Thread: DOVO 5/8 half or full hollow?

Originally Posted by BobH

Just curious if you are shaving with a gap of about 1-2 spine widths between your face and the straight razors spine?

Bob

Nope, not one or 2 spine widths, a whole bunch. Go from straight out from the face and tilt just a few degrees. Look at how the DE razor hold that blade against your skin. It's nearly 90 deg. I figured try to emulate the DE angle and so I have been shaving pretty steep, more in the range of 8-12 spine width... guessing, but the picture below, taken with a $5.00 eBay razor I dulled and turned into a practice blade to learn and try techniques. Wife took the picture on my Tracfone smartphone.



Vern

Way too much of an angle. A Straight needs to be much closer, as Bob said. About a spine or two width from your face.

Originally Posted by Gibbs

Nope, not one or 2 spine widths, a whole bunch. Go from straight out from the face and tilt just a few degrees. Look at how the DE razor hold that blade against your skin. It's nearly 90 deg. I figured try to emulate the DE angle and so I have been shaving pretty steep, more in the range of 8-12 spine width... guessing, but the picture below, taken with a $5.00 eBay razor I dulled and turned into a practice blade to learn and try techniques. Wife took the picture on my Tracfone smartphone.
Vern

Ouch Vern, using that angle you are scraping the stubble off more than cutting it. I don't even use that much of an angle with a DE.

I would seriously try shaving with only a 1-2 spine widths gap with a straight razor. Going ATG my straight razor is very close to flat on my face but not quite.

For a DE razor I would place the head flat on my face next to my ear with the handle straight out parallel to the floor. Next, rotate the handle down towards the floor till you can just fell the edge of the blade on your face. That should be close to where it should be for the right angle.

Bob

Vern whoa! far to obtuse get that spine to within 8mm to 10mm of you face remember you are asking the blade to cut not scrape I'm glad you posted the photo, follow what the good gentlemen here are advising you and you will end up with a stellar shave.

Originally Posted by BobH

Ouch Vern, using that angle you are scraping the stubble off more than cutting it. I don't even use that much of an angle with a DE.

I would seriously try shaving with only a 1-2 spine widths gap with a straight razor. Going ATG my straight razor is very close to flat on my face but not quite.

For a DE razor I would place the head flat on my face next to my ear with the handle straight out parallel to the floor. Next, rotate the handle down towards the floor till you can just fell the edge of the blade on your face. That should be close to where it should be for the right angle.

Bob

Bob, and others, I shave with my DE without any issues as the handle nearly points down to the floor. I started shaving with a Gillette in 1970, and then a few years later, in 1973 started using a Schick Injector for a few more years. Around 1976 my Step Father told me how smooth and close a really nice shave would be with a Norelco Electric, and then for a number of years I used an Electric, then finally switched back to the "disposable 3-4 blade wonders" that were so well advertised. About 6 years back I started shaving with straight and then went to DE for the quickness and smooth feeling AND not cuts with the DE. I've never had issues with shaving with the DE and was kind of mimicking the angle of the DE. Geofatboy in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IuA8HGacJw

shows the shaving with DE about like what I do at present, and I can shave just about that fast as well, even with the blade nearly 85deg to my face in DE (razor handle being near pointed parallel to my face. Another video of his I just watched was this one demonstrating DE, Strait and included Japanese razor. That video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM6q0-zMS7s

titled Proper Angle With Any Razor. I just watched it and because of you never thought about looking it up for proper angle, just figured it would be close to the DE. THANKS!


One of the issues I have with straight shaving is I don't switch hands. I don't switch hands with the DE and shaving the Right side is no problems. Shaving the left side I feel blinded as my hand is in the way and often times I just rely on feel to know where I am. My big concern is getting too close to the ears and hitting them, which I have. Computer monitor shaving with camera on the left would be GREAT !! LOL

By the way, as an aside I have 2 Fatboy DE razors, adjustable. One newer than the other. I also have 2 Gillette razors (non adjustable) that date to the 2nd quarter of 1953 the year and quarter I was born in. One is brand new. I've shaved with the non-new one and it shaves pretty great, My newest dated adjustable is at the very end of when Gillette quit producing them, date code I-2 second quarter of 1988, so it is a fairly recent made Gillette, and does shave excellent.

Never gave the razor hold angle much thought until I saw this. Have a coarse heavy beard and this morning looked at the angle. Probably at about 45 degrees using an old Dovo 5/8 full hollow. That razor came from my wife about 40yrs ago and it shaves slicker than snail snot. It has always been a top notch shaver. I occasionally use an old 4/8 DD or a 5/8 Case; will have to give them a whirl and see how I hold them. I guess ignorance is bliss since I don't remember back far enough to when I didn't get a good shave with a straight.

Vern

You and I have a few things in common, age and similar time starting to shave with a DE. What we don't have in common is how we shave with a DE, specifically the angle used. I had a hard time shaving with a Gillette Fat Boy set at 5 before I learned to shave well with a straight razor. When I went back to the Gillette Fat Boy and adjusted my angle plus no weight on the razor I found I could manage a nice 4 pass shave on the 9 setting. Learning to shave with a straight razor 5 years ago seemed to really help me improve my DE shaves. In any event you have to do what works for you not me.

Bob

All of my Gillette razors, including the 2 Fatboy razors are set at 7 all the time. I shave just about as fast and as unconcious about the blade at that steep angle as Geofatboy in those videos. I have a huge supply of Van Der Hagen shaving soap for my mug (old style in green box) a nice silver tip bristle mounted in an Ivory handle and an English scuttle that keeps my water very hot. I use hot water and microwave it for 50 seconds and then it's really hot!!

However, tonight I did try the shavette with the near flat angle on one side of my face and worked quite well. I'll full shave tomorrow or next day as they don't grow as fast anymore. DOVO shavette with long Merkur blade. pretty easy really. How does the DOVO/Merkur combo compare to the Jatai Feather razor I have in my "wish" list in Amazon? The DOVO seems a whole lot light... I know.. wrong forum for asking this.

Anyway, I gather it is not necessary to get a 1/2 hollow blade if my whiskers are a little tough, but better honing and sharper razor. The one Revisor i have says "Extra Hollow Ground" on the blade. should make better coffee..... LOL

Originally Posted by Gibbs

However, tonight I did try the shavette with the near flat angle on one side of my face and worked quite well. I'll full shave tomorrow or next day as they don't grow as fast anymore. DOVO shavette with long Merkur blade. pretty easy really. How does the DOVO/Merkur combo compare to the Jatai Feather razor I have in my "wish" list in Amazon? The DOVO seems a whole lot light... I know.. wrong forum for asking this.

Just for the record, what I said about the gap between face and razor's spine was for straight razors and not shavettes. Never used a shavette but get the impression from reading on here that they are different again from straight razors as far as angle goes.

Bob