Thread: decide bismarck vs pearlex

I have experience with both those razors from dovo, my opinion of the bismark was that its great to hone as any shoulderless full hollow is and shaves very nicely. Also has that wow factor with the shape of the blade and all that gold. BUT I will say for me it was the most uncomfortable razor to strop, it made me sell it.

The pearlex doesnt have the thumb notch and looks a little more plain but it is a razor which will perform just as well, its easier to strop. The only downside to be is that it isnt shoulderless. I would go with the perlex.

I would go with the pearlex. I have a Bismarck and it's my least favorite razor. I don't know if it's only my particular Bismarck or all of them, but where it has gold plating, the steel was not tempered as the blade itself. The problem is that it rusts much more easily than a razor which was fully tempered. It's a constant worry, if I don't oil the razor it will certainly rust. From personal experience I would not buy another Bismarck. If the looks is a decisive factor for you, you should check out the DOVO Flowing (I own this one too), which is very similar to the Bismarck. It's a bit more pricey, but I never had any problems with it. Also, aesthetically speaking, for me it is a far more beautiful razor than the Bismarck. Have a nice day and take it easy.

The rust issue is nothing to do with the temper of the blade. Most of the dovo blades use the same steel treated in the same way. The problem with rust you had is due to not keeping the blade in a dry environment, And all blades are prone to this. The worst reputation of any Dovo blade for corrosion is hands down the dovo bergischer lowe Those blades are prone to corrosion creep round the rubber grip.

It is also in part to galvanic corrosion between the gold and the steel. Provided the razor is kept dry and free of salts this is a non issue.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/el...ial-d_482.html

This is the reason jewelry is gold plate on silver, copper or nickel. The base metal is non corrosive to begin with, so galvanic corrosion takes longer to establish. It's also a problem in silver plating. Razors for some reason get a gold plate with no regard to galvanic corrosion, and no protection layer between the metals is possible. Like I say provided you know the cause then you can prevent it easy enough.

Having said that I've had my own dovo bismarck for over a year. No problems. I keep a silica gel sachet in the tin and make sure it's dry before it goes back in. It's never been oiled, and doesn't pose any greater storage requirements than any other blade I own.

The shave is great, The Blade is solid and shaves with a lot of command more like a wedge, than a full hollow. Mine gets honed on 2 layers of tape, and Keeps it's edge very well.

1 point to watch out for is the filework on the spine can have some rough edges. It's worth testing stropping the blade on an old strop before you put it on leather to work out if it's going to scratch. If it is going to scratch just strop with a layer of tape on.

Bismarcks also hold there value better than the Pearlex. The nice shape, and gold wash are eye catching and it is rare you see one on ebay go for much less than retail. So even if you don't like it you can always try and get your money back. The pearlex on the other hand doesn't have the same resale value, A buyer is more likely to skip it for either a cheaper vintage 5/8, Or some something more fancy.

I'd take the Bismarck.

BTW Blake is quite correct about gold plate and temper - temper does not enter into the equation. The 'noble metal/base metal' galvanic corrosion is a non issue too as Blake says - you need an electrolyte (water) in order for the differential to flow, so keeping the razor dry and away from areas of high humidity (eg the bathroom) eliminates this possibility.

Gold will not 'rust' - it is the underlying steel that is oxidising/rusting. One reason for this is a relatively porous coating of gold which allows ingress of water particles. Another is the plating process itself. The bond between steel and gold is not very good, so this is usually overcome by flash plating with copper, or more usually by plating with nickel first. Nickel sticks very well to steel, and gold sticks very well to nickel, so if cleaning and plating steps are good, the blade is only wetted when actually shaving and it is dried and stored properly the tell-tale specks of rust will not appear.

Regards,
Neil