Could This Be the Best Shaving Razor Ever Made?

[@darcyvariava81]

Boris is an amazing razor maker! I have a River Razor 14 with Tungsten Steel and it shaves like an absolute dream. His edges are phenomenal and he’s been very helpful in my honing journey as well. One of my favorite razors!

[@Martins-Shaves123]

I had one of Borris's first razors a copy of my Filly14 tridur....its in some strange rare tungsten steel , Boris now prefers the A1 you mentioned , he is a true fanatic and we love him dearly .....he will not rest to perfection in grinding and heat treatment is reached . My RiverRazor 14 was a stepping stone to the blade you now own Boris De Riviere is a modern master .

[@drmatt357]

He is. It’s nice to see young people like himself preserving this old world craftsmanship.

[@Martins-Shaves123]

@@drmatt357 Yes Matt ! Absolutely 💯 % .

[@goinhot1]

Hey Dr Matt where have you been??? This sounds awesome but what if we don’t know how to put a great edge on the razors? I’m a rookie of 3 years now lol and still don’t know?

[@buserror]

I have a RR razor, custom made with a bit of a smile (took a bit of convincing!). 8/8", 1/3, it's awesome, very elegant, beautiful construction, excellent shave. Go Boris! Also you should mention the pivot, that is AWESOME, it's not silly pin that loosen up, it's a bolt, it's great

[@NiclasGudmundsson]

Those that say the steel doesn't matter is very wrong. The steel makes the edge, that's it.

[@drmatt357]

You’re correct Nicolas. I was being kind. 😉

[@billm.2677]

After I saw the River Razors piece @Martins-Shaves123 got, I ordered one like it. Boris is able to highly customize in multiple styles, but I liked the traditional Palmera 14 type. He provided a card with specifications. Mine is extra hollow like a Palmera or Filarmonica 14. Made with 115CRV3 SilverSteel, hardened to 63 HRC. Without a doubt one of, if not the top shaver that I have. They will pry this one from my cold dead hands. Made by an exacting young craftsman. Thanks for showcasing.

[@drmatt357]

Thanks Max. I'm going to have to try one of his full hollows!!

[@ColinKnight]

Just got a Dr. Matt level edge with my ILR stone (complimented with the black Ark) and verified with the new scope. Wondering why I don't see you use your ILR in recent videos. Very interesting story! Thanks for letting us know about Boris.

[@drmatt357]

Thank you. I’ve done many ILR videos so I try and spread the love around.

[@TyghtAlso]

What is a Dr Matt level edge?

[@ColinKnight]

@@TyghtAlso Earlier this year I sent a razor to Dr. Matt. It came back with an edge that I've spent a lot of time trying to replicate. It took a lot of practice and weeding out a bad stone, but I think I'm there or close to it finally.

[@colofduty3836]

Please make a discord server! It's a shame that your great community doesn't have a place to discuss their vast wealth of knowledge. I can't seem to find anywhere with a specific focus on straight razors and honing.

[@drmatt357]

There’s Facebook groups and several forums like Badger and Blade.

[@Jay..potter..86]

Wow. I need to own one of these. Thanks for your input.

[@gmlover82]

Man, checked out the Facebook page and wow! He’s got some amazing looking razors.

[@koko4kosh960]

You have a link? searched multiple times and can't locate it.

[@jakubrzeszutek7528]

@@koko4kosh960 search this phrase and you will get a link: River-Razors-100078086469177

[@drmatt357]

Link for what?

[@drmatt357]

Indeed!

[@koko4kosh960]

@@drmatt357 the FB page. Searched that name and nothing comes up.

[@bobhorky1095]

Thanks for sharing. I’ll definitely have to check out Boris’s page.

[@davedeboer9368]

Hey Dr Matt great to see you back! Hope all is well. First off you do understand this Boris will covered up with Dr Matt fans like me, asking to buy a razor! lol I hope thats not a problem for him. Because I WANT one! I too have way too many rocks according to my wife. I just finished burnishing my black ark . Thanks for that vid! All i seem to have is restored ebay stuff, so its TIME for me to get something new and nice! Thanks again!

[@gordonchristie246]

Lovely razor Dr Matt, I love my full hollow River Razor 14 in silver steel. Boris's work is phenomenal. Would be great to see you put an edge on it and have your thoughts on what finisher you like best on that specific razor. I currently have a Naniwa 12k edge on mine roughly 15 strokes. Have a great week. Very best regards Gordon

[@drmatt357]

Send it. I’ll do a video sharpening it.

