Thread: Help Me Decide

I'm about to take the plunge and I would appreciate the wisdom of the forum members to help me decide on a new razor. A little background on me. I have been shaving with electrics (blasphemy!) for many years (norelcos and most recently a panasonic vortex). I am starting a new job with strict grooming standards and I'm looking for a better shave to deal with my inherited coarse facial hair that seems to give me 5 o'clock shadow at 11:30.

I have pretty much decided to start out with a brand new razor although I have read about the merits of vintage blades. I am looking at a TI Supergnome and a Dovo "Silver Steel" with ebony scales. I searched the forum for info on what exactly "silver steel" was, but I'm still a little confused. Is it stainless? Whichever one I choose, I will pay to have it "shave ready". What are the merits of each razor? Thank you for any help. I'm enjoying learning about this subject. Neal

I do not have a TI, but my three dovos are awesome! Be sure to get a larger blade for your courser beard. 6/8 or up. God bless and I hope this helps.

I believe Silver Steel is a term used for high carbon steel. I have both Dovo's and TI's, and love them both. I also have a number of vintage razors in my rotation. Of them all I'd say I prefer my Dovo Bergischer Lowe, and my vintage Puma's the most. Also, once you have the blade honed you'll want to learn how to maintain the blade and hone it yourself. A good strop is a must also. Hope this helps.

I'm not much help when it comes to new razors, because I don't have any, but I did want to chime in with a little advice.

If you have strict grooming guidelines to meet, using just a straight may not give you the close shaves you need until you get good at it. I don't want to discourage you; I'm just pointing out that there is a bit of a learning curve. Once you have a few weeks of shaves under your belt it should be no problem, but you might not be able to get close shaves daily right away. I hope you stick it out though, and I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you for your advice. I'm leaning toward the Dovo along with a starter set of supplies from Vintage Blades. I betting that after a few shaves, the straight razor will still be closer than the electric.

I can't comment on the TI as I don't have one (Yet!) but you can't go wrong with a DOVO.

RacerX,

Time for a reality check, you are coming from an electric razor and going to a straight razor used for wet shaving. There are many variables that you will be unmercifully introduced to when making the switch!

I'm not trying to scare you off.... far from it, but the surest way to get you to throw in the towel is to leap off the ledge and go full steam ahead, variables be damned! Straight shaving does require a set of skills you need to develop. Coming from an electric razor adds yet more skills you need to develop, such as beard prep, using a brush and soap or cream to create lather and getting all just right.

Then there is stropping and eventually honing, not to mention the shave technique itself.

All I'm saying is that these skills cannot be bought, you must provide them yourself. I have no idea how quickly you pick such things up... some people are naturals, other can take a fair bit of time just trying to figure out how to make a decent lather... longer yet trying to figure out how to do it again, once they've got it right for the first time! And then there are those who simply just can't figure it out.... I have been helping a gent out locally, he's very gifted with his hands and is very confortable around sharp things as his hobby is wood carving and he is quite good at it. To make a long story short, he was simply not able to get the hang of straight shaving, even using a Feather AC that I lent to him so he could avoid the hassles of stropping and honing. I can't for the life of me figure out why but such is life and it goes to show that sometimes, some things just seem to escape us. The gent is very happy now, he has a 10 year supply of double edge blades which I gave to him when things didn't work out with the straights and I got all my straight gear back.

As for your questions, Silver steel does not mean stainless, nor does in involve silver in the steel. It is a quality carbon steel, nothing more.

Dovo vs. Ti.... I own neither but that is just because I never got around to buying one... I do have some 25 others in my rotation and they all shave great.... differences between them mostly relate to the shape/size of the blade and my skill at honing them more than what brand they are. A decent, inexpensive razor, properly honed and a good basic strop are what you need to start though one bad stropping could set you back to getting the razor honed again....

You'll need to add a basic brush and a good quality cream or soap and then you should be good to go...... once you figure out how to get it all to work together.

It's not hard to do... millions of men did it in the earlier part of the 18th century, but it can be surprisingly elusive to some gents so be prepared for a learning curve. We'll be here to help you sort things out... just don't chuck the electric in the bin quite yet.....

Jim over at Vintage Blades is a great guy and will no doubt steer you straight with regards what you really *need*.

Regards

Christian

Both are great choices, but pricey. Why not get a refurb until you make up your mind. Any Solingen, Germany made blade will approximate the current Dovo. Any Sheffield, England steel will be something like the TI.

What!? You say you won't take my advice on that and are dead set on doing it your own way anyhow? Then get the Gnome.

X

I started out on a dovo and it was great. I still haven't and wouldn't trade it.

The SuperGnome is a heavier blade (not ground to be as thin), many people just starting out find that a thicker blade like these are more forgiving of errors of technique.

I have never used one myself, but I do like the comfort that heavier blades can give. I would suggest going with one of those.

The Dovo stainless (not the same as the silver steel models) razors are great shavers as well. The Dovo Renaissance 6/8 is stainless, and they have a few other models in 5/8 size with different scale options. Here is a list of Dovo stainless steel razors from Vintage Blades

Plenty of good choices out there.