Zertone Straight Razors for Men Kit with Strop - Straight Edge Razor Natural Wood Scale – Sharp, High Hardness Carbon Steel Cutthroat Straight Razor Shaving Kit, Vintage Wood Handle, Barber Razor

It shipped in the actual product box, so it arrived pretty banged up on the outside, but it was just a black cardboard box... So no complaints. The strop is made of what seems to be the save material as the cheap stretch jeans on one side, and player on the other. Definitely super cheap and not great, but will work. The razor it's self was made with some really thick descent quality steel, and came sharp enough to split a hanging hair. I had one of my wife's hairs just hanging and easily cut it several times even splitting it length wise on one cut. So it can't shave ready. The steel definitely not to quality, but it is decent and functional. For the price it is an amazing deal! No it's not super high quality, as in its not made from ostrich bone or even luxury wood... But it is nice. The is just plain carbon steel... I'm guessing 1060 maybe, with a decent temper in guessing a hard steel temper instead of a nice hard spring temper on higher carbon steel like the more pricey blades. It is pretty close to the save quality though. And for less than one tenth price. So, is it a super deluxe luxury razor no, but is it great razor to start with with to see if you like straight razors in a price range that makes it impossible to not love...ABSOLUTELY! I highly recommend it! There is a slight smile on the edge, but not an issue at all, it's super slight, and almost impossible to notice if your not an expert. This is hands down one of the best new blades you can get any where close to this price!

I purchased this after shaving with a shavette for the past 7 months and enjoying the straight razor experience. I wanted to try shaving with a true straight razor since I have heard that they can be just as sharp and give an even smoother shave since the blade is one solid piece and won’t skip. The blade does come quite sharp and I do believe that they sharpened it to 8000 grit. Passed the push test on a piece of paper with no problem. Was able to shave some of my leg hair dry with no problem. The handle is solid wood and looks quite nice. Ready to shave out of the box. After using it a couple times and using the strop in between each shave (20-30x Back and forth), the blade definitely started to lose a bit if its sharpness and I think it needs more upkeep than I was prepared for. If you have used straight razors before, I think this is a great razor for the price and certainly a good razor to have in your collection. If you are new to shaving with a straight razor, this is probably a good razor to start with. It’s quality razor for a good price and is great if you do not shave very often. I think if you are a daily or semi daily shaver, you may be better off with a shavette instead of a straight razor. They’re very similar, but being able to use a new blade everytime with a shavette is much easier than keeping up with blade maintenance every time to shave, not to mention that disposable razor blades will be much sharper than 8k grit. Ultimately, I think it was a good purchase but I will be sticking with my shavette for all facial grooming.

May 12, 2018 Update: I just received a replacement razor from the supplier, as they believe I got a lemon the first time. This time around, the blade was much better in sharpness. Still cannot shave out of the box, almost there but not quite. After learning more about this blade. I am now giving this product a solid 4 stars for what you get. I would have given 5 stars if it was indeed shave ready. I am also giving the 1st blade I got 4 stars. Explanation below. This product is for those who would like to get into straight razor shaving and willing to invest in some stones and a good leather strop. A leather strop alone is not good enough for this razor since you would have to "kill the edge" first and start honing from 1,000 grit stone. If you don't kill the edge , you will get a harsh shave like I did the first time around (main reason for the 1 star earlier). If you follow the stone progressio and finish using a leather strop, you will get a better than decent shave out of this product. Lots of videos in youtube for this. For those who travel, this is a good product to carry. If you lose it, you can just get another one. At $16.99, this is a great deal. ================ April 17, 2018. The 1 Star review by Chano is pretty much head on. The wooden scale is very nice. The stainless steel is very rough and so difficult to hone. Was no where near shave ready. At this price level, you really get what you pay for. I bought this to play around with, but I own over 10 top end razors. I started from low grit Sharpton Glass all the way up to a JNat Suita using Botan, Tenjyou and Koma nagura. Finally on a strop with 0.25 micron diamond spray and then finished off with a Kanayama Cordovan strop. Yes, it became shave ready but it does not feel nice on skin. It is hard to explain, something like the steel used was not meant for shaving. I agree that the gold dollar with carbon steel gave a much better shave, much easier to hone as well. Here, you get a little more than you pay for. For those who want to get into straight razors as a beginner, suggest you go for the gold dollar with carbon steel. But note that gold dollar that I got was not shave ready. For me, a leather strop with a 0.25 diamond spray is a must as a finisher. Hand American brand is very good. Once you get the hang of it, go straight in for a Dovo 6/8 or something similar. Happy shaving....!

