Until fairly recently, if you wanted to buy a new production razor, you had a choice between Thiers Issard and Dovo. TI has a long history of duds, and I have never found one I really liked (with the exception of the 1/4 hollow Grelot that Obie now owns). Those of you who are interested in watches will probably know Glashütte, Saxony. One of the companies there did something incredibly clever. They used the knowledge of the old watchmakers to produce new watches. Similarly, there are still some elderly gentlemen around in Solingen (Heribert Wacker being the most well known, probably) who learnt the trade while razors were still being produced in larger quantities in Solingen.
"The razors all shave me very well. I don't know how you selected them, or if this small collection is the result of weeding out many others, but they each stand´out above the average razor I'm send for honing. The one I liked best, shave-wise was the Revisor. It took an edge exactly as I want it (so did the others), but also fits my hand as if I was born with it, has just the wheight I like, and redefines the concept balance for me. It takes a razor with perfect balance to realize that it can actually make a difference. :-) I already checked their website: they also carry those without goldwash... which is not good, not good at all... I'm slowly running out of reasons not to buy one. :-("
As you can see, I was not quite wrong with my review. So, without further ado, let us see how the 5/8 performs.
The razor came in a nice black plastic coffin (click to enlarge this and the other images).
I unpacked it, and this is what I was greeted with.
A perfect Tiefenätzung (deep etching), and again perfect enamel. You can see the equally perfect satin finish on the back of the blade:
Craftsmanship: Absolutely top notch. The plastic scales are well done, and functional. They open and close snugly. The pins are as they should be. The blade itself is fantastic. Even, full hollow grind, absolutely flat, and with nice jimps.
Balance: If the jimps were 1mm to either side, I could balance the razor on the Dovo stand.
Collectability: n/a. I am waiting for Thomas Kronenberg to get back to me with more background information, but I do not think this razor will become a collectible too soon.
Price: €88, which puts it in the same league as the bottom line Dovos. But the craftsmanship on the Revisor is a cut above most Dovos. Just take a look at the close-up shot of the front of the blade.
And for me at least, one of the core questions when rating price is, 'how much would I pay for the razor without any bells and whistles?'. Let me tell you, I would absolutely pay €88 for it. Because of the way it shaves. The tang area is wide, andthe deep jimps make for an excellent grip. This is also a pro when stropping the razor. The grind is hollow, but the razor does not offer too much flex - just enough to be comfortable and smooth. It camewith a nice factory edge and stropped, ready for action. A word of caution for those of you used to US honemeister edges: the razor is not "scary sharp", but "European sharp" (for lack of a better word). It shaves smoothly but without the hyper aggressiveness of, say, diamond spray edges.
Overall: The etching is stunningly beautiful, the goldwash makes the razor even more attractive. In short, everything about this razor looks and feels right. Granted, the blade is worthy of horn scales. But for the price, the razor is a really attractive offering. Revisor have similar razors in 6/8, which is why I give the Revisor "5-0003" 5/8 9.5 points overall - if it were 6/8, it
would be truly perfect. But as it is, it is highly recommended, and should make a very attractive beginner razor for a fair price - and a worthy competition for Dovo's "Special Tortoise". Recommended? Absolutely!
