Thread: Hello From Atlanta

Hello All,

I've been safety razoring for the past decade, but back in my school days in India I used to get straight shaved by the school barber.

Yesterday, I was given a supposedly shave ready straight razor by a friend who made the handle himself. Not a particularly great piece- a "gold dollar" (chinese made), but seems sharp enough to plink off bits of hair just by the weight of the hair on the edge. So I figured what the heck no time like the present. I've always wanted to get back into straight shaving, but I was never fond of shavettes.

But even I'm not fool enough to imagine I'll be any good at this. So here I am on this forum. Hopefully, I will continue to post, not having sliced my own head off by mistake. And eventually find myself worthy of shelling out the big bucks for a proper blade. I have a couple of old cowhide strops for my whittling knives, and my dad's old badger brush, so I figure this is good enough to begin with...

My first request is... in case the edge proves less than satisfactory can anyone recommend a honing service I can trust in Atlanta? And is it even worth it with what I'm assuming is medium to low/medium quality steel? I'd do it myself, but honing a razor is very very different from honing a whittling knife, and I'm not sure I can pull it off...

Welcome to SRP! I'm actually just outside of Atlanta in Powder Springs!

To answer your questions:

1. The Gold Dollar razors have a reputation that follows them, just as you suspect. Some people claim to have good shaves from them and think they're fine, but most people find that the quality of the steel is lacking.

2. I wouldn't pay to have that particular razor honed, just because of the reputation of that brand of razor.

3. You'd be better off buying a razor from either the classifieds here (you can get some pretty good ones without paying a lot of money) which, if they didn't come shave ready to begin with, would be much better suited to have them professionally honed, or you can purchase one from any of the vendors who are sponsors of this site (Straight Razor Designs, Classic Shaving, etc.).

With that said, I'd suggest reading the wiki (click on the "Library" link at the top of the site) to at least become familiar with the theories of proper technique while considering purchasing a razor. It definitely helps pass the time waiting for your purchase to come in.

You also have the option of going to the Art of Shaving store at Lennox Mall, but be prepared to shell out big bucks for what they're selling. Also, some members have complained about their blades not really being shave ready. It is an option, but one you'll have to explore on your own.

Also, even though it may be an exercise in futility, I would be happy to try and hone the Gold Dollar razor for you, if you feel like driving to Powder Springs. I can't make any promises on how it will turn out, just based on the quality of the razor, but if it turns out you have one of the decent ones, it may be enough to let you get through a couple of shaves to test the waters a bit.

The bottom line is that you don't have to make a huge investment up front to get good quality equipment when starting out... you just have to get it from the right places.

Let me know if you want me to try and get that razor honed up for you.

Again, welcome and enjoy the ride!

I agree with crouton here, the gold dollars are a huge hit and miss with the edge you can get. I would for sure check out the classifieds first, if you don't see anything you like right off, PM me, I'm about 3 hours from Atlanta going west. I have some blades to be restored and will do some custom scales with what I have on hand ( a good variety), and let it go for a lower price for a newbee. I will happily send pics if you are interested.

Thanks for the detailed reply, Crouton! The blade seems sharp enough to shave with at the moment, enough to get me used to straight shaving. But I take your point that its effectively unhonable, so I'm going to use it to learn the ropes, and then switch up to a higher quality steel when it has lost its edge.

That said, I will gladly take you up on your offer to hone the gold dollar in a few months. I've seen a few youtube videos and they all seem to be basic honing that applies to any blade, and some even with techniques that shouldn't actually work. I'd like to see it done in person. Powder Springs is a 40 min drive away from me, so if and when the time comes, and if your offer still stands, I'd be most grateful.

I have been to Art of Shaving at Lenox before. I wanted to buy a set for my dad, but I was not to impressed by the quality of the actual blades there, although the accessories and even the scales on the razors were quite exquisite. The couple I looked at would not cut a loose hair either with its own weight or with pressure applied, and one blade had small flecks of rust near the hinge. Maybe those were just the display models, I guess. The gentleman at the store mentioned a honing service associated with the store ($60-100 for a full hone/polish) but I figured at the prices I would be paying at tAoS I should get a perfectly honed razor from the get go. So no cigar.

I guess the only answer is to get good at honing. There is just an absurd difference between the cost of a well honed blade and a dull blade of decently high quality material. Anyhow, thanks for all your advice! I'm off to the wiki to bone up on basics.

Originally Posted by anandwashere

The gentleman at the store mentioned a honing service associated with the store ($60-100 for a full hone/polish) but I figured at the prices I would be paying at tAoS I should get a perfectly honed razor from the get go

Heheheheheehehehheheehehehe $60-$100 for honing BS !!!!! Total absolute BS

Sorry that is the biggest load I have heard on SRP in quite some time,,, Here



Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds


Wow,,,, go show that to the "well informed salesperson" at AOS

BTW no AOS does not sell Shave Ready Razors.... They have to be made Shave Ready


Apologies I get a little worked up when I read about people taking advantage of Newbs like that...

Welcome to SRP. Definitely check the member services section here. I have had razors honed and restored by four different members here and I been impressed with all of them. You can't go wrong with the fine gentlemen of this forum.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Heheheheheehehehheheehehehe $60-$100 for honing BS !!!!! Total absolute BS

Sorry that is the biggest load I have heard on SRP in quite some time

Yeah, I went through the classifieds here on the recommendation of user Crouton, and boy, am I glad I didn't fall for the spiel that guy was selling me. The founder of this site offers hones for $25 +shipping. I'd trust that over any service by a fancy store.

That's not to say I'd totally write off tAoS, since they do offer some very pretty looking stuff. But, knowledge is power, and I now have a better idea of what they're good for and what they're NOT good for.

Thanks for your feedback!

Originally Posted by anandwashere

Yeah, I went through the classifieds here on the recommendation of user Crouton, and boy, am I glad I didn't fall for the spiel that guy was selling me. The founder of this site offers hones for $25 +shipping. I'd trust that over any service by a fancy store.

That's not to say I'd totally write off tAoS, since they do offer some very pretty looking stuff. But, knowledge is power, and I now have a better idea of what they're good for and what they're NOT good for.

Thanks for your feedback!

Just so you know, gssixgun is also one of the honemeisters here, and does absolutely beautiful work restoring vintage razors. You should check out his videos on YouTube... very, very informative.

I suppose that helps explain his reaction to AoS's overpriced antics.

Oh, and my offer definitely still stands. I'm not the most experienced at honing, but I've honed my own and am getting good shaves from most of them (there are a few that I haven't mastered yet). Just send me a message when you're ready!

Welcome to SRP ! I too am from Powder Springs. There are quite a few members in the metro Atlanta area. So far your first post on SRP has a lot of great feed back. Listen to these guys, I'm glad I have over the past few years. As mentioned gssixgun is a honemeister, I had him do my first couple of straights. Excellent service, and very helpful. His articles and posts here are great resources for newbies and veteran shavers as well. Take your time and enjoy your shaves. Let us know if we can be of assistance.