Description
This stunning Arena Savannah razor is new from DOVO. The Arena Savannah razor has a black full hollow 8/8 carbon blade with a square point. The blade has a lion motif on one side in gold – to quote DOVO “A full inch blade, dark as night, engraved with a proud lion, takes courage to wield in ones face”. The other side bears the words of an extract of a speech made by Theodore or “Teddy” Roosevelt in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910, also in gold. This speech was referred to as “The Man in the Arena” speech;
The most oft-quoted section reads:
“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
To me it essentially means it is better to have tried and failed then never to have tried at all. A sentiment which I would recommend to all new straight razor enthusiasts, though please note that this particular razor is not one for beginners, however.
Since its delivery, components of “The Man in the Arena” speech have been used by politicians, pop stars, and everything in between. Richard Nixon, in fact, quotes the speech in both his victory speech (delivered November 6, 1968) and in his resignation speech (given August 8, 1974). It inspired Lindsey Stirling’s song “The Arena”, and was paraphrased by Brene Brown in her TEDx talk. Nelson Mandela gave a copy of the speech to the captain of the South African Rugby team prior to the 1995 World Cup.
The scales on this variant are made from birch which has been highly polished to produce a beautiful patina. Together with the contemporary styling I’m sure you’ll agree this DOVO Arena “Savannah” razor demonsrates artisan skill at its finest, a piece of stunning craftsmanship that many fans of large razors will want to own.
Supplied in a DOVO branded wallet and DOVO branded box.
SHAVE READY – Unlike some retailers, our razors are not supplied as they come from the factory. We individually prepare all the razors we sell. For full details see our policy.
Photographed with a DOVO extra wide strop and our own custom Silver Ring Faux Horn silvertip badger brush. For illustration only. Not included. These items can be purchased elsewhere – IE010028 and IE140019(124)
