Thread: Are More Expensive Razors That Much Better?

Hi Everyone,

I am currently using a Dovo Best Quality and absolutely love it. That being said, I am looking into getting a second razor. I really like the look of the Dovo Flowing on SRD's page, but I have a question.

It is about 3 times the price of a Dovo Best Quality and I am wondering if the performance is that much better and worth the extra money. I suspect the answer is yes and let's be honest I love the way it looks so will probably go that route anyway. What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Wattie

You have to be an old guy to 'get' this analogy but ..... it is like the Chevrolet Impala against the Chevrolet Biscayne. Basically the same automobiles but the Impala had more chrome, better upholstery and more bells and whistles. Having said that, I think there may be some slight differences in performance between razors once you get past a certain price point but whether the performance increase is comparable to the $ increase ..... point for point ..... is debatable.

IMO - personal preference (so long as you are talking razors and not razor shaped objects)

Basically with expensive razors you're paying for fancy scales, blade designs and perhaps different steels. But in the end a $1000 razor will do the same as a $50 model - shave whiskers.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I think there may be some slight differences in performance between razors once you get past a certain price point but whether the performance increase is comparable to the $ increase ..... point for point ..... is debatable.

I tend to be more in this camp. While the difference in shave between a $200 Wacker and a $300 Wacker might be negligible (at that point, you're essentially paying for aesthetic differences), I do think there is a pretty significant jump between an entry-level razor like a Dovo Best Quality and a "mid-level" model such as the Bismark, Renaissance, Silver Steel, etc.

As per above, I think you get more 'pretty' stuff for more money, but the shave is pretty much equal. Having said that, I like pretty .


Mick

Comparing different blades has been the driving force behind my own collecting. By different, I mean different grinds, thumb notch or no, shoulders or no, different sizes, different steels. I think you can do all this within a narrow price range (i.e., no more than $100 for vintage blades in good condition).

If you're of a scientific disposition, you'll want to compare just one variable at at time, like a 5/8 carbon steel full hollow with shoulders to a 6/8 carbon steel full hollow with shoulders, then a 5/8 or 6/8 in stainless, then the same blade configuration in Sheffield, Solingen, and American steel, and so on... Eventually, you'll find the perfect blade type for your face (and, if you hone, for your honing style) and you can sell off the rest of your collection and retire wisely to a mountaintop.

Dovo has just come out with a new shoulderless thumbnotch model that may be unlike your current blade. It's a 6/8, Dovo steel like you already have, at a slightly higher price point. Though I had decided to only buy used blades in the future, i have ordered one because it falls dead center into my own idea of the perfect configuration. So far there's only one vendor carrying them, The Superior Shave. Check out the Dovo #1226850 there. It's recommended for big hands.

(I just looked back at the original post and at the Dovo Flowing. The blade I've ordered is the same configuration as the Flowing but slightly less pretty and only about 2x the price of a Best Quality. I suspect the difference is in cosmetics only).

I did see a similar Boker in the Classifieds a while ago, but it was a 5/8 and the price was beyond my own setpoint for used blades. The seller said that he didn't like the way the thumb notch affected the stropping motion. It does change it a little, but for the better in my own experience.

So there's a long answer, based entirely in my own experience. I won't pretend it's objective.

Best wishes and happy collecting.

A well honed $10 ebay special will give you a BBS shave as will a well honed $1,600 Zowada Damascus. I know which one I'd rather own though.
Straight shaving is about the journey, not the result.

Originally Posted by MrDavid

I do think there is a pretty significant jump between an entry-level razor like a Dovo Best Quality and a "mid-level" model such as the Bismark, Renaissance, Silver Steel, etc.

Are you thinking there is a pretty significant jump in shave quality between the Dovo Best and those others?

Well the $10 ebay special may shave BBS right off the stones,but you may need to rehone for every shave