trouble with a new Dovo

[Bart]

I have not used the word "bad", Robin. Wim can leave that razor at my place, and I would hone it just like so many other Dovos I have honed. True, this one compares to the more pronounced warps I've handled, but apart from making a remark about the warp in my correspondence with the owners of such blades (and a couple recommendations for future honing and maintenance), I have never made a public issue out of warp. The most warped blade I've ever honed was a "Colibri", a French brand, but with "forgé et evidé à Solingen" stamped in the tang. It happened to be one of those exceptionally smooth shavers.
Thiers Issard all come with a smiling edge. If you've read my post about warp and how it relates to smiling edges, you know the possible reason for that.

I just think that a manufacturer should have the guts to stand up and tell the audience what his production tolerances are.
What Wim showed us is an entry level straight razor. It won't win a beauty contest, certainly not when it will be honed properly. But it can shave as well as any high end Dovo that costs 2 or 3 times more. I have never seen a Bergischer Löwe with a warp. Nor a warped Bismarck.

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[Jim1]

I have never seen a . . . warped Bismarck.
Bart.

Robert Ballard has! You just weren't looking in the right place

 

[garyhaywood]

I have not used the word "bad", Robin. Wim can leave that razor at my place, and I would hone it just like so many other Dovos I have honed. True, this one compares to the more pronounced warps I've handled, but apart from making a remark about the warp in my correspondence with the owners of such blades (and a couple recommendations for future honing and maintenance), I have never made a public issue out of warp. The most warped blade I've ever honed was a "Colibri", a French brand, but with "forgé et evidé à Solingen" stamped in the tang. It happened to be one of those exceptionally smooth shavers.
Thiers Issard all come with a smiling edge. If you've read my post about warp and how it relates to smiling edges, you know the possible reason for that.

I just think that a manufacturer should have the guts to stand up and tell the audience what his production tolerances are.
What Wim showed us is an entry level straight razor. It won't win a beauty contest, certainly not when it will be honed properly. But it can shave as well as any high end Dovo that costs 2 or 3 times more. I have never seen a Bergischer Löwe with a warp. Nor a warped Bismarck.

Kind regards,
Bart.

i was just going to mention i have a brandnew bergischer, and the bevel is mint, the shave is one of the nicest i've had from a dovo, yet i have had had 8 dovo specials , one dovo best , they all had slightly inperfect bevels. , even my prima klang is a little of, yet my best class dovo is perfect.
i think you may have apoint about the b ucket for the not so perfect ones, that turn into cheaper dovo's.

i also found my dovo special took some stroke ajusting to hit the bevel in certain spots, with light pressure in finishing it seemed to be not getting down so well on the hone, thats why i just finished on the some crox, as that made perfect contact
.

 

[decraew]

The razor has hone wear now, and because they can't resell it to another person, they will not accept it back.

Bart, for me that's not a valid argument since this problem only really surfaces at the moment that the razor is honed for the first time, so you will automatically have hone wear. You can't expect your average user to see an issue that's barely visible.

 

[Deckard]

I got a few warped blades, usually an heat treat effect.
The bevel on the other side of edge should be the reverse - thick toe and heal.
As long as a bevel can be established along whole length its not a problem, otherwise a narrow hone may be required to achieve this.

 

[Bart]

The razor has hone wear now, and because they can't resell it to another person, they will not accept it back.

Bart, for me that's not a valid argument since this problem only really surfaces at the moment that the razor is honed for the first time, so you will automatically have hone wear. You can't expect your average user to see an issue that's barely visible.

It is not a valid argument from where you stand, I know that. But they might still use it.
Please consider this from a different viewpoint. Imagine you were making razors. A certain amount of your production has warp. You put them with your lowest grade blades, finish them with your standard etching, standard scales, and sell at a basic price. You consider an amount of warp to be acceptable within certain tolerances. After all, these blades can be honed and made to shave well, certainly when pastes are used, and that is what you recommend for sharpening anyway.
So far, so good. Sometimes, a new blade is returned through a reseller, by a customer who considers the warp "too much". You check the blades, and if it fits your tolerances, you get your hone-mistress put a decent edge on it and repackage it as a new blade. Problem solved.

Now, what would you do if someone returned a blade that you consider to be within tolerances, but he has put a lot of hone wear on it, because he belongs to a school that insists to hone blades with stones and no pastes? The resale value of the razor is zero for you by now, because no one will accept is as a new razor. Chances are that you will say: "the guy didn't know what he was doing, he has put unnecessary hone wear on the blade and now he wants a replacement. No can do."

