[thebigspendur]

About a year ago Jim at Vintage Blades was selling some vintage Dovo's. I picked up a 7/8s marked best and found it to be a truly exceptional shaver. I had noticed more recently he had some more larger Dovo's on his site this time though they were vintage blanks but recently ground so I was curious if the new grinds would compare to the vintage ones.

The razor arrived in the pretty blue Dovo metal box which I guess is what they are using now. An inspection of the razor revealed the razor was perfect as far as geometry and bevel and overall physical condition. Its really a very plain razor, nothing fancy.The razor has a satin finish to it and the only decoration is on the blade where it says diamond steel and barrel brand and the Dovo Insignia. the shank is marked #55 and the usual Dovo brand and solingen. This razor comes in two versions. This one is a Spanish Point with two facets at the spine on the toe end of the blade. The other is a spike. I haven't seen that one so I don't know if it has the facets or not however it is about $50 cheaper. The razor comes with cheap black plastic scales (a travesty for a razor of this calibre). The blade is quite heavy so the balance is definitely blade heavy but nothing extreme. A nice set of custom wood scales would fix that problem.

I did not order any honing service with the razor. It came remarkably sharp and actually gave a very presentable shave out of the box. I did about 60 passes on the coticule and after that the razor was so sharp.. well it was sharp. The only razor I have that would beat this in the sharpness department is my Iwasaki.

On the bigspendurs razor scale this was easily an exceptional razor.

So how does it compare with the vintage 7/8s Dovo I have? They shave equally with this one giving more feedback as you shave. Both are full hollows.

So is it worth the price at almost $300. Well the way razor prices are going at one time I would have said its too close to custom territory but in the end it is one hell of a shaver and its a razor that has very limited availability. Once the current stock is sold thats it. So I guess you have to decide the value for yourself.

On a scale of 1-10 I would give it an overall score of 8.5 the same I gave the grelot I reviewed. They are very different razors. The Grelot is a real looker and a great shaver but I prefer the shave this one gives though its more industrial looking so it kind of balances out but I think they are equally kean.

[mrbhagwan]

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I did not order any honing service with the razor. It came remarkably sharp and actually gave a very presentable shave out of the box. I did about 60 passes on the coticule and after that the razor was so sharp.. well it was sharp. The only razor I have that would beat this in the sharpness department is my Iwasaki.

Great review BigSpendur! And a +1 on the segment quoted above.

After learning about them from this forum, I wanted to have a NOS razor. My experience with my Dovo Special, and Seraphim's review of his Renaissance (I think he likes it! ) made me think about a larger Dovo, so I splurged on one of these last week, and also did not order the honing service.

It arrived the day after I ordered it, and I set it aside, intending to improve my newbie honing skills, then give them a go on this blade. Curiosity finally got the better of me night before last, and after examining the edge with the Radio shack microscope, I decided it would be worth stropping and shaving to see how it did. I thought Jim sent me a pre-honed razor by mistake - the shave was great!

I also agree, the scales are plain, but I don't mind too much. To me, it brings to mind the "for barber's use" razors made back in the day. Plain, and efficient, impressing by the shave, not by the looks.

Sadly, they seem to be sold out, so if you missed it, you've missed it. I am glad to have one.

[coachmike]

Great review !!!

[Seraphim]

I *almost* went for one of these bad boys.....

Looks nice!!!

Nice review too. Thanks.





(Poncho--Did I mention I like my Dovo Renaissance?)

[mrbhagwan]

Originally Posted by Seraphim

I *almost* went for one of these bad boys.....

Looks nice!!!

Nice review too. Thanks.





(Poncho--Did I mention I like my Dovo Renaissance?)

Well. . . if you really want one, I looked and the "Best Class" and the Diamond Steel Spike Point are apparently still available, my "Sold Out" advisory only went for the Spanish/French point.

The Best Quality differs only in the etch, and the Spike point has a different point, plus they cost $50 less. I just wanted one with the original etch in the non-spike point.

By the way, I gave the Diamond a few dozen passes on a Chinese 12K stone last night, and it was even smoother! Sweet!

[TiltbackJack]

I just finished up a shave with the spike point version, and I must say its in the running for my best/favorite shaver so far. Everything said in previous posts is dead on accurate. I opted to have Lynn hone it and while I'm no honemeister, I've gotten a couple of my Friodurs wicked sharp, maybe too sharp for my liking at first. Back on track, the Dovo felt sharp but not too sharp to give weepers and the blade seemed "softer", all the while not missing a whisker. The blade has a nice heft to it, even for a full hollow, but like stated in an earlier post, some nice wooden scales may balance it out more. I'm planning on using this for a week and see if in the end, it holds up. I love my Friodurs, but I think this Dovo will give "The Twins" a run for their money !!