Thread: Gold Dollars..which is the best?

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.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Someone could start selling GDs at cost, $5 for the blade

It is actually US$2 or less if you source locally.

Originally Posted by RobinK

It is actually US$2 or less if you source locally.

Agree, depends where they are sourced from. The lowest I have seen was something like $3 but the minimum lot was 100 razors.
Any way the only way to cut the profiteering out is to hit them in the bottom line. Not an easy thing to do due to the amount of work needed to actually produce a shavable razor.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Any way the only way to cut the profiteering out is to hit them in the bottom line. Not an easy thing to do due to the amount of work needed to actually produce a shavable razor.

It's not profiteering, it's artisan custom razor manufacture.

Sorry, could not resist.

So you order 100 @US$2 per piece, free shipping. 30 will shave, with a bit of luck 50. A well made modern Western production razor starts at US$75. There is absolutely no way you can undercut the GDGD prices, because the markup is phenomenal.

So, coming back to ethics, who wants to own a tool that was made in a sweat shop? Razor, brush, cheap soap ingredients?

I do not. Which is why I avoid "artisans" and "small vendors" like the plague. Case in point: Straight Razor Designs has no such products in stock. Zero. Because they run their business in an ethical fashion, and they treat their suppliers well. And that, gentlemen, is how business should be.

@RobinK - Robin I recall a previous thread where you claimed ready made Chinese knots were made by children in sweatshops - this time you have named a supplier many of us will have used - TGN. I asked you in that thread what evidence you have to support the claim but don't recall getting a response - so, once again, I'm not disputing you claim but would like to see something backing it up.

For the record, I have several knots from TGN and they are unfailingly good quality - I also have a Thater 2 band finest and it's in a different league.

I feel my point still stands, if you need to spend hours getting the thing perfect, and you need to buy scale materials assuming you want the wretched stock ones gone, what is the actual cost.. Unless you luck into one out of the box that sits on a hone well, it's false value. You can buy any number of old razors for dirt cheap... The sketchy quality would be forgivable if they had the kitch visual value so many of those old, awesome japanese straights do, but they are just dreary on top of it

Originally Posted by UKRob

@RobinK - Robin I recall a previous thread where you claimed ready made Chinese knots were made by children in sweatshops - this time you have named a supplier many of us will have used - TGN. I asked you in that thread what evidence you have to support the claim but don't recall getting a response - so, once again, I'm not disputing you claim but would like to see something backing it up.

Badger Hair Knots - Wet Shaving "All knots are product of China unless otherwise specified." And that is not mentioning the marketing nonsense with five billion grades of badger hair. There are three: black, grey, and silvertip. Black is used for actual brushes, grey can be used for entry level badgers, silvertip is what should be used. Any further questions?

Originally Posted by RobinK

Badger Hair Knots - Wet Shaving "All knots are product of China unless otherwise specified." And that is not mentioning the marketing nonsense with five billion grades of badger hair. There are three: black, grey, and silvertip. Black is used for actual brushes, grey can be used for entry level badgers, silvertip is what should be used. Any further questions?

But where is the evidence that the knots that TGN sell come from sweatshops and child labour?

Originally Posted by RobinK

It's not profiteering, it's artisan custom razor manufacture.

Sorry, could not resist.

So you order 100 @US$2 per piece, free shipping. 30 will shave, with a bit of luck 50. A well made modern Western production razor starts at US$75. There is absolutely no way you can undercut the GDGD prices, because the markup is phenomenal.

So, coming back to ethics, who wants to own a tool that was made in a sweat shop? Razor, brush, cheap soap ingredients?

I do not. Which is why I avoid "artisans" and "small vendors" like the plague. Case in point: Straight Razor Designs has no such products in stock. Zero. Because they run their business in an ethical fashion, and they treat their suppliers well. And that, gentlemen, is how business should be.

Originally Posted by UKRob

@RobinK - Robin I recall a previous thread where you claimed ready made Chinese knots were made by children in sweatshops - this time you have named a supplier many of us will have used - TGN. I asked you in that thread what evidence you have to support the claim but don't recall getting a response - so, once again, I'm not disputing you claim but would like to see something backing it up.

For the record, I have several knots from TGN and they are unfailingly good quality - I also have a Thater 2 band finest and it's in a different league.

Gentlemen, if you want to expand the conversation to badger knots, or any other commodity, start a new thread. We've had complaints that this thread is being hijacked. Thanks for your cooperation.

Excellent job gentlemen threads like these only result in a spike in Gold Dollar sales, Why? Because the "I got to see for myself, what the fuss is all about" factor have kept this company thriving for years. As a wise man once said "There is no such thing as bad publicity."