Thread: New Dovo first straight shave - oddness

My mother always used to say: "A bad workman always blames his tools"
Working as an engineer, I've often disagreed with that statement.
However, it does seem that for some guys, starting out with a sharp cutthroat razor, that this sometimes seems to be the case.
A cutthroat can be very unforgiving of poor technique, I suspect that for many of us, me included, that is one of the main reasons we use them.

Gave it another go today. Better than last time. I looked very closely at the way the blade contacts the strop when I was getting ready. I went slow and evenly with it as much as I could manage. Definitely something for muscle memory.

During the shave I tried to get as close to 30 degrees as what seemed right and it did help cut the hairs better. Keeping that angle across one's face is the challenge. Nicked myself a couple times and made my neck unhappy but its getting better. I finish up the rough spots with a DE and it did come out better. I think holding the blade more firmly than last time made a difference as you are using a much wider blade than a DE. Here's to less bleeding and redness next time.

I had a similar experience with a Dovo when I started and after two professional honings I still had trouble shaving with it.

In the meantime I was gaining proficiency with other makes of razors.

After 9 months experience and honest effort, I decided that straight razors manufactured by companies like Boker, Henckels, Theirs Issard, and Filarmonica work better for me personally than straights made by Dovo.

I came to straight shaving after 40 years of frustration with disposables, cartridges, and electric razors. But as unsatisfactory as this equipment was, I fared noticeably better with Gillette products than I did with Schick products.

If my limited experience is any indication, I want to suggest that there are circumstances where the honing job isn't always the reason a razor doesn't shave well.

The honing job is analogous to my job as the person who is responsible for buying, setting up, and maintaining my company's PCs and laptop computers. I can have one tuned up like a fiddle when I send it to an employee but there are times when he gets it that it won't start, won't work, or won't work well. There are an infinite number of factors out of my control, such as the job the computer has to do, how well the employee takes care of it, how good the equipment is, and in the case of the laptop the environment in which it has to operate.

What I don't want to see is for someone to be afraid to report problems shaving with a freshly-honed, shave-ready straight for fear that he's blaming the honing job. The subject was brought up because the shaver doesn't know what the problem is. Honing is important, but it isn't the only thing contributing to the shave.

Originally Posted by Cigarman2010

Gave it another go today. Better than last time. I looked very closely at the way the blade contacts the strop when I was getting ready. I went slow and evenly with it as much as I could manage. Definitely something for muscle memory.

During the shave I tried to get as close to 30 degrees as what seemed right and it did help cut the hairs better. Keeping that angle across one's face is the challenge. Nicked myself a couple times and made my neck unhappy but its getting better. I finish up the rough spots with a DE and it did come out better. I think holding the blade more firmly than last time made a difference as you are using a much wider blade than a DE. Here's to less bleeding and redness next time.

Yes, keeping the angle proper is more difficult than most people realize. Many people have a tendency to raise the angle up to 45 degrees or so without realizing it.

When I started, I focused on 3 things (aside from the prepping)
Keeping my skin tight.
Keeping the angle right.
Keeping the pressure light.

With this, I started getting decent shaves fairly quickly (as long as I didn't lose my focus). It took a few months for these things to become second nature. Just be patient (sounds like you are) and you will be getting the best shaves of your life before you know it.

Patient I must be! I can only get around 2 shaves a week otherwise my face falls off. This still makes me wish to experience other brands (TI, Williams, Sheffield etc) to see whats out there. Plus get my stropping skills up to par.

Originally Posted by Cigarman2010

Patient I must be! I can only get around 2 shaves a week otherwise my face falls off. This still makes me wish to experience other brands (TI, Williams, Sheffield etc) to see whats out there. Plus get my stropping skills up to par.

If you want to experience other brands and grinds, I'd highly recommend whipped dog. He has a deal where you can trade in any razor bought by him for another for the price of a hone. He often has nice brands for sale, but he has a rather quick turn around. If you are interested, its worth it to check his site once a day for some of the nicer brands.

TRADE FOR HONE


Any razor purchased from me may be traded for an equivalent value razor for the price of honing. This is a great way to try different style and size razors.

Nice deals there. Definitely worth a go!