Which Dovo?

I've read through many other threads (I know how search works :) ) but here is another one :p

I want to buy a Dovo from SRD during the Priceless Value promotion, and I'm having trouble making up my mind. Here is the situation...

I had settled on the Bergischer Lowe, but then I started considering a Bismark based on comments that it was heavier or stiffer then the BL. It also comes in a spike point, which I think I prefer. I'm also interested in a stainless steel blade.

So after buying my wife an iPhone this weekend (amazing little pieces of technology btw!), she asked what she could buy me. I said I'd like a razor, and she liked the idea. I discussed the option getting a couple inexpensive razors, and she said, "No, I want you to get something nice." :D

The budget is $300, and I want a Dovo (I already bought a Boker). I showed her picures of all the razors at SRD and she really likes the MOP model. I like this razor because it's stainless, but it's a round point.

I had already budgeted to buy a BL and a few other supplies for most of $300 myself, so I've decided to get 2 new Dovos :idea:

Right now, I'm thinking of having the Mrs. buy the MOP and I'll buy the BL. Should I be considering any other razors beyond these two and the Bismark?

My perspective is only based on a new Boker, 5/8 round point full hollow, and a vintage Bengal, 5/8 less hollow spike point (slightly rounded). I like the stiffness of the Bengal, but from what I've read here that is common with beginners. It makes sense as I can already feel my technique while using the Boker improving. I realize this preference should push me away from the BL, but I think that blade shape would be ideal (not to mention it's beautiful).

Which Dovo is your favorite and why?

Keep in mind I am only interested in items from SRD right now. I already have a long list of razors, both new and vintage, I want to aquire later on :w

Thanks for your feedback

Really hard to tell. I'd get the (stainless steel) Renaissance and the Bismarck. I like larger blades, though, so I'm biased. ;)

I have had teh Dovo Prima Klang overwhelmingly recommended to me by countless individuals and vendors, many of them describing it as the "best Dovo in Current Production".

Cheers,

Josh

For 300 dollars Id keep an eye on the classifieds or perhaps explore other brands?

Why are you so set on a Dovo?

Hay,

My favorite of the DOVOs I have is the 6/8 Special. I think the fake tortise scales are quite handsome and the blade fits my hand perfectly, and it shaves very smoothly. I have a couple 7/8 Friodurs which have taken a remarkable edge, but I can't get the DOVO SS Renaissance to achieve the same shavability. While it too is a handsome razor, the Special shaves better for me. :shrug:

In my opinion the scales on the Bismarck are a bit clunky and really deserve a hands-on inspection before buying.

So, if I had it to do all over again, I'd get the 6/8 DOVO Special all over again. While it's not the only razor I use, I look forward to using it when it rotates up.

good shaving,

My favorite is my Fritz Bracht Vintage, but since you can't get that anymore. I like the Bismarcks, and the Bergisher Lowe. I think I'd go with the BL, the only thing for me is, I like the bigger blades, the BL only comes in 5/8, if they made it 6/8 or better, I'd be in heaven.....

The MOP is a stunning razor, if you can swing it you should get it - no questions asked. They look soooo much better in person; the pictures don't do them justice. Other than that, I like the Renni's and the Bismarks. The Black stars are also very nice looking razors. These are, of course, just my personal preferences. No matter which Dovo you get, it's going to be a great shaver, so pick whichever one or ones happen to strike your fancy.

Regrading "Prima is the only good Dovo" - I have to say I think that is a totally false statement as well. While I was over at Lynn's, we discussed all the Dovo bashing that goes on, and I had a chance to do a little testing. I pulled out 24 random razors, six each of four different models. I tried them all on the hones and I shave tested all of them. They were Bismarks (two different models), Black Stars, and Best qualities. So, I will restrict my statements to these four models - maybe others are different, but I don't think so.

Every single razor and set of scales had excellent fit and finish. All were evenly ground and all had, more or less, a bevel on them. They all laid flat on the hones, and I was able to get each one shave ready in maybe 3 minutes. Now, unless quality control varies vastly from model to model, and I don't know why it would, I think it's a safe bet that you'll get a good razor no matter which Dovo you buy. And if you have any doubts, go ask Lynn - he has handled and honed more Dovo's than anyone else I know of.

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Originally Posted by BeBerlin

Really hard to tell. I'd get the (stainless steel) Renaissance and the Bismarck. I like larger blades, though, so I'm biased.

