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

Hi,

As newbie I am currently looking for my first real straight razor(I have been using a filarmonica with half DE blades in them) and I an looking to buy a beginners razor(perhaps in a set with a strop and some other things) and I was wondering how bad a new Dovo(or thiers-assard for that matter) blade is honed(and if a newbie will notice) compared to a blade from(for example) the classifieds section.

The wiki warns about 'shave ready' factory razors. But I'd love to know if any one has some experience with them.

Thanks!

The factory edges are sharp but the difference is that they are honed on a flat spinning wheel and then stropped rather than being honed by hand so the edges are much less refined.

IME they're not bad, just not as good as a hand honed edge. The ones I've honed so far have had bevels set pretty much fine, and I've been able to start the honing at 3k and go from there.

I dont know if anyone else has had one that needed a whole new bevel set though?

i havent seen anyone come up and to say they got shave ready facoty edge. Usually they are so far not shave ready . How bad or good doesnt matter .not shave ready means blade will not shave confortable.hope this helps

thanks for the input, but maybe I should clarify a little bit:

So generally when I would buy a beginners kit I'll still have to get the blade honed? Or is the factory sharpened edge good enough for a newbie?

@hi_bud_gl: I meant razors in beginner sets or advertised in shops as shave ready, but not as hand honed.

Dovo's don't come from the factory in a shave ready state. They are sharp but not shave ready. Quite a number of retailers offer a honing service at extra cost for new straights that you buy from them. It will need honing before you can shave with it.

Which shop / website advertized the razors as being shave ready ? Some vendors will hand hone the blades before selling them, but it's not everyone. Maybe someone here will know if the shop / website you looked at do indeed hone their blades.

If you want to be sure you buy a razor that has been honed, most blades in the classifieds are honed & are ready to use as soon as you get them. The listing will clearly say if it's shave ready or not. You can get a fantastic quality shave ready blade for less than 50$, which is a bargain compared to new blades. If you don't mind that the blade has a bit of "history" left on it, you can get them for even less. I bought a shave-ready razor on the classifieds for 15$ recently. It has some corrosion & scratches here & there, but it's the best shaver I currently own.

If you're looking for a good deal, the best thing to do is to get your razor from the classifieds. If you're looking for a GREAT deal, be patient & check the classifieds every day.

Good luck !

I bought my Dovo from a shop and they honed it which was included in the price. If you look around at posts there are mentions of shops that have very skilled honers. I am new to this as well I would suggest buying a less expensive one to start. There is a learning curve to keeping and edge and you might not want to have your nice blade sharpened weveral tiomes in the beginning.

Thanks for all the information, I'll ask the shops if the razors are honed before sending and have a look at the classifieds, are there any particular things I should look for over there(apart from honewear, shave ready and overall condition)?

I really am a newb :w

edit:
looking at http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...uct/8098/cat/3 and http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...uct/8355/cat/3

Both look quite 'the same' as condition is concerned, so is there a better choice?

Hi brickbag,
have a look at the [url=http://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/] they hone all their razors wether its dovo/TI or whatever so your guaranteed to get a shave ready razor and they offer a sharpening & repair service & they're really quite helpful.

I have several Dovos, only one came close to shave ready right out of the box, the rest I have had to set bevels and polish edges. If I were you I would figure on getting it honed.

Hi TSasser,

Thanks for the link, I already looked at SRD but the shipping to NL easily adds 34$ to the price(the cost of the set doesn't justify the cost of shipping for me).

I looked at the invisible edge website, but the site doesn't look trustworthy(but I could be totally wrong and morty1 right).

So(for now) I'll try my luck with the classifieds.

With regards to The Invisible Edge, I've bought a load of kit from them from razors to a full set of Naniwa stones. Steve's shipping is very fast and his customer service is excellent! He's a member here as well and goes by the name blueprinciple.

I'd highly recommend him..! :)

I reiterate exactly what stubear says,you'll have no problems using the invisible edge & steve is always there for advice and help.

I know anything over $100 is free shipping within the ConUS. Wasn't sure about anywere else.

I got my first razor (a dovo) from SRD, pre sharpened by Lynn. The more I see posts by people who did not get a shave ready razor to start out, the more I realize what a good move that was.

BrickBag,

+1 on Mr Dempster of www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk.

His honing is excellent.

You could also try Mr Miller of www.strop-shop.co.uk.

He does an excellent job of honing too.

Both are fine chaps to do business with, and I highly recommend them :)

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BrickBag

Hi,

As newbie I am currently looking for my first real straight razor(I have been using a filarmonica with half DE blades in them) and I an looking to buy a beginners razor(perhaps in a set with a strop and some other things) and I was wondering how bad a new Dovo(or thiers-assard for that matter) blade is honed(and if a newbie will notice) compared to a blade from(for example) the classifieds section.

The wiki warns about 'shave ready' factory razors. But I'd love to know if any one has some experience with them.

Thanks!

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Well the idea of honemaster and shave ready is sort of new.
If you bought a razor back in the '70s like some of us you get
a factory edge that starts out sharp and seems hard to maintain
at first.

Back in the '70 my first Swedish razor started out sharp and was
decent. But honing took a lot of visits to my Coticule before
it took. i.e. the bevel was not well set.

The same was true for my other older razors (Dovo and TI)... Out of the box
whey would shave OK but maintaining them was tough because
the factory bevel and what a user needs are often not the same. Eventually
they would all come home (weeks).

Hidden in here was a diversion into hone lapping. I never lapped
my Coticule. When I got a Norton combo the mismatch in
surface contour of my old Coti and the new Norton made me doubt
the value of my Norton. Then I "learned" to lap my hones flat
only to find that all my razors were "out of tune" and required work.

