History behind the Merkur razors: DOVO of Solingen
This is a brief history of my favorite razor brand: Merkur Solingen. The company Dovo Steelware was founded in Germany, near Solingen, in 1906. Its founders, Mr Dorp and Mr Voos used the first letters of their surname to their company DOVO of Solingen .
DOVO Company: The small knight with sword and hammer
The original products manufactured by its factory were straight razor. The factory, emplying only 13 staff at the time, had its own forge and hollow grinding shop. The company had such a great success that by 1930, the town of Solingen had become bigger. The local authorities passed a law in 1938 to ‘trademark’ the name of Solingen as a symbol of quality and greater pride.
Poster of the original factory
DOVO of Solingen had made its products famous in Western Europe and North America. When the original founders decided to retire, Fritz Bracht became the director of the DOVO Company a few months before the Second World War.
The razor market had a huge shake with the appearance of the electric razor. Fritz Bracht needed to diversify its range of products by creating a new source of income with hair scissors. This gentleman went directly to local shops and salons in his own town and in large cities to learn everything he needed to know to manufacture a new type of hair scissors. He designed the EUREKA, a new model of hair and thinning scissors with a curved cutting edge. This new addition to the range of DOVO’s products give a second life to the company after the war.
EUREKA: a new model of hair and thinning scissors
A young technician named Mr Mertens joined the company in 1951. With the help of other artisans, and with his personal motivation, he put more strength in the production of scissors and straight blade.
As years passed, the company got more and more famous for the high quality of its blades, the design of its razor, and the increasing interest on their classical line of grooming products. Today, DOVO of Solingen’s catalogue of products is sold around the world, in 120 countries.
Tags: dovo, Merkur Razors, Solingen
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