Thread: Hi

Welcome to the forum.

Originally Posted by Cattleman02

Hello everyone my name is Trent. I just got into sr shaving and trying to learn how to hone. Tried going the cheap route and bought a few no name brands and tried honing them. I am still trying to figure it out. Got tired of getting junk and bought a dovo and I like it alot. I have alot of questions so I will be hitting different forums with questions already have a few out there.

Entry level Dovo razors can be pretty warped and twisty, and impossible for a beginner to hone. Better Dovo razors are generally good. Their "Best Quality" model is seriously a misnomer but their Bismarck and others based on the same blank are quite good, and favorites of mine. Make no mistake, all Dovo razors are made from good steel. The problem is the poor grinding of their cheaper ones. Nearly all of them can be put to rights by a knowledgeable and experienced honer, but their lower grade razors can be a real can of worms for the newbie to try to hone.

There are a lot of different methods and styles of honing, and a lot of advice you get will be contradictory. I suggest you follow ONE person and learn to do things EXACTLY as he does with PRECISELY the same equipment until you are consistently getting great results. Freestyling it can be a long process, and mix n match honing techniques, ditto. Most long time members here can hone a razor well enough for a good shave. If you do exactly the same as him, in every detail, even those that seem unimportant, you will get the same results that he gets, fairly early in your learning process. Furthermore, you will spend less money by not buying every single bit of honing gear under the sun. Once you are able to make a great edge and get a great shave with it, feel free to experiment.

For the most part, I regard new razors selling for under about $140 to generally be garbage, with a few exceptions. Titan's cheapest razor is around $30 and is actually their best razor, IMHO. I shave with a lot of Gold Dollars and used to hone and sell them, but unless you get one made shave ready by a knowledgeable person, you will almost certainly not be successful with it. Ralf Aust is a popular maker and ships shave ready AFAIK. Many vendors are willing to hone your new razor before shipping it. Most newbies start with a shave ready vintage razor. Beware fleabay sellers! A few are known members of the community, with reputations at stake, and will put a great razor in your hands for $40 to $70 or so. Sometimes even less. Most will say that their listings are shave ready, but in reality, do not have a clue. You can always check here, with the seller's name, and see if he is known and trusted, or not.