Thread: New Dovo razor problems

After years of service the fins and pivot on my old straight razor finally blew and it was time for a replacement

I bought a new Dovo Astrale and the weight and balance is absolutely spot on. It's really a fine razor.

The only problem is, it doesnt shave smoothly or cleanly and certainly cannot tackle a couple of days growth of beard without ripping away at my face!

What is wrong here? Has anyone else found the same problem?


John

It sounds like you have a factory edge on it, while it has to be hand-honed before it can shave properly! You could send it out to any of the members that offer honing in the classifieds or hone it yourself, starting probably around the 4K grit.

The Shave Ready Razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Thanks guys.

That is one thing I hadn't considered to be honest.

I guess I have been so used to using my old well honed straight shave for so long that this really came as a surprise to find a new 'shave ready' really needs a little more attention before it is really up to the job

I'm interested to know more about your last razor. How did you maintain it? How long did you use it. What condition is the blade in? What strop/hones do you have?

I'd look into getting your first razor restored, and your dovo honed at the same time. That way you will have two.

Welcome to the forum!

Michael

My old razor and strop belonged to my grandfather and onc I inherited it I then used it for the past thirty odd years.

I never had any problems with the blade at all even though it was a little discoloured. It was the outer which eventually gave way to time and use and finally split apart. It was some kind of ivory or horn which had previously been cracked and repaired with a plate and rivet, and after it fell apart I used it naked without the scales but then I was tempted by this new Dovo.

With the original, once it was honed all it needed was a mild stropping every four or five days to keep it really keen, but I never expected to have to do this with a new blade - at least not straight off and not at the price the Dovo cost!

Thanks for the welcome BTW Michael. It is much appreciated. I never realised how popular straight shaving is until I discovered this site.

John

I had the same issue with my brand new dovo when I got it about a year ago. Now that I'm learning to hone it shaves better. I have to admit, though, that my honing skills don't result in an edge much better than factory.

Yeah I have to agree with everyone else on the steel. I mean yeah the steel back then was fine and what not but now their are amazing steels that can do awesome things and with the advent of science we can better look into the percentages of alloying elements and molecule structure which they didn't have or had a limited knowledge about it or knew about it but didn't know what to do with the information. I think that it is just like say Williams Soap. Used to be a great soap but now it is nothing like it use to be. Not saying that Dovo's today are like Williams soap today. I absolutely love my Dovo and the edge it gets. It's just that there is some "assembly" required I think. And again I think that back in the day pride and customer expectation and honoring your word had a lot to do with it. Today they might say that it is "shave ready" which may be true...it very well could shave a new born baby's hair but that might be about it.

A dovo is definitely capable of shaving even the toughest of beards if honed correctly. New steel is IMO better than vintage, not that vintage is not good enough. You probably need a good honing and you will be golden.

Welcome.

Since you have shaved well for years, the problem is most likely the Dovo factory edge. Dovos are good, get it honed. Speak with or PM Neil Miller who hones and is a leading UK strop maker for advice.

There is nothing like an heirlome razor, I would get it rescaled with scales similar to the original as long as the blade is still good.

HTH