Thread: Dovo "Bergischer Löwe"

I got this razor from Sharp&Shiny as part of a trade. Like all new Dovos, it comes in a nice blue metal box, lined with styrofoam, which is particularly useful for travelling. The rest of the details can be found in our Straight Razor Database: Dovo "Bergischer Löwe" - Straight Razor Place Wiki



Craftsmanship: Goldwash, and a lot of it. I do not like goldwash, but on this razor, it actually works. Very nice horn scales, interestingly polished blade (satin with mirror elements). Beautiful back. Not as hefty as one might expect from a razor this size. I could not find any flaws with the craftsmanship of this razor. According to my local vendor, Dovo has tightened the quality control a lot over the last three years, and this razor is a prime example of what a factory new razor should be like. Except maybe for the silly rubber ring on the tang (tip: load a hypodermic syringe with oil and inject it underneath the rubber to prevent rust from developing there).

Balance: Purrfect.

Collectability: Good question, is it not? There does not appear to be a shortage of these razors, so I think the collectability is a 1. However, I would not give mine up without a fight, so that would be a ten. Let us have an n/a then.

Price: It is a top line Dovo, and costs as much. Truth be told, I would not have bought one, as you can get two or more vintage razors of similar quality for its price, and I initially disliked the goldwash on the Löwe. However, given the amount of work that has to be put into the production of a razor like this, I think the price is well justified.

Overall: I love this razor. Some people clearly dislike the way it shaves, but mine is just perfect for me. The Löwe has a singing hollow blade with lots of flex, but Paul did a brilliant job at honing mine, and it cuts through my heavy beard like a hot knife through marshmallows. Despite the price, I cannot recommend this razor highly enough.

Hello Robin
Nice review .I am glad it went to a good home.
It was sharpened on a Spyderco Ultrafine hone. I use this hone a lot as a finishing hone as most of the razors I have put on it so far have responded very well to it . When the edge goes off a bit all it will take is a few laps with a light pressure on the Ultra fine & it will be good to go again.
I am posting this information to let anyone else who has one of these know how easy they are to keep in tip top cindition. I hope this is of help .
Cheers Paul

Not a fan of the B-L I must say. Looks good, and is nicely put together, but in my mind it is overpriced, and it undershaves. A nice razor to stick in a display case.

James.

I have one and have had it quite a while now. As a matter of fact it was the second razor I bought when I started straight shaving.

I have found it to be a super shaver and a great looker too. I'm not crazy about the gold on it however even though its a smaller razor it does perform.

Great review by the way.

Very nice review, I agree Beberlin. This was the first straighr razor I purchased, when a strarted shaving with straights a year ago. I love the way it looks. It shaves awesome, and has held up an edge from a begginer for over a year. It is yet to be honed. I thought it was a little pricey, but it is the top of the line Dovo. Craftmenship is awesome. Collectabilty you still can purchase them, yes and there are a lot of them, yes. Imho, it is a top of the line razor. Being a awesome shaver. I think that the shavabilty of a vintage str8 makes them a collectable razor, as well as limited numbers, I think. I love my Bergischer Lowe! Thank you. STRAIGHT RAZOR 13.

I recently bought one myself from SRD. I must admit, Don went out of his way to please me. I was a real PITA. I wanted a certain color bone scale. I can't thank SRD enough for getting me what I want....I think it's an awesome shaver. If I could change one thing, it's the size. I like/prefer a 6/8. The BL only comes in 5/8, which is OK, I can live with it. The bone scales go really nice with the blade design and the goldwash. It just works together. I think it's a great shaver. I've heard some guys say they have trouble with it and the Prima Klang. There's nothing wrong with these blades.....I highly recommend them....

Thank you for your comment. To be honest I have different experience.
I´ve had this razor for over a year and have never been able to shave myself properly with it. Only thing I did with the razor after getting it from the producer, was stropping it. At first I was excited, it managed to cut a hair just with a soft pressure. But shaving with such a razor has been disaster. The razor-edge is very hard and inflexible. It is cutting everything which stays in its way and my skin has always been pretty scratched after shaving.
I tried to sharpen it with stones (1000, 3000, coti+slurry, coti+H2O, CF, CRO, leather) after such experience, unfortunately without success. Shaving results are always identical.
I must say this kind of razor is the worst one I have ever had.

Well, the review section is not really the place for discussions, so I will keep this down to a minimum. As suggested by the FAQ, the razor was not shave ready to begin with: Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Wiki. Expecting to be able to shave with such a razor is simply expectation management gone wrong. While your hone progression sounds reasonable (I don't see the point of a 3k hone plus a Coticule with slurry, but maybe that is just me), the kicker will be the bevel setting stage. You should send the razor out to have it honed by a professional.

I finally invested in a B-L after about a year and a half of wanting one. The price is high so I sold a few that I had restored to justify the cost.

I got it new and sealed. It felt pretty sharp but didn't pop hairs like I like so I gave it a dozen or so passes on the 12k and stropped it about 75 or so passes. That did the trick.

I have to say I was very impressed with the feel of this blade. Shaved nicely with little or no pressure Very maneuverable under my nose and around my mouth. I got a great shave overall.

As far as aesthetics of this razor, its gorgeous! The gold plating is thick, the spine has custom filing, the horn scales have great lines. It's a looker for sure. It would look great in anyones display case. They are readily available from Dovo so I don't think it has "collectible value" unless they stop making them and 20+ years go by. Might be valuable to our grandsons.

It doesn't have that feel of a 100 year old vintage blade that many of us love. It definitely feels new. Vintage guys may not like that.

Over all I like this razor a lot. It shaves great, its absolutely beautiful and it"s well made.