Thread: Need Help and knowledge!

Hi I just bought my first cut throat razor, a Dovo from ebay. DOVO SATIN FINISH STAINLESS RAZOR - NEW - No Reserve! - eBay (item 390030770450 end time Feb-19-09 10:28:36 PST)


Thought it looked nice but now I'm questioning if I should have paid so much for my first plus I don't have a strop or hone as I'm currently lookin for one that is good and reasonably priced! Did I pay too much and will I need to sanitize/ disinfect it when it arrives as I'm very nervous since it's not sealed. Will it need to be sharpened by a professional as I remember reading somewhere to always pay for the extra service if avalaible? In my case I'll have to send it to some place like classicshaving right? Thanks for any help I'm such a newbie from eh?!

BTW I'm a Canadian with very little facial hair at the moment so I figured it would be good to start now!

Originally Posted by stainer3

Hi I just bought my first cut throat razor, a Dovo from ebay. DOVO SATIN FINISH STAINLESS RAZOR - NEW - No Reserve! - eBay (item 390030770450 end time Feb-19-09 10:28:36 PST)


Thought it looked nice but now I'm questioning if I should have paid so much for my first plus I don't have a strop or hone as I'm currently lookin for one that is good and reasonably priced! Did I pay too much and will I need to sanitize/ disinfect it when it arrives as I'm very nervous since it's not sealed. Will it need to be sharpened by a professional as I remember reading somewhere to always pay for the extra service if avalaible? In my case I'll have to send it to some place like classicshaving right? Thanks for any help I'm such a newbie from eh?!

BTW I'm a Canadian with very little facial hair at the moment so I figured it would be good to start now!

Nice looking razor! And I'm not sure if you are asking if you paid too much for that one or too much for your "first" blade...but the answer is no.

If it as the ad says "new - unused" then I wouldn't worry too much about the disinfecting part (do a search and you will find lots of info on that subject) but I'd venture a guess that you would definitely want to have it professionally honed. I've never seen a new out the box Dovo that was anywhere close to shave ready.

you are definitely going to want to get that professionally honed

Well, the price was pretty good, I believe. Normally SS Dovos seem to fetch at least 150 bucks. The seller's feedback score looks good on other razors they have sold, so it could be that they are a competent honer.

As for disinfecting, I wouldn't worry if they say that it's new. The blade is stainless, so if your worried about it give it a bit of alcohol.

If you want to check to see if it's shave ready your best bet is to strop it, pluck a hair off your head and do the Hanging Hair Test. If it passes, it's at least fairly close to being a shaver.

If it fails, you can look for a Canadian who can hone to avoid border delays. Where abouts in Canada are you from?

As long as you like your new blade, it does not really matter how much you pay, right? To be honest with you, I have not seen one that looks like that but I have not seen every razor. I sort of like it. I think that you could have paid around the same amount for the "current" (I mean the ones that you seen in every store) Dovo models. Antibacterial soap works well for desinfecting the razor. Avoid booiling or harsh solvents because they can damage the scales (handles). And yeah, get it honed by a pro. You can find them in the classified section under member services. I think that floppyshoes , a member here, operates on the other side of the border. Also, you need a strop, both Tony Miller and Straight Razor Designs have the prettiest ones I have seen for sale. Seasoned members sometimes say that people starting out should not spend a lot of money on a strop as it is likely to receive some beating while the technique develops. You also need a brush (badger is preferred but any would do) and some soap (I leave this one for you to decide since this is pretty personal. For learning the basics of shaving technique and other general questions I recommend taking a look at the wiki here:

Main Page - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Good luck and happy shaving... ;-)

Al raz.

I have to say... I think it would be best to actually ascertain whether or not the blade is currently shave ready before assuming it needs to be honed before a professional, especially if he's worried about money.

Just because we have all be burned at some point or other on a blade does not mean we automatically need to assume an eBay seller does not know how to hone. :P

Welcome to SRP ! Looks to me like a decent deal on that razor especially if it is really shave ready. In looking at his other completed auctions I see that he sells cheap razors as well and he does not say they are shave ready. That seems to me to be a good sign.

While you are waiting for your new razor if you want to do some homework to prepare then check out this post by SRP founder Lynn Abrams. It will get you started off on the right foot. Here are some videos and here is the SRP Wiki. Go there and scroll down for tutorials on what you will need to know to shave with and maintain your razor.

Here is the member's services where you will find members who hone razors. If I were you I would post something like "Any Honemiesters In Canada". There may be someone near you who can hone your razors and show you the ropes so you can eventually do your own if you so desire.

Originally Posted by Cobo

I have to say... I think it would be best to actually ascertain whether or not the blade is currently shave ready before assuming it needs to be honed before a professional, especially if he's worried about money.

Unfortunately I wouldn't know how he can do this without having somebody with experience look at it. I don't think money is a big problem for him, as he just spent three times what he could've spent for a nice razor that functions just as well.

Originally Posted by Cobo

Just because we have all be burned at some point or other on a blade does not mean we automatically need to assume an eBay seller does not know how to hone. :P

And yes, the razor may be shave-ready out of the box, but I'm pretty sure that'll be a fluke since all these razors seem to be just coming from the manufacturer. If the seller had somebody hone them post factory he'll most definitely mention this - he sells plenty and his listings are detailed.

Paying for honing is more than worth the alternative, which is trying to shave with a dull razor. I've seen several brand new Dovos and I wouldn't advise anybody to try shaving with them as it will be dangerous. It's not a matter of being burned every now and then by the factory shipping out subpar edges, it's the opposite, getting a decent edge from them is the rare exception.

Floppyshoes offers honing and he's in Montreal. This will probably work better than sending it back to US.

I've got the last model of that in polished. It was my first razor too. They cost £120 new here, so don't worry about the price you paid.
Email the seller. He states "shave ready". Ask him if he's honed it, or if it's as it was straight from the factory. If it's straight from the factory, get it honed.
You can get it honed in Canada by floppyshoes.
Honing and Restoration Services (CANADA) - Straight Razor Place Classifieds