A shave ready GD is not a bad option to learn to shave with. Imo they are not good to learn to hone with. Like many others when starting out I assumed that cheapest possible razor shaped object would be a good idea to learn with. Due to the way GDs are made the design faults can really impact on honing, convincing the novice that they are doing something wrong. I almost gave up trying, thinking I could never get it right, until I got a vintage that I could make shave ready. Mind you a vintage can have its own problems too.

Now I have a few gds I use regularly. A gd if bought shave ready can be a cheap option and if bought from the right vendor will have the design flaws corrected.