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Crooked/Asymmetric Dovo Barabossa

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I don't intend on buying another SR for the next 40-50 years
Er, okayyyyyy..... LOL please do make this your sig!

Such wonkiness is almost universal in the entry level Dovos but I thought the Barbarossa was supposed to be a mid-range model. Anyway, for the "Best Quality", "Special", and others of that ilk, and the re-brands made by Dovo, this is very very common. However, the steel is good. It just needs someone who understands the razor, to hone it, particularly to set the bevel initially. I believe that most of them can be honed normally on a normal stone or plate, once they have been properly dealt with. Won't be nothing pretty, but pretty don't shave. The width of the bevel face will not be consistent along the whole length of the blade, nor will it be equal on both sides. That's actually sort of okay, as long as there IS an actual bevel face along the length of both sides, and they intersect at an apex along the entire edge, without forcing it on narrow hones or highly convexed hones or things like that.

I own I think 9 Bismarcks, six of them made by Dovo since they took over the brand. None of them have any significant wonkiness in them. I have owned three entry levels, all lemons, probably worse than what you have. Two were Bests, one was a rebranded Conk. They can usually be beaten into shape with heavy handed but knowledgeable honing, but it is not a job for a beginner.

I doubt that you will get any joy from the factory. They know that their entry level blades are garbage. Where Boker throws them in the scrap pile for recycling when they come out twisty and warpy and assymmetrical, Dovo stamps them "Best Quality", the second biggest lie in the world of shaving.

Contact Glen at GemStar Customs. I know he has dealt with these a lot. Also see if Alfredo, AKA @Doc226 can do it. Capable he is. Not busy he isn't.
 
this is to be your first and only straight razor (it won't)

Er, okayyyyyy..... LOL please do make this your sig!

I've already got less credibility here than I do with the wife!



After sleeping on it I decided to go ahead and return it.

Even though I'm sure it is a perfectly practical tool and I would be able to hone it into a workable shape, the same is true for any number of 60+ HRC tool steels I have in the shed. The design and craftsmanship of a job specific tool is part what gives it it's value and sometimes it's easy to forget that in place of a more pragmatic approach. Shaving with a SR is not an act of pragmatism to begin with, so I don't think it's appropriate to let this go. As another poster said - this should never have left the factory.

I'd also like to point out that there has been a lot of reference to 'entry-level' Dovo, again with the caveat that I have no real experience here, the Barbarossa was definitely not priced at the bottom end of the Dovo range. Even if it was though, the 'entry-level' items that I can see are still priced at a point where a centred and straight blade should be a bare minimum expectation. While this may not be the prevailing view or expectation in this community, when compared with what manufacturers of folding knives of a similar reputation and price point consistently deliver, I think this is near impossible to argue against.

I had already contacted Dovo directly prior to this post. To date, I have not heard back from them.

I went directly to the retailer and received an immediate apology by phone (even though the item was delivered with factory seal intact,) then confirmation by email within an hour that they've submitted a claim with Dovo and ordered a replacement.

I suppose it is just a matter of waiting to see if any more problems arise from Dovo now.
 
Have just seen Dovo did reply 12 hours ago - it was just caught in spam.

"Thank you very much for your message and the photos. As you probably know, our straight razors are made by hand - from the forging to the finished product. After forging, the blades are calibrated, and small shifts are normal in that. Once the small shifts are there, you cannot level it out by grinding, as you would offset the integrety of the blade if you tried.

If you are unhappy about it, though, please feel free to return it to the retailer."



..... "small shifts" .....
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Have just seen Dovo did reply 12 hours ago - it was just caught in spam.

"Thank you very much for your message and the photos. As you probably know, our straight razors are made by hand - from the forging to the finished product. After forging, the blades are calibrated, and small shifts are normal in that. Once the small shifts are there, you cannot level it out by grinding, as you would offset the integrety of the blade if you tried.

If you are unhappy about it, though, please feel free to return it to the retailer."



..... "small shifts" .....
Honestly, I am surprised. Way to go, Dovo.
 
