Thoughts on the Dovo Shavette

[Soul Surfer]

After shaving with a straight for about six months, I received a Shavette as a (very thoughtful) birthday gift from my inlaws. It came with the red insert, which accepts standard DE blades.

I have to say, I'm pretty darn impressed with it! While it doesn't match the heft of balance of even a very small straight, it's head and shoulders above the similar products that I've tried. I find that it offers good enough feedback that I don't do any myself in the process of shaving - as was the case with the other prodcuts (in fact some of those experiments where just plain ugly).

Given the success that I've had with it so far, I would heartily recommend it as a "weekday" shaver for folks like me who, despite their best efforts, struggle to find the time for blade maintenance on a daily basis. In other words, this lets me enjoy a "straight" shave Monday to Friday, without having to worry about keeping a blade dry and stropped.

With numerous commitments and a baby on the way, I was a little concerned that my enjoyable shaves would be out the window for a while. I'm not so worried about that anymore

 

[Freedom]

I would have to partially agree with the above, There were only three issues I had with the dovo shavette;
1. The red blade holder didn't hold the blades tight enough, they tend to tilt exposing more at the heel or toe depending on the stroke you take.
2. If you have a couple of days growth it gets clogged up, nothing compared to a cartridge razor but i found I had to take the blade out and clean in once or twice in the first pass.
3. I never felt comfortable going ATG with it.

The thing is damn useful and is defiantly my travel choice however I do not feel it saves any significant amount of time to a real straight. I am sure theres a better disposable out there but the Dovo one works fine (the dov is the only one i have tried).

 

[michiganlover]

While it doesn't match the heft of balance of even a very small straight, it's head and shoulders above the similar products that I've tried.

What other Shavette style razors have you tried?

I have experience with the Fromm Hair Shaper, Parker Shavette, the Dovo Shavette (with both Red, and Green holders), and the Feather Artist Club/ .Kai Captain

I have been using the Parker quite a bit over the last weeks, and I think it is heads, and tails above the Dovo; which had way too little weight.

The Fromm is great, other than the two spike points.

The Feather is in a class of it's own, as it has nearly the same amount of weight as a real straight. If cost is not an issue (the razor itself is quite costly, and replacement blades are not cheap), the Feather is the superior choice.

 

[Geddiz]

I bought a Dovo Shavette to see if straight shaving was something I could get into, quite liking it so far although the plastic insert stops you getting the blade at a shallow angle, which I hear you need for ATG passes. But other than that I'm very impressed.
I'm going to stretch for a real straight razor as soon as I have the money. Might use the shavette for travel because a pack of DEs is easier to take than a strop and hone.

 

[Soul Surfer]

The other ones that I've tried are both off-brand/no-name devices. The sort that you can typically find at the local barber shop, used for shaving necks after haircuts.

I'll have to check out the other options that you've listed when time and money permit. Both the parker and the feather sound pretty excellent.

What other Shavette style razors have you tried?

I have experience with the Fromm Hair Shaper, Parker Shavette, the Dovo Shavette (with both Red, and Green holders), and the Feather Artist Club/ .Kai Captain

I have been using the Parker quite a bit over the last weeks, and I think it is heads, and tails above the Dovo; which had way too little weight.

The Fromm is great, other than the two spike points.

The Feather is in a class of it's own, as it has nearly the same amount of weight as a real straight. If cost is not an issue (the razor itself is quite costly, and replacement blades are not cheap), the Feather is the superior choice.

 

[edwardtan]

isn't the difference all in the brand of razors you use? does the shavette actually play that big a role?

 

[dpmtherrien]

Hey congrats on your success with the Dovo. I tried one as my first step into straights and proceeded to make a mess of my face. I just didn't like to Dovo at all. But here's a clear case of YMMV.

I got the Feather AC soon after, and found that to be an excellent open blade razor. I then purchased the Parker SRW, and found that to be a really good straight. The construction, heft, and feel were much better than the Dovo.

 

[michiganlover]

isn't the difference all in the brand of razors you use? does the shavette actually play that big a role?

The difference in weight makes a huge difference (in my opinion of course). The difference in weight among Double Edge razors makes them shave quite differently, so why would the difference in weight not have any impact on the shave generated by a Shavette?

Also, in regards to some of the razors being discussed (such as the Feather Artist Club) there is not a large variety in the available blades (since there are only two manufactures for these special blades: Feather, and Kai), so blade brand plays far less of a role.