Thread: When a straight needs to be replaced

I have a Dovo Inox which was used when it was sent to me as well as a carbon steel dovo. When looking at the two the most noteable thing is that the distance between the engraving on the Inox and the edge of the blade is very short. On the carbon steel dovo there is quite a bit of distance between the engraving and the edge. Not suprising since the Inox was used when I got it and the carbon steel was new when I bought it. So here is the question - when does the Inox need to be removed from shaving service and placed in a display case? I am told that this is done when the edge cuts into the engraving on the blade.

Unless you're sharpening it on a bench grinder it really should be ok for another hundred years!
If you can get some photo's up we'd get an idea of the condition of the blade. I can't imagine that a recent Dovo could be ready to be retired yet.

Pictures would be most helpful. Unless something pretty major has happened to the blade it should last several lifetimes.

Originally Posted by jbcohen

So here is the question - when does the Inox need to be removed from shaving service and placed in a display case? I am told that this is done when the edge cuts into the engraving on the blade.

It should be retired in the year 2209. Unless you hone it every day on a bench grinder, that is.

Someone once told me that the Inox should be ok until it physcially breaks in two.

Is it true that it is not uncommon for a straight razor to not only out live its inital user and out live several generations of a family, taking care of seven or eight generations of the same family?

That's one of the things I love about wet shaving, a razor outlives its user how many can say that about cartridge, disposables and electrics?

It has to be recent in terms of straight razors, even if it's not new to you. Inox, or stainless is a fairly new material in the straight razor world. Look forward to the photo's & will try to find a link to shed some light on when Dovo introduced it's stainless blades.

Edit. My post makes less sense now that you've edited yours above.

Stainless steel itself is a product of the 50s so that fact gives me some idea of the vintage.

How about my statement that hte Inox should be good until it physically breaks in two?

Actually stainless steel dates from early 1900s.

I'd consider a razor up for replacement when it doesn't take a proper edge due to changes in geometry, or becomes too small or too worn out for my taste. It's a gradual process so it's probably easy to never do it, cf. the boiling frog thing...

Interesting question - when did the straight razor make its first appearance?

I think it depends on which form you see it in. AFAIK variations on them have been around for a few thousand years. They've been found in Egyptian tombs. The blades we use since the 18th century. Even after the advent of stainless, it was a long time before razor manufacturers used it.