Thread: Double Arrow Quality ?????

Originally Posted by RayG

I have one DA, which I got over a year ago. Aside from the scales, which were replaced, the razors been pretty good, with no real problems. Easy to hone and takes a great edge too. Guess I was lucky, or maybe the ones being sold now are worse in terms of QA?

Once worked correctly, they are indeed fine razors. Fresh from the factory, maybe not so much. Nobody should expect anything else for $12

And yes, Ray, as a man with a refined eye, the DA edge is Example D

Originally Posted by RayG

Guess I was lucky, or maybe the ones being sold now are worse in terms of QA?

Now there is a possibility of high demand dropping QC raising it's ugly head again??????

Same thing happened with my wapi. First was a charm. So much so that I bought 6 more - 5 of which were warped.

Originally Posted by RayG

Same thing happened with my wapi. First was a charm. So much so that I bought 6 more - 5 of which were warped.

I've been lurking around the DA posts for a long time and have not jumped at buying one. I bought 8 Wapis after being completely swooned by accolade after accolade about them about 1 1/2 years ago on SRP. My intent was to make a 7 day set. IIRC 2 of the 8 were decent with the rest going from bad to worse in terms of warpage, ill-tempered flakey steel at the edge, etc. I fully realize many do honestly love the Wapi and get good to great results from them. Based on my experience of drawing the short straws in a big way, I thought overall they sucked.

I could never get a Wapi to shave like my vintage U.S. razors, Solingen or Sheffield blades, some of which literally shave like a dream. Yeah, they're cheap, but to me, the Wapis that were decent were not up to the performance of my faves. In retrospect, given that was/is my feeling about them, I know think buying them wasn't a benefit or a positive and satisfying experience.

I like the idea of a DA, but based on my Wapi experience I've got a bitter taste in my mouth. "Good" razors don't seem to stay in my rotation very long whereas the great to exceptional razors do. Maybe a DA can be great or even exceptional. I'm not saying I don't think some of them are capable of that. How would I know?

Chris L

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

Is Dovo and TI going on the list too ?
I've heard of a few dodgy Dovo's you know !

Here's a TI Le Grelot I did recently. A tad warped

As regards the wapis, I think what Mike did a while back with his group buy was smart. He seemed to have had an arrangement with Stamps222 about sending back the ones that he felt were not up to spec. I may be wrong but seem to recall that Ken may have the same arrangement about the DA's. Seems to me this would be the best way for a newbie looking for one of these razors (getting it from one of our members) rather than buying direct. Sure it costs a little bit more, but you avoid getting duds. Especially if you are not yet experienced enough to tell if it is a dud.

I just ordered four more DAs today.

Honed up another one today, took a pretty nice edge, and centers in the scales (that did require a bit of vice-work...):

lovely job sir

Just beautiful!

You don't just put lipstick on a pig, you give it a fur coat and fancy Italian shoes.!

With this we get into the age old debate that utopian has hinted at, the silk purse out of a pigs ear, whatever cliche phrase you choose to use. My question would be, if after all the work put into a DA it is still not as good a steel as so many countless brands out there available (and cheap too if you are looking to do the same work as on the DA). I have 3 blades sitting on a shelf at home, they do have hone wear, but look otherwise to be excellent. I think two are german, hell, maybe all three. I'm sure that singly they would fetch less than 20 bucks.

when I decide what razors to have rescaled and refreshed, at a cost to myself, I pic ones that I hope I'll not get upside down on, ones that will be worth more or at least even when they're done.

I learned this with rifle stocks when a friend of mine who's a stockmaker told me,"stocking a rifle is 2500 bucks, whether you give me a 200 dollar blank or a 2000 dollar blank". in the end the work is the same but one is worth a lot more.

And most of all, it amazes me, simply incomprehensible, when a good sheffield steel razor, in fantastic shape, hits the classifieds at 30-40 bucks just needing polishing and honing and guys pass on them.

to each their own though right?

Red