G.B.S Stylish Shaving Set - Shave Ready Straight Razor, Honing Sharpening Strop, Leather Case For Straight Razor, Ceramic Mug, Synthetic Brush with Stand, Alum & Shaving Soap Shaving (Black)

Overall, for an intro box kit, it's not terrible. That said, it leads to a lot of disappointment.The razor is not tempered properly or has a very low carbon content. It's not shave ready but it is quite easy to make shave ready. This is because the steel is to soft. It is about as easy to sharpen as some of my blades that are rated in the lower 50s RHC. A straight razor should be in the lower 60s RHC, much like a premium kitchen knife. This is also why it gets dull before you even finish shaving. I suggest buying a quality carbon steel blade with a hardness of 61 or higher.. This blade will not last through a full shave without needing the strop again. The handle is nice, but the "rivets" are quite intrusive and large.The strop is narrow. This makes stopping the Blade an absolute PITA. I have a leather wheel on a grinder for speed stropping but I didn't even need to use it. I started on the kits strop and switched to my personal strop, which I have designed to strop survival knives. The leather "conditioner" is decent quality but would be better replaced with a 8k grit honing paste for monthly maintenance and 50k paste for pre-shave stropping. 5 strokes at 8k and 3 strokes at 50k had this thing splitting hairs, but not long till that was a fond yet distant memory. 3 more strokes on 50k and its back to splitting hairs, but doing that mid shave sucks. Stainless is easier to maintain, but it's just to soft.The soap is good. There is better, but this isn't terrible. Lathers okay, could be better and more protecting with more oils.The alum block is okay no better than any others but no worse. Good quality, this listing does not explain its proper use and there is no literature to explain to newbies how to use these things.The brush and mug are easily the best part. The brush is soft, yet firm and very well made. The stand for the brush needs to be about 1/2" taller. The mug is just great. From design to quality, it is honestly second to none.

Love the whole kit. Razor is not sharp enough, even with a good stroping but a little work and I think it will be. I've used it a few times and it shaves but it's pulling some and not giving me the close shave I expect from a straight razor. Will continue to work on it until I get it a bit more sharp. For the price it is pretty good, the scales feel a bit "cheap" and the hinges loosen every time you open and close the blade but it's a good razor for beginners especially because of the whole inclusive kit for a fair price. It's ideal for learning to strop without ruining a really expensive razor. Everything else in the kit is wonderful. I'm particularly thrilled with the soap and the shaving mug and brush that come in the kit, they are all good quality and really make the preparation a nice experience.

The razor is definitely not shave ready. The brush mug and alum stone are all excellent, it would have been nice if the strip was a 3” strop instead. If you’re looking to start straight razor shaving, Chevy to see if they have a brush and mug set, but look elsewhere for your strop and razor. 3” strops have pretty much become a standard at this point, yes many still use 2.5” strops, but with a 3” blade why put the extra effort in.(Edit)After this review they did send me a 3” strop. So I will boost the star rating.

Very happy with this shave kit! I’m new to shaving with a straight razor and it was starting to look like it would be very expensive, not with this kit. When I received it, one item was broken, I believe it was because of my mailman jamming it in my mailbox though. I sent a message to the seller letting them know I would send a picture of the damage for them to replace the broken item. They immediately responded and said that’s not necessary and they would have a replacement in the mail that day. They did, and I am very happy with it. Like I said, I’m new to straight razor shaving, so I can’t compare with experience, but I love the kit, couldn’t buy the items anywhere individually for near the value, and the razor is great, I’ve shaved with it 3 times, have not cut myself and end up with a very close, smooth shave. So I I would say it’s definitely “shave ready”. Product is great, and so is the customer service

The blade came sharp but not shave ready. I am not sure of the quality of the metal as it seems to lose its ability to shave well about half way through my shave. I have considered stropping then resuming but it seems silly to have to do that. The pins that hold the two halves of the handle together have sharp edges and could have been more carefully crafted for the price. It would be a nice addition for the blade to have a finger notch for comfort or just more smoothed edges. I find stropping the blade is forming a callous on my finger due to the hard angles of the metal. Everything else in the kit is of good quality and the strop seems to do a good job on the blade. I recommend getting a good stone if you don't already have one.