Brand spankin' new

Hi all,

My wife purchased me a gift set for Christmas and I've been doing some reading on here, but I have some questions that I feel can only be answered by this community.

First off, the kit came with a Gold Dollar straight razor, a Buckingham and Sons strop, The Blades Grim soap, and a Satin Tip brush. I know from reading that these are not the highest quality items that one can get and a lot of people are on the fence about Gold Dollar razors, but I gladly accept any gift, especially since I've been telling her for the better part of 3 years that I want to start using a straight razor.

The problem is, the razor came as an unsharpened training razor. My wife told me she thought she ordered a shave ready one, so I'm not sure if the fault is on the seller or if she made a mistake. My question is, is it worth the money to send this razor to get honed or should I hold off, practice stropping with the one I have, and buy another one at a later date?

I really appreciate any input.

Welcome aboard,,,
Is the "unsharpened training razor" just a Gold Dollar that's not honed or is it something different.

If it's a Gold Dollar, then reach out to one of the guys in the classified section that hones via mail & PM (private messege) them,,, see if they will hone it for you.

No reason to really wait, start your journey now.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...wcat.php?cat=4

I don't know much about razors, but it appears to just be an unhoned Gold Dollar. It's a Gold Dollar 208.

Welcome to the forum, glad to have you as a part of the forum..

First, having a wife that would order you the one thing you've wanted...well....I'd never tell her that she did anything but wonderful!!

But a Gold Dollar is a gold dollar. They have grind issues and it takes an experienced honer to correct the edge and make it shaveable. Some GD's just can't get there period. I'd use it for stropping practice. Even run the edge over a glass bottle or glass and be sure the edge is dead.

Second, take a look at the classifieds at this link Main Index - Straight Razor Place Classifieds and you can find some nice used razors at a reasonable price. Be sure to read the descriptions and look for "shave ready". Usually members take that pretty seriously and the razor will be shave ready or at least to the highest degree that member can achieve.

Third, if you take the second option and get a razor which is lacking, which I doubt, contact me through PM (private message) and I'll send you a nice shave ready razor, too keep.

Again, glad to have you on the forum and hope it's enjoyable and beneficial.

Best Regards,

Howard :)

And welcome to the forum mate. :)


Mick

Hi and welcome. I'm with Howard any would just get another razor. Most are going to charge extra for the work associated with getting a Gold Dollar to shave and for a couple extra $ you can get a better quality shave ready razor from the classifieds. There were a few the other day that were in the 25 to 40 Dollar rang which you would at lest expect to pay for honing. Good luck and any questions or problems just ask we are always happy to help

P.S. Just checked and there are still a few there in that price range

SirStropalot, what a nice guy! That's why I love this forum!:beer1:


Mike

My wife gave me permission to buy the same kit, only I got a "honed" blade. I can say after three weeks of use that the blade is severely lacking. I had it honed at a local shop after the first week (before I was knowledgeable enough to have it done first), and had a few decent shaves after that. But, in general, it has been a painful experience. I am not sure if it is my face, since I already knew my face was on the sensitive side, but unless I get it BBS, it hurts at a brushing touch for a day or two afterward. I tried using some 11.5 Oz canvas pants to give it a good stropping before shaving today, and it was still not much fun. I was able to bounce some light off the very edge, and even without magnification, I could see flaws in it. I finally have another blade on the way, one used and made shave ready by another member, so I will see if maybe it was just me. Gold Dollar being the type of manufacturer they are, it is entirely feasible that they may have gotten a good batch of steel and produced some usable razors. But for me, it is going to be used in honing practice.

tseppish,
Good news/bad news...

Bad news:
The likelihood of a "local shop" properly honing a straight razor is practically nil. They are much more likely to destroy the temper of a straight razor, which is not the same, and cannot be treated the same, as a knife.

Good news:
It's a Gold Dollar so who cares?

I live in Rochester but will be increasingly spending time in Iowa City and may even be moving back there. If you need any help, send me a PM.