Dovo 2 Bismark

[Aerdvaark]

Ive been wanting one of these for awhile and decided to go look for one. I checked all the usual places and then saw that amazon had 3 of same Bismarks, well one was faux pearl, in Ebony handles. The lowest price was much cheaper than anywhere else so I pulled the trigger. Got here last Monday. Just gorgeous! Mine came in a sealed from the factory blue paper box with the big green label and 2 gold Medalions on it. Bismark Solingen, made in Germany. I checked it out thoroughly because the price was so low I thought it might be a factory second or something. This baby is straight and solid, not a mark or blemish anywhere. The edge looked shave ready but the edge did not have our typical honing edge on it, so I went ahead and touched it up on my Ozuku Asagi. The shave was just delightful, so much so that I'm spending even more money on high end soaps and creams to use with it. Although I can't imagine anything being better than Crabtree & Evelyn Moroccan Myrrh. I wonder why there was such a large price differential in this razor...

[DaveStauffer]

I'm interested in how this plays out for you. I have a Dovo "Best" and I noticed it seems to lose it's edge pretty quick. Not much of a big deal, I can usually re-dress it with some of that green crayon abrasive and it goes for several more shaves for me but then I need to dress it again.

The Bismark is a Dovo, and I am considering one. Please keep this thread up and let us know how the blade does!

[Iceni]

The price is a reflection of the fact you have an older production model.

The current Bismarck has no scale inlays, just a gold emboss into ebony stained wood.

The scales interest me a lot, If you could post a picture of the razor that would be helpful. I have never seen an ebony and pearl combination. There are many plastic and pearl combinations.

[Aerdvaark]

I meant they had three different razors for sale. No Ebony and pearl combo. Mine was $129, price has changed to 144. It has been shaving incredibly well. I keep it coated with mineral oil due to the complaints in the review section. After I honed it up I only give my razors a few very light passes on my strop very very lightly dusted with my Herb's Yellowstone.
Here

[Iceni]

The price was just luck then, I see more of the black scaled ones posted about so the seller might have priced it just to rotate stock.

Keep it dry and you won't have any problems. I don't oil mine at all, but I never get the scales wet and after a shave it gets a good wipe and dry off. I store all my razors out of the bathroom in a drawer with a good sized silica packet. There are a few razors that have more complaints than the others from dovo, And most of them have the gold wash! The bergischer lowe razor has even more problems! Gold wash + a rubber section!

I find the shave from mine to be very good. And it hones well. My only real gripe with the modern ones is the wooden scales feel clumsy and thick when you are gripping it. The pearl ones look to be thinner and have better chamfers so this might not be a problem for you.

[Aerdvaark]

I love the Ebony handles on mine, I think it's a tasteful touch. Feels like a glove in my big hands. Faux anything I'm not a fan of especially pearl....

[bobski]

I love my Bismarcks too. I picked one up on the days after New Year with faux pearl handles for $119. Got it at Fendrihan. I don't think that price is around anymore.

[RayClem]

I got a Dovo Bismark from the Imperial Shaving store in Medina, OH, the store that is associated with Straight Razor Designs. I first looked at one with ivory scales, but was not impressed with the scales, so I opted for the slightly more expensive one with ebony scales.

The Bismark is a pretty razor, but it does not shave quite as well as the Ralf Aust with African blackwood scales that I purchased at the same time. Aust razors get a lot of love on this forum and I can understand why.

It is my understanding that there is only one steel forge remaining in Solingen, so all modern Solingen razors are produced from blanks that come from the same forge. However, there can be variations in the heat-treating/tempering process that will affect how well the razor takes and holds an edge.