Thread: Double Arrow

DA's are the new wapis.

The scales are bad, but the steel is nice. Here's my feeble attempt at rescaling mine.

Just got one today from the guy on Ebay....Very disappointing...The thing was soaked and covered in oil. As I was removing it from the little plastic case, the scales fell apart...Even the blade was as dull as a plastic knife...I'm not impressed at all...

Originally Posted by Dups

Just got one today from the guy on Ebay....Very disappointing...The thing was soaked and covered in oil. As I was removing it from the little plastic case, the scales fell apart...Even the blade was as dull as a plastic knife...I'm not impressed at all...

Oh dear, I have 2 on order from him. I knew the scales are nasty but read the steel was good, and at the price they really have to be worth it. I expect I will hone the living daylights out of them as practice/tests. Not sure what to do about the scales, replacements would cost more than the razors, I might do something "innovative."

I purchased one from KenRup. He puts a great edge on the balde. Also according to his posts he fixes whatever needs fixin. I believe the money he charges is well worth it. I have used the razor several times and am a nebie at str8s, but no complaints at this time.

Originally Posted by Dups

Just got one today from the guy on Ebay....Very disappointing...The thing was soaked and covered in oil. As I was removing it from the little plastic case, the scales fell apart...Even the blade was as dull as a plastic knife...I'm not impressed at all...

Wipe the oil off and sharpen it - mine came neither dry nor shave ready but they easily took an edge. See how it goes

Wow so many different opinions about these poor razors...I personally shave daily with mine. Yes the scales need to be replaced, but they cover the blade when not in use, isn't that their job. Also, just a little bit on the hone and a good stropping and it works great. Also its sold as a "stainless" but i accidentally left mine on the bathroom counter one day and returned to a very slight surface rust spots. but overall a very good buy for that price.

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

For that price you really can't complain. The gentleman may have over done it with the oil but at least he did oil it. Razors seldom come shave ready off eBay and AFAIK that seller doesn't advertise as shave ready, or at least he didn't used to.
For the scales, you could get in touch with Kenrup to see how he fixes his. If yours are actually broken you can get a replacement set relatively cheap, contact floppyshoes to set you up with some nice scales.
Theres also a number of threads about DA's which you could read and learn some interesting stuff about them.

I've been meaning to order one for a long time now as the blades have good reputations here and all it needs is a light honing. Better than paying out $10 for a vintage one that still needs new scales and about 20 some odd hours hand sanding to get it looking new again.

I got one. The seller was very candid--he said it was not shave ready, and that the scales are crap, but the steel is fine. He also recommended me directly to Kenrup for further info...all around, can't complain.

The razor was, indeed, well oiled and I would say that, from stropping it on CrO2, linen and leather, it was shaving as well as the Kropp I messed up--not great, but certainly no like a butterknife.

To be honest, I prefer the look of the blade on teh DA to the Kropp...the half-hollow appeals to me, I think. I've got plans for this guy...

New Update:

I spent some time on the hones and pasted strop before trying the razor. Overall the shave was OK but it made it a bit more difficult since I had to hold what's left of the scale together while I was shaving. I understand that the razor is not meant to be a fancy one but I still expect the thing to be in one piece when you FIRST take it out of the package. The pins are absolutely horrible and it doesn't center at all. I might just follow people's suggestions and get news scales for it.

I really wish we had a better name for these razors. The original Double Arrow is not good at all.

I am constantly searching for new entry level razors that are inexpensive and quality. The Double Arrows and Wapencia razors are the only ones to date that meet my standards. I agree with everybody that the scales are abysmal. I do sell many of these razors each month and the variations of the quality of the scales is usually bad to worse. Rarely are the scales aligned in the vertical little lone on the horizontal. The pivot pin is rarely perpendicular to the blade. However; the blade is consistent. I usually buff the blade to at least to give it a better appearance. There is a lot of detail work that I do to these razors and I have had to repin a number of them. I am very pleased with the service it gives. I offer a three month hone warranty with these razors and I have had only a handful come back for warranty honing. It is true that it does not shave like my Livi but it does give a good shave. I would not get too upset if I drop a double arrow. Not so with my Livi.

Hey Kenrup,

Do you think that a Dovo replacement scale would fit on this puppy? I'm not looking for anything fancy just something to protect the blade.

JF