New Dovo - is it Shave Ready?

I'm just getting into straights and I bought a new Dovo Best Quality from a guy on EBay (he says it's new, anyway). I asked him if it comes honed and he said that Dovo sends them out honed but not up to the standard of a lot of people. Should I send it off somewhere to be honed after I get it before using it (because I don't know how to hone a razor yet)? Or can I just jump right in?

Get it honed..!!!
If you add your location, you might find there's someone close that may do it for you, as well as teach you.

I've personally had great results without getting it honed. Remember they need a good stroping first though. But there definitely is a difference between out of the box and after being honed. Try it and see how you like the edge. Good luck.


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You can give it a good Strop and it may shave. But being new you have no idea what a honed razor feels like. There is a big difference. Get it honed.

It is pretty hard to say if a new production razor will be shave ready from the factory, some are some are not. You can try it as it comes from the factory first and see what is what. Being brand new to straight razor shaving, stropping it may do more harm than good. You have to be able to strop properly to improve the edge.

I think your best bet would be to send it out to a reputable honer. When you get it back, shave with it without stropping it first. that will show you what a shave ready edge feels like. Strop it before your second shave and if it feels duller than the first shave you know your stropping is dulling the blade.

Alternately, you could find a member near you who could hone the razor for and give you some one on one instruction on shaving.

Bob

99% likely that it is sharp, but not smooth.
Send it out to be honed.

When you get it, try shaving with it. You'll know at that point whether or not to send it out for honing!

Then again most first shaves you won't know if it is, your technique will suck more than likely, so you won't know. Dovo is a hit or miss, it will be sharp like Chris said, but chances are it's rough. So we have a few really great hone guys that do it for a living and as mentioned put your location in your profile and maybe somebody can help you local. But do t take it to a knife sharpener guy! Tc

If you just "jump right in", it will suck. Get it honed and upon return, do not strop it. The reason for this is, since you are new, your stropping could very well degrade the edge. Just wipe off any oil from the blade and begin your shave as directed in the library. If you haven't been to the library, please do so and read "your first shave".

Seeing my question being already sort of answered I was wondering about this too
But was wondering also about other brands like TI, Ralf Aust, Revisor, Wacker, etc. etc.

I wonder how many come truly shave ready, how many are almost there and need a good finish or which need a complete bevel set and so on

Being that razors are pricey a truly shave ready razor would be a thing you'd expect, then again, the finish on a razor seems to be a highly subjective and personal thing. Of course sending it out or doing your own honing will guarantee a shave read razor.

Come to think of it, I wonder like 100 years ago what edge the razor was delivered with to the customers

I believe that it is not true that one should expect a shave ready razor from the factory. The reasons are that proper honing takes time and most barbers or experienced users don't want to pay the extra 30 minutes or more of labor for an edge that isn't theirs. In Europe, an hour's labor for hand honing could add a cost to the razor most of us would balk at paying.

What should be expected is a razor that is ready for finishing using regular hones and honing techniques. I suspect that you don't always get that either.

Cheers, Steve

The best bet, if you want a new, truly shave ready razor, is to buy it from a retailer that hone the new razors prior to shipping them to the customers. There are a few that do this but the only one that comes immediately to mind is Straight Razor Designs.

Dovo straight razors do not come "shave ready" from the factory. Yes, you can shave with some of them but they a still worlds away from a truely shave ready razor.

I recently bought a new dovo, it came very sharp ( machine sharpened) would shave decently but needed a little smoothing. After talking with Lynn, I did some light strokes on a chrome-ox treated paddle strop and that was all it needed. But as said already, one of the honemeisters here on the forum could put a super edge on it and then you would know what to expect from a truly shave ready edge!
Welcome aboard!

Thanks everyone! As far as honing it, I found a place online that has a lot of good reviews. Is this a good place and price? If not, who can I contact for a very good hone? Or do I need to start a new thread for this?

I sent you a PM.