Spent $200 on DOVO!!!!! not happy

[jayjayselmes]

Hi everyone.

I just purchased a new Dovo and a strop. I purchased some good Proraso soap and a $50 badger brush.

I stroped it before i used it and then i had a shower then applied some Proraso pre cream menthol to soften up 3 days of growth.

I decided to just start slow and steady then get out the safety razor to finish until i get used to it.

Let me start by saying i really want to get this right but the shave was nothing short of painful. It was like the blade was blunt even though it was brand new. It wasn't shaving smooth and i tried a few different angles to no avail..

Am i doing something wrong? As there is no way my face can handle this type of punishment again.

any help muchly appreciated

Jason-----> Australia

 

[napoleon]

Although it's new and sharp- it's not shave ready. You need to have it sharpened.

 

[fidjit]

Hi everyone.

I just purchased a new Dovo and a strop. I purchased some good Proraso soap and a $50 badger brush.

I stroped it before i used it and then i had a shower then applied some Proraso pre cream menthol to soften up 3 days of growth.

I decided to just start slow and steady then get out the safety razor to finish until i get used to it.

Let me start by saying i really want to get this right but the shave was nothing short of painful. It was like the blade was blunt even though it was brand new. It wasn't shaving smooth and i tried a few different angles to no avail..

Am i doing something wrong? As there is no way my face can handle this type of punishment again.

any help muchly appreciated

Jason-----> Australia

Jason,

First thing...... welcome mate

Make sure you join GSL, that's where all the Aussies hang out.

Second....

Where'd you get the equipment from ? Was it purchased from somewhere that hones the straight to shave ready before shipping ???

A lot of places you can buy straights from DON'T hone them to shave ready before shipping to the customer. They're straight from the factory.

Someone'll help you out, just need a bit more information mate !

 

[Cheech]

That'd be my first guess. It may be "sharp," but they don't come from the factory shave-ready. Few sellers will hone a blade without a fee, or advertising that honing is included.

 

[jayjayselmes]

Jason,

First thing...... welcome mate

Make sure you join GSL, that's where all the Aussies hang out.

Second....

Where'd you get the equipment from ? Was it purchased from somewhere that hones the straight to shave ready before shipping ???

A lot of places you can buy straights from DON'T hone them to shave ready before shipping ( e.g. Mensbiz in Australia )

Someone'll help you out, just need a bit more information mate !

Hi guys,

I purchased it from a shop called "The Shaver Shop" They sell all types of shavers both electric, straight and safety.

Basically the lady pulled it of the shelf showed it to me sold me some soap and a badger brush and off i went...

I have no real knowledge of sharpening and i don't want to let this experience sour me into using safety razors again, even though i need them until i get my technique right

 

[fidjit]

Hi guys,

I purchased it from a shop called "The Shaver Shop" They sell all types of shavers both electric, straight and safety.

We don't have "The Shaver Shop" down here in Tas, but I'm pretty sure from conversations on GSL, that the Dovo would be straight out of the Dovo factory and not shave ready from there.

You'll need to find a honemeister to make it shave ready. There's a few in Australia . My straights have gone to ( or come from ) Texas to be honed

Ask on GSL and someone will point you in the right direction. I know Luc is trying to put an Aussie honemeister list together.

That should fix some of your issues, but from then it's all practice..practice...practice .....

 

[jayjayselmes]

We don't have "The Shaver Shop" down here in Tas, but I'm pretty sure from conversations on GSL, that the Dovo would be straight out of the Dovo factory and not shave ready from there.

You'll need to find a honemeister to make it shave ready. There's a few in Australia . My straights have gone to ( or come from ) Texas to be honed

Ask on GSL and someone will point you in the right direction. I know Luc is trying to put an Aussie honemeister list together.

That should fix some of your issues, but from then it's all practice..practice...practice .....

Ian forgive my in experience what is GSL?.... yep looks like it needs to be honed as you have said... hmmm thanks mate

 

[fidjit]

Ian forgive my in experience what is GSL?.... yep looks like it needs to be honed as you have said... hmmm thanks mate

Sorry mate, I've mentioned it twice and not pointed you to it. I keep forgetting.

