Another DOVO QC Thread

Hey guys,

Like you most of you, I have read some threads recently about the QC of DOVO straight razors. It has caused concern for a lot of new guys. In fact, I had some buddies bring me razors to look at to make sure they didn't need to be concerned.

Yesterday, I received another DOVO to hone, and it made me think of those threads (but more on that in a bit). Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to spend a little time in a workshop grinding with Bob Allman (thread coming after razor is complete :beer1:). That little bit of experience gave me even more appreciation for the effort and craftsmanship that goes into making a razor. The effort and skill required to make one of these razors is significant...

Back to that DOVO, I went through a cursory inspection, and I was really impressed with the grind, balance, gold wash, scales, etc.... It took a great edge off my coticule in very little time, it just danced on the strops, and the shave test (dry ATG on the neck) was incredibly smooth. Tonight, I look forward to a great shave before sending it back out.

I'm no DOVO expert (only handled 10 or thereabouts), but I've not seen any major problems that would cause me to ever hesitate to endorse them when asked to give my opinion. I've seen consistently good razors that were well made and take a great edge. In fact, this particular razor has me thinking about picking up one like it (Bismark). I'm not saying that there aren't some bad razors that leave the factory, but I've not seen any...


Thanks for reading

I would never hesitate to buy a Dovo. The ones I've bought have all been very well made with no issues.

+1 on that

I have two and have had nothing but good shaves from them. There are NO issues on mine that can be seen. I think some people just like to blow smoke and make noise. I'm sure that ANY razor we can talk about will have it's haters for a variety of reasons. For those that are thinking about a new razor at a good price, go ahead and pull the trigger......you won't be sorry.

I think Dovos are the best razors made. I've spent the last two days evaluating my next purchase. It'll be a Dovo.

I love my Dovo razor. When ever I question my honing abilities I just give it a slight touch up, strop and kid myself that I can hone.

I've got a half dozen of them and they are all first rate in every respect. So far I haven't met a Dovo I didn't like.

I could tell you about my Pearlex #98 gold washed razor with the slightly warped blade and my Silver Steel ebony handled Ebenholz that is severely warped but I am not going to say anything about these imperfections for fear of busting somebody's bubble.

Two out of my 6 Dovos are warped. That's a 33 1/3 % defect rate.

There was a post about a year ago concerning the fact that Thiers-Issard used to have a quality control problem but has since cleaned up their act. In that same post it was mentioned how DOVO was known for their quality but lately that level of quality had gone down. That's about the same time I purchased these two razors.

They can still be honed but it is such a hassle to hone a warped blade. I know I'm not the only Dovo customer with this problem..........

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrsell63

I could tell you about my Pearlex #98 gold washed razor with the slightly warped blade and my Silver Steel ebony handled Ebenholz that is severely warped but I am not going to say anything about these imperfections for fear of busting somebody's bubble.

Two out of my 6 Dovos are warped. That's a 33 1/3 % defect rate.

There was a post about a year ago concerning the fact that Thiers-Issard used to have a quality control problem but has since cleaned up their act. In that same post it was mentioned how DOVO was known for their quality but lately that level of quality had gone down. That's about the same time I purchased these two razors.

They can still be honed but it is such a hassle to hone a warped blade. I know I'm not the only Dovo customer with this problem..........

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It's a good thing you didn't say anything about them... :boohoo:

FWIW, you're not bursting my bubble. My experience is different than yours, and I'm guessing that your experience is representative of a minority of the straight shavers. But that's just a guess. :)

I've had better luck with dovo qc than TI. But my only Dovo that shaves as well as my TI's is my Bergischer Lowe.

It also depends on what your tolerance level is. In a perfect world there wouldn't be any of these issues. OTOH, it ain't a perfect world. I bought a brand spanky new work back TI and it came with one of the genuine horn scales shorter than the other. A brand new TI 7/8 in horn with a double bevel on one side and not the other. :gaah: Finally my TI historic Pierre Theirs hand forged limited edition has a slight warp in the blade. I could have complained to the vendor on these (different vendors) but I accept them warts and all. :)

We report, you decide. There are two sides to every story. Out of my 48 razors, the warped ones happen to be DOVOs. End of story.
Thanks for listening.................:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrsell63

We report, you decide. There are two sides to every story. Out of my 48 razors, the warped ones happen to be DOVOs. End of story.
Thanks for listening.................:)

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meh... My TIs were much worse than all the DOVOs I've seen.

