DOVO Shavette (SS) Review

[stuff495]

I just got a DOVO Shavette (stainless steel) from Classic Shaving today.

I must confess that I've always wanted a Shavette, yes I have tons of real straights, but there was something very appealing to me about the fact that the Shavette could take so many different kinds of blades. Lately I've been too busy to use straight razors very often , but I get an overall better shave from them. By "better" I mean less nicks and irritation, straight razors absolutely do not give me a closer shave. I get closer shaves with DEs and cartridge razors. A straight can also maneuver around my upper lip much better then a safety razor, but is at a slight disadvantage on my chin.

Here are my first impressions of the Shavette, and a comparison to the much cheeper FROMM, I'll add more later when I've used the thing.

It looks nice, but it is NOT worth $27. It may not be possible to sell it for any less in the USA, but it's too expensive for what it is, which is two pieces of metal, with a bit of plastic on the handle. (classic shaving sells FROMMs for about $11, but I've found them for about $4 at barber supply stores). Note that an all-metal Merkur Classic which has more metal, including threading, and checkering sells for a dollar less!

The plastic pouch the razor comes in isn't elegant, but it's usefull, not only for keeping the razor closed, but for keeping extra blade holders (used to put different kinds of blades in the Shavette) from getting lost. I appreciate that I'm not paying extra for a froo-froo holder.

There are two features that the FROMM has that the Shavette really lacks. Here are some pics showing them in a FROMM:



One is a removable guard that looks like the comb on open comb razors. This lets you use the razor to shape your hair and trim your sideburns (at the risk of sounding like a poorly groomed miser, I have to admit that it helps me go longer between haircuts). Since the FROMM razor was meant to be used as a hair-shaper it comes with this guard. The guard also makes the razor "safe". I wouldn't give it to a kid, but I haven't yet figured out how to cut myself with the guard on.

The second is a "bolt" to to help you pop the blade out. It's that little "button" on the left, if you slide it to the right, it pushes part the blade out, making it easier to change. The Shavette does not have this, you have to get the blade out by using your thumb to push on the plastic blade holder . With a long blade in the Shavette, this gets a little intimidating.

Overall the Shavette feels like the least safe razor I own. This is because of how much tricky handling of open blades you have to do to load/change it. Now this is a bit unfair, because I'm very familiar with straight razors, so their basic handling and stropping is literally muscle memory for me.

To load the Shavette, you have to take your blade, and figure out how it fits into a cheep plastic holder. The holders:

are a strip of plastic that folds in half over the blade, and if you put the blade in the right spot between some dimples in the plastic, it holds it in securely. Then you slide the holder into the Shavette, which is less risky then putting the blade in the holder, but still not as safe as tightening down a Merkur.

When the blade is in the Shavette however, only a very small bit of blade pokes out:


Compare that to how much blade comes out of a FROMM with the guard off:

While it makes it harder to give yourself a serious injury, this doesn't make the razor any less likely to nick you, or cut your hand from handling it wrong.

I really wish that DOVO made holders for GEM and Injector blades, so the Shavette could use them. I wish I'd ordered a few extra holders to play mad engineer with, unfortunately I think it'll be pretty tricky to figure out.

More after I've used it.

--Vincent

[JimT]

Vincent,

I am looking forward to your viewpoint relative to using both the Fromm and Shavette razors. Nice writeup with photos.

JimT

[yasuo200365]

Interesting review Vincent.

Looking forward to your next posting on this.

Regards
John

PS Good use of photographs

[stuff495]

Alright, I used the Shavette a few hours ago. I'm afraid there were quite a few variables in how I did it. I used half of the DOVO branded DE blade that came with it. No idea if the blade was any good, it's probably a Merkur blade since Merkur and DOVO are owned by the same company, but you never know. It had different writing on the blade, so we know at least one stage of the manufacturing process was different. Since the blade was packaged in the razor, not in a protective plastic holder, it may have dulled a bit by being bounced around, no idea.

I used Taylor's shaving soap for the first time.

I hadn't shaved in a week!

I was worried that since the DE blade was so much shorter then the rest of the blade area, and stuck out so little (see pictures above), that it might scrape off 2 inches of lather, but only cut 1 inch of hair. This was not the case.

