Dovo kit - razor not exactly "shave ready" out of the box

Hi all,

Very new to straight razor shaving here!;)

I bought this Dovo kit from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. The components are really nice and seem to be high quality. The razor is a Col. Ichabod Conk (Dovo Solinger - made in Germany), so I should assume it's high quality too. I have seen people comment about the differences from a "real" Dovo and it seems there is little or none.

My doubt, however, is just that the razor does not seem to be as sharp as a Parker shavette I bought a month ago (seems to be going well with Shark blades). I managed to strop the Dovo razor quite well and could get a nice shave out of it (No nicks on the first shave ;)) but I could tell the parker was a tad smoother as I had to put on a little bit more of pressure with the Dovo. I did the arm hair test only to confirm this. So, do you think this brand new razor needs honning? If so, where could I find good quality stones for a reasonable price?

Very much appreciated.

Offroad

You don't need hones right now you need to have it honed by someone who knows how , then learn to shave well with it, most blades off the internet are not shave ready, unless you get it from a source that actually hones them before sending out,, once you have it honed for you then you will know what shave ready is , then it's up to your technique and stropping. By the way having it honed is a lot cheaper than hones and you don't need to do full honing very often,, only some refreshes Good luck. Tc

Welcome to Straight Razor Place!
Razors from the factory are usually not considered shave ready. Yours probably does need to be honed by a pro before it will give you consistent good shaves. Check out the members services here in the SRP classifieds. Most people are cautioned about trying to learn to shave and hone at the same time.

Welcome to SRP!
A brand new "shave ready" Dovo is not "face ready". At best it has been sharpened to the 4k level and your prefer for it to be sharpened to the 10k or higher level. If you can pass it about 1/4" off of your arm and cut hanging hairs then it is starting to get sharp enough to shave with. To hone it yourself would take another $100 or more in hones (probably more like $200). Check the classified section under member services, I think honings are running around $25 plus shipping.

Make sure you check out the Beginners Information in the Library.

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the prompt response.

You know, I was doing some math here and came to think that it might be less expensive to hone it myself.
The razor is not dull, at all, but it's not as sharp as I would expect it to be. So I think I'll just order a 4k/8k stone off Amazon and should be good to go on my own and enjoy the full experience.

I think I can get like one more month of shave the way it is now, by the time it starts pulling, I should have learned a bit more from the tutorials and U-tube videos.

Learning the techniques is as enjoyable as shaving itself.

Offroad

Good luck. Let us know how it goes. Don't use the 4k. Use only the 8k and a little patience.

Oh yea, getting into honing will be cheaper!! Have fun tc

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Oh yea, getting into honing will be cheaper!! Have fun tc

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Said by many. Proven by few

Offroad,

Some considerations to keep in mind:

1. The shavette, using machine-made blades with various coating, will always seem to shave sharper than the traditional straight razor. In the hands of a pro, however, the straight razor matches the shavette's edge in sharpness and is more forgiving.

2. Before attempting your own honing, I suggest having the Dovo honed by a professional first to establish the standard for how the edge should feel.

3. Yes, honing your skill with the traditional straight razor should be your first consideration. Through that skill, you will eventually develop your own technique.

4. How well do you strop? This is an important question, because proper stropping is an essential component of shaving with the traditional straight razor.

5. I have yet to shave with a new straight razor and be satisfied with the factory edge. Perhaps others do, but I do not. If your straight razor is not as sharp as you feel it should be, I would not spend another month shaving with the same edge. Shaving with a mediocre edge saps some of the joy of straight razor shaving. Have it honed by a professional before your next shave. Might as well start on the right foot.

Either way, welcome to the world of the traditional straight razor. You will never look back.

Welcome to SRP
Many razors that are supposed to be shave ready aren't! Like the others have said, it would be best if you send it out to a pro such as Lynn or gssixgun or one of the others in the classifieds here to get it honed professionally. You'll be happy you did plus you'll see how a freshly honed & stropped razor feels like compared to when you first shaved with it. Of course it's unfortunate that you have to spend possibly another $20 shipping included to get it honed but the difference will be rewarding. You might eventually want to buy you a spare straight razor for when you do send one out to be honed so you won't be w/o one but you'll have one. A straight razor when honed & stropped correctly will be the smoothest shave you will ever have & the closest. Get on eBay & find you a second vintage razor or even buy yourself another new one & you'll be glad you did. Start watching the honing videos & learn to strop well & you'll be set. Stropping is very important & one bad stroke can dull your razor so find an old belt of you don't have a strop yet & practice with a butter knife. You don't want to buy a nice strop & end up cutting it because it is easily done. I know, I did it when I first started shaving with a straight & many others have done it as well. I used rubber cement to glue the piece back down if it was still hanging on. follow these simple procedures & you will be good to go but be careful not to cut a new strop once you get one if you already don't have one. That is why they say to roll the razor on it's spine. That prevents you from cutting your strop but it still can easily be cut but not as likely. Have fun & ask questions if you aren't sure. We're here to help you out whenever you need it.

If you are determined to ignore the advice of everyone and hone it yourself, then order a 12k stone as well and some CrOx for a pasted strop. An 8k hone is still pretty rough.