Thread: Gold dollar

So Gold Dollars and their brother Chinese razors have been around for some time. They are really more of a razor kit than a ready to shave razor, with all kinds of issues, due to quality control.

Occasionally you can get a good one with few issues, that can easily be made to shave and occasionally you will get one that is beyond repair.

This is why they are not recommended, as a new honer generally does not have the experience to diagnose the problems and make the repairs, so it can be honed. Worst case you are out the cost of the razor that can be as low as 2-3 bucks.

There are tons of videos and tutorials on repairing and honing the GD. Typical issues are thick spines, bent spine, crooked edges, thick stabilizers that keep the heel off the stone, thick poorly shaped heels, occasional bad steel and limp junk scales.

Do some research and maybe you will get lucky? Once you get it dialed in, they can be honed.
Enjoy…

Originally Posted by Euclid440

There are tons of videos and tutorials on repairing and honing the GD. Typical issues are thick spines, bent spine, crooked edges, thick stabilizers that keep the heel off the stone, thick poorly shaped heels, occasional bad steel and limp junk scales.

And if you do get lucky and end up with a decent blade, you may find that the blade extends below the scales, putting both you and the blade at risk.

Come on guys Gold Dollars are great. I couldn't live without one. I'd gladly give up all my vintage razors to shave with a $3 gift from God. They have got to be without question the best option out there, great quality and great to hone usually without any issues. I would recommend 100% .. Said nobody.... Ever...

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

Come on guys Gold Dollars are great. I couldn't live without one. I'd gladly give up all my vintage razors to shave with a $3 gift from God. They have got to be without question the best option out there, great quality and great to hone usually without any issues. I would recommend 100% .. Said nobody.... Ever...

Oh yeah? Meet the newest

GD pusher

I will save you from wasting too much of your life 3:58 to 4:23

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

oh well,,,, God Bless

(edit -response to Badgister's Post, removed for formatting)

Really, the blind leading the blind...

Is it just me, I haven't really seen him shave anything other than his already clean shaven face??

First I’d like to apologize to Donboblo if any of my comments were off-putting. It was Saturday morning on the hone forum and a Gold Dollar thread is always good for some light humor. I also wholeheartedly agree with Euclid440’s post, spot-on.

People have problems with them because they buy them for the wrong reasons or don’t really understand that like Alfredo said, “they really are a mess from the factory” and take a lot of work to get them up to snuff. Once you do, the steel is good and they shave fine, but make no mistake, I cannot remember a time I’ve ever reached for a Gold Dollar because I wanted to enjoy shaving with it. No matter what you do short of skilled machine work, grinding, and re-scaling you’ll still have a crudely made razor.

If you want to learn maintenance honing and don’t already know maintenance honing, they are a bad choice because they require so much corrective honing before they’re usable. If you want to experience the pleasure of fine straight shaving, they’re not a good choice because they are a crudely made razor and not particularly well balanced. Factory problems aside, they’re still the yellow school bus of the straight world, and that’s what they’re supposed to be. If you want to see if you like straight shaving please, please don’t buy a factory-fresh Gold Dollar.

When they are a good choice is if you know what you’re in for, have the tools and want to learn corrective honing and/or need or want several razors to test hones, naguras, technique, and so on. They’re great for edge exchanges because they’re all pretty much the same so you don’t have to worry if anything happens to one or you don’t end up with the exact razor you sent out. I like them for international travel too because I don’t have to worry about losing or forgetting one. If I left the hotel 20 minutes ago and left it behind, I’m probably not going back for it.

Cheers, Steve

I learned the same way ! I bought 3 GD's for wholesale which mean appx . $3 yes you read correctly $3 and that is for "better" GD's . I used them solely to learn to hone.
Here is the downside I haven't seen mentioned ( sorry if it was and I missed it ), to really learn to hone you need to shave with the razor ! I hate to say it but you can hone wonderfully and in any other razor and scenario be very proud of your work.... With a GD the shave test even when honed perfectly will be dull or, misleading by the second shave !!! Hell it's happened to me in 2 passes !! I since invested in some Shumate straights and some other "cheaper" options and guess what ? These razors not only taught me how to hone, but are legit razors in my rotation now ! They may not be top line vintages, but I was actually proud of my work with the vintage Shumate, Puma, Dubl Ducks etc... And All shaved better and honed easier than any Gold Dollar ever will. I still wish you luck though, and have fun ! Lots of us will be happy to give you tips a long the way regardless of the blade.

Originally Posted by Badgister

Oh yeah? Meet the newest

GD pusher

I will save you from wasting too much of your life 3:58 to 4:23

Started watching the video, got past the stallion part, lost interest and stopped watching at "wassup" . If I had a dollar for every time I have seen the Gold Dollar take a kicking around here, I would be quite well off. To each their own, yeah they are cheap, but in relative terms, so are vintage razors.

Why would you throw pearls before swine?
Spend good money for bad products?
yada yada yada you know