Thread: gisen and forsthoff razor

A Gold Dollar?

MMMkay....off to work now...gotta go!

Originally Posted by Phrank

A Gold Dollar?

MMMkay....off to work now...gotta go!

a gold dollar is a cheap razor i got off ebay that i sharpened and honed myself. i got it to pass the hanging hair test, and was shavign alright, so i wanted to upgrade once i got the hang of it, and this razor i got hasnt been treating me very well

I know that being you haven't nicked yourself is probably a great thing to be proud of...but I have a razor from classic edge as well. There is nothing wrong with the razor nor the edge put on it. I can gaurantee you that it is either your technique or prep or both. The gold dollar may seem like it was smoother because your not used to a truly shave ready edge like the Forsthoff. Videos are awesome but you can not feel a video. Theres no way for you to say "oh that guy put this amount of pressure I now know how much to do myself" from a video. It takes time and practice and experimentation. In fact only recently have I thought that I have gotten really good technique and pressure. I have been at this almost a year now. I would still consider myself a newb. If the razor was skipping..it's you not the razor. I don't mean to sound confrontational but thats the problem.

The reason for Phrank's short post about the Gold Dollar is that they are not a reputable razor with many manufacturing problems and blade geometry issues. Some have gotten lucky and most have not. Some people will "modify" them by fixing the issues the razors has. They have to many inconsistencies that most people just avoid them.

Once you figure out how to use your new razor properly you will be a very happy person. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are people here that have been using a straight for 30+years.

And no its not the razor. Gisen Forsthoff is a good brand.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

I know that being you haven't nicked yourself is probably a great thing to be proud of...but I have a razor from classic edge as well. There is nothing wrong with the razor nor the edge put on it. I can gaurantee you that it is either your technique or prep or both. The gold dollar may seem like it was smoother because your not used to a truly shave ready edge like the Forsthoff. Videos are awesome but you can not feel a video. Theres no way for you to say "oh that guy put this amount of pressure I now know how much to do myself" from a video. It takes time and practice and experimentation. In fact only recently have I thought that I have gotten really good technique and pressure. I have been at this almost a year now. I would still consider myself a newb. If the razor was skipping..it's you not the razor. I don't mean to sound confrontational but thats the problem.

The reason for Phrank's short post about the Gold Dollar is that they are not a reputable razor with many manufacturing problems and blade geometry issues. Some have gotten lucky and most have not. Some people will "modify" them by fixing the issues the razors has. They have to many inconsistencies that most people just avoid them.

Once you figure out how to use your new razor properly you will be a very happy person. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are people here that have been using a straight for 30+years.

it wasnt skipping per se it was just grabbing the hairs instead of slicing through, it really hurt a lot to shave with, and the bumps on my face are disastrous. how come my shaves with a DE razor from the start have been great? there was no learning curve for me.

DE's are easy compared with a straight. Even with the cheap blades I get from walmart I can still get a decent shave from my DE's. The hardest part about learning a DE for me was moving the razor to go with the curves of my face because the head doesn't pivot like a cartridge razor does. What is your face prep when you use a straight? What soap/cream do you use? The suggested angle for a straight on a WTG pass is 30 degrees or about two spine widths. I personally like the angle a bit shallower but thats me. How's your stropping technique? That could also be a problem.

Another question I think might have been overlooked is when you honed your gold dollar, what is your honing setup? I don't suggest you take your new razor to the hones your self. You haven't yet have you.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

DE's are easy compared with a straight. Even with the cheap blades I get from walmart I can still get a decent shave from my DE's. The hardest part about learning a DE for me was moving the razor to go with the curves of my face because the head doesn't pivot like a cartridge razor does. What is your face prep when you use a straight? What soap/cream do you use? The suggested angle for a straight on a WTG pass is 30 degrees or about two spine widths. I personally like the angle a bit shallower but thats me. How's your stropping technique? That could also be a problem.

Another question I think might have been overlooked is when you honed your gold dollar, what is your honing setup? I don't suggest you take your new razor to the hones your self. You haven't yet have you.

no i was too scared to hone this by myself because its expensive compared to the gold dollar and didnt want to screw it up. im going to try to hone myself tonight. my stropping technique is fine and i didnt even have to strop the razor becasue it was shave ready and still i found it wasnt very sharp. i forget what the soap is that i use, i bought it a while back and its been lasting a long time. i would say i for sure keep a 30 degree angle shaving with the grain. im kind of leaning towards selling this razor and buying a thiers issard

Dont hone it. Please don't hone it. I am not saying that you can't do it but I am not saying that you can either. I don't know your abilities and will make no such claims. Also you haven't mentioned what hones you have. All I am saying is maybe send it to one of the honemeister members here. Also add your location and maybe try and get with some one in your area. What you learn in person in an hour or two can not be replaced with a lifetime of videos.

Of course if you are set on selling it... some of us sure wouldn't mind.