Thread: Boker Edelweiss 5/8 Razor

As a straight razor enthusiast for a little over a year, I was excited to learn that Boker has resumed production of straight razors. The first models I saw marketed were priced way beyond anything I was willing to pay. When I recently learned I could buy a new Boker for under $150, I jumped at the chance.

I had a choice of two models: The Edelweiss, and the King Cutter. I chose the Edelweiss.

The Edelweiss appears to be marketed as a no-frills entry level razor. The Edelweiss is packaged in a traditionally styled rectangular paper black coffin with gold print.

A tiny enclosed brochure extolls (in German) the history of Boker and the craftsmanship of the razor. After shaving with it, I learned it can be loosely translated as "Hi - I'm here to efficiently and effectively shave your face!"

Craftsmanship:

The Edelweiss is built to last. The nickel-silver colored pins are nothing to write home about, but they are nice and tight, and the blade is held snugly with no play or wobble. The blade closes a tad closer to the back scale, but is well within tolerance and the scales pose no threat to the edge of the blade.

The round point blade arrived with a wickedly sharp edge, and has an understated frosted etch - coin collectors would call it a "reverse proof" finish. I like it. The absence of fancy gold wash, no fancy point, and no filework or spinework moves the razor firmly into the "daily use" catagory and must help to keep the cost down.

However, Boker should consider placing jimps on at least the bottom of the tang of this model -they would help tremendously in keeping a good grip on the razor (see balance).

The bone scales should do an excellent job of protecting the blade, and will probably outlive it. The front scale is so smooth, it almost looks synthetic, but a glimpse of the rear scale's pores confirms "I am bone!"

The scales measure in at 1/8 inch thick and appear thicker than I expected; they are not rounded off near the edges, but are squared off. These scales cost the razor a bit in terms of balance.

Balance:

I knew going in that this razor has bone scales. I wanted them. I expected that the bone scales for this razor would make it slightly scale heavy. This is true. The balance isn't terrible, but I deducted points just the same because I think most shavers would need to make an initial adjustment. Jimps would really help.

The balance point is very similar to the steel handled Wapienica, and lies in the scales just behind the pivot pin. The Edelweiss weighs about 1.8 ounces (about 50 grams) and the Wapi weight about 2 ounces (about 55 grams).

If you can handle the Wapi, you can handle the Edelweiss. If the Wapi's balance really bothers you, you probably won't like the Edelweiss either.

Collectability:

A lack of fancy bells and whistles probably means that one day this will be one of those razors that flies "under the radar" but delivers a killer shave. The only cosmetic frills are the bone scales, and the Boker nameplate.

Price:

This razor lists for $179 US. I purchased mine from John Crowley at The Shaving Shop at a sale price of $134.99. It arrived promptly, and very shave ready.

After comparing this razor with current production razors available with similar features, I must say that the sale price is very reasonable. For a bone handled razor delivered shave ready, I wouldn't protest if you called it a steal. If I had to buy one at list, I'd take my price rating down one notch, because I'm a bit of a tightwad at times.

Overall:



The Edelweiss may not have many frills, but it is a nice razor. I like it. The bone scales are a bit of a double edged sword. I like bone scales - they are the reason I bought this razor and I don't think they are a fatal flaw, however they do cost the razor a bit of manueverability.

I have had three shaves with it so far, and it did "bite" me once in the first shave. Did I mention that edge came wickedly sharp? I don't think there will be any long term problems, as the other shaves have been very good. I can't call it "nimble" but it only needs a very light touch to wipe the whiskers away. The resulting shave is terrific and the "faceturbation rating" would be 9.0.

In summary, I like it. The Edelweiss is going to remain in my rotation, but I would like to see this Boker in a 6/8 size, with jimps. Then I think I would love it.

I just honed two Vintage Edelweiss razors. You can see them in the "Brotherhood of Böker"-Thread. Unfortunately they are not in the same great condition as yours. Perhaps I will give a detailed rating, as soon as I have broken in the edge and used the razor a couple of times. My Böker King Cutters are amongst my top 5 shavers, and the Edelweiss will surely be great, too. It was as easy to hone as my King Cutters, took a very fine edge, too, but the King Cutters were silky smooth from the very first shave on, the Edelweiss needs a bit of breaking in. Let's see how it will develop, but in my opinion, you can hardly go wrong with a Böker.

I also recently purchased a Boker Edelweiss from Straight Razor Designs. It arrived in the mail a couple of days ago and was wickedly sharp and very shave ready. I've shaved with it twice and the shave is extremely close, but not the smoothest shave I've experienced. The bone handle does not cause me any problems with balance and the lack of jimps is not a problem either. My Wapis are great shavers too but the steel handles do create a problem with balance while shaving.

I'm very happy with the quality of the Edelweiss; it is a very fine razor and I recommend it highly.

I had a love hate relationship with this little razor for the longest time. Well, now it is strictly love. The Boker Edelweiss is probably my most consistent shaver and always gives a smooth, comfortable shave. The bone scales are slightly heavy for the size of this blade, but I actually like that. To me, this razor feels perfectly balanced. The craftsmanship is top notch and the finish on the blade is unique and very attractive.

Perhaps the biggest praise I can give this razor is it's ability to maintain its edge. Since this razor was professionally honed, I have shaved with it over ten times with absolutely no degradation in the edge. Other, higher priced razors I own have hit the paste and the 12k during that same period.

This razor is an absolute steal at the current price on SRD. In my opinion it is easily worth double that.

This razor is August's "Monthly Straight" special at Straight Razor Designs, and its a nice bargain listed at $104.96.

I bought the Edelweiss today as a 2nd attempt at buying my first straight razor. I had originally purchased a NOS rescaled Wapienica elsewhere and was very disappointed in the overall workmanship upon initial inspection. I immediately packed it up and sent it back for a refund. I figured I'm better off spending an extra $50 on a razor that will encourage me to stick through the learning curve of straight shaving and beyond.

I am anxiously awaiting the Edelweiss's arrival and will post a review here on choosing this as a first razor after a handful of shaves.