimum, but you may want to get higher then that and a good leather/canvas strop as well
 
I didn't think this would be so complicated.
I went to the Finnish equivalent of eBay, and found a Solingen razor for 5 euros. Should I bid? Also, I've been thinking that I would just strop the razor a bit after each use.
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gadgetgeek has great advice.also i would go to some older barber shops & see about buying a good used razor. henckles is a good one to look for. i used to collect old barber equipment & had a little knowledge of razors 20 yrs. back. many 100 yr. old razors are still out there in almost new condition. although quality modern knives may be superior to old knives in cutting ability [not in fit & finish except a few makers] i'm not sure modern razors have surpassed the old premiums.old razors in great condition can be had for a fraction of newer production in many cases. antique shops are great for picking up strops & razor hones. the zenith of hones are called Franz Swaty made in Austria.with the entrance of aids old razors & strops are out there by the millions just gathering dust.search around & you may find your quests rewarded with products as fine as any made today at a fraction of the cost. then go to sharpening & maintenance section for advice.
dennis
 
Zanuha, yes, stropping before and after each shave is considered normal for most of the straight razor users I've talked to. The edge on a straight razor is very delicate. and is polished to a very fine level. some razors are sold as "shave ready" but most are not ready for use, and would have to be honed before use.
Straight razor shaving is very rewarding, and I think that you should try it, but I don't want you to invest a large amount of money and then get discouraged. keep asking questions and we'll do our best to help!
 
Again, are the water stones absolutely necessary?
Should I bid on the Solingen?
Do I need stropping compound, and if so, where can I get some?
How, exactly, would I strop the razor? I've heard here on BF that straight razors have some sort of angle guide 'built-in', is this true?
 
I've found waterstones to be the most consistent. If you want to avoid a lot of experimenting, I'd go with a combination waterstone in the 4K/8K range. Stay with that until you master it. Then you can play with all the other stones. I would start with a cheaper strop because you'll probably nick it up while you learn. Strop before each shave. There is very good information on getting started straightrazorplace.com. Be patient, and good luck.:thumbs up:

Jordan
 
Waterstones are considered the best for beginners, like jnich said. Mostly because they are the cheapest of the high grit stones. You are looking for at least 8000 grit to finish a razor and about 4000 grit to get the "edge" As you learn you will probably need to hone your razor often, and the range for most users is a honing every 4-6 months, although the range is from 2 months to over a year for some guys. Most knife stones are far too course to make a good edge for a razor. Do you already have some stones?
You could also send your razor to a honemeister for honing. don't let a professional knife sharpener touch it, unless they also are very familiar with razors, as they will probably ruin the razor on a power stone.
I would leave the solingen alone, it would be better to buy your first one from a reputable dealer who will sell it "shave ready" and remove as many variables as you can. As for Ebay, there are a large number of knock-offs that you should be careful of. It would suck for you to start with a poor razor. once you know what you are looking for, then you can try those razors out because you will have something good to compare it to.

Stropping compound is nice, but I think will just complicate things while you are learning. if you do decide to use compounds, buy them from a dealer who deals with razor stuff, and be scientific about it. you can quickly tie a large amount of money into them, and you may not end up liking them.

When you strop a razor, hold it gently, and just let it rest on the leather. any pressure will damage your edge. draw it backwards along the strop (edge trailing) until you get to the end, then lift, flip (keeping the spine down, trust me) and go back the other way. most people use an angled stroke to draw the blade across as well as along, so that you contact the entire edge with a narrow strop. most users do between 40-70 laps (both sides is one lap)
The "built in" guide is the spine of the razor, always hone and strop with the blade laying flat on your surface, don't hold an angle like you would with a knife. as the edge wears, the spine does as well, maintaining the angle. And don't worry, most razors will last generations of use, you will probably damage a razor before you wear it out!

I learned on a razor that I restored, so it can all be done from scratch, but I would have saved myself a year of learning, and a lot of bleeding if I'd started with the right stuff!
 
gadgetgeek said:
Waterstones are considered the best for beginners, like jnich said. Mostly because they are the cheapest of the high grit stones. You are looking for at least 8000 grit to finish a razor and about 4000 grit to get the "edge" As you learn you will probably need to hone your razor often, and the range for most users is a honing every 4-6 months, although the range is from 2 months to over a year for some guys. Most knife stones are far too course to make a good edge for a razor. Do you already have some stones?
Click to expand...
The only sharpening tools that I have are some cheap diamond sharpener and a cheap stone that has been around since before I was born.
You could also send your razor to a honemeister for honing. don't let a professional knife sharpener touch it, unless they also are very familiar with razors, as they will probably ruin the razor on a power stone.
Click to expand...
I don't know about any professional sharpeners here in Finland, I guess I'll have to look around Google.
I would leave the solingen alone, it would be better to buy your first one from a reputable dealer who will sell it "shave ready" and remove as many variables as you can. As for Ebay, there are a large number of knock-offs that you should be careful of. It would suck for you to start with a poor razor. once you know what you are looking for, then you can try those razors out because you will have something good to compare it to.
Click to expand...
You just told me to get a cheap, used razor to practice honing on.
Stropping compound is nice, but I think will just complicate things while you are learning. if you do decide to use compounds, buy them from a dealer who deals with razor stuff, and be scientific about it. you can quickly tie a large amount of money into them, and you may not end up liking them.

When you strop a razor, hold it gently, and just let it rest on the leather. any pressure will damage your edge. draw it backwards along the strop (edge trailing) until you get to the end, then lift, flip (keeping the spine down, trust me) and go back the other way. most people use an angled stroke to draw the blade across as well as along, so that you contact the entire edge with a narrow strop. most users do between 40-70 laps (both sides is one lap)
The "built in" guide is the spine of the razor, always hone and strop with the blade laying flat on your surface, don't hold an angle like you would with a knife. as the edge wears, the spine does as well, maintaining the angle. And don't worry, most razors will last generations of use, you will probably damage a razor before you wear it out!

I learned on a razor that I restored, so it can all be done from scratch, but I would have saved myself a year of learning, and a lot of bleeding if I'd started with the right stuff!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, anything else I need to know?
 
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go to straightrazorplace.com and look at the wiki there, piles of good info including brands to buy and brands to avoid. there are also some European members there that can help you find what you need closer to home!
 
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