Need Help Question about Shoulderless Razors - Brand New Dovo Bismarck 6/8"

kozo · Feb 4, 2015

Hi all,

I have been shaving with straights for just a few months and so far is been a great experience, this weekend I bought this beautiful Dovo Bismarck and it arrived on Monday. Yesterday night I was inspecting the new razor and notice that there is what it seems like a small bent around the heal. It is visible and I can feel it too, this is my first Shoulder-less straight so I am not sure if this is normal on a razor. I feel bad asking the vendor to replace it in particular because I am not sure if it is just me being paranoiac :blink:

about every detail on a new razor, it is a very small detail and feel to it. Please let me know what you think.

Is this normal on a Shoulder-less Straight Razor? or even just for razors as a whole? or I am just asking for too much?
Should I ask for a new razor from the vendor or just keep it and live with it?

I have talked to the vendor, and he just said that razors are not perfect, that part of owning a razor is living with small details like this, that this razors are made by hand so they can't be perfect. Please see the pictures bellow, It is super hard to take a picture of this since I have to play with the light to capture it. Please give your comments as soon as possible since I want to shave with this blade as soon as possible :biggrin1:

alpster · Feb 4, 2015

I have the same Bismark and what you have is NOT normal. If you paid retail price for it, you should send it back immediately for a new one or a refund. They are not defective because they assembled by hand. They come out of a machine driven forge. The blades should be near perfect. A legit vendor wouldn't have sold it to you as a new razor. If you got a special bargain due to the defect, it might not affect the shave.

kozo · Feb 4, 2015

Thanks for the feedback Alpster, the vendor said he was not able to see anything wrong in the picture that I send him, which is the same I posted above. I try to do my best to capture the bent but I am not sure if you guys can see it as I see it, there is more of a feel to the bent than visual. I may need to take this to my barber am ask him to inspect it

Thanks,

Kozo

BDF · Feb 4, 2015

Your pictures show the defect perfectly well in my opinion, and I agree with the previous poster to return the razor for another or a refund. Dovo never should have let that one get out the door IMO and certainly the vendor should have returned it. That is not an acceptable blade on a brand new razor.... actually, I would not be too pleased with that on a vintage razor either.

Brian

kozo said:
Thanks for the feedback Alpster, the vendor said he was not able to see anything wrong in the picture that I send him, which is the same I posted above. I try to do my best to capture the bent but I am not sure if you guys can see it as I see it, there is more of a feel to the bent than visual. I may need to take this to my barber am ask him to inspect it

Thanks,

Kozo

Mickey Oberman · Feb 4, 2015

I may be out of order but ..........

If the vendor will not satisfy you I think you should post his name here as a caveat to others who might buy from him.
That bend is very distinct in every one of your excellent photos.

I you have not received satisfaction from the vendor I am sure Dovo, a reputable company, will set things right.

Mickey

dewbler · Feb 4, 2015

Yes i agree with the others, i own this exact razor and that is not normal. It is very obvious in the picture the bend you are talking about and any reputable dealer would fix this problem immediatly, no questions asked. Good luck.

craniac24 · Feb 4, 2015

I'd really like to know whom the vendor is. I'll be sure to avoid them in the future.

Obiwan · Feb 4, 2015

Did you happen to purchase it from a vendor that lets you actually select the do specific razor you want, or do they just show a stock photo? Most go with a stock photo, but there are some that let you pick the actual razor you're buying.

kozo · Feb 4, 2015

Thank you all for the feedback, I am not planning to post the vendors name yet because I would like to give them the benefit of trying to work this with me, I decided to post the thread because the vendor made me feel like I was just being a perfectionist so I wanted to see if others were able to see what I try to explained in the picture. They did agreed to refund my money but what I really wanted was an exchange for the same model razor but they pretty much said that they don't want my business because I want a perfect razor and that will be hard to find. I don't want a perfect razor but I definitely want one that is new with out bends or nicks. They ask me to ship it back to then for an inspection and let's see what they say once they are done.

In the mean time I have to start looking for a new vendor that carries this model and sells it professionally hone since I don't have a set of stones yet

Thanks again to everyone

Kozo

kozo · Feb 4, 2015

Obiwan/David

It is a vendor that post a stock picture. Do you know any vendors that have this razor in stock, honed and with WYIWYG pictures?

MileMarker60 · Feb 4, 2015

I'm assuming it's not really bent at that spot but is actually ground thinner there.
I agree with the others, the razor shouldn't have left the factory but everyone is human and things can slip by.
That being said... the Vendor saying he doesn't see anything is 100% false and IMHO needs to have their name attached to that razor.
That's just someone being a idiot! There is no way that they can look at the pic and not see that the grind is off. They shouldn't need you to circle the area.
Hopefully they make it right.

global_dev · Feb 4, 2015

kozo said:
Obiwan/David

It is a vendor that post a stock picture. Do you know any vendors that have this razor in stock, honed and with WYIWYG pictures?

thesuperiorshave.com

denvernoob · Feb 4, 2015

I have a new production Dovo Bismarck and I see two things not 100% kosher here to my eye....
First is the bend, which to me is clear as day.
Secondly, I see that the finish is not the same mirror finish I have on my Bismarck 6/8. I have the white imitation MOP scales, so I am not sure if the ebony scales have a satin finish on the same blade or not.