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I think I might like larger blades too, so I'm a little disappointed that there are not as many 6/8 as 5/8 :(

My wife did like the looks of the Renaissance too, so that one is an option. I like that it is stainless too. Isn't this the same blade as the MOP razor though? If so, I would argue the potential collectabilty of the limited edition MOP makes it more desirable. Not to mention, the Mrs is buying me a single "nice one" razor up to $300. ;)

She and I are going to sit down tonight and make a decision, so I'll make sure to include the Renaissance on the list again. Thanks for the recommendation.

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Originally Posted by Scipio

For 300 dollars Id keep an eye on the classifieds or perhaps explore other brands?

Why are you so set on a Dovo?

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I want to purchase them from SRD while they are offering lifetime honing. I plan to learn to hone eventually, but getting a couple razors that will be forever "Lynn sharp" sounds like a great idea to me. I already bought a Boker during the promotion. I like it fine, but I want to get a Dovo. Since SRD has many to choose from, I am going to get 2 I think :D

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Originally Posted by Bruce

Hay,

My favorite of the DOVOs I have is the 6/8 Special. I think the fake tortise scales are quite handsome and the blade fits my hand perfectly, and it shaves very smoothly. I have a couple 7/8 Friodurs which have taken a remarkable edge, but I can't get the DOVO SS Renaissance to achieve the same shavability. While it too is a handsome razor, the Special shaves better for me.

In my opinion the scales on the Bismarck are a bit clunky and really deserve a hands-on inspection before buying.

So, if I had it to do all over again, I'd get the 6/8 DOVO Special all over again. While it's not the only razor I use, I look forward to using it when it rotates up.

good shaving,

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Thanks for the response. I'm sure that razor shaves well. I propossed getting a 5/8 and a 6/8 of the less expensive razors. I explained to my wife that the blades are very similar and that the price differences are usually due to fancier scales. She wants to buy me a "nice one" which means it has the bling too :)

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Originally Posted by TJoshX

To the thread starter, best of luck in your purchase! I wish you well and am sure being a beginner like myself probably will be happy with any of the purchases you are considering. I was merely trying to share what I personally found.

I won't be checking back up on this thread.

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Well in case you do check back, thanks for the suggestion :)
I'll look into the Prima Klang too, but I'm leaning towards a stainless blade.

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Originally Posted by zib

My favorite is my Fritz Bracht Vintage, but since you can't get that anymore. I like the Bismarcks, and the Bergisher Lowe. I think I'd go with the BL, the only thing for me is, I like the bigger blades, the BL only comes in 5/8, if they made it 6/8 or better, I'd be in heaven.....

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I agree 100%. I really want a 6/8, but those selections are limited :(

so you want the most bling for the buck? I guess for me that puts the MOP and BL pretty much at the top. I do have a thing for natural materials over plastic though, the later has been and continues to be enough for me to part with dorkos, pumas, ducks, bokers, and other great and highly sought after razors.

the renaissance has different blade than the 41, but they're both stainless.

I have owned dovo 41 both current production and from the fritz bracht times, the later is clearly superior, but that's neither an option for you, nor does it match your criteria.

I recently purchased the Dovo BL from SRD and I must admit it does give a really nice shave.

I also have a cheap 5/8 razor, and the Dovo is far superior.

I also purchased a Bismark with black scales from SRD and just got it in the post today.

I will shave with it later today and let you know what it is like and how it compares to the BL.

I'm sure which ever razors you get you will be very happy with them.

Stuart.

You know, I just realized that all of these other new razor websites (CS, VB and others) are CRAZY not to offer this "lifetime sharpening" deal. This fellow is about the 10th person I've encountered here who is buying specifically from SRD because of the lifetime-sharpening offer.

Now I haven't been doing this as long as many people here, but does an offer of lifetime sharpening even cost SRD very much? The customer still has to pay for all of the shipping, and SRD presumably does not have to pay a honemeister $20 per blade (like the rest of us). It seems like they may have to hone each razor they sell maybe once or twice a year at a cost of $5 - 10 per customer, and when the customer sells that razor or moves onto something else, the obligation is basically over.

