Dovo Solingen, or Dovo is a family owned German company based in Solingen. In 1906 Mr. Dorp and Mr. Voos started Dovo Steelware. They used a forge and hollow grinding shop to make straight razors. The Solingen region became renown for quality blades, and in 1938 the government passed a law that cutlery could not bear the Solingen name unless it was fundamentally constructed in Solingen. They established a distinctive logo, and all Solingen manufacturers now share the trademark. Mr. Dorp and Mr. Voos retired, and Fritz Bracht took over the DOVO company shortly before the second World War. Because of the rise of electric razors (blasphemy!), Bracht developed a new line of scissors, called Eureka. Today the company makes razors, scissors and clippers, with about 75% of their sales being exports.
Newer is not always better. If the gentleman in your life is interested in shaving the "old fashioned way", the shavette is a great place to start. While there are a number of less expensive straight razors, the shavette stands apart because it uses disposable blades, sparing the trouble of stropping and honing, which can be frustrating for a beginner. There are a number of excellent web resources on straight razors, my favorite happens to be the Straight Razor Place, hosted by Lynn Abrams here. Dr. Christopher Moss created an excellent guide for beginners, that can downloaded here for free.
The shavette provides an excellent and close shave. The handle is comfortable, and the black plastic thumb rest is a nice touch. The razor is substantial enough to be handled easily, but not heavy. A new blade is good for about 12 shaves, the 2nd through the 10th being the best quality. It uses half a disposable blade, so it is very inexpensive, a fraction of the cost of the five bladed monstrosities available elsewhere. You can easily pay for the cost of your shavette in saved expense from buying replacement blades for the "modern" razors. Click the following to buy: Dovo Shavette
Sources:
Dovo
 Vintage BROKER Tree Brand shavette $7.99 Time Remaining: 22h 22m |
 Barber Shaving Razor Grey Shaving Shavette Disposable Blades + FREE BLADES $6.32 Time Remaining: 1d 17h 46m Buy It Now for only: $6.32 |
 Steel Barber Shaving Razor Shavette Disposable Blades $6.31 Time Remaining: 2d 10h 54m Buy It Now for only: $6.31 |
 TITANIUM BARBER SALON STRAIGHT CUT THROAT SHAVING RAZOR SHAVETTE RAZORS NEW $18.95 Time Remaining: 2d 21h 30m Buy It Now for only: $18.95 |
 Dovo Black Shavette Straight Barber Shaving Razor Black Red Insert Included $25.99 Time Remaining: 2d 22h 38m |
 NEW Derby 100 Single Edge Razor Blades For Shavette $14.95 Time Remaining: 3d 16h 23m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
Tags: dovo, straight razor
Straight Razor wrote,
Shaving with a straight razor is a bit of an art form, and when perfected can lead to an amazing quality of shave. They may look a bit lethal, but once you get the hang, are incredibly easy to use!
Link | August 12th, 2010 at 11:23 am