Thread: Dovo Stainless

I've never tried any of the current production stainless Dovos, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt. I was, however, fortunate enough to pick up this mint example of the older Fritz Bracht Dovo's in stainless from Lynn and Don in the early days of SRD. And the fact that it was a wider 6/8, which I prefer, was just gravy.

Craftsmanship: Better than the current production Dovos that I have handled, but not perfect. This one had slightly loose pinning on the wedge end, but otherwise very good. The scales are plastic, which goes along with the utilitarian nature of this razor, but you can get current examples in various grades of scale material, up to MOP, if you desire. The mirror finish and stampings are well executed, and the grind is very even. The goldwash is nothing to write home about.

Function: Like most stainless blades, this razor likes to be finished with diamond paste. With 0.25u, it just zings across my face like it has no right to. But the kicker is that unlike many other stainless blades I have tried, it feels soft and smooth, moreso than my Dovo Special's (Tortoise model) carbon blade. Moreso than my Friodur (both finished the same way).

Collectability: There have been a lot of discussion and conjecture about which Dovo stainless models are better - whether it is the ones stamped "41" on the tang, and whether the "41" is upright (across the tang) or lying down is better. But certainly there is agreement that the older, Fritz Bracht razors are more sought after and highly regarded.

Price: I don't know that I would rush out to buy a current prodution stainless dovo today. Prices seem to have escalated across the entire line. But if you get a chance to get an older model at a good price, I'd say grab it and give it a try. If you don't like it, you won't have any trouble unloading it either.

I have two current production Dovo Inox straights and I love them, which is why I have two of them. I actually preferr them to a Dovo carbon steel that I had some time ago. Well balanced and excellent shavers. Why did I buy stainless? simply I tend to be a bit hamfisted about the moisture in the shave den and tended to leave the straights in the shave den. Since stainless resists rust the inox helps to save me from myself.

Hi
I have been shaving with a straight and DE for coming on two years, most days using the straight. I have had a Dovo Ebany S/S 5/8 for that whole tiime. Maybe it was bad technique or bad honing etc, but at the beginning I just couldnt get a smooth shave and was considering getting rid of the razor.
Now, with better technique,better prep and a very gentle hand ,combined with twenty laps of CRo2, I get really good consistent shaves. I find laying the blade virtually flay against taught skin produces the smoothes shave.
The razor has a nice balance and still looks great with not a sign of rust or blemishes like my other carbon steel razors.

I really like this razor and cant see me ever parting with it. If you dont have one then treat yourself.

Regards

London

My Best Class Dovo Stainless is an outstanding shaver. Holds its edge well and it always gives a great shave...... over and over.

When I first received it, I had to hone it to my preference and once dialed in, it gave a super BBS shave and it sharpens up nicely for the next shave. I am always comparing it to some top of the line straights razors I own and it never disappoints me.

Pabster

I remember the closeup vid on shaving, where the shaver appeared to be using either the stainless micarta or another stainless w/ white scales, referring to it as an undistinguished blade. I sorta felt the same - just because it's an off the rack blade with an elevated price for the etching. It was my first razor, full hollow 5/8. It has a fair amount of flex, which gave me fits also. I almost sold it. Like others, my skills/technique improved, and lo and behold, it started giving me very good shaves. Imagine that. 'Gotta say it's a decent shaver. 'Just hard for me to get excited about a blade that's off the rack but not historic like some of the old T.I.s or original Bergischer Lowe. For what I paid for it, there are quite a few better blades, but I can't deny it shaves well.