Newbie Question - Dovo Special or Wapi?

Hi all,


I’m new to the forum, and straight razor shaving in general. About a month ago I bought a disposable blade straight razor and have decided to finally cave and buy a real blade. This site has been an invaluable resource for doing research and giving me a sense of orientation, so figured I’d float a question now that I’m ready to buy.


The two razor’s I have my eye on are the Dovo Special (5/8, tortuous scales) and a Wapienica. I’m finding them for roughly the same price point, and while the Wapi that I’m looking at has a really nice scale(s?), that’s less important to me right now than the blade. I’m hoping that someone could offer an opinion regarding, between the two, what would be a better razor to start with?


Thanks!

The stainless steel Wapi's are just a tad harder too hone, no real problem though and offer as nice shave. the Dovos are at least as good if not better. If the price is equal, I would go for the Dovo.

Welcome!

Id say go for the DOVO. I've honed a fair few of them an they take a good edge, plus they are a known quantity.

I've not had personal experience with a wapi but I've read a few folks say they can be a bit inconsistent. So the dove is a safer bet I'd say.

Goo luck and keep us posted!

For the same price Dovo all the way.

Edge,

I have a DOVO Special 6/8 in my rotation and think it's a grand razor. I think you have to go far to beat the quality and I think the fake turtle scales are the bees knees. And I'll bet you never knew that bees had blotchy knees, did you. :hmmm:

:w

It may just be me and the fact that I have a fairly course beard, but I prefer the Wapi 10 to 1 over the Dovos. It has a stiff grind and will cut any beard easily and with no tugging or resistance which you will get with the Dovo if you have much beard at all.

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Originally Posted by 25609289

It may just be me and the fact that I have a fairly course beard, but I prefer the Wapi 10 to 1 over the Dovos. It has a stiff grind and will cut any beard easily and with no tugging or resistance which you will get with the Dovo if you have much beard at all.

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Not to start a debate, I agree some grinds are better for different beards, that said, I would like to hone your razor and see if you can tell a difference in performance. I doubt somewhat if it is entirely a difference in razors.

I have no experience with the Wapi. I do have a Dovo and find it to be an outstanding shaver. I don't think you can go wrong with Dovo.

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Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Not to start a debate, I agree some grinds are better for different beards, that said, I would like to hone your razor and see if you can tell a difference in performance. I doubt somewhat if it is entirely a difference in razors.

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Just conversation, not an argument. I think my razors are very sharp, but that is only my opinion. I have a lot of razors that shave wonderfully. They are all stiffer grinds. I sharpen the full hollows the same, with the same results: very sharp, but when I shave with them there is a little or a lot less performance from them.

Hey All,

Thanks for the welcome & advice. After reading your posts I think I'll be going for the Dovo. Next question, the deal I was going to go for was from Straight Razor Design but being a Canadian I'm a bit worried about Duty & extra charges. Fendrihan was the other place I was considering ordering from, but they don't have the Dovo 'Special.' Can anyone recommend a reputable Canadian supplier who might be able to set me up?

Thanks

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Originally Posted by Edgewise

...snip...
The two razor’s I have my eye on are the Dovo Special (5/8, tortuous scales) and a Wapienica. I’m finding them for roughly the same price point, and while the Wapi that I’m looking at has a really nice scale(s?), that’s less important to me right now than the blade. I’m hoping that someone could offer an opinion regarding, between the two, what would be a better razor to start with?


Thanks!

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Welcome.....
If one is shave ready i.e. hand honed for you
that is a tie breaker.

Other than that when you look at them ask which
one floats your boat.

As for stainless .vs. carbon steel it does
not matter a great deal. Carbon steel
does edge out stainless on the hone and
hold an edge a little bit better but for some the
corrosion resistance is the key. Most of us
would be hard put to tell the difference if it
was not for the marks on the tang. With modern hones
the difference is 10 vs 11-15 hone strokes and
since I tend to always give em 20 again
this is a don't care.

+1 I would go for the Dovo.

I see you've already made up your mind. Provided they are both shave ready, it does not matter for they are both IMHO a great choice. These were both razors which I started with, and as a beginner I found the heavier grind of the Wapi more forgiving. The Dovo IIRC is a half hollow, while the Wapi is a quarter hollow. I have heard the Wapi can be inconsistent, but I have never experienced a bad one out of 3 which were all superb. The Dovo is likely to be easier to hone however.

Only one answer - get them both! Start with one, get used to it, and let RAD be your guide.

Usually, Canadian customs doesn't care much about small items. You might get the razor into Canada free, or you might have to pay GST+PST.

Fendrihan and Rasage Poulin are (as far as i know) the two significant Canadian mail-order suppliers. I have found that SRD prices are usually lower than Canadian prices. And Fendrihan charges extra for honing; SRD doesn't.

Charles [Richmond, BC]

dovo for me!!

Get a Wapi while you can, they are vintage. You can buy a DOVO any time.

I have a Dovo Bismark and a Wapi w/ stainless scales. The shave, if honed properly, is wonderful from both. The scales on the wapi are a bit awkward and heavy & scratch the tang of the razor. My Dovo has bone scales and is a bit more user friendly. Either will work on ANY beard. I would recommend either. I would lean a bit more to the Dovo if you aren't well versed on the stones as the Wapi's can be a bit finicky. I found mine to only like a thuringian finisher (est 10K), I didn't get too great of a shave off my YG Escher, Nani 12 or Shapton 16K. After 3-5 shaves it likes to be refreshed with a .5 micron diamond strop. My Dovo on the other hand will take a high end finisher like a CF, Shapton 30K, or YG Escher well and last longer (your use may vary of course) before needing touch-ups on a diamond sprayed strop or a stone.

