Why would you want to get rid of it? It looks genuine and has an, apparently one-off misspelling on it. Pretty unique, and looks like it'll be a good shaver.
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Why would you want to get rid of it? It looks genuine and has an, apparently one-off misspelling on it. Pretty unique, and looks like it'll be a good shaver.
Not looking to get rid of it. Like you say it may be unique. Just sent off an email to Dovo to ask about it. However, if it is a one off I could buy the other one there. When I went to the store, they said that no one buys these type of razors anymore around there. Most times it is just the old farmer guys or construction workers that can't get used to using anything else. That said, they just buy the cheap local versions. No one is willing to spend that much on blades no one uses anymore. She said she had 4 of them at one time, but they had been there for years and no one even looked at them anymore.
As such, I was able to get it for less than $30 thanks to my girlfriend negotiating. Still, I can get DAs and Gold Dollars for less than a quarter of that, so if it is fake, I don't want another.
Anyway, as you say, it looks to be a good shaver. I am waiting to get some new soap that should be here this week. We'll see how it goes when I receive it.
Btw, though there is somewhat of an equivalent of the BBB here. They don't really do anything. You can see that by the hundreds of fake DVD, software, clothing, etc everywhere you look.
I would certainly let the shopkeeper know of your concern, but say that you want to wait until you hear from Dovo before doing anything.
Hey Guys,
Concerning the mystery "SLRMANY" razor:
http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/v...e/DSC_0327.jpg
http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/v.../razorcrop.jpg
I just wanted to update everyone on what I found out. At Khaos suggestion (thank you btw), I sent an email to Dovo. They responded yesterday, but asked that I give them a little more time (today) to research it before I posted their reply. Below are the replies from yesterday and today. I told them that I would be quoting it here, and would take out their names and contact details. Here are the two replies:
Yesterday:
"Dear ________,Thank you for your email. From what I can see from the pictures - and knowing our range of the past 11 years since working for DOVO - it would seem that it is an older razor. I will check with our production manager who is with DOVO for more than 40 years, and see if he can remember if we made such a razor in the past, and if it had that peculiar misspelling of "SLRMANY" in it for a while until we realized the error. It might very well be, as the workers doing the stamping at the time did not know English and would not have caught the error immediately.I'll be in touch shortly."
and Today:
"Dear ________,Thank you for your patience. I spoke with our production manager who is with DOVO for more than 40 years, and even he said he doesn't know the razor. The grinding, where the tang (that bears our old logo and the DOVO name) becomes the spine of the blade is unusual and was not practised since he started working for DOVO. That does not mean that it is not a DOVO razor, though.Unfortunately I cannot give you any better reply. If it is indeed as old as our production manager's statement suggests, it is in prime condition by the looks of it, and you probably have an excellent example of old world craftmenship."
I am not sure if I am any closer to knowing, but at least they didn't say outright that it was not a Dovo, and even suggested that it could be an older razor. I was going to try to hone it on an old hone I have here, but I think I will wait till my friend brings back my new hone from the States. I will have a better idea once I shave with it.
I don't know if Pakistan was making ****ty knock off's 40 odd years ago, so I'm willing to bet you have a legitimate blade. See how she shaves. She's either a mis-stamp (VERY strange) intentional or accidental, or probably made by higher quality conmen then those running the Pakistani shops... but I doubt it. VERY STRANGE.
Hone her up and take it for a spin ..... I'm really really hoping it shaves like a dream for you .
It's hard to think that people would be making fakes all that time ago , especially with an everyday item like a razor.
It's always great to see unique little finds like what you have , I hope it gives you many many year of shaving pleasure .
cheers Garry
Since the box says made in West Germany we know it is from 1946 or later. It was actually several years after the April 30, 1945 surrender before they were geared up to produce much of anything. Right after WWII Solingen's razor industry had been bombed out of existence like the rest of Germany. They were trying to recover some sort of blade related industry and grinders had to be trained. Tool and die makers had to make new die sets, stamps, etc.
The one gentleman has worked at DOVO for 40 yrs. and is not familiar with this razor and believes the grind to be strange. So, we know it was made somewhere in a 23 year window from 1946-1969. The strange grind and misforged letters probably indicate it was made in the late 1940s when people had yet to become very proficient in their new endeavors.
Facharbeit means skilled.
It is probably a great shaver.
I concur with Lynn, I had a Fritz Bracht Dovo with the same blade and etching, I cant answer for the mis stamp, I would imagine its like an odd coin, the imperfection may increase the value. BTW it will be an awesome shaver! Dont let the SO be sad, nothing to be upset about!
Hey Guys,
Lots of good info. I really want to shave with this thing, but I don't want to put it on my cheap stones that I bought here. I am trying to have a friend bring back some new hones for me, so I can get 'er shave ready. Once I do, I will let you know. Thanks again to all that replied.
Yeah, I had the same thought. I am not in a rush though. Like I said, the lady at the shop said they had been there for years. Next time I am in the area, I will go by and pick up whatever else she may have in stock.
