Why not get the Dovo honed properly and find out whether you really like straight razor shaving. I recommend you practice on what you have first before starting to spend a lot of money. Dovos are well made razors and perfect for starters. The Forestal is a fancy Dovo to boot.
Seeing that you are from Las Vegas you have a golden opportunity to talk this over with Maximillian who is located there also. This would be my suggestion.
Benz and Kees offer sound advice.
Get the Dovo properly honed by Max and go from there.
Apart from your personal preferences, the Aust razors are great shavers. Coming from SRD, Lynn will have them shave ready and wonderful on your skin.
Thank you for your advice. I figure that I would like straight razor shaving because I currently use a Parker shavette to shave. Before that I used a weck sextoblade. Even though I don't get bbs shaves from them, I figure the traditional straight razor would be better as I always hear they are smoother and cover more area. I will definately get my forestal honed. I just figured I would like a larger blade based on my shavettes and feel/look of my dovo. Also, I can't really talk to Maximillian in person because he lives in an area I don't have easy access to.
I have 3 Ralf Aust razors: 5/8 Round Pt w/Olivewood scales; 6/8 Spanish Pt w/Bocote scales and 6/8 french Pt, worked spine w/Black Horn with white streaks. All are expertly made, precision blade grinds. Topnotch fit and finish. All are great shavers but each has distinct features. My 5/8 Round Pt & 6/8 Spanish Point both fairly thin blades, almost Extra Hollow. The Spanish Point is not a square spike point but actually has a rounded tip for safer close shaving under nose, etc. The 6/8 French Point has a slightly rounded tip.
IMO Ralf Aust delivers more excellent craftsmanship, quality and performance for the money than any other new razor brand name company. Their thin blade grinds are second to none, new or vintage razors.
Good call on the Aust razor. They are indeed one of, if not the best, production razors available. I have a couple and purchased one directly from Herr Aust and another from SRD.
Both were exactly what I wanted and expected. That being said....
The Superior Shave in Jacksonville, FL offers the exact service you are asking for. Jarrod photographs every razor he sells individually and you pick what you like. He also carries Boker razors which are right up there with Aust blades. Definitely worth a look.
You can always contact Don at SRD and talk to him. He can order what you want form Aust or you can order directly through Aust. Ordering through SRD is easier though if you are in the states.
Also agree with The poster that said TSS has some nice wood scaled NTS razors which are nice
Wood scales on production razors are generally thicker than their plastic and horn counterparts. To get the thinness you desire you may have to do some work or have it done for you. Also you are limited in the type of wood that can use that is strong and flexible enough to go thin.
If you are using a Shavette, you will need to re-learn to use the real straight razor. I usually recommend starting from the beginning shaving just from one sideburn to the jaw on that side and building from there.
Have fun.
Thanks for the suggestions. What is the opinion on worked spines like the snakewood one and stropping and honing? I would prefer.not to tape when strolling. Would that damage my strop?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponypox
Ok after this post and the PM I understand what you are asking :)
Worked spine razors VERY rarely cause scratches on the strop,, Every now and then you will read about one that has a sharp edge from the file work left on there. It honestly take mere seconds of work with some high grit Sandpaper to smooth that off or if the razor is honed without tape it will smooth it right up also.. It is a rare occurrence in the first place, and a simple easy fix if it does occur :)
There is no issue with a worked spine and honing, unless it is with the hands doing the honing :p
Thanks for all the good info. It seems that Ponypox and I have similar taste. I just received the Ralf Aust Snakewood French Point razor and I have the African Blackwood Spanish Point on order. I'll be getting a round point Brian Brown --also with wood scales--as well just to round out (no pun intended) the collection. I'll be stropping and shaving with them soon.
Good luck on keeping the RAD in check!
RAD has already bitten them, they just don't know it yet...........but they will soon!
I purchased the Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point African Blackwood while visiting Don Alderman at Imperial Shaving in Medina, OH. It is a wonderful razor in both appearance and shave quality.
For anyone within a day trip of Medina (south of Cleveland), I recommend you stop by to see Don and have him fix you up with a new razor, strop, soap, aftershave, etc. He offers a wide selection. If you cannot get there, then the SRD web site will do.
BTW, African Blackwood is sometimes called Grenadilla or Grenadille. It is the wood from which clarinets are produced. You will find scales listed under any of those names.
The primary difference between the two razors you are considering is the worked spine. If you love the appearance of the worked spine and can afford the price, go for it. However, if you want to save some money to spend on your next razor acquisition, then buy the less expensive one. Your shaving experience will be similar with either razor.
I have a Dovo Bismark that was not quite shave ready when I purchased it. I got it from SRD and Lynn offered to rehone it, but I was able to get it shave ready with a few x-strokes on my finishing hone. Although Dovo claims their razors are shave ready from the factory, many folks do not agree. Get it properly honed.
As you get deeper into the hobby, you might want to develop some honing skills of your own. That is not necessary at this point in your journey.
Your Dovo is 5/8" and the RA razors you are looking at are 6/8". That is a matter of preference. I have a couple of 5/8" vintage razors, but they are too light for my liking. I much prefer 6/8" and 7/8" razors. My latest acquisition is 15/16", just shy of 1". I love the bigger, heavier blades. Many of the experienced members here tend to prefer the larger blades. Thus, adding a 6/8" to your budding collection will help define your preferences.
Toe styles are also a matter of preference. I have every style other than a true spike point. My spike is just slightly past square. Personally, I love Spanish points, Barber notches, and Irish points, in that order, but your preferences my differ. Some people routinely perform surgery on their ear lobes when they shave. If you have that issue, you might want to stay with a round point until your shaving technique improves. However, it is possible to round off (ease) the very tip of any point shape if you like the appearance, but not the nicks.
Stropping on leather does tend to round off the very edge of the razor, making for a smoother shave. But it will only dull the edge if you apply too much pressure to the edge and round over the fins. Make sure you flip the blade over the spine and keep the spine in contact with the strop at all times. Watch several YouTube videos on stropping. Use only enough pressure to keep both the spine and the edge in contact with the strop. Do not try to apply extra pressure by pushing down on the razor.
When I first started, I found the stropping/flipping movement to be awkward. I wanted to hold the razor, lift the blade off the strop and flip over the edge. Howard Schlecter of The Perfect Edge has a video in which he uses that type of stropping motion. That may work with knives but it is not good for razors. Do not do what he does; learn to do it properly. Once you do, the motions will become embedded in muscle memory and you won't even have to think about it.