Anyway, to the OP, everyone here has lots of opinions, but you are the one shaving with these razors, so by all means, buy what you love!! Some here (like me) might suggest getting not so many Dovos, because variety is the spice of life, and every razor brand seems to have its own personality, which makes it more interesting in the morning when you're shaving. But you might be one of those guys just in love with one great brand, in which case no one should talk you out of it.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is this -- the lifetime sharpening thing is a gimmick, and a very good one at that. I have no doubt that it will be useful in the future, but it probably wouldn't lead me to buy just one brand if that isn't what I was already looking to buy. To put it another way, getting a lifetime of free sharpening for your razor is NOT like buying a car with a lifetime of free gas in the tank. It's more like buying a car with a lifetime of free tire rotations. Yes, it is useful, and probably something you will end up doing about once or twice a year, but I wouldn't use that to decide which brand of car I liked better.

Lynn, who is one of the two guys at SRD (among other things ;-p), does the honing at SRD, so all it costs him is his time, and gas to the post office and money for packing materials. Keep in mind, as of now, the lifetime free honing is a sale, not a constant deal they offer.

Thanks for all the replies gents :)

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Originally Posted by gugi

so you want the most bling for the buck? I guess for me that puts the MOP and BL pretty much at the top. I do have a thing for natural materials over plastic though, the later has been and continues to be enough for me to part with dorkos, pumas, ducks, bokers, and other great and highly sought after razors.

the renaissance has different blade than the 41, but they're both stainless.

I have owned dovo 41 both current production and from the fritz bracht times, the later is clearly superior, but that's neither an option for you, nor does it match your criteria.

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I appreciate natural scale materials too, but it doesn't mean I'm adverse to snthetics. I want to make some carbon fiber scales someday, but the plain plastic scales are kind of boring. I bought the cheap Boker from SRD with the intention of rescaling the blade down the road. I just wanted to try out a Boker and have it be sharp for life :)

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Originally Posted by Stuart74

I recently purchased the Dovo BL from SRD and I must admit it does give a really nice shave.

I also have a cheap 5/8 razor, and the Dovo is far superior.

I also purchased a Bismark with black scales from SRD and just got it in the post today.

I will shave with it later today and let you know what it is like and how it compares to the BL.

I'm sure which ever razors you get you will be very happy with them.

Stuart.

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I'm looking forward to hearing how they compare. We're actually not going to order for another few days. I'm not in a hurry. I have until the 31st to decide.

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Originally Posted by JeffE

You know, I just realized that all of these other new razor websites (CS, VB and others) are CRAZY not to offer this "lifetime sharpening" deal. This fellow is about the 10th person I've encountered here who is buying specifically from SRD because of the lifetime-sharpening offer.

Now I haven't been doing this as long as many people here, but does an offer of lifetime sharpening even cost SRD very much? The customer still has to pay for all of the shipping, and SRD presumably does not have to pay a honemeister $20 per blade (like the rest of us). It seems like they may have to hone each razor they sell maybe once or twice a year at a cost of $5 - 10 per customer, and when the customer sells that razor or moves onto something else, the obligation is basically over.

Anyway, to the OP, everyone here has lots of opinions, but you are the one shaving with these razors, so by all means, buy what you love!! Some here (like me) might suggest getting not so many Dovos, because variety is the spice of life, and every razor brand seems to have its own personality, which makes it more interesting in the morning when you're shaving. But you might be one of those guys just in love with one great brand, in which case no one should talk you out of it.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is this -- the lifetime sharpening thing is a gimmick, and a very good one at that. I have no doubt that it will be useful in the future, but it probably wouldn't lead me to buy just one brand if that isn't what I was already looking to buy. To put it another way, getting a lifetime of free sharpening for your razor is NOT like buying a car with a lifetime of free gas in the tank. It's more like buying a car with a lifetime of free tire rotations. Yes, it is useful, and probably something you will end up doing about once or twice a year, but I wouldn't use that to decide which brand of car I liked better.

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I agree with your post, it is a great marketing tactic. It has certainly influenced my purchases some ;)

However you're analogy doesn't exactly describe my situation. A car is a much larger investment. You typically don't buy several makes of cars and maybe multiple models to see if you like them. To carry on the analogy though... I'm not sure which brands I prefer yet. I'm not even a 100% sure what blade types I like. I might even be making a mistake purchasing several new blades this early in my straight shaving journey. The lifetime honing is just too good a deal to pass up.

It is very likely that I would have purchased a new Boker and Dovo at some point. All this offer has done is to cause me to change the schedule a bit. I know I would get a new Dovo at some point, so why not now during the promotion?

I fully expect to learn to hone razors at some point. Heck, I hope to get really good at it, but I still like the appeal of having 2-3 razors that are a sharpness reference point.

