How long will a gold dollar hold a good edge?
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How long will a gold dollar hold a good edge?
Depends on who put it there, and how its maintained.
More than anyone would possibly ever want to know about Gold Dollar razors:
HERE
Funny thing about Gold Dollar razors, some love them, some hate them, I have no real opinion, because I have no personal experience with that brand. I do however think that Mike hit the nail on the head for the basis of all razor edges. Quality of the edge to start, followed by the maintenance of that edge is the greatest variable. I do not know anyone having done a time test comparison side by side with another razor. Which I think is the underlying question.
From my experience I would rather flush $8 down the toilet than waste any time or $ on a GD razor. I bought one just to play with and did not even enjoy that nor did I ever do anything with it aside from throw it into the garage floor at Mach1 with my buffer. Lesson learned and I will not buy another.
That all said I agree with Mike, who puts the edge on and then from there whom maintains the razor depends on a lot.
Ahhhh the Gold Dollar question. It is about time. One of my first razors was a GD that took a great edge. I only honed it once and I don't ever remember touching it up on a hone at all. I had it for maybe 1.5 -2 years I think before getting rid of it. Cheap scales but with a new set of horn or wood or even bone I think they would be great.
Good or bad, there are better options and if you pay attention not a lot more money either, especially after you spend the time to get it right, Your money, but wise men invest wisely, Tc
After last week, I welcome this thread. :roflmao
Put it this way...
Do you think that the distance from the spine to the edge should remain uniform along the length of the blade?
Attachment 256094
Also, try breaking a few Gold Dollars in half. Trust me it is very satisfying. We broke several down in Howard Clark's shop. Howard is one of the best, if not the best, sword makers at least in this country. He is quite knowledgeable of heat treatment and he showed us the very large grain structure of the Gold Dollars. He also demonstrated how much better the steel could be made with proper heat treatment, but of course that ruined the blade by potato-chipping the edge. The point is that the Gold Dollars are dismally heat treated and that is reflected in the quality and durability of the razor's edge.
These razors have poor steel and are badly ground. I ground down the stabilizer in the razor in the photo to allow it to be honed. If you buy one from anyone who has not fixed the stabilizer, you WILL have trouble honing it because the stabilizer will prevent the heel from contacting the hone.
That said, they WILL shave and they can hold an edge for a decent length of time. If you like to hone, then these will give you a lot of opportunity to do so because you will have to touch them up more often than almost any vintage razor.
The edge retention will depend on how often the razor is used. I have one that has been holding its edge for months now, I have used it two times. I have heard some"experts" say they hold edge for 60-90 shaves, but those folks sell them at about 30 bucks profit margin so their claims, of course, have to be taken with a pound of salt.
These Gold Dollar threads usually don't end well for the Gold Dollar, haha! ;)
Yeah, I suppose we should not descend into another one.
Put it this way, they are not as bad as a Zeepk razor.
I beg to differ, my Zeepk razor is doing just fine as a letter opener.
It's all about the steel. It's all about the bevel. It's all about the honing and stropping. Hell, you can take a butter knife and sharpen it up, shave with it and probably keep a good edge if it's good high carbon steel. Unfortunately, Gold Dollar razors aren't very good steel. Do yourself a favor and invest in a decent razor. Garbage in, Garbage out!
OK, meanness aside, and in direct answer to the question, I can get around 20 decent shaves with a GD razor before needing a touch up.
That's pretty darn good!
I got mine as a gift. Stabilizer fixed and honed. Got 3 good shave from it so far and put it away. So mine will be a great shaver for ever as im not sure i plan on using it much. So it should have another 15+ good shaves left. Nice to know. Maybe next year ill worry about it.
I bought one on a whim from a (former) member here who does a lot of work on the things. Fixes the spine width, removes the stabilizer, etc... I wanted it just because it looked very cool. I did not expect much from it but it takes and holds a very good edge. It was a little temperamental (chippy) but when I adjusted my technique it produced a great edge. I did put some scales on it that quadrupled the value of it :)
With all of that said, I would not recommend a stock GD to a newbie as it may sour them on this hobby. If you get one that has been 'worked', you could do very well with it.
That didnt take much to do. I bet the time you put into the scales cost more than any of it. Ha.Quote:
Originally Posted by kelbro
I used mine to practice pinning but those plastic scales just wont tighten up. Ill have to make some scales for it too.
This reminds me of a joke I heard from a Guy from West Germany about a car made in East Germany...
Q: How do you double the value of a Trabant?
A: Fill the gas tank.
:OTQuote:
Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings
Guy walks into an auto parts store and says "I need a windshield wiper for a Yugo."
Guy behind the counter pauses and thinks for a while and then says "Yup, that sounds like a fair trade."
I was gifted a Gold Dollar honed by a real honemeister. I've shaved with it twice. Both were mild shaves. Something I noticed is the razor just feels dead. It doesn't provide a lot of feedback and feels clunky. I don't think I will ever use it enough to need to touch up the edge.