See my signature ( in the green and gold ). Great Southern Land ( GSL ) is a B&B Social Group , it's where all us Aussies ( and a few "imports" ) hang out and discuss all Aussie specific shaving stuff ( and other things ).

 

[jayjayselmes]

cheers mate taking a look now.... i might need to get it honed.... is there anywhere in oz to get it done?

 

[Go West Young Man]

Check the stickies in the straight razor section, there's a multi-part post detailing everything you could possibly want to know about straight shaving in great detail.

 

[mainaman]

If the razor was indeed shave ready, it is highly possible you rolled the edge stropping, it takes some learning to get this right.
Now it is also possible that the blade was not really shave ready.
My advise is when you get a razor that is supposed to be shave ready, try it with no stropping that way you can tell if it is indeed shave ready.
Finally it is ,too possible, your skin is not used to the feeling yet and this gives you the impression of not shave ready, I have seen many newbies express similar discomfort during the first several shaves.

 

[pelicano]

This happened to me in 1991. I bought a very nice Filarmonica and a strop in a store in NYC.
Attempted to shave with with it three times before giving up.
How was I to know that it wasn't shave ready? There was no information available, and the guy at the store didn't seem to care much.
My only reference to straight shaving at the moment was pretty much this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuPRd8Nxa7c

Damn, to think I could have had a nineteen year head start!

Hi everyone.

I just purchased a new Dovo and a strop. I purchased some good Proraso soap and a $50 badger brush.

I stroped it before i used it and then i had a shower then applied some Proraso pre cream menthol to soften up 3 days of growth.

I decided to just start slow and steady then get out the safety razor to finish until i get used to it.

Let me start by saying i really want to get this right but the shave was nothing short of painful. It was like the blade was blunt even though it was brand new. It wasn't shaving smooth and i tried a few different angles to no avail..

Am i doing something wrong? As there is no way my face can handle this type of punishment again.

any help muchly appreciated

Jason-----> Australia

 

[Go West Young Man]

Better yet - if you spent $200 on it, take it back and buy a nice vintage one in shave ready condition off the B/S/T here for less than half that amount.

 

[forum9]

send it to lynn over at straight razor place, he's tops in the bussiness, he did my torrey and dubl ducks razors, they are still sharp after 1 year.

The guy lives in Australia and I’m sure the open razor users there can also do a fine job.

I remember getting a new DOVO which gave me a poor shave out of the box but that was some years ago. Today, DOVO is supposed to be putting a sharper edge on their new razors. If you have never stropped a razor before, it is very easy to dull the blade.

Anyway, don’t give up on anything, the DOVO is probably fantastic and just needs a bit of TLC.

Bottom line, a razors edge is very fragile and needs to be maintained on a strop very carefully.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Hone it. Have somebody else do it (a friend that's good with knives and understands a straight razor isn't a knife and needs different technique-- I know people like this) or learn to do it yourself, or mail it out and have it honed.

Straight shaving is not an easy thing. You learn, and then it becomes easy. Walking wasn't easy when you were ... however old people are when they learn to walk.

Anyway point is people will tell you to learn to shave first, learn to lather first, learn to strop, hone, do all these things separate. Take things in small steps, because learning 4 skills at once is a pain in the ***.

Well, that's one option.

The other option is to look at it, realize this wasn't ever meant to be easy, and decide which of these skills you want to postpone to make things easier on yourself and which you don't care to. The catch is that even if you get the lathering down (you DE shave anyway, so yeah), figure out how to strop properly, and send your razor to a professional to have it honed, you're going to find it impossible to shave with until you've stood and cursed at the damn blade for a few weeks.

And then you still won't get good shaves.

We're not kidding here when we say there's a steep learning curve attached. You'll enjoy this much more if you give up on getting any semblance of a decent shave now and accept that you have to learn to use the tool at hand first.

 

[GsSixgun]

I don't know their B&B names but Jimbo and Onimaru (Oz) at SRP are both in AU and both are probably on here too (many of us are on all the forums)... They both can hone a lick too