Description
The Dovo Buffalo Horn INOX straight razor (model 41-5855) was the premium variant of their bread-and-butter stainless steel razor, essentially unchanged for 40+ years. Well balanced, easily honed and handled, durable shaving edge character. Beyond the buffalo horn scales used on this #415855, the same razor can be had with ebony (415835), olivewood (415875), or mother of pearl (415815). It is a 1.4034 stainless steel blade (~4.7×16.7mm blade, ~16-16.5° cutting angle, ~43g weight), with file jimps (little ridges) to the underside of the blade’s tang. This model was discontinued in 2020, and we have four pieces left, three still here in the “police lineups” and one dark horse that is still factory-sealed.
Select a Dovo Buffalo Horn Razor via Actual Stock Pics!
Horn varies quite a bit, and each is unique. Horn is also temperamental; it loves to move, being essentially tightly-wound hair, so always guide a horn-handled razor’s toe in to and out of the scales by careful sight every time, ever mindful to move the toe towards the center as needed. This is a better option than clunky scales with spacers that are too wide. If need be, feed your horn scale some hair oil if it appears dry.
“Shave Ready”?
This business is wholly centered upon the sale of one hollow ground straight razor to one shaver one at a time; “1 str8rzr alone” is ~50% of all our orders. You may elect to have your Dovo INOX with factory edge or further honed by ‘TSS’, as only you see fit; there is not a right or wrong answer. ‘TSS’ rather doubts the worth of debating this ‘Shave Ready’ concept today; anyone can bandy that term about as if objective, meaningful information (like a sprinter’s time), but in fact it is completely subjective.
If you elect for the factory edge (= do nothing, no note needed @ checkout), you’ll receive your razor exactly as its manufacturers intended…pretty simple! The factory seal’s been breached, yes, but only so you could choose from individual pictures of stock.
If you elect for The Superior Shave to further hone your razor [plz add a note to vendor @ checkout], this #41 shall be honed in the manner taught in 2016 to The Superior Shave’s proprietor by two kind Solingen master grinders (whom did/do not work for Dovo, but do use similar 1840s grinders’ textbooks methods). Regardless of their poor refinement compared to further-honed ‘Honemeister’ edges on offer, some physical elements of factory edges remain superior to most further honing attempts. The Superior Shave will devote the extra time to your razor a dying industry cannot afford in overhead, without taking away the factory edge’s inherently advantaged geometric metrics. We’re confident we offer the materially thinnest further-honed-by-vendor edge available for purchase – you’ll need to try that to understand why it matters. Please note: in the professional opinions of German and French razor grinders, a straight razor is not properly honed unless flush to the hone, without tape, so visual evidence of honing is unavoidable when honing is performed correctly according to its makers (we add Vaseline to your razor’s faces and use compatible honing fluid to help a little).
We hone with a method best coined as “the opposite of tape“ where a hone’s geometry’s wholly catered to performance of the razor and to no other concern. Unfortunately, this topic cannot be discussed upon any English-based straight-razor-centric forum because a select group of e-enthusiasts cannot abide such open discourse. Be encouraged to think for yourself, and let your beard and sense of touch be the judge; there is a lot of misinformation out there, much purportedly from experts! We wish you good shopping, and Happy Shaving.