I probably would have spent the same amount of money over the same time period. Buying a couple Dovos now just means I'll be putting off buying some stuff to do restorations (something I'm very interested in).

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I will say that all this discussion has made me reconsider getting 2 Dovos. I think I let myself slip into that idea because I was having trouble deciding on just one. The Mrs thinks the MOP one looks the nicest, but I'm partial to that blade on the Bergischer Lowe ;)

Hayduke, this is the kind of "problem" that we all love to have, so like I said, by all means pick whichever one "speaks" to you, and I think you can be sure that these Dovos are all really, really excellent razors.

As it happens, I have more than 30 SRs, but actually no Dovos at all, so I've got no specific recommendations, but I AM kind of curious to hear what you end up with. I've heard others mention the BL, so I guess that must be a pretty well known model. One other question for you, though -- have you considered getting one Dovo in carbon steel and one in stainless, like the linen micarta inox (very cool looking razor)? Anyway, I've always liked the look of that razor, so maybe I'm just biased.

Any, whatever you buy, PLEASE PLEASE come back and tell everyone what you think after you use them. You said above that you don't really know which brand or model you like the best. Guess what -- no one here does until you get a chance to actually try it OR someone reports back here about what his experience was. So try them and then enlighten your friends, and we will do the same!

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Originally Posted by JeffE

SRD presumably does not have to pay a honemeister $20 per blade (like the rest of us).

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As far as I know Lynn has a constant influx of razors to hone, so it does cost honing of another razor instead, which is $20 according to the pubished rate.

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Originally Posted by JeffE

Some here (like me) might suggest getting not so many Dovos

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...and it would be wise to ignore the advice of such newly born experts who have no idea what they're talking about.
As you noted you have zero experience with any Dovo and about 30 razors of varying brands, honed in a completely different manner, so your opinion about 'brands' should be taken with a big chunk of salt.
And just in case you question my disagreement with you, I have owned 15 different Dovo razors, and probably over 100 different brands altogether and I have honed practically all of them.

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Originally Posted by JeffE

the lifetime sharpening thing is a gimmick, and a very good one at that.

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It's very interesting that you chose to call this a 'gimmick' as it goes beyond ignorance to bordering malice.
Once you become a 'honester' and complete 500 free honings, come back and let us know how does the gimmick work for you.

The SRD offer is certainly not a gimmick considering that it does have value. A gimmick is a marketing ploy to get more people to purchase from a certain place in ways that don't offer anything special to the buyer. If I wasn't flat broke due to Christmas, I'd take them up on it in a heartbeat and likely pick up a nice Bismarck.

That said, I don't see how Lynn does it. He's already inundated with razors being sent to him otherwise, now he's offering free honing if you purchase a razor this month! It's a very generous offer and will definitely take up a lot of his free time.

Um, gentlemen, please. I don't claim to be an expert, just a beginner with a few razors.

Gimmick does not mean bad or deceptive -- look it up before you tear into me. It is a device to catch someone's attention for the purpose of making a sale. If that makes someone buy razors from SRD, then it is effective and I do not have any problem with that, and if SRD honors its promise of lifetime honing, then everyone has made out well. So what is the problem? Offering customers free financing with a car is a sales gimmick. Offering free shipping to the first 100 callers is a sales gimmick. Offering free lifetime honing for people who buy razors is a sales gimmick. Sheesh.

Next, Hayduke asked for OPINIONS from the group, so my offering my two cents is no more or less meaningful than all of the other advice that was given here. Lots of my advice was the same as that given by others, only they did not get "flamed" by the more "senior" members.

Anyway, it's true that I haven't been a member here as long as some others, but if being a long-time member entitles you to put down others who are trying to offer an honest opinion to a member who has asked for it, then maybe that's a good thing.

Jeff,

Since you said gentleMEN, I'm assuming you mean more than one person, and since gugi and I were the two to bring this up, I'm assuming you're referring to me, as well...

I wasn't trying to flame, Jeff, not at all. All apologies if I came off that way. My understanding of "gimmick" is a marketing ploy that doesn't benefit the customer, but is used to generate sales and even to deceive said naive customer. I looked it up to make sure and Wikipedia seems to agree with me, not that they're the end-all/be-all of definitions.

Sorry again, JeffE.

