Strange edge problem on my new dovo razor

[Quintar]

I was interested in trying out straight shaving, so I did some looking around and I ordered a dovo best quality 5/8 full hollow razor from the superior shave. seems to be a good razor to start out with. i also got a filly stop from rup razor.
The dovo razor comes shave ready so when it came I gave it a shot. it seemed to pull and tug a lot. I could barely do each cheek and there was no way it was cutting through the stubble on my chin. I figured it was obviously my technique since I had never done this before.
I also have a feather artist club razor so I tried that out. it shaved smooth and clean with no problem, so it made me think maybe something was up with my dovo. maybe It wasn't so shave ready? I gave the dovo some laps on the strop to see if that would help. I noticed on the outward stroke it felt really rough and would leave scratches in the strop (i am thinking that's not normal right?), on the return stroke it felt really smooth. I did maybe 50 laps and it didn't seem to help a whole lot. I tried shaving and I could shave my face but it was not comfortable at all.
I was thinking since it was rough on one side maybe the edge was bent or jagged or something. I tried 20 laps on the CrOx side of the strop and it kinda helped but not a lot. I figured it needed to be honed, but I have no hones. I do have a polished granite countertop so I thought, hey its probaby stupid and it might not hone it but since the razor is annoying me it is worth a shot. so i cleaned a spot on the countertop really well and felt that it was nice and smooth, i splashed some water on it and then "honed" the razor on the countertop. The same symptoms appeared as I had seen on the stop. One side of the blade slid over the countertop like glass, super smooth with no resistance. The other side kinda grated against the stone and felt rough when I moved it back and forth. I "honed" it for a bit until the rough side felt a bit smoother, then went to the CrOx and then the leather. The shave was much better...not great but way less irritating

So from what I've explained what do you guys think? I'm thinking the edge is messed up on this razor and I need to get it honed up. should I contact the superior shave and see if maybe they will redo the edge? not sure if they will do anything for me since they might just assume I ruined the edge while stropping or something. Or should I buy a stone or two? From the description does it sound like a finishing stone would be sufficient or am I going to need some more serious edge refining stones?

 

[Quintar]

I didn't strop it the first time, but I did all the times after. It may have been ok the first time and I just sucked at using it so it's hard to tell if it came to me bad or if I messed it up after the first use. I am careful to keep the strop taut and use very little pressure, I even tried laying the strop on a table to make sure it was flat so i didn't roll the edge. but the razor was leaving scratch marks on the strop from the very first time I stropped it.

and thanks again for the feather, Mike H I was about ready to give up on straights because of how troublesome the dovo was until i tried the feather and saw how nice they could be.

 

[thatsilverguy]

I bought my Dovo "Best Quality" from Superior Shave too. It is now my "go-to" razor. I always get a great shave from it.

I agree with Mike: A call to Superior Shave could be a good idea.

 

[ouch]

If you bought a razor from The Superior Shave, you can be assured that it's shave ready. Jarrod knows what he's doing and he puts a very nice edge on everything he sells. I have five razors from his site and each of them was as sharp as anything I received from anyone else, however famous.

As for honing on your granite countertop, I'm at a loss for words. Can someone help me out with an analogy? The best I can come up with is "my engine seemed to be running a bit rough, so before contacting the dealer I decided to add a quart of maple syrup to the crankcase- it's a thick liquid that looks like oil".

If you ever have a problem with anything, contact the vendor first.

 

[Wid]

Agreed, should have talked to Jarrod first.

 

[Quintar]

As for honing on your granite countertop, I'm at a loss for words. Can someone help me out with an analogy? The best I can come up with is "my engine seemed to be running a bit rough, so before contacting the dealer I decided to add a quart of maple syrup to the crankcase- it's a thick liquid that looks like oil".

I think it'd be more like I added olive oil since it's an oil. granite is a hard stone and it has a perfectly flat surface it's just like glass so probably isn't going to take off any metal from the edge. it'd be like a 50k grit stone. I was not expecting it to fix the problem, it was more an experiment to verify what I was seeing on the strop since I had no real hone to test it on. and it did just that, showed me one side was smooth and the other side was rough. I didn't do 100 laps or anything, just slid it back and forth on each side...

besides others have considered it:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=199964&highlight=hone+granite

http://straightrazorplace.com/hones/42973-granite-hone.html

anyway, as you guys recommended, I contacted jarrod at the superior shave and he said I could have easily messed up the edge just by shaving my face with crappy technique and he'd take a look at it. So I will be sending it out shortly.

 

[Luc]

Contacting the vendor in the first instance, before doing anything, is always best.

 

[life2short1971]

I would be happy to hone your razor for you if you want to cover the cost of shipping. I'll put it back in the mail the day after I receive it. I only hone on coticules if you like the edge from them.

 

[ouch]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you're not married.

"Honey, I can't pry open this paint can. Hand me your engagement ring."

 

[Picaro]

MMmmm, maple syrup on french toast. No wonder my body's gaining tallow.

Talk to your vendor and get it sorted. The Dovo's give one of the best edges when finished on something other than a benchtop.

 

[life2short1971]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you're not married.

"Honey, I can't pry open this paint can. Hand me your engagement ring."

He gets to use a metal spoon with the Nonstick cookware too!

 

[Quintar]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you're not married.

"Honey, I can't pry open this paint can. Hand me your engagement ring."

I was, but not anymore. The final straw was using her lingerie to polish my razors

 

[ouch]

I was, but not anymore. The final straw was using her lingerie to polish my razors

 

[Quintar]

I would be happy to hone your razor for you if you want to cover the cost of shipping. I'll put it back in the mail the day after I receive it. I only hone on coticules if you like the edge from them.

thanks for the offer. I'm sending it back to the superior shave to see what the verdict is. but i might take you up on the honing offer if i screw it up again...

 

[life2short1971]

I was, but not anymore. The final straw was using her lingerie to polish my razors

You too?
Bwahahahaha