That’s the smoothest, easiest returning a bad razor story I think I’ve ever read, for both the retailer and Dovo. I think Dovo knew looking at the pics that it was way out of spec, or new management cares more.

and I think Mühle bought them.
 
I have had three Dovo's two of them are very good but the first one a best quality was not good at all.
I have quite a few Bokers which I have had no problem with, likewise, my Ralph Aust's and my lonely Wacker is fabulous.
TI's well they have character don't they and I believe they are near impossible to return though I haven't tried myself.
TI's are wonderful when you get them right, so I guess they get some leeway for that!!
Try a Boker for your second razor Mr Blinkybill, yes you will get a second.
 
Yes, it is no secret that Dovo’s quality has slipped. I hone a lot of new Dovos, some of the bevels are not pretty or even, have yet to get one that will not shave well.

Very few razors are flat and perfectly ground, from any maker.

You should not have an issue with honing that razor and it will likely last multiple lifetimes. You may need to learn how to hone that particular razor, though not a big issue. With any razor when honing, you do what the razor needs.

Even if it wobbles, it can be made to shave well. Yes, you are way overthinking this.

You can learn to hone razors and will have the normal “Knife Guy” issues. No slap, I too was that guy, 40 some years ago, as were many, if not most of us.

Nice photos, what did you take them with?
 
Sorry lads, have been flat out with work.

No further issues have cropped up - expected lead time for replacement ~1 month. I am just hoping that I don't end up with another 'small shifted' grind.

I get the impression from the Dovo rep that they knew it was junk, but had to at least make a token effort to convince me otherwise... Still giggling a bit about the small shifts though. One of the blokes at work ran the truck into a bollard and made some small shifts to the panel work yesterday. Nothing to worry about.

Re: the learning curve between knife and razor sharpening, the entire topic is a minefield of myths and subjectivity. I've had a good read through some of the guides and advice here and have found the usual mix of enlightenment and commonplace dogma that I know to be false.

My plan is to follow Todd of Science of Sharp's razor honing method as a proven and simple formula, I already have everything I need, I'm just adding a Kitayama 8000 to the collection (while I have an excuse) and will need to chop up an old pair of jeans. This way the only variable is the adaptation of my touch.

I have a few experiments I want to do after that, but one step at a time.

Photos were just taken with a Pixel 3 :).
 
I used Todd's method for a while some time ago, I thought it worked okay back then.
The advice you are likely to get on honing will make your head spin.
My advice is to buy everything and make the stuff that you can't buy, only joking that's what a fool would do.
Like I have :biggrin1::biggrin1:
 

Legion

Staff member
Have just seen Dovo did reply 12 hours ago - it was just caught in spam.

"Thank you very much for your message and the photos. As you probably know, our straight razors are made by hand - from the forging to the finished product. After forging, the blades are calibrated, and small shifts are normal in that. Once the small shifts are there, you cannot level it out by grinding, as you would offset the integrety of the blade if you tried.

If you are unhappy about it, though, please feel free to return it to the retailer."



..... "small shifts" .....
That's about as good a response as you can expect, I guess. While you are waiting for the replacement, I suggest hitting some local antique stores and seeing if they have any vintage razors in decent shape you can clean up and practice with.

From your name I assume you are in Oz. What part are you calling home?
 

Legion

Staff member
From the wild West.

Nice to see someone else who appreciates the best that Islay has to offer.
Ah. I am not familiar with WA shopping, but if you feel like hitting the local antique shops and see something you like the look of, feel free to PM me for a second opinion before you pull the trigger.

Condition is more important than brand, usually.
 
Much appreciated - might be a while until I find my way in to one as I'm a bit further out of town, but I'll definitely be popping my head in when I get a chance to follow your advice.
 

Legion

Staff member
Much appreciated - might be a while until I find my way in to one as I'm a bit further out of town, but I'll definitely be popping my head in when I get a chance to follow your advice.
Further out of town is often best, less competition for the good stuff.
 