[@mackbooker8368]

Dr Matt! Thanks for sharing! I’m going to check it out! Best

[@judgetoogood1033]

Dr Matt, ordered my razor. I just saw this video. What type of scales are those? Yes it is hard to control the grain size of Martensitic structure. I wonder what the Rockwell hardness it is. Thanks…….

[@garyhaywood6013]

If you say it's good it must be . With your experience Matt that's says it all . I've seen boris work on his Facebook page and it does look very good

[@drmatt357]

Thank you Gary but you have to get one of his razors. It's next level shit!!!

[@darcyvariava81]

Agree Gary….enjoy watching both your channels and this review from Dr. Matt is spot on. I have a River Razor 14 with 130WCRV5 Tungsten steel and the edge it retains is simply terrific. Boris puts one damn fine edge on his razors. Definitely a worthy add to the collection.

[@chillaxe9603]

Great to see you, sick looking custom! Enjoy

[@catchacoolbreeze]

Do you know the Rockwell hardness? Max Sprecher uses o-1 too I think and cares a lot about heat treat.

[@jasonelwood4738]

How's the geometry? Wobble test? Did you need to do any flattening of the spine or edge? Definitely got me interested...would also be curious to see scratch patterns for this one

[@drmatt357]

Geometry was spot on. I have to believe his heat management prevents a lot of geometry issue that come from warping, twisting or bowing.

[@JT-nf9tk]

Hi Dr. Matt. I am glad you found a great razor maker. I am not looking to debate with you, but I find it hard to believe Boris' work is better than Max Sprecher's. Max has been making custom razors for many years and you infer that Boris beats him hands down. Again, I find that incredible. Anyway, thanks for sharing. Have a great week.

[@drmatt357]

Thanks for tuning in JT. I’ve featured a couple Sprecher razors on my channel and they are beautifully made. He is a perfectionist! But when it comes down to performance at the edge, this was a clear winner.

[@gregwright6281]

I wonder if it has to do with the grain structure being tighter and more uniform, on a microscopic level, so after putting a good edge on it, it will ultimately be more smooth against your skin than other razors

[@riverrazors7915]

That is the exact reason😉

[@drmatt357]

This is true but I've shaved with other 01 tool steel razors that have the same grain structure from the start or the chunk of steel. It's Boris's "Preservation" of that grain structure through his temp control/heat treating throughout the entire process that makes this the awesome shaver it is... IMO!!

[@wilfriedvomacka1783]

First!! Nice to see you again!

[@pauljohnson4948]

Oh no Dr Matt , you've made my RAD kick in again.😂😂😂😂

[@marcelom4132]

Great video ❤

[@lanceberry867]

Great Video Doc, this must be really something for you to rave about it. Good luck to him.

[@drmatt357]

It is!

[@RobertsClassicShave]

Very nice video! Boris is a great guy!

[@TonsorialVirtuoso09]

any price ranges you can share on RR razors?

[@Charlie-xs9kb]

Well done, and thank you Dr Matt!

[@bearlynormalwetshaver1894]

As so often is the case, you discover, enlighten and share great info.. Thank you as always. Its funny, I have not been jonesing for a new tool in my shed but if his skills and steel are producing quality that rivals anything you have used I am definitely intrigued.

[@drmatt357]

Thanks Doug. Funny you say that. I don’t think I bought a new razor in a few years myself.

[@jpo31]

I have wanted one of his razors for a while now. Thanks for taking the time to give him the credit he deserves. Do you know what hardness these razor are heat treated to? Any details of what is involved in the heath threat and tempering (cryogenic quench or oil etc.)? How does this particular 01 tool steel differ from your typical Böker? I have a love hate relationship with 01 tool steel. However, they can give and hold a good edge if the heat threat is good, and if they are honed right.

[@drmatt357]

I don't know but if Boris reads these, he can answer.

[@michaelshults7675]

I had them privilege of shaving with one of his razors, from a friend. Very nice shaver. Lol i did not want to send my friend his razor back 😮!

[@RobertsClassicShave]

Steel is very important!

[@santanarulez]

Have you ever tried Yurii Kravchenko razors?

[@drmatt357]

I have. There are a couple of videos on my channel featuring them.

[@JohnHartConductor]

Very cool Dr. Matt - your testimonial carries a lot of weight, so now I’m picking up your energy. Can I ask, of the different edges you’ve put on it, which did you like most?

[@drmatt357]

Good question J. I’ve used it with an Ark, JNAT and even a synthetic. All were great. I believe the Ark is on there now.

[@drakulie]

Thanks for the info!!!

