Barely have a clue what im doing, but im pretty excited anyway.

Hello everyone!! Its my very first post. I've been really interested in getting into straight razor shaving for a few months. I think i got a little too anxious and went out and got some Proraso from Bath&Body Works, then i wandered around the mall for a couple hours trying to find a shaving brush. I managed to find what looked like a nice badger hair brush at a Shapiro. When i asked the guy at the store "sir? could you tell be what kind of a bristle this is?":hmmm: He had no idea, but upon inspection of the box, i found a sticker that said it was badger hair. It sounded good to me, so i got it.

I realize that I probably would have been better off ordering one online from a more credible place but i couldn't help myself! I was really anxious!

I think I've decided to get an apprentice strop. They look pretty nice and like they will work pretty well for someone who's just getting started.

So now I'm in the market for a razor i was looking at the vintage blades site and ran into this one:
Vintage*Blades*LLC*::*Dovo...

Drool... sooo pretty. Just looking at it makes me anxious to start shaving some serious face hair!

Considering i don't have a clue what I'm doing yet, I'd like to get get peoples opinions of this razor and whether or not they think it would cause me problems considering I'm just starting and really don't have a clue what I'm doing yet. I just really like it!

It says its a full hollow. From looking around the forum it seems that a lot of people prefer something closer to a 1/2? What are the advantages and disadvantages of various... uhhh hollowings? Anyway, you know what i mean.

So, I'm really excited about this,. in case you all couldn't tell. I cant wait to start rocking the straight razor! :y

Welcome, to SRP, Aaron! I understand your excitement. I've just gotten into the whole str8 shaving thing in the past couple of months, and I'm really enjoying it. Sounds like you have a good start on your gear. By apprentice strop, I assume you mean one of Tony Miller's? You can't go wrong there. I don't have one, but his strops are highly regarded around him. (I'm actually lusting after one of his artisan red latigo straps right now. :hmmm:)

That ebony Dovo is a beauty! I'll let others comment on the grind, but I don't think you could go wrong with this one. Fine looking blade.

If you haven't heard yet, tonight is a kind of special night here at SRP. We will be trying to break the previous record for number of members signed on at once. It goes from 9 to 10 pm EST. There will be a live podcast and a raffle for some nice gear. So, you might want to register as a member and drop back in at 9---you may win a razor and not "have" to buy the Dovo. :rolleyes:

Anyway, welcome!

Payne

Welcome Aaron,

Your on a big long roller coaster of fun!

I've got probably 50 working razors, 3of them are Dovos and all 3 sit in a prominent place on the shelf, from the low end up Dovo is a good razor. I know its hard but with a little patience you can look around and get more opinions and sources for razors. Nothing wrong with vintage Blades, but it might be smart to take a deep breath and let it out sloooow. Hope you are around tonite for the record breaker and meet some of the guys.

I like that Dovo as well and I did not buy my first straight razor yet either. Any other opinions on that one would be helpfull.

TM:thinking:

I did the straight razor shaving back in 2005. One day while preparing for work, I let my mind wander for a nano second and cut a patch of skin from my jawline. Later that week I lost my night job; however the WORST thing that happened was when a good ebay Wade&Butcher 6/8 arrived in 5 shattered pieces. USPS sometimes fails. It failed that tme. The package had fork truck or conver drive marks! No more straight razor shaves. I sold all my razors & stuff and gave it up. I AM BACK INTO THE RAZOR WORLD AGAIN! Thanks all for inviting me to rejoin the group and getting me back into something that I really enjoyed. I learned a lot about metals, abrasives, and best of all the experiences (good & bad) of the fellow members. Accruing the clues is the most fun of all! Exciting indeed. timberrr59

aaron,

Jim Ayars of Vintage Blades says that he looked at both DOVO and Thiers Issard and chose DOVO based on their tighter quality control (and this may be among other considerations). I'd like to throw out another consideration: Vintage*Blades*LLC*::*Dovo...

If the link doesn't work, this is the DOVO Special 6/8 with the fake tortise scales. While I freely admit to being a razor junkie and one with extremely fickle affections, this razor will always be among my favorites. It hones well, shaves well and looks really good. Until one gets into significantly pricier razors, I think this razor's scales look really, really good. I'm also a fan of the 6/8 size over the 5/8. I think the razor handles better for my hands and face: both a bit bigger than average. And the bigger size holds more used lather, which means I don't have to rinse/wipe the blade as often as I would with a smaller blade. The size thing may be affected by one's having to trim around moustaches and other facial hair where a smaller razor may be more maneuverable, which is not a problem for me as I've chosen the clean shaven look.

good luck, good shaving,

+1 I am a fan of the 6/8 Dovo Special with faux tortise scales.

I started using a straight in January and my first was from Vintage Blades. I got it pre-honed (by Lynn) and I would recommend the pre-honed option. That way you can learn the shaving first and know what a well honed blade should feel like. You can learn the honing after you get comfortable with the shaving.

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By apprentice strop, I assume you mean one of Tony Miller's?

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Yes. It looks like a pretty good option. Also the fact that i won't have to install a hook in my apartment for it is appealing.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I have decided that i will definitely go with the pre-honed option. I'll let you all know what i finally end up getting. I should have everything ordered by tomorrow.

I've tried the Dovo special and it's a really good razor. I do prefer natural materials for scales, so the one you are considering certainly wins on that aspect and it does have 'fancier' decorations, but I have never tried it. You probably figured out that 1/2 grind and stiffer should not concern you. Dovo's full hollow grind is quite stiff actually. Plus these things are pretty much the current fad on the forum - in a couple of months it may be small wedges, then large size extra hollows...
I like all of my razors - they have different feel but all that are honed right are pleasure to use.
So, don't worry too much about what you end up picking.

Welcome aboard Aaron. This will be the start of a lifelong obsession and disorder :P

Well, i purchased it. I ended up getting the razor that i mentioned in my first post. I went with the pre-honed option as well.

I also got a styptic pencil. I'm hoping i dont have to use it too much... but im thinking i probably will. Now i just need to get some good aftershave. Im thinking im going to pick of some of the classic old-spice after shave. It smells really good!

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You probably figured out that 1/2 grind and stiffer should not concern you. Dovo's full hollow grind is quite stiff actually. Plus these things are pretty much the current fad on the forum - in a couple of months it may be small wedges, then large size extra hollows...
I like all of my razors - they have different feel but all that are honed right are pleasure to use.
So, don't worry too much about what you end up picking.

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Thanks for this advice. I wasn't so sure about the full hollow grind so this was reassuring. I'll have to let you all know how it goes when i finally get it. I'm hoping it doesnt take too long to ship. However, im thinking that with the pre-honed option it may take another couple days. We'll see.

I believe every now and then Jim has few razors already honed, so he may end up having the razor you ordered all ready to ship. You can always check with him - his customer service is excellent.