Much appreciated - might be a while until I find my way in to one as I'm a bit further out of town, but I'll definitely be popping my head in when I get a chance to follow your advice.
HeHe, from my one and only razor to scouring the antique shops for vintages. We've all been there.
I believe Bengall's are fairly common in Aus and they're good razors.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
....
I believe Bengall's are fairly common in Aus and they're good razors.
They are fairly common but finding them at a reasonable price can be difficult. It took me about a year to get my 7DS for traveling together.

IMG_20220206_093754.jpg
I limited myself to paying no more than about USD 30 per SR. After all, they originally sold new for under a quid (18/6).

IMG_20210723_162036.jpg
 
Much appreciated - might be a while until I find my way in to one as I'm a bit further out of town, but I'll definitely be popping my head in when I get a chance to follow your advice.

and looking at our pinned message at the top, "what to look for buying a razor" should give a good starting point if you peruse online. getting a cheaper vintage to practice honing on isn't a bad idea at all. if you're buying an 8k stone as a finisher vs a bridge to a higher grit, it may not be the best feeling on your face. most guys tend finish on synths at the 10-20k range.

and there's lapping film down to 1-.3 micron for an inexpensive high grit try, and CrOx (.5?)/FeOx (.25-3?) on a substrate, and diamond/CBN pastes/suspensions down to .1 on balsa for a super duper keen/sharp, but smooth edge. I quit a 1 micron because beyond that was too harsh/hot feeling on the face for a few shaves/strops, but I was really impressed with one of @Slash McCoy's modded Gold Dollar at .1 edges. and diamond/CBN felt smoother on my face than CrOx/FeOx. as with everything, YMMV.

I started high grit honing with films for the price point, then got rocks, but being US based made things easy to find, buy, ship.
 
if you're buying an 8k stone as a finisher vs a bridge to a higher grit, it may not be the best feeling on your face. most guys tend finish on synths at the 10-20k range.
He's just started smoking the Straight razor crack pipe and you want to introduce him to rocks? You're not a gentleman I see.

and there's lapping film down to 1-.3 micron for an inexpensive high grit try, and CrOx (.5?)/FeOx (.25-3?) on a substrate, and diamond/CBN pastes/suspensions down to .1 on balsa for a super duper keen/sharp, but smooth edge. I quit a 1 micron because beyond that was too harsh/hot feeling on the face for a few shaves/strops, but I was really impressed with one of @Slash McCoy's modded Gold Dollar at .1 edges. and diamond/CBN felt smoother on my face than CrOx/FeOx. as with everything, YMMV.

I started high grit honing with films for the price point, then got rocks, but being US based made things easy to find, buy, ship.
If I'm using film I also stop at 1Um these days as I prefer the edge over 0.5, 0.25 & 0.1 diamond balsa.
I have used 0.05Um film (probably around 300k) and the blade was WAY too sharp and harsh as hell. Just touching a 0.05Um blade to my face sets off twilight zone music in my head and you know somethings up.
You don't see 0.05 around much but it came in a pack I bought from Germany.

CrOx is about 60k as the good stuff is about 0.3Um.
FeOx is actually about 0.1Um so up there with diamond paste at 160k-200k.
 
He's just started smoking the Straight razor crack pipe and you want to introduce him to rocks? You're not a gentleman I see.


If I'm using film I also stop at 1Um these days as I prefer the edge over 0.5, 0.25 & 0.1 diamond balsa.
I have used 0.05Um film (probably around 300k) and the blade was WAY too sharp and harsh as hell. Just touching a 0.05Um blade to my face sets off twilight zone music in my head and you know somethings up.
You don't see 0.05 around much but it came in a pack I bought from Germany.

CrOx is about 60k as the good stuff is about 0.3Um.
FeOx is actually about 0.1Um so up there with diamond paste at 160k-200k.

He said above:

My plan is to follow Todd of Science of Sharp's razor honing method as a proven and simple formula, I already have everything I need, I'm just adding a Kitayama 8000 to the collection (while I have an excuse) and will need to chop up an old pair of jeans. This way the only variable is the adaptation of my touch.

so he already has rocks to 8k, from his knife work and a new purchase. Still ungentlemanly to suggest alternatives to supplement what’s in hand and likely a preference? I thought I was being such. I’ll reflect on my comportment though. 😉
 
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