This is of course only speculation of my behalf, I don't know Dovo, and I don't know how they approach these issues. I do know that my speculation is nothing extraordinary. And I don't doubt that this razor could be made to shave well. Hence, in my speculation, you'd have a point. This razor has been sold to shave, and that it can do, quite well probably.

Best regards,
Bart.

 

[king]

Please consider this from a different viewpoint. Imagine you were making razors. A certain amount of your production has warp. You put them with your lowest grade blades, finish them with your standard etching, standard scales, and sell at a basic price. You consider an amount of warp to be acceptable within certain tolerances. After all, these blades can be honed and made to shave well, certainly when pastes are used, and that is what you recommend for sharpening anyway.
Best regards,
Bart.

+ there should be notice that blade is slightly or in acceptable telerances warped. In that case buyer is 100% aware of the "issue" so he can decide to buy it or not.

 

[Smythe]

Please consider this from a different viewpoint. Imagine you were making razors. A certain amount of your production has warp. You put them with your lowest grade blades, finish them with your standard etching, standard scales, and sell at a basic price. You consider an amount of warp to be acceptable within certain tolerances. After all, these blades can be honed and made to shave well, certainly when pastes are used, and that is what you recommend for sharpening anyway.
Best regards,
Bart.

+ there should be notice that blade is slightly or in acceptable telerances warped. In that case buyer is 100% aware of the "issue" so he can decide to buy it or not.

A warped blade is not considered a "flaw", and in any case, If it can be kept shave worthy as per the manufacturers recommendation (pasted strop) that's all that matters.
It's not a "collectors item" or "precision instrument" so there would be no need to complicate the process with a "notice" of acceptable tolerance.

 

[king]

If the manufacturer is aware of the "warped blade" or any other issue, me as a customer, expect to be noticed about those issues. From my point of view warped blade as one in this thread is a flaw and not something that have to be accepted as a normal thing. But that's just me.

 

[Bart]

Well, the world does not always adhere to how we think reality should be.
Perfect straightness only exists in mathematics. In real life, any straight razor deviates from mathematical straightness. Check your razors and tell me how many of them have truly equally balanced bevel symmetry.
So when is warp to be considered "too much warp?" You can think that decision is yours. In that case, you'll have to buy at a seller with a "no questions asked" policy for offering replacements. They might exist, but I suspect even they will expect you to ask replacement before you started altering the factory bevel. It's not that difficult to estimate how much a blade deviates from perfect straightness, immediately upon its arrival.

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[Deckard]

Well put Bart.
The first razor (prototype) I made has bevel issues in terms of prettiness.
It's a crude thing indeed and was a file originaly no heat treatment involved.
It's hard as hell and hardly ever needs honing, holds an edge really well. It remains to this day one of my best shavers.
:

 

[Emmanuel]

This is a current Zwilling Henckels Friodur. I bought it three years ago in Athens directly from the official representative.
After honing i noticed that the blade is a bit twisted (no warped).Seems well where the heel is lifted from the glass even the spine is well tangent. If you turn the blade on the other side, opposite occurs , the heel is well tangent but the toe is lifted.
Here i kept(but hardly) the edge equal ,i consider is more easy than a warped blade.
You can see also a crack across the back pin. That happened later due to over tightening.
But......... i cant to condemn a manufacture like Henckels for a razor with some small physically defectives.
Is known ( after statistical investigation) the Mondays and Saturdays production gives lower quality derivatives
Finally I can say that this razor is an excellent shaver and her edge lasts long if you touch the honing limits.
Best regards
Emmanuel

 

[Snuff]

In that case, you'll have to buy at a seller with a "no questions asked" policy for offering replacements. They might exist, but I suspect even they will expect you to ask replacement before you started altering the factory bevel. It's not that difficult to estimate how much a blade deviates from perfect straightness, immediately upon its arrival.

Bart, don't know if you remember the pictures of my Revisor 8/8" that was warped, I was lucky, they took it back and it got sold again to someone else who maybe had no problem with that, for me personally it was to much money for a razor that was not to my expectations.

 

[Bart]

Yes, I do remember. I think that almost any decent online seller will offer you an exchange, when you return an item, but only if you return it fairly quickly after purchase, and if you can return it in the same condition as you received it.

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[Bart]

Today, I received notice that the Dovo with it's bad disposition is on its way to me. (thanks Wim)
I plan to document how I will try to sharpen it.

Kind regards,
Bart,