At this point all the moving parts are matched and mate with each other
and getting a good shaving edge is less of a challenge and almost
easy.

So out of the box not so bad but six weeks later you will
struggle to hone it back to snuff. Six more weeks with
a finishing hone and it will likely come to you ...

So a shave ready blade makes the weeks of "worry honing"
go away and establishes a "shavers bevel" that can be
maintained with a 4/8K or 3/8K combo and finish tuned up
to deluxe with a modern 12K hone.

Summary: Start with a shave ready, maintain with
a flat lapped hone set. Perhaps a 4/8K or 3/8K combo
water stone and if you need that extra bit of smoothness invest in
a finisher hone like the Na12K superstone.

Remember that the razor touches your strop and face each
time you use it so the strop should be a quality one. Canvas
plus leather is a good thing.

Hi brickbag,

I have to agree with the others. Steve at The Invisible Edge is a great guy, very easy to deal with and his razors come shave ready.

I got a TI Spartacus from him and it shaved great straight out of the box. I also sent him a Cyril R Salter (on the avoid list here) to be honed as it was not shave ready when I got it, and have to say it shaves great since.

Being in NL you could try Martin at www.rasurpur.de

I got a TI Le Grelot from him and again out of the box it shaved great.

I have 2 Dovo's that I got from Lynn in SRD a Bismarck and a Bergisher Lowe. Both are nice razors but I have to admit I prefer the TI's. I find they give me a better shave.

Either way if you get a razor from Steve or Martin they will be shave ready and you will be happy with the service from them.

Stuart.

Thank you all for every link, tip and website recommendation, I'll keep them in mind for future shopping. Now I really feel ready to start shaving and collecting. I bought this razor from Stubear as my first razor. And I'm gonna order a Dovo strop with leather and canvas.

I'll make a post when I've had my first shave with a real straight :).

That's a perty razor !!

Don't forget to enjoy your first shave. Even if it probably won't be a "good" shave (You'll experience some pulling, some scraping, maybe even a nick), remember that you're using a beautiful tool with lots of history behind it. Not to mention it's pretty bad ass :medvl: to put a piece of steel that's as sharp as a scalpel to your face.

After a while, you'll be getting the best shaves of your life. And for some reason, the next shave will be better than the one before. The trick is to just keep at it until you get addicted (which isn't very long...)

Good luck !

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.

Quote:

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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.

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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.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO2LvAYK12w

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.

When I got my Dovo a few months ago decently.
A while after I managed to get a very veyr small chip int he blade and I sent it out to get honed up and ready again
I can say the edge was MUCH better after that, so I would say that are shave-able but not great

just did shave number 5, funny that the razor i'm discussing is the same one that guny linked a thread to.. dovo silver steel with ebony handles.
I DONT GET IT!
This edge is not very sharp, but my God it just shaves so damn comfortable. It is just sharp enough to chop my hair, but not bother my skin. Perhaps I just got a good razor from dovo? I have been trying to copy this edge... can't seem to get it to be as dull as it feels, but cut hair nicely. Any suggestions on a progression to try for the "dullest shaving razor possible" ? This is fun!

Technicality

Here let me explain the technical aspect of it

When you set the pre-bevel on a razor like they are doing in the vid or like we do with edge restoration you lift the spine so that the really low grit stones only cut on the very Fin of the edge..

Then you lower spine back down to the stone and hone the razor until that fin is gone and you establish a fine edge getting rid of all the deep stria...
This hopefully gets rid of all the uneven bits, and you get a super smooth fine edge..

Now if you peruse the honing forum on here you will find 1000's of threads and Micro pics of this process

Granted we take things to a rather high level of perfection BUT that rough fin must be honed to an even smooth edge at the very least...

Now watching the Factory vids you can see that this is done at a very fast pace and not checked very accurately, so it is rather simple.
If they get to the very fin you get a pretty good shaver, if not, it can be quite rough,,

Basically it is a hit or miss proposal

Like I said in that Beginners tips with more knowledge you can draw a pretty good edge out of most of them

There is no good vs bad it is simply degrees of evenness :p

I thought a factory edge was good too, before I found out it wasn't, I have hem honed now cause. Like a sharp smooth razor? The only one ve ever gotten from a vendor was an Aust, it only needed a crap load of stropping. Not to say the custom guys don't send them out ready, we are only talking the likes f Dovo or TI. Etc, all my customs came laser sharp and smooth. Tc

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

I thought a factory edge was good too, before I found out it wasn't, I have hem honed now cause. Like a sharp smooth razor? The only one ve ever gotten from a vendor was an Aust, it only needed a crap load of stropping. Not to say the custom guys don't send them out ready, we are only talking the likes f Dovo or TI. Etc, all my customs came laser sharp and smooth. Tc

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this is not an "I can't hone my razor, this is the best edge i've ever had!" conversation.
This is a "why does this edge feel so different?" conversation
I have a razor here honed from SRD, also got one here honed from whippeddog, and of course my own blades. All shave the way I like... this factory dovo just shaves in a strange way, that I REALLY like.

As far as the "fin" thing goes, in some of the german videos you can hear and see her putting the spine flat onto the first stone and doing circles... doesn't look like any lifted angle. Generally lifting the angle up is a way to take out any damage to and edge, kind of like how to repair chips on a regular knife, you raise up the angle, but then you bring it back down to a proper angle for cutting.
Thanks for the info though. I guess what i'm trying to get at: does this razor feel different from the coti? It must be.

I know what this thread s about, it's about factory edges being sub par, and I was agreeing and have found this to be true, because I know what a decent edge is, is that clear enough for you? Tc

By the way the thread ain't about " why does this edge feel different" either,

I said discussion, not thread.