Thread: TAOS TI vs. Dovo Bismarck - My Observations

So for the past couple of weeks I have been using these two shavers to see which style I like and why....the following are my observations without passing better/worse judgement since these things are all a matter of personal preference anyways.
The TAOS TI 5/8 w/ Rams horn Scales:

Pros: Great edge, likes the TI Diamond Paste on leather followed by a bit of CrOX on Balsa (that is all it took to get shave-ready out of the box). LOVES the strop and gets a great smooth edge that maintains well for the most part. The blade is a bit heavy and thicker than the Dovo. Well balanced with the scales and the blade is very easy to grip and manipulate with the cut-out and lower jimps.
Cons: Thicker blade gives little to no "audible" feedback while shaving. Harder steel seems to hold an edge well, but it requires more passes on the strop to get a "buttery-smooth" shave.

Dovo Bismarck 6/8:

Pros: Light, well balanced, very good looking. VERY sharp edge (thanks to SRD for that), very smooth shave. I haven't had to touch this one up yet as I have only had it for a week now. It responds VERY quickly to the linen and leather of a strop. Very few passes are necessary to get back to super smooth and gives great audible feedback - one can hear every hair get cut. The blade is a bit "flexible" and feels more forgiving than the TI.
Cons: A bit too light for my taste. Scales obviously are less premium and feel as such (it is about 1/2 the retail $ so this is of course to be expected). The blade seems awfully thin and frail to me vs. the TI. No jimps...seems like something is missing to me without them.

My preference: I like the TI a bit more. It just feels a bit more sturdy in my hand and the added weight allows me to let the razor do more of the work than the Dovo. Just my opinion there, as I very much enjoy using both of these blades depending on my mood. No bad choices to be had here either way.

I used to own 6 Dovo's and a TI, the TI convinced me that I could do without the Dovo's so now I only own TI's. The TI's have much better and smoother edges, feel higher quality and have more heft to them which I like.