Thread: So how 'bad' are shave-ready factory Dovo's?

You will need a Dovo that is ''professionally honed'', not "factory honed". It's not actually shave ready until a human hand has honed it. It's worth it to pay the little bit of extra money for this service when ordering the razor. Good luck with your choice.

At the dovo factory if you watch that video on how its made... the bevel is set on a water wheel, then a HUMAN hones the razor on what looks like a 6k by hand, then strops it up.
I just received a bran new dovo silver steel and just shaved with it... SHAVES GOOD! Bought on Ebay, not pro honed! Every dovo I have ever bought brand new shaved just fine. If you are looking for one of those super .00000001 micron edges, this is not it, however at least my 3 samples have all been perfectly capable of shaving. I went right against the grain with the silver steel today no problem. I guess there are bad examples out there... and those honing jobs are the ones you hear about. I have bought several Bokers that had literally zero edge out of the box though.

Everyone likes a different edge on a razor, there is no universal shave ready edge for every person out there. For me, dovos factory edge when done right works fine. I'm going to shave with this razor and keep the factory edge as long as possible!

I have had the same experience as glytch5. My Dovo needed only a stropping right out of it's (sealed) box. I shaved with the factory edge almost daily for over six years before honing it on a stone. And even then, it was out of curiosity rather than an uncomfortable shave.

Sounds like you've got a good razor on the way. Not sure why no one mentioned straight from Ralf Aust in Germany. His are meant to be shave ready and high quality. Also does strop sets.

I have gotten 3 Dovos the first 2 I got at the same time they weren't shave ready the rugged a little so I started at the 3k level an went from there now the last one I got a couple of months ago I stripped it an it was an ok shave with no tugging but wasn't to my par so I ran 10 or 15 can't remember laps on my coti an then it was a great shave, so they are always gonna need something being new you may not know which so I would get it from a reputable dealer or get it honed.

I don't know what you're looking to spend but there's a gentleman in the classifieds right now selling everything you need he has two razors in his set so if you damage one you already have a backup. You might want to pm him an ask all the questions about his stuff an maybe purchase it save a little money in the long run an have a quality set to boot.

Originally Posted by KsStraightShaver

I have gotten 3 Dovos the first 2 I got at the same time they weren't shave ready the rugged a little so I started at the 3k level an went from there now the last one I got a couple of months ago I stripped it an it was an ok shave with no tugging but wasn't to my par so I ran 10 or 15 can't remember laps on my coti an then it was a great shave, so they are always gonna need something being new you may not know which so I would get it from a reputable dealer or get it honed.

I don't know what you're looking to spend but there's a gentleman in the classifieds right now selling everything you need he has two razors in his set so if you damage one you already have a backup. You might want to pm him an ask all the questions about his stuff an maybe purchase it save a little money in the long run an have a quality set to boot.

I did some more digging about the factory dovos... I have been trying to copy the edge that is on my silver steel. It is not as if it lazers through hair like a light sabre, but it has a certain "feel" to the shave that I really really like.
Turns out they finish their razors at Dovo on a coti... then strop the ever living heck out of them... this must be the whole coticule thing everyone likes! I had 2 cotis, played with em for a few months and while I could shave with them, wasn't anything great. Both sold now, WISH I HAD ONE TO PLAY IT! ; )

Thoughts on Factory Shave Ready that you might enjoy reading


http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...tml#post908878

I made a video of a microscopic scan that I did of a factory edge of a new razor. I took it out of the box and took it to the scope. The video is poorly lit and rather jerky, so you may get a bit of motion sickness, but you will get a sense of why a factory edge is not always sufficient for a decent shave.

The first three scans of all on the face side of the blade, done with progressively increasing magnifications, with the third one being at 95X. The final scan also is at 95x but is done on the back side of the blade.

Geo did a video on this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2F5vJdQ1Rk

I suspect that much of the bad rap of factory edges, is a result of new shavers stropping these razors.

While they are not honed with the spines on the stone, the angles would be off just a bit. But should be close enough to strop it to shaving edge.

A good factory edge can easily be brought to the proper angle and a straight keen edge with a minimum of work. Most probably, a pasted strop can easily bring to a fine shaving edge, they are that close.

But for me, I bevel set new razors, to set the bevels at the proper angle to eliminate any possible deviation and begin with a solid foundation. I do hone a fair amount of new factory TI and Dovo edges.