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| Dovo Solingen case |
The Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor is manufactured in Solingen, Germany. Dovo Solingen is also associated with the Merkur Solingen brand line of products, as well as Shavette and Bismark labels.
I purchased my Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor in March 2014. At the time of my purchase, I was able to find it listed at a sales price of $239.00 US, which was a reasonably good value compared to other online offerings at that time. My razor arrive four days later by little white box via USPS. The razor came enclosed in a blue foam-fitted Dovo Solingen hinged metal case that had been shipped within a soft velvet black satchel. Dovo also included a tri-fold paper insert within the case with details and guidelines about their razor. The razor arrived coated in a fine coat of oil for protection and was nicely edged but not shave-ready.
All scores are rated 1 through 5.
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| Dovo interior razor case |
BUILD QUALITY (5): The Dovo Flowing 6/8" SR is quite well built. It is a full hollow ground carbon steel blade with scalloped spine for both added shaving control and aesthetics. The overall blade length (shoulder to tip) is approximately 3 inches. The true cutting edge length is about 2.5 inches, rounded at both ends. The scales are made of African Blackwood that has a fine sanded, smooth and grippable semi-matte finish that feels good in-hand. The scale pins are neatly fitted with minimal protrusion. The hinge pin operates nicely with just enough tightness so that the blade remains secure to the scales in all rotated positions. The overall balance of the blade-to-scales is equally good when fully open ninety degrees.
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| Strop, Norton 4k/8k wet & lapping stone |
HONING (4): Honing the Dovo Flowing is comparable to other quality straight razors. The blade's specific hardness is not listed on the manufacturer's page, but it does hone and hold it's edge quite well. The blade ships nicely edged but not shave-ready. Honing this SR does require a smooth and consistent method. And, your finishing stone should be used with very delicate, weight-of-the-blade only pressure. Using Lynn Abrams' honing technique (video
here) with the Norton 4000/8000 grit water stone, followed by a pre-shave stropping before each use (video
here), I've been able to achieve a very sharp serviceable edge with little razor drag. The addition of a "polishing" grit stone between the Norton 4k/8K stone and stropping steps is optional but will further improve the edge sharpness and further reduce drag. A water stone such as a Naniwa S1 12000 grit Super Stone will work nicely as that finishing stone, but is not necessary.
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| Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor |
BLADE EDGE (5): The Dovo Flowing 6/8 is my Sunday morning razor. As a bald shaver, I will often use this blade once-a-week to shave both my face and scalp. Each take a respectable amount of time, patience and practice. My Sunday mornings are perfect for these tasks.
Caution: I strongly advised against scalp shaving with any straight razor without a high level of expertise! It takes a great deal of focus and technique to master safe scalp shaving with an open blade. This being said, the Dovo Flowing does maintain an excellent edge. I lightly re-hone the blade perhaps twice each year, and have only performed complete re-honings twice since purchase in March 2014. Once fully honed, a good cloth-to-leather stropping before each shave is all that seems required to maintain the edge (for those with light-to-moderate follicle thickness). For those with heavy follicle thickness, more frequent re-honings may be necessary. The blade should be carefully cleaned and then coated with oil protectant after each use, prior to storing. I keep a small silica gel pack in the storage box with this blade to reduce the risk of moisture damage or rust.
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| Dovo Flowing 6/8 blade, etching |
FUNCTIONALITY (5): Overall, the Dovo Flowing 6/8" is an excellent straight razor. It's well balanced and quite serviceable. The quality of the carbon steel is high-grade and the water-resistent wooden scales are comfortable and appealing. It grips and feels good in the hands, offering solid shaving control, even with wet hands. The scalloped spine is useful in some shaving positions and when scales are raised upright ninety degrees vertical to a horizontal blade position but, in my opinion, is more of an aesthetic feature of the razor than a functional one. The scalloping does add a few more grams of weight along the spine, giving the razor an overall slightly heavier feel and greater sense of shaving control.
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| Dovo Flowing 6/8 blade, not etched |
VALUE (4): As mentioned before, I had purchased my Dovo Flowing 6/8" straight razor in 2014 for a sales price of $239.00 US with free shipping. A common marketplace price for this razor (at the time of this post) remains at around $250.00 US. There is no guarantee that this razor will remain in the marketplace for much longer. It's been in circulation for a few years now. But supplies do appear to remain available. My valuation of this blade is quite good to excellent. This is a straight razor manufactured with many years of shaving service in mind, perhaps decades with proper use and care. Furthermore, as a unique Dovo shaver, a well-maintained Flowing 6/8" razor could increase in collectible and family legacy value in years to come.
73,
Patrick, K3NYJ
Disclaimer: All content presented on this site are subjective and solely representative of personal ownership experience and individual understanding of said products and related subject matter described herein. Any and all representations, descriptions and commentaries posted herein are offered from opinion and should not be regarded as expert affidavit or testimony, or as a manufacturer's statement in any way. Please consult with product manufacturers and their approved sources for complete details, specifications and applicable warranties of all products described herein. All photos presented herein are property of this site's moderator and are not public domain.