My point is that there are far more happy customers of DOVO than unhappy IME

Thanks for sharing :)

I've got two DOVO's are they are both excellent! They take great edges and hold them, strop up really nicely, give great shaves and are very well made. The scales fit nicely with no warps or anything, and you have to really look to see the hone wear.

I've also seen probably 50-60 of them in various stores around London (Trumpers etc..), and they have all been well made and well finished.

Great razors, and I'd definately recommend them!

I think part of the problem is that the shaving community is a small one, and it gets a bit like Chinese Whispers. One person says they think all new DOVO's are "POS's" (that famous thread on the other forum) and then new guys think DOVO's are bad, and it sets others up to go out expecting to find problems and then are surprised when they do... Its like the fable of the Chr*nik..! :)

I guess that, like all companies, there may be items that slip by the QC net, but DOVO do seem to be pretty good by and large. Both of mine shave great, and all the ones I've seen all looked good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrsell63

I could tell you about my Pearlex #98 gold washed razor with the slightly warped blade and my Silver Steel ebony handled Ebenholz that is severely warped but I am not going to say anything about these imperfections for fear of busting somebody's bubble.

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A classic non sequitur. A couple of questions, though:

1. It is a pretty well established fact that Dovo used to have QC issues until about three years ago. When did you buy yours?
2. Why did you buy from an unreliable source? Any vendor worth their money will replace a damage as obvious as the one you describe immediately.

I presume you meant to say that you bought them new with warped blades, of course.

Regards,
Robin

PS Why would stating the obvious burst anyone's bubble? Razors are hand crafted by small companies (well, at least those we use to shave with), so there will be a margin of inconsistencies until the process is fully automated or the number of sales allows for the employment of a larger QC division.

Hello, everyone:

My first straight razor was the Dovo "Perlex" — one of the prettiest razors made, I believe. Now I have several more models of the Dovo razor.

I have nothing but praise for all of them — in every way. The fittings have been fine. Alignment straight. Workmanship impressive. That all my Dovos have been honed by Lynn puts a bigger smile on me.

Would I buy another Dovo? Yes, I would, especially if the Dovo is honed by Lynn.

Regards,

Obie

well the scales on my BL was badly warped when i got the first one

the seller then inspected the replacement before sending it to me
any produser delivers a dud from time to time but it seems like DOVO
isnt among the bad ones

being a shop in a small market this may be old ones

I have seen a few Dovo's :)

Not as many as Lynn has though...

I look at razors like this, first off there are very few brands that I could say I really expect a problem with the blade before I pick up the razor...
In fact if you want to get technical, by the numbers, the worst razor maker out there by counting the warped blades would be Wade & Butcher I have corrected more warped heels on those than I would ever care to count...

Thiers I don't expect any blade issues but their scales still have a way to go...(yes I am admittedly picky)

Dovo , when I see a Dovo box I expect an very easy to hone razor...and overall good fit and finish, this is what I expect and most often find...

There are exceptions from every brand, even Dubl Ducks you can find problem ones and that is the most consistent brand I have seen...

Again I say the same thing, there are very very few people that are in the position to really judge these things through quanity... Lynn hones more of them then anyone and he chose them as a selling stock of razors now that should tell you something right there....

I'd have to agree on the whole blowing smoke thing here. I just purchased a dovo from lynn's shop and soon hope to have it in my hands. I'm a newbie but I have no doubts about my purchase. To each their own and to everyone, another. If you don't like the one poor interaction you've had of many, don't let that ruin your whole perception of a company or single person for that matter. life happens, we're all humans, we're made by humans, not built in a factory, and humans make mistakes. so lets not single companies out unless the issues is genuinely a huge problem.

Just my $.02

Have a Bismarck with a spec of gold that fell off from the blade after the first shave and a Special that has incomplete jimps on the bottom of the shank. I see these as 'personality marks' rather than a QC problem. As long as the blade is sharp and straight I'm happy.

Having said that, humans are imperfect and to think that a product of any nature would come to the consumer perfect is an unrealistic expectation (to a certain degree). I guess for me, at least, it depends on where the human imperfection lands on the blade. If the item you purchase is unable to perform it's function, then it is flawed and should be picked out by QC. If it has some snivley little concern, then I don't worry about it. It also depends on what I'm getting for the money. Let's compare the Special with anything else on the market that offers the same features...oh, wait, you can't get a razor with gold and inlays for under $100 from TI, Wacker, Boker, or Revisor. Now if I bought a $350 Wacker, my expectations would be considerably higher.