So in summary, since you are new to straights I personally recommend the Dovo. If you already had a few razors I would recommend the wapi (only if it's in great shape w/ the SS scales) simply due to it being a vintage and less common razor. As long as either is honed by a professional, you will get fine shaves from either...hope this helps.

Don't worry about buying from a US-based supplier. I ordered from ClassicShaving.com, myself. The thing you have to be careful of if you're ordering from across the border is UPS. For me, no matter what, UPS is a deal breaker. I've had to pay almost the price of the article I've ordered in UPS's brokerage fees twice now, and won't do it again.

Hey,

Just an update. After looking online for a while, I ended up following the classified section on this site and just picked up a Wade and Butcher near wedge grind. Can't wait to try it out! Thanks to everyone for their comments, help and suggestions

Just to add my two cents (plus a small late fee, since you've already ordered one), if the Wapi has the original scales, I would definitely go with the Dovo. Wapi is a fine razor, mine does a fine job but for a newbie, I wouldn't recommend it. The scales are heavy and not what you want to be learning on.

Back in the days when the Wapienicas were bought from overseas, honed or not, the price was more than fair (even if 3rd party honing was required). Because they are quality and shave really nice the restored Wapis these days fetch a higher price, especially due to collectability. The Dovos are probably harder and are more competitively priced in today's market. I still love both. +1 on the avoidance of using them with the stainless steel scales, mine didn't show it's true awesomeness until it was rescaled in black plastic.

What's the practical problem with the stainless Wapi scales? I mean, apart from an aesthetic point of view?

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Originally Posted by Kees

What's the practical problem with the stainless Wapi scales? I mean, apart from an aesthetic point of view?

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It's the balance, the scales are quite a bit heavier than any others most have handled. If you notice, most scales balance a razor & the Wapi with the stainless scales is scale heavy. It's not bad, but you do notice it rather quickly. Don't get me wrong, I really like my Wapi, but for a person who is newer to straights I would recommend the Dovo 5/8 or 6/8 in a full hollow as it will give more feedback while shaving. Once the basic skills are in place, a person should be able to shave with pretty much any good razor...which includes the Wapi.

Thanks for your reply shooter. I have read a lot of posts commenting on the awkward balance of a Wapi, but much less so on the balance of many large wedge grind meatchoppers. Why is that?

Because you are trying to control the blade, not the scales. Envision this: You are driving a S-10 or Ranger (small pickup), it handles just fine doesn't it. Now take the same pickup and attach a 16' flatbed trailer loaded down with bags of cement. Pickup doesn't handle so well now as the trailer is yanking the little pickup all around. You can still drive the pickup wherever you want, you just have to change your driving style. Same for the Wapi, the scales weigh (just a guess) about the same as the blade, thus changing how it handles compared to most other razors. Once you get used to it, you can shave with it as well as any other razor.

Go for the Dovo, you wont be dissappointed

Without meaning to hijack this thread, I have a question I'd like to ask the collective.

I bought a Dovo from Taylor's of Old Bond Street when I was in the UK a few weeks ago (I actually got it from their unit in Selfridges), and I was told it was shave-ready by the girl there. I wasn't convinced so I found my way to their shop in Jermyn Street and they told me (without looking at it) that it would be shave-ready. Now, I understand that as a rookie my technique is going to play a large part in the sensation from the blade, but I was wondering what the view is regarding these razors REALLY being shave-ready straight out of the shop. Do I need to get it honed professionally before it feels better or am I best off carrying on learning to shave (and strop) and improving my technique before I send it away to be salvaged?

NorthernNurse: Please check your pm's...

I have both a dovo and 2 wapi's. My opinion, the Wapi is small, I'm not used to the balance, but it does a hell of a good job shaving. The dovo, is balanced, but the shave is just okay. If I were you I'd go for the Wapi.

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Originally Posted by NorthernNurse

Without meaning to hijack this thread, I have a question I'd like to ask the collective.

I bought a Dovo from Taylor's of Old Bond Street when I was in the UK a few weeks ago (I actually got it from their unit in Selfridges), and I was told it was shave-ready by the girl there. I wasn't convinced so I found my way to their shop in Jermyn Street and they told me (without looking at it) that it would be shave-ready. Now, I understand that as a rookie my technique is going to play a large part in the sensation from the blade, but I was wondering what the view is regarding these razors REALLY being shave-ready straight out of the shop. Do I need to get it honed professionally before it feels better or am I best off carrying on learning to shave (and strop) and improving my technique before I send it away to be salvaged?

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Goodness opening a new thread is easy... ;)

The sharpness of many new razors is much improved and many makers can say shave ready.
So take them at their word and give it a shave test by the same rules that honemasters generally
ask.

That is: Do not strop, just rinse in hot water, shower, lather your face well
and give it a shave test... concentrate on the easy bits at first. Use
a tossable blade for the hard bits, like chin, lumpy part of the neck etc...
After the first or second shave strop with smooth slow deliberate strokes.
Stropping like they do on TV is silly.

I suspect that you will want a honemaster to refresh the
blade in six weeks to three months even if it is sharp out
of the box. The reason to send it out is that some factory edges
are difficult as heck to refresh because the bevel is often set without
the spine in contact with a hone.

If you have a razor hone, you can ALWAYS give refreshing your razor
a TRY and if it does not respond to a modest effort send it out. A gentle
try will teach you a bit... The magic marker trick is important
to research.