Thread: So how 'bad' are shave-ready factory Dovo's?

Hi TSasser,

Thanks for the link, I already looked at SRD but the shipping to NL easily adds 34$ to the price(the cost of the set doesn't justify the cost of shipping for me).

I looked at the invisible edge website, but the site doesn't look trustworthy(but I could be totally wrong and morty1 right).

So(for now) I'll try my luck with the classifieds.

With regards to The Invisible Edge, I've bought a load of kit from them from razors to a full set of Naniwa stones. Steve's shipping is very fast and his customer service is excellent! He's a member here as well and goes by the name blueprinciple.

I'd highly recommend him..!

I reiterate exactly what stubear says,you'll have no problems using the invisible edge & steve is always there for advice and help.

I know anything over $100 is free shipping within the ConUS. Wasn't sure about anywere else.

I got my first razor (a dovo) from SRD, pre sharpened by Lynn. The more I see posts by people who did not get a shave ready razor to start out, the more I realize what a good move that was.

BrickBag,

+1 on Mr Dempster of www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk.

His honing is excellent.

You could also try Mr Miller of www.strop-shop.co.uk.

He does an excellent job of honing too.

Both are fine chaps to do business with, and I highly recommend them

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by BrickBag

Hi,

As newbie I am currently looking for my first real straight razor(I have been using a filarmonica with half DE blades in them) and I an looking to buy a beginners razor(perhaps in a set with a strop and some other things) and I was wondering how bad a new Dovo(or thiers-assard for that matter) blade is honed(and if a newbie will notice) compared to a blade from(for example) the classifieds section.

The wiki warns about 'shave ready' factory razors. But I'd love to know if any one has some experience with them.

Thanks!

Well the idea of honemaster and shave ready is sort of new.
If you bought a razor back in the '70s like some of us you get
a factory edge that starts out sharp and seems hard to maintain
at first.

Back in the '70 my first Swedish razor started out sharp and was
decent. But honing took a lot of visits to my Coticule before
it took. i.e. the bevel was not well set.

The same was true for my other older razors (Dovo and TI)... Out of the box
whey would shave OK but maintaining them was tough because
the factory bevel and what a user needs are often not the same. Eventually
they would all come home (weeks).

Hidden in here was a diversion into hone lapping. I never lapped
my Coticule. When I got a Norton combo the mismatch in
surface contour of my old Coti and the new Norton made me doubt
the value of my Norton. Then I "learned" to lap my hones flat
only to find that all my razors were "out of tune" and required work.

At this point all the moving parts are matched and mate with each other
and getting a good shaving edge is less of a challenge and almost
easy.

So out of the box not so bad but six weeks later you will
struggle to hone it back to snuff. Six more weeks with
a finishing hone and it will likely come to you ...

So a shave ready blade makes the weeks of "worry honing"
go away and establishes a "shavers bevel" that can be
maintained with a 4/8K or 3/8K combo and finish tuned up
to deluxe with a modern 12K hone.

Summary: Start with a shave ready, maintain with
a flat lapped hone set. Perhaps a 4/8K or 3/8K combo
water stone and if you need that extra bit of smoothness invest in
a finisher hone like the Na12K superstone.

Remember that the razor touches your strop and face each
time you use it so the strop should be a quality one. Canvas
plus leather is a good thing.

Hi brickbag,

I have to agree with the others. Steve at The Invisible Edge is a great guy, very easy to deal with and his razors come shave ready.

I got a TI Spartacus from him and it shaved great straight out of the box. I also sent him a Cyril R Salter (on the avoid list here) to be honed as it was not shave ready when I got it, and have to say it shaves great since.

Being in NL you could try Martin at www.rasurpur.de

I got a TI Le Grelot from him and again out of the box it shaved great.

I have 2 Dovo's that I got from Lynn in SRD a Bismarck and a Bergisher Lowe. Both are nice razors but I have to admit I prefer the TI's. I find they give me a better shave.

Either way if you get a razor from Steve or Martin they will be shave ready and you will be happy with the service from them.

Stuart.

Thank you all for every link, tip and website recommendation, I'll keep them in mind for future shopping. Now I really feel ready to start shaving and collecting. I bought this razor from Stubear as my first razor. And I'm gonna order a Dovo strop with leather and canvas.

I'll make a post when I've had my first shave with a real straight .

That's a perty razor !!

Don't forget to enjoy your first shave. Even if it probably won't be a "good" shave (You'll experience some pulling, some scraping, maybe even a nick), remember that you're using a beautiful tool with lots of history behind it. Not to mention it's pretty bad ass to put a piece of steel that's as sharp as a scalpel to your face.

After a while, you'll be getting the best shaves of your life. And for some reason, the next shave will be better than the one before. The trick is to just keep at it until you get addicted (which isn't very long...)

Good luck !