Thread: Gold Dollars..which is the best?

Naw, I'd sooner contend with the occasional out break of Gold Dollar. After all, like Herpes, there is no known cure for it.

Bob

Originally Posted by RobinK

And that is true. However, the same is true with Chinese import badger knots. You have Thäter and Shavemac on the one end of the spectrum. And something whacked together in some child slave labour sweat shop on the other. Whether sourced direct, or via a retailer like The Golden Nib, you will get Gold Dollar like stuff, only as a brush.

I am honestly curious about the source of badger hair knots. I have read that all the badger for brushes is coming from China. Robin, do you know where Thater and Shavemac buy their knots? Do they travel to the factory to inspect or hand pick hair?

Back on topic...I feel like I need to try a Gold Dollar now to round out my wet shaving resume. And, I truely like Arko!

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

I am honestly curious about the source of badger hair knots. I have read that all the badger for brushes is coming from China. Robin, do you know where Thater and Shavemac buy their knots? Do they travel to the factory to inspect or hand pick hair?

Back on topic...I feel like I need to try a Gold Dollar now to round out my wet shaving resume. And, I truely like Arko!

Not Robin but from what I understand all badger hair comes from China but the knots are made by the manufacturers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vH3zx1a9R4

Bob

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

Robin, do you know where Thater and Shavemac buy their knots?

They do not buy their knots. They make them. Hence the term "brush maker". Not to be confused with "handle maker who glues cheap Chinese import knots bought bulk on alibaba.com into wood or unnatural materials." That is the small, but decisive difference between "experienced craftsman" and "upstart artisan".

Ok Jimbo I'm not gonna go into cars and cost too much but a Subaru is an Asiam made car to now compete with the likes of much more acclaimed German cars.
This should help you appreciate that cheap Chinese tat in some people's eyes can be as good as supposed German engineered models. Maybe a Holden or something to you being in Australia.
If you drove an Audi RS4 or vintage Bentley I may appreciate your argument a little better.

Anyways, I bought my GD 208 from an elderly gentleman who seems to be able to hone blades extremely well.
He also told me that no razor is shave ready out of the box. Certainly not to the level that they are after honing and he includes German and french made razors into this description.
After using an unused (vintage) G&F blade out of the box and then again after him honing it I was inclined to agree certainly with his claim and will tell you properly outright when I get him to hone the TI I've bought.

To cut it short, the GD I got from him shaves extrwmely well and better than other rqzors I have of more acclaimed manufacturers.
That is why I'm intrigued as to other models of the same brand.

I perfectly understand some people's feelings on the blades but I have to maintain my opinion based on my own experiences.
It just wouldn't do for us all to think the same on everything.

Okay, I now understand better the distinction between buying a knot and experienced craftsmen making them. I feel my questions are only partially answered, however. Do the experienced craftsmen inspect or hand pick badger hair at the source? Where does the fur originate?

All badger hair comes from China. All of it. There are subtle differences, though. If you order from China, you have control over which hairs you actually use. There are tons of Chinese brushes in the market whose hair has been bleached to achieve a significantly higher price. And so on. So, high quality brushes use hairs that are hand picked from whatever is shipped from China.

This is interesting with the UK having a badger cull haha

Originally Posted by Daniele

Anyways, I bought my GD 208 from an elderly gentleman who seems to be able to hone blades extremely well. He also told me that no razor is shave ready out of the box. Certainly not to the level that they are after honing and he includes German and french made razors into this description.

That is complete and utter bollocks. It is also provably untrue. But what do you expect to hear from someone who sells $2 razors?

As an aside, I have used the odd NOS razor in my time, and each and every one of them was shave ready, even after decades of storage.

So, please save us the nonsense. Yes, GDGDs can be made to shave. Some even shave out of the box. And that's great. But comparing something with a 30% or less chance of shaving without major work (ie regrinding, removing sizeable chunks of steel, long time on the hones) with a quality controlled modern Western production razor is just silly.

Pray tell, how many modern Western production razors have you personally tried and tested?

Originally Posted by BobH

Naw, I'd sooner contend with the occasional out break of Gold Dollar. After all, like Herpes, there is no known cure for it.

Bob

I think there is a cure. It is not something that can easily be done though. Someone could start selling GDs at cost, $5 for the blade + $3 for first class shipping with tracking , and essentially invested time to mod/hone the razors at no charge. After a year or so all the profitability is gone for those that are making business out of selling GDs because the market would have shifted away from them. The issue still stands with the quality of the blades regardless.