Either way (mirror finish aside) the bend is plain to see. I think the vendor is probably trying to get out of a loss here. If they honed it prior to shipping, then Dovo will not warranty the blade. IMO the vendor should inspect each and every razor they have prior to honing so that if they get a defective razor, they can deal with the manufacturer and not involve a customer in a warranty claim. Just my thoughts.

PR1977 · Feb 4, 2015

That is definitely not right... Also, for what you likely paid and the fact that it's going to be used on your face, you have every right to be a "perfectionist!" It is absolutely not difficult to find a razor that is perfect; just find a reputable supplier recommended by folks on here. Any business owner that says they don't want your business doesn't deserve it! Good luck, and make sure to post some pictures after you get a better razor! Cheers!

Brianskeet · Feb 4, 2015

Flaws in production can happen, but the vendor needs to own up to it and make an exchange without trying to make you feel that you are being unreasonable. Get your money back and call Jarrod at The Superior Shave. I have delt with him many times and he is a stand up guy.

kozo · Feb 4, 2015

denvernoob said:
I have a new production Dovo Bismarck and I see two things not 100% kosher here to my eye....
First is the bend, which to me is clear as day.
Secondly, I see that the finish is not the same mirror finish I have on my Bismarck 6/8. I have the white imitation MOP scales, so I am not sure if the ebony scales have a satin finish on the same blade or not.

Either way (mirror finish aside) the bend is plain to see. I think the vendor is probably trying to get out of a loss here. If they honed it prior to shipping, then Dovo will not warranty the blade. IMO the vendor should inspect each and every razor they have prior to honing so that if they get a defective razor, they can deal with the manufacturer and not involve a customer in a warranty claim. Just my thoughts.

Devernoob, I think you are 100% about the vendor trying to get out of a loss due to the dilemma they get to when offering a honed razor. I am a process / quality engineer and the first mistake companies do is to not have Standard Operating Procedures to have Quality Control and then you get into warranties issues. So for me being an engineer the first thing I do is inspect the product that I receive and ensure that is built correctly. :w00t:

I do have the same White Bismarck with the mirror finish, however the angle that I applied to the razor while taking the picture made it look satin.

craniac24 · Feb 4, 2015

Brianskeet said:
Flaws in production can happen, but the vendor needs to own up to it and make an exchange without trying to make you feel that you are being unreasonable. Get your money back and call Jarrod at The Superior Shave. I have delt with him many times and he is a stand up guy.

I concur with this.

kozo · Feb 4, 2015

PR1977 said:
That is definitely not right... Also, for what you likely paid and the fact that it's going to be used on your face, you have every right to be a "perfectionist!" It is absolutely not difficult to find a razor that is perfect; just find a reputable supplier recommended by folks on here. Any business owner that says they don't want your business doesn't deserve it! Good luck, and make sure to post some pictures after you get a better razor! Cheers!

Parker,

To be honest I actually don't think the bent damage the actual performance of the blade because is super small but that will be impossible to know without shaving and I don't want to shave with it to then return it because that will be irresponsible from my side....... I really want to shave with it thought :lol:

.

The Edge: If you look just at the very edge of the blade I don't think the naked eye can really see the damage, the bent is about 1/8" above the edge or perhaps this blade was repair by someone. I attach a picture of the blade from another angle and you will see that it looks straight from this side. (Sorry about the direction on the picture I was not able to rotate it)

More on the Vendor: When I talk to the vendor they try to argued that in this hobby buying brand new does not mean that the item will be flawless that some details are expected that the standard of quality is setup at the level as long as the razor can perform at 100% then is all good and I am willing to accept that if that was the case but from this thread I see that is not the case. Since I am just about a year into this hobby I am not able to know if this issue will not cost me down the road.

Thanks,

Kozo

kcb5150 · Feb 4, 2015

That is completely unacceptable customer service. In a niche market where word travels like wildfire, they are really playing with fire by being shady about issuing an exchange. They have to send the defective item to the manufacturer anyway...

PR1977 · Feb 4, 2015

kozo said:
Parker,

To be honest I actually don't think the bent damage the actual performance of the blade because is super small but that will be impossible to know without shaving and I don't want to shave with it to then return it because that will be irresponsible from my side....... I really want to shave with it thought.

The Edge: If you look just at the very edge of the blade I don't think the naked eye can really see the damage, the bent is about 1/8" above the edge or perhaps this blade was repair by someone. I attach a picture of the blade from another angle and you will see that it looks straight from this side. (Sorry about the direction on the picture I was not able to rotate it)

View attachment 546153

More on the Vendor: When I talk to the vendor they try to argued that in this hobby buying brand new does not mean that the item will be flawless that some details are expected that the standard of quality is setup at the level as long as the razor can perform at 100% then is all good and I am willing to accept that if that was the case but from this thread I see that is not the case. Since I am just about a year into this hobby I am not able to know if this issue will not cost me down the road.

Thanks,

Kozo

Kozo,
I guess my point is that if I'm not happy with the way something appears or is made then I will return it. Maybe it's my OCD talking, but that blade wouldn't make me a happy customer. It is really hard to tell from the photos, but it might shave fine. It might not. It might create issues down the road when it eventually needs to be honed. Save yourself the possible headache and get your money back. The thing that scares me the most is that the vendor will likely sell it again to someone else...
Parker

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Need Help Question about Shoulderless Razors - Brand New Dovo Bismarck 6/8"

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