I, like many others would like to learn how to hone my blades on inexpensive razors, so I gave this a try. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this thing. The wooden scales are very nice and opening and closing the razor feels very solid. The blade is pretty straight and the edge and grinding look quite good. I gave it minimal stropping because I wanted to try it out like it arrived from the factory. It actually did kinda shave. A little rough and not quite sharp enough, but not worse than the factory edge from my German steel (8 times the price!) and much better than another cheap razor I bought to practice on (2 times the price). I then took it to my coticule and the shave became much smoother and the sharpness was almost there. Shaving with it is a pleasure and it won't be my practice razor, but one of my preferred shaving tools. I am sure I can get it even better when my honing improves. I bought the normal one and just because I like this one so much I will also check out the upgraded blade. For those interested: the normal one is carbon steel and not stainless. I contacted them about this and they replied promptly. The upgraded one should have better sharpening and different heat treatment of the steel. If you want to try out shaving with a straight razor, I don't think you are going to find a better deal. This is no Gold Dollar that needs modifications before you can even sharpen it, this is a real razor.

For the money, you get exactly what you're after. I'm a little dubious about the quality of the steel, as it doesn't seem to take an edge as well as I feel it should after sharpening (but that could be due to my sharpening technique). The included strop is next to useless. The "leather" strop is faux leather/pleather. The demin strop is fine, but the hardware to attach the strop to a stable surface is super chinsy, comes apart easily, and has no swivel which makes it almost impossible to use. So, if you're choosing this particular razor over some of the others available on Amazon around this price point because it comes with a strop, I would recommend you not factor that in or plan to upgrade the strop right away. All in all, you DO get a decent shave with this, and it's a good starter razor for anyone who wants to tinker with a straight razor and then upgrade to a higher-end razor later.

Very nice. Very sharp

Update: Alright I have had this for a decent time now and bought two vintage razors from eBay to try out. I got both vintage razors shaving spectacularly and honestly there is no comparison. To make sure I did come back to this one and gave it another shot and although it does shave it's not even close to the others. After going through from 1k, 3k, 8k and a natural 10k to .5 diamond paste loaded strop the vintage ones can cut arm hair in half without going to the skin and this one just doesn't, I just can't get it there. Also the vintage ones can do it after the natural 10k without the paste, the compound just makes them scary sharp and effortless. I don't know what it is about it but it just won't take the same edge. It could be a fluke in my honing this time so when I feel like it again I might give it another shot but I just sharpened 2 razors and one a second time to test out a natural 12k that isn't a 12k then this one and it ain't doin it for me. Like I said I will revisit it but it's not looking like I'd recommend it. Btw I threw the strop out and got a fancy 3" combo leather and canvas strop which I'd recommend doing if you are planning to actually shave with it every day because it's what maintains your edge. Is $50+ alot to spend on a piece of leather and cloth to rub metal on yes but it's important to keep that edge on even if the blade seems to suck like this one to make it enjoyable to shave with consistently. Both my vintage razors were between $10-$20 with including shipping. Try to find one with minimal wear with a good amount of blade and don't try to go for anything fancy and expensive if it's your first razor until you got some sharpening/honing time down and getting a good shave, then look to moving on if you want. I get a good shave with my $20 vintage one and can't imagine needing to bother with a new one because I used it for months and only honed it through a second time to test a new stone. They last an incredibly long time get a cheap one to practice on and use when just starting then move to a fancy one if you really want to. Mine has a slight smile in it and I struggle with sharpening anything in general and would prefer to just lay it down and hone instead of having to do slight adjustments for the smile. So maybe better intermediate blade when you start to have those techniques down. Liked the packaging and the sheath is decent. The strop idk. I'm afraid of using the canvas side because of how it's constructed the sides have a lip on them cause it's either folded around it's self with the seem in the middle on the back or wrapped around a core of some sort. Not sure if the lip will blow the hone job and do more harm than good. The leather strop is very cheap leather but usable. Might work out nice to use this cheap one for compound and get a nicer leather one for no compound. Might not keep using this razor though I got a used vintage one and had a lot more success honing it. Didn't seem shave ready out of the box, it did shave but not sharp enough for me.

I have used this kit for over a month. So far I find it adequate for a close shave. I have had no issues with knicks, unlike some reviewers. With straight razors, technique is all important- therefore I have a few recommendations concerning the use of straight razors for first-time users: 1. Take your time and be careful. This is not a procedure to rush. 2. Prepare facial hair with a hot, wet towel for 2-5 minutes before shaving. It helps to reduce friction and irritation during the shave, which will produce a more comfortable shave. Use a quality pre-shave preparation to further soften the hairs before a shave. I use a product called Shaving Butter I purchased at Walmart for around 5 to 6 dollars. Apply it after the hot wet towel technique for best results. There are other products in the form of gels, creams, etc., but I can't attest their efficacy. 3. Before your first attempt, practice holding the blade in your hand to determine the most comfortable ergonomic grip. 4. Watch YouTube videos to determine the best patterns /technique for your particular hair growth. Do not underestimate the importance of this- it can really make a difference in your shave quality. 5. Use the strop before every shave, and use both sides. 6. Use an alcohol-based aftershave to prevent post- shave skin irritation. Super important! I hope that these pointers will help to ease your transition from expensive, disposable safety cartridges that are not nearly as effective as straight razors for a smooth, close shave. I may do an update in a few months- but so far, I am impressed!