Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
My first was a Best, too. I didn't know any better. It was pure he'll but I thought everything was perfectly normal. No internet, then.
Opinions on the Dovo Bismarck 6/8"
- Thread starter nick_s
- Start date
I have a Best that's as good as my Bismarck - after an initial honing, which the Bismarck needed as well, they both shave the same. This makes sense as they are almost certainly the same steel. Indeed, all the Solingen manufacturers seem to be using the same blanks (including Ralf Aust). Yet, just from what I've read online it does seem that Dovo has some QC issues, which may be more likely to be found on their cheaper razors. So, if you can afford it grab a Ralf Aust, if not grab a Best and just make sure it doesn't have any warp and the grind solid (send it back if not).
Own a Bismarck, Best 6/8 & best 5/8 that perform flawlessly out of the box. All Dovo’s is shave ready out the box after some stropping and I would not hestitate to recommend them. They hone easy and hold an edge a very long time if looked after. Bang for buck a Dovo is a no-brainer hand down...
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ffourteen
I had one, could never fall in love with it. It just didn't seem worth the money, especially buying it new; the blade was just a little off somehow, and I could never get it to take an edge that I really liked. People who own this razor seem to either love it or hate it; as mentioned above, something similar would be an Aust, though it seems everyone who owns those loves them (also, the Dovo WILL NOT come shave ready out of the box, while the Aust will, from what I've heard).
One other thing, not really related to how it shaves, that annoyed me is that the decorations on the spine of my Bismarck nicked one of my strops.
One other thing, not really related to how it shaves, that annoyed me is that the decorations on the spine of my Bismarck nicked one of my strops.
New Bismarks are very nice and ergonomic to use.The only issue I had was that it needed to be made shave ready.Was not impressed how the edge left the factory.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Dovo factory "edges" are a joke. NO WAY I could shave with that. To be fair, most factory edges are not even close to shave ready so its not really a black mark against Dovo.
If the fancy work on the spine of a Bismarck nicks your strop, it is defective. Period. The good news is you can fix that, if the vendor refuses to make things right for you. I have never had that problem and I have 7 or 8 Bismarcks, at least 3 are Dovo Bismarcks. Still my favorite new production razor.
If the fancy work on the spine of a Bismarck nicks your strop, it is defective. Period. The good news is you can fix that, if the vendor refuses to make things right for you. I have never had that problem and I have 7 or 8 Bismarcks, at least 3 are Dovo Bismarcks. Still my favorite new production razor.
When a blade can cut hanging hair it’s good enough to shave with, any else is a personal preference...
All the Dovo”s I got new cut hanging hair after stropping. None of my mates that own Dovo’s have edge/sharpness issues. Geofatboy, The Suprior Shave and others have also shown this to be true.
All the Dovo”s I got new cut hanging hair after stropping. None of my mates that own Dovo’s have edge/sharpness issues. Geofatboy, The Suprior Shave and others have also shown this to be true.
I agree.
I have the exact same blade mentioned in the original post in this thread
and my experience with it matches yours.
I strop mine with scotch tape on the spine.
Bismarck is a nice blade. I too have never had an issue with Dovo and their QC. All were shave ready out of the box with stropping.
I don’t put a whole lot of stock in the HHT. I’m not cutting non hydrated hair an inch away from my face. I also don’t have time to test every mm of my edge with the HHT. I judge on the thumb pad test and the shave. For me they correlate well. YMMV and all that.
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I don’t put a whole lot of stock in the HHT. I’m not cutting non hydrated hair an inch away from my face. I also don’t have time to test every mm of my edge with the HHT. I judge on the thumb pad test and the shave. For me they correlate well. YMMV and all that.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My first three razor purchases were a Dovo Bismark, a Ralf Aust 6/8", and a Boker Silver Steel 6/8 extra hallow. The Aust and Boker razors are still among my list of favorites. I love the appearance of the Bismark, but I do not like the thumb notch as for my large hands, razors with thumb notches are more difficult to hone and strop. However, some folks love them.
Also, like the post above by Slash McCoy, my Dovo edge was no where close to being shave ready for my tough beard. The Aust and Boker razors were both shave ready. However, to be honest, it is not at all unusual for me to have to rehone razors before I even use them as I am particular about my edges.
Dovo makes it a point of claiming that their razors are shave-ready from the factory. In fact, they state that the warranty on the razor is null and void if anyone other than a Dovo certified technician hones the razor. I believe Jared of The Superior Shave traveled to Germany to achieve that certification. Dovo insists that only Coticules be used for honing their razors. Although some people love a Coticuole edge, I have never found one to be sharp enough for my beard.
It is my understanding that all modern Solingen blades with the exception of Revisor are made from steel blanks produced by a single forge in Solingen. Thus, whether you purchase a Dovo, Boker, Ralf Aust or Wacker, the razors will have the same steel. Even Brian Brown of Brown Razor Works in Tennessee and Ertan Suer of Razoir Sabre in France purchase Solingen blanks for some of their razors. Thus, you should make your choice based on craftsmanship and style.
Also, like the post above by Slash McCoy, my Dovo edge was no where close to being shave ready for my tough beard. The Aust and Boker razors were both shave ready. However, to be honest, it is not at all unusual for me to have to rehone razors before I even use them as I am particular about my edges.
Dovo makes it a point of claiming that their razors are shave-ready from the factory. In fact, they state that the warranty on the razor is null and void if anyone other than a Dovo certified technician hones the razor. I believe Jared of The Superior Shave traveled to Germany to achieve that certification. Dovo insists that only Coticules be used for honing their razors. Although some people love a Coticuole edge, I have never found one to be sharp enough for my beard.
It is my understanding that all modern Solingen blades with the exception of Revisor are made from steel blanks produced by a single forge in Solingen. Thus, whether you purchase a Dovo, Boker, Ralf Aust or Wacker, the razors will have the same steel. Even Brian Brown of Brown Razor Works in Tennessee and Ertan Suer of Razoir Sabre in France purchase Solingen blanks for some of their razors. Thus, you should make your choice based on craftsmanship and style.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I actually wouldn't mind getting my hands on a dozen of the Bismarck style blanks. Anybody have a source? Or do the factories have it all sewed up?
I blame Slash I bought my first one brand new, and after talking to Slash he told me to get the early one. To be fair he was spot on the early one is way sharper and holds the edge longer, but that could be me plus I like the older one better.
So thank you Slash McCoy for some great advice....
So thank you Slash McCoy for some great advice....
Both are awesome blades and look fantastic. The older version is pristine
I know Brian Brown uses blanks from the forge in Solingen, but I do not think he uses the Bismark style blanks. You might email him to see if he has a contact at the forge.
Here are a couple Brian Brown razors, one very recently acquired. I imagine the rough blanks are forged so they can be configured with whatever point is desired.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I like the second one, particularly. My GD mods are similar in profile so I guess there might be some bias there LOL! Yeah it looks like maybe both razors ground from the same style forging. Not Bismarck obviously, but that's okay.
