Thread: Does anyone have experience with manandshaving.nl?

Thanks for all the suggestions. It turned out i was not patient enough to actually visit a shop, so i ordered the red Pakka wood Dovo from the messenwinkel. Manandshaving do offer a honing service for EUR 23.50, not sure what the quality level is, but it will probably be my go-to address when this one dulls out, or is too dull to start with.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Welcome to SRP from across the pond. If I understand correctly the strop is 3.5 wide ? Like the USA equivalent of 1 &3/8" ? IMHO, if that is what it is it is too narrow and 35cm is too short. Professional barbers in the USA, for most of the 20th century, used 2 1/2 (6.5cm) x 23" (58.5cm). Either a 2 1/2 or 3" wide strop is way more user friendly in my experience.

Hi Jimmy, thanks for the welcome Yes it would be 1 3/8" wide. I thought it would be too narrow. I now ordered an entry level strop at nearly 2" wide to cut up and will definitely order a bigger one when i get the hang of it.

Borr, I don't know where in the Netherlands you live but if you're close to Amsterdam you can come to my house and we'll hone your razor together. You can also mail it to me and I sent it back to you the next day but if you come over I can show you how it's done and/or let you do it under supervision so your razor is not only shaving sharp but you learn how it's done and only need to buy some stones to be self sufficient.
I know how hard it is in our small part of the world to get some good gear and honing service, I remember when I started out I felt like I had to do it all by myself (with only the friendly people on the internet to help me).
I have naniwas (chosera 1K and up to 10K SS) coticule, Cnat, and a JNAT (shoubudani) with nagura's so plenty of choice for finishers.
My offer is gratis offcourse as I like to help out a fellow straight shaver get started, it can be hard to get started here but I can shave the rest of my life with what I have now, except maybe for soap but I'm set for at least 10 years

Hi Puerco, that is a very kind offer, I might take you up on that! I would like to be self sufficient eventually and it would help greatly if someone could show me (what i am doing wrong ).

Originally Posted by decraew

Hi Borr,

Ask them what they mean by 'professionally sharpened', is it a factory edge ? Or is there a honer somewhere?
If they only sell Dovo's, my advice is to stay away from them. I've seen too many issues with (especially entry level) Dovo's lately. You're *much* better off with a shave-ready from either here or the Barbershop at Breukelen. If you want a new razor that's shave-ready, you're way better off with a Revisor or a Ralf Aust. But yes, you'll pay more than for an entry level Dovo.

And please, I know you're Dutch (sorry to seem offensive), but good gear costs money. The small Dovo strop might seem a good deal, but you'll regret it, at least if you stay in this hobby. Check the Straight Razor Design website, they sell really splendid stuff for 50 USD. That quality at those prices simply cannot be beaten.

Just my opinion etc and so forth.

I agree. My first straight was a Dovo best quality. It was not sharp at all even though I didnt know much then. I have purchased, honed and shaved with 30 razors since then and it is the one razor that no matter what I do will not keep an edge for an entire shave. I dont have this problem with my 30 others and would not sell it to someone who will have the same trouble as I did. My second razor was a Thiers Issard 5/8. Much sharper to start and takes and keeps an edge a long time. The price difference was $40 more. You have "cheap" and then you have value.

Originally Posted by Borr

Hi Puerco, that is a very kind offer, I might take you up on that! I would like to be self sufficient eventually and it would help greatly if someone could show me (what i am doing wrong ).

I look forward to it, will be my pleasure.
Just shoot me a PM if and when you want to come or send your razor(s).

After rolling the edge on my first straight razor, I got a paddle strop. Much easier to get the hang of. Now I have a 3 inch and 2 inch hanger and 3 inch paddle that I use sometimes even though I can handle the hanging.

Originally Posted by bill3152

I agree. My first straight was a Dovo best quality. It was not sharp at all even though I didnt know much then. I have purchased, honed and shaved with 30 razors since then and it is the one razor that no matter what I do will not keep an edge for an entire shave. I dont have this problem with my 30 others and would not sell it to someone who will have the same trouble as I did. My second razor was a Thiers Issard 5/8. Much sharper to start and takes and keeps an edge a long time. The price difference was $40 more. You have "cheap" and then you have value.

The quality control at Dovo is somewhat questionable, they make nice razors but sometimes a dud slips through.
On the other hand I have some cheap gold dollar razors that needed some work to get them to be able to hone them (grinding away the shoulder, reworking the spine, polishing away the rough grind marks, crappy scales etc.) but they take and hold an edge and shave as good as any more expensive or vintage razor.
I wouldn't recommend them as a first razor for a beginner but if you see them as an unfinished blank for grinding and rescaling they can be a lot of fun and great practice objects. I'd rather mess up a gold dollar then a vintage razor.

Havent tried a GD. I dont think I want to try one either. I would prefer a vintage sheffield or solingen. Even if it needs to be cleaned up. I will say I have heard a lot of good things about the temper of the steel, keeping an edge. The only blades I would consider buying now are old near wedges. I have about 30 straights total. 4/8 to 8/8. extra hollow to full wedge. Although I will never buy another full wedge, but thats another story for another forum!

Oh I prefer those vintage ones too especially Sheffield but I would never want to mess those up so for practicing I started with some gold dollar razors. They are cheap and the steel is good, everything else needs fixing to end up with something useable.
I'm not recommending them here but they served me well for learning how to fix things without worrying of destroying something with a lot of history on it.
After they are fixed, shoulders removed, rescaled etc. you at least end up with something useable for traveling or giving it away to someone who wants to try out straight shaving.