If you've been searching the internet for straight razor shaving kits you have probably come across the straight razor kits on amazon. While amazon can be good for buying many things at a great price, when it comes to straight razors you do have to wonder:

This can be a question that is tricky to answer. If you look at the reviews of various straight razor shaving kits being sold on amazon you will see that they range from "I absolutely love it!" to "It's a crappy set made out of cheap materials". Which one do you believe? With this article I hope to shed a little light on the subject.

Before I give you my opinion I want to tell you that I have not personally bought a straight razor set from amazon. In the future I probably will do so that I can gauge the quality, but as of right now I haven't actually seen or handled these kits with my hands. With that being said I have purchased kits from other websites and I have been around straight razor shaving for a few years so I know a thing or two to base my opinion off of.

1. Straight Razor: The straight razor is the foundation of the entire shaving kit. You want to make sure the straight razor that comes from the kit is from a reputable manufacturer such as Boker, Dovo and Thiers Issard. If you are not sure what type of straight razor comes with it, contact the merchant. The reason being is that it is extremely difficult to put a good edge on a straight razor with low quality steel. If you do manage to get it "shave ready" then the shaving edge won't last. What's the point in honing a straight razor only to get one or two shaves out of it and then have to hone it again? A good rule of thumb is to avoid Chinese and Pakistani made straight razors these include Kinosaki, Zeepk, and Simco straight razors.
2. "Shave Ready": Shave ready means that you can pick up a straight razor and shave with it, without having to strop or hone it. If the listing doesn't mention if it is shave ready or not you should assume that it isn't. If a razor isn't properly honed then you won't get a very good shave out of it. When you buy a straight razor kit from amazon you should expect to spend an extra $20-$30 on getting it honed by a professional before using it or risk not being able to get a good shave with it.

Those are the two most important things I consider when looking at straight razor shaving kits because I believe they have the biggest impact on whether or not you get a good shave or not with your straight razor.

Besides the straight razor you will find that straight razor shaving kits will usually come with a badger hair brush, a strop, a bowl for your shaving soap, and shaving soap. To me these are fairly standard items. They will vary from kit to kit, but I don't really think they really have too much impact on your shave. Furthermore, they are cheap it enough to where it's fairly easy to replace them if you are dissatisfied with them.

To sum it all up, when buying straight razor kits on amazon if you make sure you are buying a quality straight razor from a reputable manufacturer and you have the straight razor professionally honed you can expect it to shave well.

If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear them. Leave them below. :)