Dovo or Feather?

[Dimitri]

OK, so, for some background, I've been shaving with a DE for close to 30 years now, but have always wanted to try a straight razor. I've been reluctant because I didn't know if I wanted to invest the time and effort into maintaing one. Plus, I dont think my wife would be to keen on me hanging a strop on the wall. Lowe and behold, after returning to this forum after a very long hiatus, I'm learning about shavettes, and I like the idea. Replace the blade when it's done, just like a DE, or cartridge razor for that matter. Easy, peasy.

What's not so easy, peasy is which one to get? I'm looking at Dovo and Feather. I think I'm leaning toward Feather, either the SR or DX. Is there any reason why I should consider the Dovo instead? Anyone here that owns both brands that can share your experience and thoughts? Any other brands I should be looking at?

 

[Dave himself]

If you go to the S.A.B.R.E thread there is lots of information about the different types of shavettes right at the start and through out.

 

[Goblin]

Here it is. 250 pages of shavette information to wade through:

Shavette And Barber Razor Enthusiast (SABRE) group

Are you a Shavette And Barber Razor Enthusiast (SABRE)? Do you own and use a “Shavette”? If so this group is for you. Use this thread to post pics, reviews, and your experiences with those replaceable blade straight razors. Are you curious about shavettes? Then read this thread and...

www.badgerandblade.com

My advice: get both. Then get all the other shavettes in the thread.

More seriously, you can sample AC razors without paying Feather prices by getting a clone from Aliexpress. The Feather razors are build better and have better materials, but the clones shave just fine. Go to Aliexpress and search for Sapphoo Store Razor - lots of options. Don't buy the actual straights though, just the shavettes!

 

[Albert V]

Don’t forget to include the Kai Captain Shavette on your short list - it is up there with the Feather

Straight Razors & Shavettes

Straight Razors and Replaceable Blade Straight Razors

maggardrazors.com

 

[JPO]

I would get a Feather SR folding or kami. The Dovo is in my opinion too light and flimsy.
The original Shavette by Dovo was one of my first shavettes. I quickly moved on, and never really looked back.

 

[Dimitri]

I ended up ordering an Aritist Club DX from an eBay seller in Japan. That said, I still have an itch for a traditional straight, so it's probably only a matter of time.

 

[albsat]

I ended up ordering an Aritist Club DX from an eBay seller in Japan. That said, I still have an itch for a traditional straight, so it's probably only a matter of time.

Great choice. I would suggest on a second phase to get the Weck Sextoblade Shavette (from Ebay) for 20 usd + Persona Hair shaper blades/Kismet blades. Weck is truly a atom..

 

[Alum of Potash]

After around ten years of shaving with straights, I switched to shavettes 2-3 years ago as I was sort of bored and wanted to try something new. So as to the first post, I would suggest the Dovo option as it involves a plastic housing of the blade. Metal shavette housings tend to be too rigid from my experience, leading to blood. What's nice about the plastic housing is that it allows the blade to have some flex, or in other words forgiveness. The Focus R21 with plastic housing, dedicated for DE blades snapped in half, is my favorite in this regard.

 

[Frank Shaves]

If and when you buy a traditional straight, buy a shave-ready razor from a reputable seller who is known for providing truly shave-ready edges. Don't know where you are located, but here are a few options:

1. Adam from The Invisible Edge in the UK
2. Andrejs at RigaRazor on eBay. Andrejs makes straight razors. He is a master grinder and honer.
3. Matt at Griffith Shaving Goods in the US

Or buy a used razor on eBay or the Badger & Blade BST and send it to Alfredo (@Doc226) for an expert edge.

What's good about Griffith Shaving Goods is they sell new and restored razors for fair prices.

 

[lightfoot]

If you find the Feather blades to be a little over the top you can try drawing the edge on a piece of cork.

You could order saxophone neck corks from Amazon for cheap. They’re usually sold by the 10-pack. Very soft and high quality cork.

A wine cork might not be the best.