I did however notice that my "Facharbeit" looks more like "Facharleit"... compared to a "Facharbeit Tennis" razor that I saw online. Wonder if this is another mistake. Though not likely, as the ones making it should have been able to spell in their native tongue. On the other hand, I have not seen any other clear photos, so their could be others similar to this one.
I guess it could even be that someone around that time frame (mid to late 40s) living in Germany and working in the factory could have been a foreigner displaced because of The War. It's all speculation of course.
I think it's a "b." It's very subtle, but if you look at how the "b" connects to the "e", there is an ever so slight line going left to right to connect to the "e." I would think that if it was an "l," it would go right into the part of the "e" that forms the middle loop. Hard to explain.
You may be right. I was just comparing it to the only good photo I found online. This "b" is much more pronounced. Taylors1000 Straight Razor ebay sales However, that could have always changed with the times.
Yeah, the fonts used on the two razors are different. If someone can identify the font, then you could compare the lower case "b" on your razor to the font listing. Probably more trouble than it's worth. Enjoy the razor. (I wouldn't mind having that Fritz Bracht Tennis razor;)).
I'm a Dovo dealer so I hope this helps a bit.
1. ALL Dovos have the words 'Dovo Solingen', 'Dovo stainless', 'Bismarck' or 'Meister Merton's' (model 1885685 Renaissance) on the front side of the tang, except the 3580 model Bergischer Lowe, which has that phrase, complete with the lion rampant shield, on the blade. NONE have the word 'Solingen' on the scales in the typeface of the razor above, though some have the word 'Dovo' with the word 'Solingen' impressed in the underlining of the word. The Renaissance has the word 'Solingen' (with the authentic curling 'g') complete with the anchor and crossed swords with coronet above, which are the arms of Solingen (the 'man in apron with hammer' is Dovo's logo).
Also, Dovo razors are supplied either in a blue metal box with the Dovo seal on it (gold seal for carbon blades, silver seal for stainless) or branded plastic boxes or heavy card boxes for the 'Bismarck' models.
If a razor doesn't have one of the above it is not a Dovo - certainy not one in production today.
Yeah I am with you John C., no doubt about the box. It is the black plastic and had the gold sticker placed across for the seal. It was unbroken, and when opened it had the Dovo wax paper. It looked just like the box at the end Lynn's Dovo factory video on YouTube.
I agree with Radaddict, the font is totally different than the Tennis, and could in fact be a "b." Also, I wouldn't mind having that Tennis blade either.
I think with the information I got from the people at Dovo, it may just be a mis-stamp. They definitely didn't say it was not a Dovo, and seemed to hint that they have seen mis-stamps in some form before as they alluded to the lack of English knowledge among factory workers in early prodcution.
All that said, I think with the quality of the grind and the scales and such, I don't think it is a copy. If the guys doing fakes can do this good of a job, I am not sure why they wouldn't just brand their own razors and sell a bit more than DAs, Gold Dollars, etc and a bit lower than Dovos and capture a bit of the market that is lacking. Just my 2cents.
I asked this once before in this thread but it is still valid. Why would someone counterfeit a Chevrolet when they could counterfeit a BMW. If the Pakistanis were going to spend more time counterfeiting a Dovo than perfecting their own razors I would think they would be counterfeiting DublDuck Wonderedges and "antiquing" them.
Interesting razor. The word on the blade is definitely wrong - it has an "l" instead of a "b" - I don't think that point is arguable:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...facharleit.jpg
the bottom of the "l" stroke connects to the next letter. It should be "Facharbeit" - a facharbeiter is a skilled worker, so the designation is skilled or specialist work - quite amusing in this instance!
The tang stamping is odd - I thought that the dies were cast with the complete word, so assembling two letters together wrongly would be out of the question. If the image is enlarged and the lighting tweaked a bit, it looks like there was something else under the first part of the mark:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...87/slrmany.jpg
it almost looks like an "E" under the "L" or possibly a ghostly "O" as if "SOLINGEN" was nearly stamped there instead of Germany - could be just an artefact in posted image, though. All very odd.
The razor looks good though.
Regards,
Neil
I have two Dovos that are very recent purchases (in the US). One is the blue metal box as you describe and the other is in a plastic box similar the one in this thread. However, considering that the speculation is that this razor may be from the 1940s, the box as shown lends more credence to this being an authentic Dovo.
Don't jump to the wrong idea - I'm not dismissing the razor in the slightest, in fact it looks genuine to me. The only thing that I find remarkable about it is the level of error and illiteracy. I'm still doubtful about the blade spelling - the kerning (ie the spacing between letters) is all wrong for that crucial letter being a "b" - it is a rounded letter and occupies more space than one with two upright sections, and it abuts onto another rounded letter, so there should be enough room for the rounded part of the "b" followed by a space, followed by the next letter.
Obviously fonts will change things slightly, but not the kerning or the general rules of script formation. The lettering from the razor in question is first in the following pic, followed by some sample script fonts (I had to choose those with looped and joined elements which rules out a lot of fonts) followed by the script on Tennis razor:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...facharbeit.jpg
They aren't dead-ringers, obviously, but show enough difference to be relevant. Perhaps you are right in thinking that a better pic of the razor would help, but I can definitely make out loops and lines on most of the characters except for those that would form the lower half of the "b" - but as you say, that might be just a peculiarity of the font used.