I didn't like the handle very much. The top of the tang is slick and rounded . I also wish that it had a monkey-tail tang, like the Feather straights do. I found my hand getting a very uncomfortable towards the end. I may put some friction tape on the Shavette to help this.

The blade is in the exact wrong spot! It's at the very front of the razor, this gives you less control, because it's further away from your fingers. If the blade was seated in the back of the holder, instead of the front, it would work much better. I'm used to doing detailing work with the back portion of a straight razor blade, so it felt really funny having to use the front. It was less precise as well.

Hair got caught between the blade, and the holder, and wouldn't come out when I rinsed the razor off. Ick. I've never seen any single-bladed razor do this before. Hell, even the Fusion I have doesn't do this. I Don't think this was just because my beard was so long, but I'm sure that made it worse. I had to take the blade out of the holder and rinse everything off. I didn't like that. It would probably be pretty dangerous to do in the morning when I'm groggy. I don't think leaving the hair in the the razor would do anything bad, but still....

The shave just felt funny using such a light blade in a light razor the way I use a straight. I can't quite describe it, but it was different then how a FROMM feels, I think because of the kind of blade. Later I plan to use the Shavette with a FROMM blade and see how it works.

I acctually got frustrated using such a short blade. I was used to zipping through big flat areas like my cheeks with the longer blade of a straight, but with a shorter DE blade in the Shavette everything took twice as long.

There was more pulling then with a DE -- might have just been the blade and my long beard though.

The final shave was great though! None of the nicks on my neck I get with a DE. Also less irritation. This impressed me a lot, because I was using a DE blade, but getting better results then with a DE razor. I did cut myself in one spot, but I didn't feel it when it happened. If it wasn't my first time using the Shavette I don't think that would have happened, and it wasn't a bad cut.

I still want to play around with this razor more, but overall I'm underwhelmed, even though it defiantly has some nice features.

--Vincent

[stuff495]

Here are some things DOVO could do that I think would make me love the Shavette.

Better handles.
Make them less smooth, that means jimps on the bottom AND top of the tang. Also put a monkey-tail tang, like a Feather has on the razor.

Make the blade easier to change.
Put a bolt in in like the FROMM has.
More clearly indicate where the blade goes, perhaps with a different color where you put it. It's got good physical constraints, so you know when you've got it right, but it still takes a bit of fiddling. And I do not like fiddling around with a razor blade.

Put the blades towards the back of the blade area, not the front -- it give you better control because it's closer to your hand (think about what part of the knife shave wood with).

Include a hair-shaper guard that goes over the whole front of the razor, just like the FROMM has.

Make adapters for every kind of blade out there. With the right strips of plastic this thing could hold Feathers, DE, Injectors, GEM blades, and anything else that's not in a cartrage. Now that would be really cool .
I also think it would be nice if the razor could be made wider (it's currently about equivalent to a 4/8), so that you could put a DE blade in without snapping it in half. I don't like breaking DE blades in half, and figuring out where to safely store the other half.

Bring down the price. This had to cost less to make then a Merkur Classic, but it costs me more to buy. I know, it's a small market, but still.

Oh, and one last little aesthetic point: if they made the handle out of one piece of metal like the FROMM, then it wouln't have a seam on the front:

FROMM is on the left, Shavette is on the right. It's not a big deal, but I think it's ugly. Not nearly as ugly as the plastic knob on the Progress (*shudder*). Actually the bottom of the Shavette handle is closed, unlike the FROMM or even a traditional straight razor; and this may be the reason why the handle was built the way it was. I like the idea of a closed handle.

--Vincent

[drmoss_ca]

Now you see why I recommend this razor over the Shavette:



I also was surprised to find I got fewer nicks with the Shavette/Filarmonica than with the same blade in a DE. When a shave works this way it works very well indeed. I never found having the blade at the point of the razor a problem - the whole thing is much smaller than a conventional straight, and with one of those most of the work is done with the portion of the blade adjacent to the point.

Chris

Edited for typo.

