Thread: Greetings from Michigan!

Hello All!

My name is Rob and I am from Chelsea, Michigan, near Ann Arbor. I am a 50 year old father of three and husband to Judy (my wife of 29 years). My oldest lives on her own and my other two will be gone for the summer (my son at an internship at Honda in Indiana and my youngest daughter in a study abroad program in Berlin, Germany). So, my wife and I will be a couple again for the first time in 26 years. I have hobbies but I need something else to lessen the interaction (quality time) between my wife and me. <smile> I figure taking up the straight razor is the perfect new hobby (learning curve, getting to know the tools of the trade, etc.).

At present I shave with a Merkur Futur. I took up DE shaving a couple of years ago and figure that the next logical progression is taking up the straight razor. I have never used a straight razor but have shaved my face using a Benchmade knife while camping. So, at 50 I am a complete newbie to this and I am looking forward to it.

I have shaving soap, a good badger brush and a shaving soap cup. So, I'm set there. I am looking pretty hard at Boker and Dovo razors. From what I can tell, they seem to make decent lower priced/more entry level razors. Gold Dollar razors were recommended on another forum and an internet search on Gold Dollar brought me to a sticky from the forum administrators of this forum stating that they would not recommend them...not that I was really considering them very highly anyway. I don't know, Gold Dollar may be "okay" but the name just doesn't engender excellence in shaving like a German name does.

I am happy to have found this forum and I look forward to learning a lot!

Thanks,

Rob

Hi, Rob. Welcome to Straight Razor Place!

Originally Posted by rosborn

Gold Dollar razors were recommended on another forum and an internet search on Gold Dollar brought me to a sticky from the forum administrators of this forum stating that they would not recommend them...not that I was really considering them very highly anyway.

Here is the truth about the Gold Dollars. People who buy very many of them are able to get them for between $3 and $6 dollars apiece (last I looked). They sell them for around $40 each. Now, why do you suppose they get recommended???

For the most part, the steel in the Gold Dollars is bordering on okay. The problem is that the steel is ground into a poor shape. Specifically, the heel area of the blade at the edge is wider than along the rest of the edge. This is compounded by a shoulder/stabilizer that protrudes way too close to the edge and is way too wide. This makes the blade difficult to hone. This can be corrected with grinding, but that is not a task for a beginner.

Basically the blade has to be fixed before it is useable. Again, not a task for a beginner.

Now, the scales are kind of ugly, but that is a matter of personal taste. A greater problem for the scales is that they often fail to perform their primary role, which is to protect the blade. This is because the edge often protrudes past the bottom of the scales, putting you and the edge in danger.

This means the scales may need to be replaced. While this may be fun to do, it may be difficult for a beginner to accomplish it.

If you think the seller deserves a thousand percent mark-up on a Gold Dollar, then go ahead and buy one. Then again, a reputable seller would regrind the blade, hone it properly, and re-scale it; but then they are not going to sell it to you for $40.

Hmm... I thought I clearly indicated that I wasn't going to buy a Gold Dollar razor. I guess it's all in the interpretation.

Originally Posted by rosborn

Hmm... I thought I clearly indicated that I wasn't going to buy a Gold Dollar razor. I guess it's all in the interpretation.

Sorry, there was no interpretation problem. I understood that you had already ruled them out.

I just wanted to add more, let's say, water to the fire!

Originally Posted by Utopian

Sorry, there was no interpretation problem. I understood that you had already ruled them out.

I just wanted to add more, let's say, water to the fire!

Not a problem. I had ruled them out as soon as I found out they're made in China. Besides how good can a $40 Chinese razor be when compared to a $110 German razor made in Solingen? I think it's a raisin to Red Delicious apple comparison.

Welcome. I'd Gold dollar used to workout at sharpening beginners. You can buy another, more decent razor.

Don't leave out looking in our classifieds for starter razors for inexpensive prices to start, that way you can find out if you want to do this before investing a lot of money. Plus it will be shave ready from guys who "Shave " with them, if you buy new , buy from a reputable dealer who sends them out shave ready, Good luck , Oh in the meantime read up on stropping, then practice till your feeling confident at it , this is one of the most important factors in keeping your blade sharp , that way you don't need to send out for honing very often, Tc

Hi and welcome. Can't go wrong with a purchase from srd. Pro honed and great service. Good luck and any questions feel free to ask.