Dovo - a good place to start ?

[boboakalfb]

Once I buy the Dovo and get it honed, what strop would be recommended for this size razor ?

If you take a look here and talk to Tony, he will take good care of you.

 

[LX_Emergency]

I've tried a Dorko...about 5 or 6 actually. They're all very good. If you want to try one I can get a smaller one (4/8) "de coiffeur" that I can sell you for a friend's price. Let me know.

As for the worldmasters, my first self honed shave-ready razor was a worldmaster. Actually I just used it on my face about half an hour ago. I had the scales refubished by Bill Ellis (cocobolo wood is soooo pretty ) and it's my favorite blade+scales by FAR. I still have two lying around that I'm selling as well so if you'd want a shot at those....

 

[Rik]

Erm - hone a new razor? Why? They are honed at the factory prior to shipment. I was in Stuttgart last year and bought a new DOVO from a shop just off the Wilhelmsplatz. Believe me it did not need honing. Leave the hone in its box and get a good hanging strop - they are the best, especially the old one that have been used a bit.

I too disagree with this advise. I've yet to purchase a new str8 that was shave-ready. Shaving with a straight razor is an extremely enjoyable experience, why take the chance of ruining it by shaving with a sub-par edge.

 

[The Invisible Edge]

Well, I stand corrected, or maybe the shop owner I got it from was a closet honer. The place was full of samurai swords and they all looked darned sharp - anyway, further to the honing thing, that is actually the only new razor I have ever bought - I have about 70, some for shaving and some not. Most are 50+ years old and I have had to hone but a few - or mybe I just have an easy-cut beard! Anyway, I've heard different reports about pasted strops - never use paste myself - what do the rest think?

 

[Rik]

Well, I stand corrected, or maybe the shop owner I got it from was a closet honer. The place was full of samurai swords and they all looked darned sharp - anyway, further to the honing thing, that is actually the only new razor I have ever bought - I have about 70, some for shaving and some not. Most are 50+ years old and I have had to hone but a few - or mybe I just have an easy-cut beard! Anyway, I've heard different reports about pasted strops - never use paste myself - what do the rest think?

Pasted strops have proven to be extremely effective. My old routine went from a 15k stone (0.96 microns) to a treated chromium oxide strop to my daily strop. Recently, per Joel's suggestion, I've introduced 0.5 and 0.25 micron diamond pastes into my sharpening routine moving then to the Chromium Oxide treated strop and finishing with my Hand American treated leather strop.

The end result is an incredibly smooth shave - even with my very coarse beard. Adding the pastes results in a blade that I don't have to strop mid-shave even though I do - some habits are hard to break.

Hair popping results can be had w/ an 8k stone, heck even a 4k stone. But the resulting shave will be very coarse and unpleasant. Taking advantage of the modern stones and pastes affords one some truly spectacular shaves. For beginners that don’t have the time to fully educate themselves on the various techniques needed with stones, it would be foolish to ignore the positive attributes pastes provide.