Thread: is there duty on a razor from china

I ordered two of these out of curiosity. Neither was shave ready, and the edge was kind of a joke with chips or very wavy. They both shave well after complete rehoning but do not expect to shave well with the edge as-is. They are "better" than a GD in the sense that they don't have the heel issues, so they are much easier to hone. I have no idea about the steel quality or edge retention yet.

This is a public forum. You'd be wise not to question the ways of the 67 year old master.

probably more or less same as a GD with a little bit better attention to the shoulder and grind, but probably not much

It's a POS.

1. The metal is dull and crudely polished- yes I know satin and bead blasting- these are still "polishes" in blade nomenclature.

2.The blade mentions no stain- Stainless Steel

3.430 isn't meaningful unless it's the maker's birthday. it is however an ASTM designation for T-430 Stainless- a low carbon steel. Annealed. It doesn't take temper.

if they were going though the trouble to rip people off, they might want to consult with a metallurgist, welder...anyone before they brag about the alloy used to make their great shaver by etching it into the side thinking no one will notice.

I have two. One's O.K. but the other is useless except for burnishing hones, image below. Oh, and they are not stainless, they will rust with plain water on them - I tested them. BTW, the Gold Dollar 800 isn't stainless either.

What they appear to be is a Gold Dollar with the heel work done, which is not a bad idea especially since they don't seem to cost much if any more. They're not better quality IMO, about the same. I use Gold Dollars for test razors and for that they're fine. They take a decent edge and hold it pretty well. They are not fun to shave with.

Cheers, Steve

i wondered if they were the same as GD. this auction for a GD lists the brand as ZY.
Gold Dollar 600 Shaving Straight Razor Handmade Honed Shave Ready Extra Sharp | eBay

Originally Posted by tintin

i wondered if they were the same as GD. this auction for a GD lists the brand as ZY.
Gold Dollar 600 Shaving Straight Razor Handmade Honed Shave Ready Extra Sharp | eBay

That's the vendor I got mine from. I left a negative feedback based on 1 of 2 razors I received. Could you just please look at them before you sell them? Ref previous image. I believe probably not, that is not the business model which is OK, these razors are not intended for the western market.

If you order, Gold Dollar rules apply; if you want a good one, order 6. If you're lucky, you'll have 3-4. If not, probably 1-2. On average, you'll have 2-3 decently ground razors, meaning you won't have to go below a 500 grit stone or sandpaper to set the bevel.

I am not dissing the vendor or Gold Dollars. They're cheap Chinese razors made for a different market with different needs.

Cheers, Steve

I was pondering ordering a couple of them just to pirate the scales...at 8$ it's cheaper than ordering replacements from anywhere I have found!

Originally Posted by Steve56

Oh, and they are not stainless, they will rust with plain water on them - I tested them.

Stainless steel does rust. It's just slower - rust resistant, not rust proof. And according to the seller, they're stainless. Copied from their page:

Material:Black Plastic Handle and stainless steel Razor

Both my Gold Dollar 800 and the ZY-430 will rust within 1 hour with plain water on them. I did this and this is not the definition of stainless to me. Try it yourself and see. The attached image shows a 60-90 minute exposure to plain water drops.

Cheers, Steve