There are a few things that turn people away from trying to shave with a straight razor, and the second right after the fear of nicks and cuts is the cost of it, and more particularly so the cost of aquiring gear to maintain their razor. a Straight razor is supposed to be the ultimate cost saver as you will never again need to buy disposable blades that you will have to dispose of, but once you enter the world of honing you very quickly see your dream of affordable, supercool, great shaves go 'POOF' as with some of one's other dreams.
High end synthetic whetstones and diamond plates are not cheap, and when you start talking natural stones you can blow your full salary with a few clicks of your mouse! Locally we also have to consider the fact that we are on the southern tip of Africa and have never really had fine stones shipped over here, we are even more screwed as secondhand items of a synthetic or natural kind are not on offer at all, especially for finer finishes. Whetstones are also heavy, and this means that even though online shopping has been able to step up to the plate and make these accessible to us, the shipping costs to our dark continent are sky high.
As this is my favorite way of shaving I felt that I needed to make sharpening and maintenance more accessible to others, and from there this honing kit. The thinking around the contents and presentation is out the box, the method of honing is out of the box, but the outcome is the same; a great looking, smooth shaving, sharply honed straight razors that consitently deliver great shaves.
Personally I do not have the time to determine the best progression for any given razor from a box of hones, let alone do maintainence on whetstones; stuff like sealing natural stones and making sure my synthetics do not get too dry or too wet for too long or too short a period, most folks also do not want to worry about safe and suitable storage of these expensive items, and some simply do not have the space for a selection of hones. Here is the answer, this 'plug & play' system relieves one of becoming a rock-hoarder, as we can now offer this nice, compact set of goodies that is easy to stash, or grab when on the go.
In my experience I have achieved some of the best edges ever using this setup, and if I have to bring cost, ease of use, weight, combined size and consistant results into the equasion I have no doubt that this is the perfect solution for me and many others. The fact that it has so many components and offers plenty of room for experimentation and fine tuning is also a bonus.
We have a strong feeling that this set may very well replace the bulk of our inventory in terms of sharpening options, and we are considering keeping only it, and some locally sourced natural stones on our pages. The natural stones will always have a place for the sharpening maniacs who prefers a 'natural edge' at finishing stage, and I must say I also love working on naturals, they bring a form of zen few other sharpening methods can hope to do. The natural slate stones, Kiaat block, goats leather and kiff pouch does bring some zen though...so this offer is not all THAT generic, and you will also be able to fall in love with it!
This listing is for a full set with items included as per photographs. All the components are listed on another listing so that you can top up your set as and when required. The set weighs around 2.5 kilograms, en packs away in a robust, padded pouch made from 600D Ripstop canvas, the dimensions are 26x18x7 cm when fully packed. The grab handle and compact size of this set is truly a great attribute, and we hope you enjoy it at home and when travelling. The knot options are Boar and Black badger, the latter is softer and behaves more like 'normal beard', while the boar is stiffer and coarser, testing your blade to more extremes.
Check out this blog for some insights on the different componenents and their functions.
Please note; If you are a international customer we will more than likely choose thinner slate for your shipment to ensure it stays below 2.5 kilograms, if you want thicker slate please specify this, or ask us for photos of the exact items that will be included in your set, if there are additional costs we can resolve via Paypal or some other means.
Due to the nature of the contents we have added insurance to the selling price, if anything arrives broken or damaged be sure to record all events, and take photos of packaging and items to enable us to make a claim and send you replacements.