Actually flaming you was due to your lacking the relevant experience to back up your opinion. If you notice the other posters talked about razors they own. You also made some speculations about how businesses are run and what costs are involved, which tells me you're pretty clueless, yet post like an authority.

I'm a new member too. I've been at this for about two and a half years. Not sure how you infer that gives me some special rights.

In any case, as I said, my problem is with opinions that are based on nothing, as it is a coin toss whether they are useful or harmful and only serve to decrease the signal to noise ratio.

There are plenty of websites and forums where self-proclaimed experts spread misinformation and I would rather SRP remain a place where people can find reliable information and not hype or somebody's secret agenda. And one of the reasons SRP is such a place is that members post out of their own experience, not from speculations.

Allen, my apologies to you as well. Merriam Webster defines gimmick as a marketing ploy to attract customer's attention, but if you felt some negative connotation in my choice of words, then clearly I chose unwisely. My fault, and I will be more careful in the future. My point, I thought, was pretty clear -- that the free honing offer appears to be amazingly effective in attracting customers to SRD, judging by comments here. I still think the other sites are crazy not to offer it, as the increase in sales and attention has to be worth far more than absorbing the cost of additional honing. And that is no insult to anyone invovled.

Ok we are stopping this here, get the topic back on track.. and off of personal attacks....

Whew, don't make GLen mad on my thread please :)

gimmick smimick, I get to have Lynn hone my new blades for life! Lucky for him, I've got SRAD bad so I won't be sending any in all that often. Maybe once a year or 1 razor more often and the others less often. :)

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Originally Posted by JeffE

Hayduke, this is the kind of "problem" that we all love to have, so like I said, by all means pick whichever one "speaks" to you, and I think you can be sure that these Dovos are all really, really excellent razors.

As it happens, I have more than 30 SRs, but actually no Dovos at all, so I've got no specific recommendations, but I AM kind of curious to hear what you end up with. I've heard others mention the BL, so I guess that must be a pretty well known model. One other question for you, though -- have you considered getting one Dovo in carbon steel and one in stainless, like the linen micarta inox (very cool looking razor)? Anyway, I've always liked the look of that razor, so maybe I'm just biased.

Any, whatever you buy, PLEASE PLEASE come back and tell everyone what you think after you use them. You said above that you don't really know which brand or model you like the best. Guess what -- no one here does until you get a chance to actually try it OR someone reports back here about what his experience was. So try them and then enlighten your friends, and we will do the same!

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I will definitely come back and let everyone know what I purchased and what I think of the shave.

I like the idea of 2 blade materials too. The BL and MOP would achieve that, but I wouldn't have a carbon blade like those of the Bismark, Prima etc. I've heard wonderful things about the BL's Swedish steel though :)

Well I do very much appreciate everyones feedback. I may not even place the order until the 30th, so it could be a couple weeks until I have some feedback on the shaves.

Now should I post what I decided on after I order, or wait until I shave? hmmm.......

Speaking of shaves, it's late and I have to get up early, so I'm going to go shave before bed :D woohoo!!

There we go all back to normal, I did some editing and sent some PM's

Now let's get back to "Razor Rattle" as my wife calls it when I try and talk with her about important decisions like this :)

Damn glad we have each other on this forum, because no one else understands this like we do hehehehe

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Originally Posted by JeffE

Um, gentlemen, please. I don't claim to be an expert, just a beginner with a few razors.

Gimmick does not mean bad or deceptive -- look it up before you tear into me. It is a device to catch someone's attention for the purpose of making a sale. If that makes someone buy razors from SRD, then it is effective and I do not have any problem with that, and if SRD honors its promise of lifetime honing, then everyone has made out well. So what is the problem? Offering customers free financing with a car is a sales gimmick. Offering free shipping to the first 100 callers is a sales gimmick. Offering free lifetime honing for people who buy razors is a sales gimmick. Sheesh.

Next, Hayduke asked for OPINIONS from the group, so my offering my two cents is no more or less meaningful than all of the other advice that was given here. Lots of my advice was the same as that given by others, only they did not get "flamed" by the more "senior" members.

Anyway, it's true that I haven't been a member here as long as some others, but if being a long-time member entitles you to put down others who are trying to offer an honest opinion to a member who has asked for it, then maybe that's a good thing.

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Giving an opinion regarding something that you do not and have not owned would seem agenda driven and not in the spirit of this forum. Your persistence here is for what purpose an and answer should not be forthcoming. Perhaps another forum..............

I think it's time to close this one.

Lynn