Since advertised shave as ready, I shaved today with my new razor straight out of the box. Although it did shave, it was not as close as the entry level razor I have been using. I actually re-shaved with my entry level razor and got a much better shave. I suspect that although the Ralf Aust razor is advertised as shave ready, I should have still stropped it before shaving. I will find out tomorrow with shave #2. The Ralf Aust razor certainly appears to be much higher quality than my entry level razor. The fit and finish and quality of the wood scales is far superior. Also, the steel appears to be better as well, however the Ralf Aust isn’t stainless steel like my entry level razor.