new razor?

[jnt1983]

Hi there, i have spotted a new razor on the invisible edge site. Its their own starter kit apparently with a dovo made 5/8 classic with invisible edge branding on the blade. I currently use a shavette and was wondering if anyone has any experience with these razors or if anyone knows if they are good. The price for razor alone is £68 or £80 with a leather strop. I would appreciate any feedback you guys can offer as i cant wait to move onto a proper straight.
thanks
jon

 

[jnt1983]

This is the kits available with the dovo razor. I am looking at the basic at the bottom http://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/starterkits.html

 

[KW Driver]

A lot of us started with a sight unseen razor and poor man's strop from ://www.whippeddog.com/products/view/sight-unseen-razor.

Even with shipping, it'll be a bit cheaper. So that's an option too. It won't be a new razor, if that matters to you. I don't know if shave ready from the Invisible edge means shave ready. I think they have a good reputation, but have no experience with them, so I can't say one way or the other.

 

[Acmemfg]

Indeed Whipped Dog gets a lot of airplay here...I have no reason not to believe that this vendor is in fact the real deal. Prices are bargain basement and service is reported to be top notch. He has one fine reputation and mucho credibility. Ponder if you will though............

One disclaimer...I'm not a fan of buying ANYTHING sight unseen, but that's just me.

So anyway, say you pick up an entry level Dovo razor from a reputable dealer...$90, and that will be "shave ready" if you trade with a good vendor (there are many)
Strop-some beautiful leather can be had from Star Shaving. Their "Big Mama" is a steal at $28.50
Brush-$10 (Omega Pro 49) and up.....let your conscience and wallet be your guides.
Soaps/Creams-see above. I have a Boots stick I bought in Edinburgh for less than 2 quid. A spectacular array of shave media can be found at Shaving ie., Connaught Shaving, Gentlemen's Groom Room (all in the UK) or myriad other vendors. Prices really vary.
Bowl-any dime store will have a plethora from which to choose for pennies....or just face lather.

Now...for all NEW gear, that YOU have selected what have you spent? Maybe $130-$135 USD or 85-90 British Pounds. Shipping may be extra-depending on the vendor, where they are, and if they offer free shipping with a purchase amount...or other such specials.

Nice thing is that should you decide to keep on the straight razor habit, you have a fine quality razor and strop that will last for decades. Should you choose otherwise, you can move those items for probably at least 75% of what you paid....so it would not be really a cost-prohibitive venture.

Just something to consider

 

[Chaloney]

It looks essentially the same as the dovo best razors, which is what I have. Shaves great. I could use just it for the foreseeable future and be happy with it. I doubt I will, but I could. Much more comfortable to use and more comfortable results then my shavette, although I'm sure my technique has improved considerably

Looks like the price is comparable to the prices acmefmg is quoting, and those are what I have seen online as well. Many websites, however, don't seem to have the dovo best razors in stock.

i also have no personal experience with invisible edge, but I've heard online they are a reputable dealer

 

[jnt1983]

Hey, yeah it is the dovo best apparently and i really think that £68 uk is a great price and would cost the same from the us with tax, shipping and import. I think i will go with it. Should i buy anything else straight away as there is only so much time i can keep the blade going on a strop. Maybe a balsa strop and crox? I have everything else like brushes, bowel, cream, soap, styptic , oil etc. So maybe a fine hone or will the blade and strop keep me going for a while? Thanks.

 

[Acmemfg]

Don't know anything about your UK dealer, but I DO know this guy...when he says a razor is "shave ready" he isn't woofin'.
His Dovo product is in stock and (with free worldwide shipping) you are not gonna beat this price (60 GBP)....

http://www.thesuperiorshave.com/Dovo_Straight_Razors.html

Coming out of the box with an edge like this Dovo will have should keep you from having to acquire a hone for quite some time, as long as its properly stropped.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Yeah definitely get a block of balsa but instead of CrOx, I recommend .1u diamond paste on one side, .5u on the other. Use the .1u after each shave. Use the .5u if the edge ever seems to be getting dullish anyhow, and use as many laps as it takes to bring the edge back, then revert to the fine side only again, maybe with a higher lap count from then on out. CrOx will work and the grit size is nominally about .5u but for regular post-shave use, I feel a finer grit is better. Also CrOx grit size is not as uniform. YMMV. And BTW FeOx (the red paste) is quite a bit finer. If you use CrOx on one side of your balsa, you can use FeOx on the other. I get my diamond from www.tedpella.com.

If you use the pasted balsa properly, you may never have to re-hone. More likely you will, at least in the beginning, but far less often than if you did not use the balsa.

I know Jarrod's razors are sold shave-ready. He is well thought of on this board.

I do have to give a hearty +1 to the whipped dog, though. Great source for your first razor as well as a verrrrry basic strop that you won't shed tears over if you hack it up while learning to strop, and a very inexpensive badger brush. Larry is another vendor who is well regarded here.

Remember that a new razor depreciates as soon as you unwrap it. A vintage razor, assuming you paid a fair price for it, can generally be resold for what you paid for it if you decide straights are not your thing. Plus it simply has more class, to me. More character. Higher cool factor, shaving with a blade that might be well over 100 years old. YMMV. A new razor can be nice, too.

I am not a big fan of the Dovo Best, but if it is honed by someone trustworthy then any issues it might have will have been addressed, or it will not get shipped to you. I am not sure but I think the "Classic" is basically just a "Best". I do really like the Bismarck, though, and the Prima Klang is pretty amazing.

 

[jnt1983]

Hi, seems some good advice. I really like the Bismarck too and whatever happens will be buying it as a second razor for when the other is out of service. The classic is being sold in a set with their basic leather strop. I may upgrade this to canvas backed and just bite the bullet.worst case scenario is i don't get on with it, but with the invisible edge 'chiller logo" on the blade it ups its cool factor considerably.

 

[Giant Kiwi]

I've dealt with both whipped dog and invisible edge.
My whipped dog was my first straight razor and it definitely was shave ready.
The beauty of the whipped dog kit was it also includes the balsa and crox/feox
Invisible edge service is also very good, they once missed an item from my order and Steve jumped on it right away no questions asked.
I say go with what your head and heart is telling you.
If you have an issue with honing I'm sure there are a few of us around that could help a newbie out

 

[u2u]

I have lots of Dovos and have had excellent experiences with the brand. Did some research on Invisible Edge and placed a couple of orders with them. Steve was responsive to an email query I sent him and gave quick feedback on the status of my orders. I expect you will do well if you opt to order from him, more so if you are in the UK.