[stuff495]

Now you see why I recommend this razor over the Shavette:

I also was surprised to find I got fewer nicks with the Shavette/Filarmonica than with the same blade in a DE. When a shave works this way it works very well indeed. I never found having the blade at the point of the razor a problem - the whole thing is much smaller than a conventional straight, and with one of those most of the work is done with the portion of the blade aqdjacent to the point.

Chris

Very interesting Chris,

I'll have to try one of those.

I suspect that the Shavette will fare better then it has if I use it with longer thicker FROMM blades. As it is, I think I slightly prefer the FROMM hair-shaper with FROMM blades more then the Shavette with a DOVO blade of questionable quality.

--Vincent

[Chris Richards]

Hey, I just want to say thanks for the review. I've been wondering why the Shavette hasn't seen many reviews on this forum. I've been thinking about buying one of these (since I don't want to deal with all the isuses surrounding a traditional straight), but I think I'll hold off.

So the filarmonica ($9) might be a better choice?

[JimT]

Gents:

Have you used the FROMM razor as a straight razor? How does it compare to the Shavette?

Can you compare the Filarmonica to the FROMM razor when used as a straight?

I would greatly appreciate replies to these questions.

Thanks.

JimT

[stuff495]

Have you used the FROMM razor as a straight razor? How does it compare to the Shavette?

I have used the FROMM, so far it compares favorably, but I need to use the Shavette with FROMM blades before I reach a final verdict. If you want to buy a FROMM, check out your local barber/beauty supply store -- I found one for $4.

Can you compare the Filarmonica to the FROMM razor when used as a straight?

I'll have to defer to Chris on that one, I'm going to order a Filarmonica, but it'll be a bit before it arrives.

--Vincent

[stuff495]

A couple of quick things I forgot to mention earlier.

The blade adapters are $2 each. The Shavette comes with a red one (it's included in the price of the order) that holds DE blades. I spent $4 buying two extra ones, so the total price was more like $31. I think $2 is very expensive for a little strip of dimpled plastic, but it's still only $2 in the end, so I'm not complaining too much. Just noting that the price was $4 higher then I originally said.

I think I would rather have the plastic-handled Shavette. The SS handle looks nice (well, except for that ugly seam on the front), but it's a bit heavy, so with a light DE blade in it, the Shavette is pretty handle heavy. This feels "wrong" to me, because it's not how a straight razor balances. I'm inclined to say that this is the wrong way to balance a razor, because in my experience straight razors, having been around for centuries, have a pretty perfected design. But I don't know how this would play out for a newbie who isn't used to one way of balancing vrs another. The whole thing is pretty light, and the balance isn't so bad that it ruins anything. But all things considered I'd recommend getting the slightly cheeper plastic handled Shavette. Paradoxically, I think the balance from the heavier handle makes the razor feel lighter.

[stuff495]

I did some shopping around today looking a the cheeper disposable-bladed straight razors. My god are they all over priced! Honestly, compared to a "Hess EZY Shave" or "Mr. C Injector Razor", the Shavett doesn't looks so expensive. They are asking $25 for what are essentially FROMMS without the hair-shaper guard, but with less of the blade poking out when it's loaded. FROMMs seem to sell around $9-12 today.

For example, people were asking $22-28 bucks for this guy:
.
Look at all that cheep looking plastic, "complmented" by a slick rounded metal toped unergonomic straight tang, and what appears to be a cheep plastic tail.

Those things can't cost that much to mass-produce, but I guess they're making so few of them that costs per unit are high . It's a shame, but it looks like that's how things are.

--Vincent

[Heirphoto]

I have a Shavette and sold them for a short time too. My suggested etup was to get the plastic handled one and use the green inserts, noth the red or black. The green instert holds a long, 2 1/4" DE hair shaper blade snapped in half or a long Fromm blade. The regular DE blades are far too short for shaving use.

While not that cheap once you add insters and blades it is still half of what a new ready to go real straight razor will cost and you don't need a strop to get started.

Ton

[SidSeizure]

There's an Ebay seller (I don't remember his name, but it's the same guy who sells the packages of 50 Zorrick blades and lots of Pakistani straights) who sells two different interchangeable blade straights. One looks like the Filarmonica and the other is all plastic, they're fairly cheap, I seem to recall. They're probably junk, but I've thought of getting one or both to play around with or peel carrots.