Let's start a new thread. Did Donald Trump use a Gold Dollar? And if he did, when did he know it? SUBQUESTION, are the dems hypocritical in criticizing him for his alleged use of a Gold Dollar considering the past eight years?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
Trump has more gold dollars than anyone else. At least he knows how to accumulate them, the others threw them away. We'll see.
Donald still has 6 more hrs in the ban wagon,, I got out early for Good behavior,TyQuote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
You kidding me? That is fake news! Trump would never use a Gold Dollar. The Gold Dollar is a symbol for every thing that is wrong with trade agreements made with China. Bad materials, shoddy workmanship made by next to slave labor and other predatory business practices with the scope of undermining western razor production. I have some reliable intelligence that Trump has been in negotiations to resurrect the Shumate razor company to compete directly with Gold Dollar and take them out "Big Time." I hold my breath in anticipation.:wQuote:
Originally Posted by outback
I hear that there is a committee meeting in Congress this week about taping the spine. Votes are said to be straight party line votes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfaust
The EPA announced its intention to regulate and limit electrical tape usage to licensed electricians only. Millions of tons of 3 inch bits of electricians tape found its way into landfills across the country. EPA spokes person declared " I dont know where this stuff is coming from and why its being used so curiously but its got to stop." EPA cited also that waterfowl were found with intestinal blockages caused by the mysterious vinyl tape bits. Public outrage ensued when Peta advocates protested outside the Whitehouse demanding immediate banning of Electrical tape for public use. White house press secretary had no comment.:OTQuote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
Gold Dollar?
Again?
I pass.
To get me interested in Gold Dollar threads these days, someone would first have to combine it with an in-depth discussion of the merits of Williams shaving soap.
B.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I'm game.
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
It smells great, cheap, works well for some of us, I being one of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
Put a puck in a mug with enough water to just cover it, let it sit over night.
In the morning, don't wet your brush.
Stick it in the mug and whip up the water already in it, once you've got a good lather, add a few drops of glycerin, and whip some more.
There ya go.!!
Slows down the drying out of the lather, and gives more richness to it. (density)
This thread turned out better than I thought it would. Or, maybe it just hasn't "turned out" yet.
Uh oh... say what you will about GD razors but don't go hatin' on Williams. :soapbox: :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
I'd imagine that Trump would shave with something like a Case Brothers or a Cattaragus. If he really wants to make America great again, he'll put out an Executive Order stating that every razor sold and used in the US much either be a straight or at least a DE made to pre 1970 specifications.
As for the Gold Dollar, they're OK. They take a decent edge when properly honed but will you more than likely need to shave down the shoulders for the razor to sit flat on the hone.
Beluga, I'm not going to convince you about Gold Dollars razors, don't have one and want nothing to do with them, that said I'm not going to have a discussion about Williams Shaving soap with you, but just follow this link =Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
http://straightrazorpalace.com/soaps...p-history.html
That's the merit of Williams Shaving soap.
There are a number of different Gold Dollar razors. Many times when people talk about Gold Dollar razors, they are referring to the super cheap GD 66. There are so many things wrong with that razor that I would never purchase one. However, there are other GD razors that have some merits.
The GD 208 is a decent carbon steel razor if properly honed. The shoulder of the razor does need some touch up, but not to the extent of the GD 66. The scales on that one are OK. The blade is close to full hollow and gives good auditory feedback.
The GD 800 is a stainless steel razor. It is the most expensive GD currently available. It is also probably has the highest level of craftsmanship. Although the scales are similar to those in the GD 208, they are more likely to be centered. The Gold Dollar logo on the blade appears to be laser etched, a nice touch. I had no problem producing a shave ready edge on this razor. It keeps its edge fairly well.
The Gold Dollars are not my favorite razors, either from appearance, craftsmanship, or shave quality. However, they shave well enough to remain in my shave rotation alongside some razors costing ten to twenty times more.
This is about where I'm at. I've got 8 razors ready to shave, the Gold Dollar 208 is one of them. It takes a good shaving edge, holds it well enough, and it gets the job done.Quote:
Originally Posted by RayClem
It's no Wade & Butcher, but what do you expect from a Made in China blade you can buy for $12 w/ free shipping?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kelbro
Oh puhleeze...
In case the irony of my earlier statement eluded any of you ardent Willams supporters:
It is my experience that nothing seems to provoke more heated debates among shaving enthusiasts than the subject of Gold Dollars and the subject of Williams. :mace:
Hence combining discussions of the two would be one of the few ways to draw me out of my reserve and interest me in such debate, because otherwise I am utterly disinterested in either product.
And thank for any attempts to correct the seeming error of my ways, but at 64 I still feel too young to replicate previous shaving disappointments....
(And my sincere apologies to all those who got the irony the first time.)
B.
Say what you will about them, it is more and more obvious that there is a following of Gold Dollar razors despite negative comments. Same with Williams.
It reminds me of the age old Cob VS Briar "discussion" in the pipe world.
I don't think anybody really took that seriously. We all have our YMMV shaving items. It's all in fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
