Thread: Brand New Dovo Razor Chips! Help!

+1 to Milton Man. Since the OP isn't even the razor's user, but a thoughtful girlfriend who gave her dude an awesome Christmas gift early, it doesn't sound like she's "bashing" Dovo to me. Also, I've had trouble taking good photos of my razors with my digital camera, so the lack of pics probably shouldn't be read into.

I hope she's at least read the replies and realized all is not lost... Good luck!

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I agree. The other discussion belongs elsewhere

There never was a discussion. There were two attempts to discredit a manufacturer, neither of which backed up by visual proof.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Marita...

... has left the building immediately after posting her one and only article here, ever. Last Activity: 12-08-2009 08:36 PM

Chaps, it may hurt your gentle feelings, but the obviously very caring and loving girlfriend never happened. Neither did her horrible abuse by Dovo personnel. How come it does not surprise me in the slightest to see such behaviour after the role model of objectivity, J*el of the Chronik Clan, started slandering Dovo - without providing any visual proof, either?

One thing that occurs to me is .... are we talking micro chips here ? We've all examined an edge under magnification and seen chips that aren't visible to the naked eye. For chips to be visible to the naked eye I would think that more than stropping or shaving would have to have been the cause. Not trying to 'blame' anyone. The thing to do is contact the vendor and if they provide the service send it back for honing. Otherwise check out the SRP classifieds and send it to a honemeister.

You think you've got problems? I've just had a guy phone me wanting to claim against the warranty on a TI-Sabatier knife he says has 'broken in half'. Bought it from 'somewhere or other' - SEVEN years ago. Still, we do what we can.....................

And also for my two penn'orth - yes I am a Dovo dealer. I am also A TI dealer. Both august bodies know that I do not sell crap no matter who makes it. Therefore if what they send me does not in my opinion (and believe me I am PICKY) measure up it goes back, no messing, no arguing.

I would like to think that this makes them take notice - after all, what a business to be in, eh? Six- to nine-month waiting time and people biting and kicking to buy your product. It would be easy for said makers to let things slip and churn stuff out without the proper quality controls - er, heck, didn't that happen a while back?

In my opinion both Dovo and TI have pulled their bootstraps good and tight and now produce some damned good work. I find Dovo to be rock-solid - and if something does go wrong, they sort it out no problem. Their finish and edge work in particular has come a long way from a couple of years ago.

TI are now on fire - their new grinding/sharpening kit has hit the bullseye and their QC in general has been hauled into C21 in a big way. Sure there's a lot of 'old stock' still out there but the new stuff is A1.

And as I said to Lynn in a recent email, it is SO very easy to cause damage - a customer of mine had a Dovo Best Class in Desert Ironwood bought for him by his partner and promptly dropped it in the washbasin, chipping it and causing a fine tumult his end no doubt (it's now OK again BTW) - it's easily done but I really have never, ever heard of bits falling out of any edge of any razor without something very hard hitting them beforehand.

Right, that's it!

One question for the group, and please, I don't take sides in this at all, as I don't even own a Dovo. (My TI Le Grelot, on the other hand, is a fantastic razor and shaves like crazy, but I digress . . .)

The question is this -- since we're talking about something that is forged out of steel and then ground and heated and hardened, etc., isn't it possible and probably likely that some of the blades produced will have microscopic cracks or faults or discontinuities in the grain structure, whatever you want to call them, that are not visible or detectable in the QC process, no matter how careful?

I'm no expert, but I understand from others that steel is just not a homogenous substance and that even very small errors or inconsistencies in the manufacturing process can and do lead to faults at the molecular level. Now, in most applications, this is no problem at all, and the faults remain hidden forever. But what about where a fault in the steel lies at just the point where the edge is located? Wouldn't that automatically end up being a weak spot in the blade? And then wouldn't the manufacturer have to take some responsibility for replacing the blade when that fault became apparent -- that is, after a blade chipped from reasonable use or stropping.

By the way, legally both the seller and the manufacturer are responsible for defective products, and it does not matter that the product was used with less than perfect technique, so long as the use was REASONABLE. In other words, if you banged the razor accidentally against the faucet while shaving and the blade shatters, the seller and manufacturer are both responsible for replacement, because banging a blade against a sink is a reasonably foreseeable mishap for someone using a straight razor according to its instructions. If on the other hand your razor shatters while you are using it to cut cheddar cheese or to open soup cans, then tough luck -- manufacturer and seller are NOT responsible.

Anyway, my advice for the concerned OP -- take that blade back to the retailer who sold it to you. Retailers have a wide latitude to send product back to a manufacturer as damaged or defective, and most retailers want to keep the relationship with the customer, as opposed to the manufacturer, who sometimes is more concerned with defending a particular piece of product than is helpful.

Originally Posted by JeffE

In other words, if you banged the razor accidentally against the faucet while shaving and the blade shatters, the seller and manufacturer are both responsible for replacement, because banging a blade against a sink is a reasonably foreseeable mishap for someone using a straight razor according to its instructions. If on the other hand your razor shatters while you are using it to cut cheddar cheese or to open soup cans, then tough luck -- manufacturer and seller are NOT responsible.

HUH ? If I hit a tree with my Ford is that a reasonable foreseeable mishap that the manufacturer is responsible for ? Seems the equivalent of damaging a razor's edge through accident or carelessness whatever you want to call it. With all respect to and sympathy for the OP.

Sorry, I should have explained better.

If you hit the razor against the faucet, and the blade shatters BECAUSE OF A DEFECT IN THE BLADE, then it's not an excuse for Dovo to say, "well, it would not have shattered if you hadn't hit it against the faucet," because hitting it against the faucet is a reasonably foreseeable use (or misuse) of the razor.

To use the car example -- if you get into a fender bender and your car explodes because the gas tank is defectively designed, then it's not an excuse for Ford to say, "well, it would not have exploded if you hadn't gotten into a fender bender." Same reasoning.

All I was saying was that if the blade chips because of a defect in the steel, then it should not matter whether your stropping technique is perfect or your strop is made by Dovo or any of the other things that people have mentioned here. What matters is that the blade has an internal defect, and once it chips through normal (not perfect) use, the company should replace it.

Originally Posted by JeffE

All I was saying was that if the blade chips because of a defect in the steel, then it should not matter whether your stropping technique is perfect or your strop is made by Dovo or any of the other things that people have mentioned here. What matters is that the blade has an internal defect, and once it chips through normal (not perfect) use, the company should replace it.

I would agree with that but it would be difficult to prove one way or the other. I hope the chip is not that serious and can be honed out without too much trouble.

Interesting discussion and I totally agree that if a blade shatters when accidently hit against a faucet or sink that there would probably be a defect in the steel as some type of ding or chip would reasonably be expected with this type of accident. The latter should not be the responsibility of the manufacturer or retailer. I have seen a Dovo blade that had a fissure running along the spine at the toe of the razor and Dovo replaced it without question. Obviously, someone dropping a razor or hitting it against something causing chipping or dings is another story especially when explained as just being there or appearing. The good news is that as stated before, the damage can usually be repaired and the razor made quite usable.

Have fun,

Lynn

I agree with you guys. It's a shame that we never got to see the pictures of the damage, because I think it might be apparent in a photo whether the chip was or was not the result of a fissure or internal defect in the steel.

I hope the boyfriend appreciates the research his girl is putting into this!