Thread: A tale of two razors...

The Dovo Bismarck vs. The Jospeh Allen Non-XL

Both 6/8, both full hollow, both shave ready....pretty much same stats.

Here's the trick. The JA consistently outperforms my Dovo despite having all of the same sharpness etc. The JA will give a smoother shave day after day while the Dovo is not dull, does not pull, and is properly honed but consistently gives me an uncomfortable shave. It's not that it pulls, but it seems that it gives me razor burn MUCH quicker than the JA. Another thing I've noticed is that despite both the razors being full hollow, the Dovo sings higher than the JA which has a bit more bass in it's ring.

So...the question is, why does the JA give a more comfortable shave than the Dovo?

Altho you say the Dovo is properly honed. Have you checked the edge under a microscope ?
I personally prefer most vintage razors over Dovos but it should not be uncomfortable.

Different people respond differently to different razors and different honing progressions (that's a lot of "differents").

My advice: stick with both razors, and as your technique improves and you are able to get better shaves, you can make a decision about what suits you best and then build your stable around that.

For example, I've cleared my stable of all Sheffield steel with the exception of a Joseph Elliot 6/8 Diamond and a Frederick Reynolds 1/4 grind. They both have harder steel than most Sheffields and I get better shaves with them compared to W&B or Wostenholms. Of course, this is not to say that W&B's and Wosties are bad shavers by any stretch. Lots of guys love them. It's just a matter of preference.

You'll get lots of good advice on the boards here, but a certain aspect of it does come down to what you prefer best, and what leaves you feeling the most comfortable.

Enjoy,

Ogie

There are infinite levels of shave ready. It has been said that the final test is the shave and I agree. I suspect that there is a difference in the level of honing on the two blades. I bet if the DOVO went back to the hones of CROX it would give you the expected results.

The difference in honing in not something that is always visible. Microscopes may help but I don't use them. The honing of straight razor edges needs to be dependent on the edge quality before changing to higher grit hones. THere are numerous threads and posts using lap counts. I am sure that these counts are posted as a general reference and not an actual amount but it sometimes is not clear.

The hardness and type of the steel used in the razor will effect the metal removal rate as well as the hardness of the grit and binders in the hones.

In short version: If you honed both the JA and Dovo the same amount of strokes on the same hones with the same pressure the probability is high that the edges between both razors will differ some, assuming the same edge when honing began.

Also at he level of sharpness I think you are referring to it wouldn't take much at all to move one edge to be less equal to the other in a multitude of ways in which stropping is just one.

Just tune the Dovo a little to bring it to par with the JA and you will be a happy shaver.

Good luck

Originally Posted by red96ta

The Dovo Bismarck vs. The Jospeh Allen Non-XL

Both 6/8, both full hollow, both shave ready....pretty much same stats.

Here's the trick. The JA consistently outperforms my Dovo despite having all of the same sharpness etc. The JA will give a smoother shave day after day .............
So...the question is, why does the JA give a more comfortable shave than the Dovo?

I am by no means an expert here but I just started honing and playing with a microscope to "see" what I was doing. I also happened to have just restored and honed a JA Non-XXL today. I also honed a Jung I believe and was comparing them. The JA was much smoother ATG and when looking under the scope, the JA had FAR less micro nicks in the edge. Made total sense to me..... Now I just hope my Dovo I just ordered stands up to the mirror shiny JA with new scales I am working on

i have a dovo perlex and i thought it shaved great until i bought an old s r droescher/karbono steel off of ebay. it had a lot of spine wear and was not that great of shape, but i polished it up and honed it and it is like night and day compared to the dovo. the droescher is IMO one great shave.

may be higher carbon as this may give coaser steel
then again being different they shouldnt be treated the same anyway

ive gotten "shave ready" from different ppl and one seller was a bit harch i think yet 10 on dovo white on canvas did wonders on one i actually needed a lot more(red/white dovo)on the other to make it feel right
even if they felt the same before

im drinking now pleace dont do what i tell you