[@simmysharma6845]

Looks like a great discovery 👍

[@drmatt357]

Yes it was

[@HDShaves]

Hey Dr Matt! What part of Chicago are you from?

[@drmatt357]

Originally south side, Markette Park area then moved to the south suburbs, Chicago Heights.

[@HDShaves]

@@drmatt357 Very cool! I teach just up the road from Chicago Heights at South Suburban College in South Holland 🤓

[@johnnyboydianno]

That's awesome doc

[@drmatt357]

Thank you Johnny B.!

[@SymbiosisDenizen]

So cool to find the diamonds in the world.

[@davidhoeppner8346]

Your back !!! Quick question how is it next to hart steel

[@drmatt357]

Good question. First, the Hart is not 01 tool steel. IMO the Harts have dropped off but it’s their heat treating that is the problem I believe. So this is way ahead of Hart… even in their glory days.

[@davidhoeppner8346]

I’m confused off their web page The Hart Steel blades are made from 0-1 tool steel, never old forgings or “mystery metal”. The blades are surface-ground before and after heat-treating in a molten salt bath. The salt protects the blades from decarbonization and oxidation. The blades are then frozen in liquid nitrogen, which assures dimensional stability. Each blade is triple-tempered for a final hardness of 62 - 63 HRC.

[@alexandrl.246]

Great story, now I follow Boris on FB

[@jmproductions7041]

I've been on the wall between one of these and a koraat for a few months now. Any thoughts on the two?

[@drmatt357]

It's in the title or wait for my next video.

[@trollmcclure1884]

I wonder what the HRC is. No one ever knows. This market is so niche that you just dont get the same standard as in knife market. I'm still waiting for a razor in supersteel. O1 is nothing to write home about. Does he have a forge? These bars use to come annealed. Maybe he can order hardened bars but if not then it's too soft. You need to get it to temperature and air-quench it in a wise etc.

[@drmatt357]

Yeah, I don't know what any of those things are you mentioned but you can contact Boris on FB messenger or by email.

[@joshwright9202]

This young man, does he come from a family of razor makers and is he combining old world techniques with modern alloys and technology and or do you think the difference is solely based on his methods of heat control?

[@drmatt357]

I don't think his family does it. I don't know enough of old world VS new but the heat management is a huge part.

[@ramonmurillo167]

Hey Doc. Did Boris put an edge on the razor or did you do it?

[@drmatt357]

Great question Ramon and I meant to address it but with my CRS... I put my own edge on it because I wanted to eliminate the edge itself as a variable if that makes sense.

[@danielmahoney2456]

Dr. Matt, what would you say the average price for a custom razor would be. The price you gave for this one seems reasonably inexpensive. He quoted me on one for around the same price.

[@noahkraft6453]

How much are they

[@danielmahoney2456]

@@noahkraft6453 the one quoted to me was just under $400

[@seanstapelfeld]

We want a shaving video with this razor Dr Matt!

[@drmatt357]

LOL! This was supposed to be a shaving video Sean but as I got going, I couldn’t concentrate on shaving and it was a mess. I will do an upcoming shaving and sharpening of a Boris razor.

[@seanstapelfeld]

@@drmatt357 Hell yeah! ever since I found your channel ive been addicted. Started straight razor shaving because of you

[@drmatt357]

@@seanstapelfeld - that’s great to hear. I hope you’re not married… it would just be another wife who hates me!😎

[@seanstapelfeld]

@@drmatt357 Damn, you really know your people. Shes already saying, "why are you buying so many rocks to sharpen your knife" and "why do you watch that guy shave all day"

[@drmatt357]

@@seanstapelfeld 😂😂😂OMG I’m dying over here!!! You just made my night!😆😂🤣

[@LandlordTray]

Ware can I buy?

[@drmatt357]

All contact info. is in the description

[@edwardkurek5355]

How about a link?

[@drmatt357]

A link to what?

[@davethe-bear9923]

You gonna make a Shane video with it? Please.

[@drmatt357]

Stay tuned…

[@frankmertens6430]

Then I was onlucky, I had a razor from him and the geometrics where off. That’ was in the beginning of his career.

[@drmatt357]

Send it to me and I’ll fix it or get you another one.

[@frankmertens6430]

@@drmatt357 I traded it for anathor razor with someone else. The guy sold it immediately to.

[@PeterEndelt]

👍👍👍

[@arhit3cht]

Is he Boris from Russia?

[@diavalus]

How you got to that? He’s from France.

[@drmatt357]

@@diavalus - LOL! I think from the Boris and Natasha cartoon back in the 60s. They were the Russian antagonists on Rocky and Bullwinkle. 😆