4 choices, Dovo, Wapienica or 1980

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by Trustno1, Dec 5, 2008.

  1. hoglahoo

    hoglahoo Yesterday's News

    What exactly are you going for?
    A good shave? Any of them, as long as they are expertly sharpened. The best bang for your dollar (or your pound perhaps) will probably be the wapienica. Best edge? Depends on the particular razor within the brand as well. The invisible edge has great customer service, consider contacting them describing what you want and they will find you the best razor to meet your need
     
  2. Trustno1

    Trustno1 New Member

    I sent Invisibleedge a mail regarding my order and got an answer from Steven Dempster... The package is on it's way! Now I'm just gonna run down to Coop (Swedish grocery store chain) and pick up a Palmolive cream and put an order out for a Brush and even tho i normally always go into things with total confidence of success, an Alun block ;).
    By the way he said that they usually don't send a confirmation mail, like Chimensch said, but i got the tracking number now so should be a breeze to keep my eye on it! Steven seems like a very reasonable and good man.
    Two Wapi on the way now and one strop. I will pickup the other things i need from a swedish company.
     
  3. mastermute

    mastermute FatBoy

    Åhléns has a badger brush (don't know the quality though, just know I've seen it in their shelves).

    Lycka till!
     
  4. Ragnost

    Ragnost Member

    I have 10 wapies
    I have dealt with Steve and bought several vintage razors of him including a couple of Framebacks and can’t recommend him enough he is a great guy to deal with as are all the members on here, do not be afraid to buy something out of the classifieds on the site if you see something you like the look of or from the razorXchange
    Malcolm
     
  5. Trustno1

    Trustno1 New Member

    Today is gonna be a great day! Firstly my mobile came back from repair and they decided that I should have a brand new replacement phone :happy108 And then i found both the stick and the cream palmolive, bought both = 6$. placed the order from a Swedish site for brush and some small things and they should be here at the same day or maybe before the Wapis arrive. Also found a small pocket knife made in Solingen which I thought was kinda funny.
     
  6. You are well on your way!
    Remember, practice makes perfect... I cut myself a few times while I was learning to use a straight (I'm still learning, but not cutting myself as much). Just be patient and enjoy the experience. My shaves with a straight still aren't on par with my DE shaves, but I will learn. I also knicked the hell out of my strop when I first got it. Some folks around here really seemed to have an easy time from the start with their straight razors, but not me. I am straight razor short-bus, but I'm determined to master it.
    After all, men have basically been shaving this way since the beginning of history.

    Enjoy your wapis. Make sure not to let moisture settle around the pin or you'll get rust there. If I get water in there, I just open up the razor and blow it out like a harmonica... blade facing out, of course.
     
  7. Leon

    Leon Active Member

    If you can, try first a shavette to get used to it, then go "straight".
    In my opinion, you should get a vintage one.
    The invisible edge provides nice shave-ready vintage straight razors for an affordable price.
     
  8. Trustno1

    Trustno1 New Member

    Haha, your smile would be a lot wider if you didn't turn the blade facing out! That was a good tip. Thank you! Wouldn't think about that spot. I do plan on storing them outside in my apartment instead of in the bathroom to minimize the risk of rust.
    I always liked shaving, even when I started. So I consider this just another way to get to spend some more time doing it.
     
  9. msandoval858

    msandoval858 Active Member

    Wapis are great shavers, no doubt. The problem is 1. the scales suck and 2. the blades are sometimes inconsistent. I've seen some here and there with uneven spines that make them impossible to hone correctly. If you get a good one and rescale it though, amazing blade.

    The Dovo 5/8 Special is a very safe bet. Very consistent razor, high quality, and recommended by many straight shavers.

    I have a Double Arrow but I haven't used it yet. I do know that Kenrup from SRP sells quite a few of those to beginners all the time.
     
  10. hoglahoo

    hoglahoo Yesterday's News

    I like the wapi scales - they do feel different though than all of my other scales, partly because of the weight and partly because they are so thin. It is a personal preference issue, I certainly wouldn't say the scales suck. I have more wapi scales than I do wapis!

    And if you get one from a good vendor then #2 goes away.

    And depends on your bottom line: as msandoval858 says, they are great shavers. If that's all you're looking for, the wapi can serve you well :)
     
  11. Blade

    Blade Member

    I'd just like to say 'thanks' to all who said nice things about me - and now, my two-penn'orth for Wapis. Most are good and make excellent razors, some are not so good and yes, you can end up with an uneven bevel or hone line but the edge will still be sharp as blazes. Then there are the back-end Wapis - they look nice and even but are truly and totally awful, won't take an edge, the edge 'ribbons' and crumples and they are generally landfill fodder. I have sold and honed dozens and dozens of Wapis, 5/8 wedge, 9/16 wedge, 9/16 1/2 hollow parallel and swept edges. I still marvel at how such an inexpensive razor can take an edge that is truly hair-splittingly sharp! I still think that for a newbie you can't do much better at the price.

    PS - all mine are sent out shave-ready!
     
  12. Trustno1

    Trustno1 New Member

    The end of the beginning.
    I got my all my equipment and the two Wapi on wensday and picked them up the day after. Sadly cause of work i couldn't try them out. So, stupid as I am I couldn't hold myself today even after a 9 hour bartender shift, almost haven't eaten anything (no time) and 5 am in the morning, How it went? *drumroll*...
    Excellent, or at least much better then i thought. Sure i drew blood once but only a needlehead sized drop (crappy english i know ;) it's late, ok? ). My skin feels a little bit tingling but not much and it's very smooth except for some places that I know I have thin skin on and didn't want to push it.
    Thank you all for the tips and a very learning reading on this forum!
     
  13. JimR

    JimR Active Member

    Trustno1, I haven't read the Discworld books--I've listened to the audio books. Read by Nigel Planer, they are EXQUISITE.

    Also, Steven, you should give this crazy Swede a commission, because I think he just sold me on buying a Wapi from you...
     
  14. I in with the Wapi fans ! I ordered two after recommendations from Johan. Mine needed some honing work and with that they really get sharp with little investment compared to my Wacker.
     

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