According to the Dovo Jubilee Pamphlet, Dorp was dissatisfied with his sons management of the company and sold it to Fritz Bracht who had toured the continent setting up his own contacts for his own razor brand - Bradrei, so he was a sharp and astute business man. It is often cited that after WW2 Bracht had to look to other products like scissors because of the rise of the electric razor, but less mentioned is the fact that all the Nazi knives and ceremonial edged weapons came out of Solingen and the stigma affected sales of companies such as Dovo - that's not the same as saying that there were few skilled workers - Dorp and Voos only had 13 workers when they started!
I expect that some factories were affected more than others by the war - take the Carl Linder works for example, having all the staff drafted and having to cease production for 10 years. Despite being bombed-out, production commenced again in 1949. The Boker factory was bombed, losing everything, but they rebuilt soon after the war and were able to re-hire some original skilled workers.
As for Dovo I don't have much info, but would like to know more. Perhaps by understanding what went on in those post-war years holds the key to this mystery?
Regards,
Neil
Hey Guys,
Some really good replies and interesting reading. I will try to set up a photobox to take better pics sometime this week. However, the more I look at it, the more I go back to it being "Facharleit." I thought about going back by the shop and getting the last one they had, just to see if it says the same thing. I was thinking it could be a situation that due to the QC issues with spelling, it may be why these razors ended up in Asia where the German and English spellings would not be scrutinized. Anyway, I may be reading too much into it.
So I got tired of waiting for my new hones and strop to arrive, and just decided to try to hone it up on my old Chinese waterstone, and strop it on some linen. It was popping hairs on the back of arm with ease, but the shave was less than pleasurable. Took quite a few passes WTG, ATG, XTG and still not BBS, and my neck is not loving me right now. Also, I noticed it started tarnishing in a few spots within a couple minutes of being in the water. I thought maybe I didn't clean it enough with Alcohol after honing, so I tried to clean it up again. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and the gold wash (etching) on both sides of the "facharleit" came off. Is that normal? I still think I can get it to shave nice. I should have my hones and strop at the end of the week. I guess I will know for sure at that time.
Oh noes! You broke it. The only place that can be trusted to recycle Slrmanian razors properly is here in Finland, quite near me. Send the razor to me and I'll take care of it. Here, let me give you my address... ;)
Gold washing is usually extremely thin, maybe only tens of microns and doesn't really stand up to real abrasion with solvents. Especially polishing compounds such as Maas are notorious for stripping gold wash. In the future, try to clean up around it for example with a cotton bud.
Yes, it was exactly the same. I told the lady when I bought it about the misspelling. She said she didn't know about it, but had bought 5 or 6 razors years ago and the 2 that I bought were all that remained. She said she bought them from the distributor in China, but had no reason to contact them for years as it took her so long to sell the original stock she had. If she decides to restock (not holding my breath), she will ask him about the strange stamp.
There you have it. Since they both have the same misspelling, and it is coming from China, I believe it is more than likely fake. If I was a store selling Dovo razors I would not order it from a distributor in China, but rather from Germany directly. In the long run it would cost more as it would have to be first shipped to China, and then shipped to the store.
As for why would someone want to copy a Chevy and not a BMW, Dovo is a famous name in razors, and has a very good reputation. I would be more suspicious of the typos on a BMW than on a Chevy. It may be that the manufacturer was simply selling to people in China as well, where such a name would carry far greater weight. In that case, the manufacturer wouldn't care about liability. China does not recognize most patent and copyright laws around the world.
Hi I am new to this and am in the same boat as SoCalNewb I have limited funds and just cannot tell what razors are fake and what ones are real. I was thinking of buying this razor of ebay but don't know if its a fake it says that is a band of Dovo sold with no markings to keep price down it also specifies that the blade was made and honed in Solingen Germany and is new, the seller has 100% positive feedback too.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=330383188310
I would still keep an eye here for good deals on the classifieds. Keeping in mind that most of the blades you buy on ebay have to be honed you can add 20 to 25 more to the ebay price for getting it shave ready. I don't regret the blade we bought on ebay or the honing and restoring we are paying for but in hindsight maybe we should have bought from the classifieds first, learned a bit, and maybe then ventured into the ebay straight razor buying realm.
Although if you buy one and want it cleaned up and honed just the little bit of work I have seen that has been done on ours has been amazing. We were very impressed by the work a fellow member did so far.
i have one very similar to the one you posted. mine even has solingen on the scales. the name on the tang is printed on it and not stamped on mine. the thing only cost me $11 with s/h. it honed up ok but the metal is cheap and with only minimal honing the spine showed wear, this is not a good razor if it is the same as mine. you might ask the seller if the name on the tang is printed or stamped in the metal....i think you would be better getting a shave ready straight from the classifieds here...good luck
59caddy I asked the seller and he told me he bought a few of these razors in Germany and that the Solingen is stamped in the tang