Scott

[stuff495]

I have a Shavette and sold them for a short time too. My suggested etup was to get the plastic handled one and use the green inserts, noth the red or black. The green instert holds a long, 2 1/4" DE hair shaper blade snapped in half or a long Fromm blade. The regular DE blades are far too short for shaving use.

While not that cheap once you add insters and blades it is still half of what a new ready to go real straight razor will cost and you don't need a strop to get started.

Ton

Interesting. I have some of the blades the green holder uses, I plan to use them next with the razor. I'll post my experience when I do.

Unfortunately I didn't order any black blades, so I can't comment on how those work . I can understand why you think the hair-shaper blades work better then a DE blade, but why do you like them better then the extra-long black blades?

You're absolutely right about how much cheeper the Shavette and friends are then a real straight. I pretty much ruined my first strop by putting a big gash in it due to inexperience. The cost of a getting started with a straight razor isn't just the the razor, that's for sure. Mainly what I am complaining about with the price is what you get for how much you pay. Just looking at the materials and workmanship involved I don't think most disposable-blade straight razors are worth what people sell them for. Unfortunalty, there's not much that you can do about how much they cost.

--Vincent

[stuff495]

There's an Ebay seller (I don't remember his name, but it's the same guy who sells the packages of 50 Zorrick blades and lots of Pakistani straights) who sells two different interchangeable blade straights. One looks like the Filarmonica and the other is all plastic, they're fairly cheap, I seem to recall. They're probably junk, but I've thought of getting one or both to play around with or peel carrots.

Scott

If you're talking about coonr I've got to recommend against him. He's not made many friends by selling his junky "Pakistani" straight razors as "Dutch" straight razors. this all-plastic straight razor looks like complete crap, and is just as expensive as a FROMM. Get the all-metal FROMM instead, no question! The ultra-cheep "CHANGEABLE BLADE Black STRAIGHT RAZOR" looks like total junk to me. They usually pick flattering photographs, so it must be terrible!

Whatever you do do not get one of coonr 's strops. Every once and I while I'd hear about newbies who didn't know any better buying one, but unfortunate they're too short and poor quality to get the job done .

--Vincent

[SidSeizure]

If you're talking about coonr I've got to recommend against him. He's not made many friends by selling his junky "Pakistani" straight razors as "Dutch" straight razors.

Yeah, that's the guy. I've heard about the crummy strops he sells, too.

Scott

[ina_lather]

Will any of the above mentioned razors handle a Feather A/C (Pro/Super Pro) blade?


-whatever

-Lou

[Heirphoto]

Vincent,
I forgot about the black holder using the other long blade. These are fine too but the Fromm shaper blades are more rigid. When I sold these they were not a popular seller. At Xmas time many woman bought them as gifts for their men and a week later most were returned because Mr. Macho had to have a "real" straight instead. Problen is they wanted the real straight package for the same oprice as the Shavette deal so bought Paki stuff instead of the German made items I sold.

I used to sell the Shavette kit for $49. It had the plastic handle Shavette, several of each type insert, a full box of 10 Merkur long blades (20 edges) a mug, brush, soap and instructions.

I still have mine and like it for travel as I don't need to bring a strop.

Tony

[stuff495]

The blade is in the exact wrong spot! It's at the very front of the razor, this gives you less control, because it's further away from your fingers. If the blade was seated in the back of the holder, instead of the front, it would work much better. I'm used to doing detailing work with the back portion of a straight razor blade, so it felt really funny having to use the front. It was less precise as well.

I wanted to follow up on this. I was able to put the blade closer to the handle in my Hess EZY Shave. Turns out it causes a big problem. You can't get all of your sideburns area, because the blade holding area sticking out beyond the blade hits your ears and gets in the way. For the rest of the face it's a bit nicer. But unless you want to have two razors, one for your sideburns, and one for the rest of the face, putting the blade at the end of the blade holder (the way the Shavette does it) is the best.

Overall the blade is not "in the exact wrong spot".

--Vincent