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Let's get this back on track. It's about me using a POS razor until my beautiful custom Brian Brown comes in, that's all there is to it. Talk about contrast
It's was a nightmare to even get ready for honing, the scales are so flimsy I have to tape it to strop it, and it literally rusts when I shave. Needless to say, I will not buy a GD 7-day set LOL.
Shaving soon... :)
About the only good thing I can say about GD's is that, after a LOT of work, some can take a shaving edge.
Not a great edge but it will remove hair from your face in between going rusty and slicing your fingers because the blade pokes out the scales...
Im decorating my flat at the moment and I use my GD for trimming wallpaper.
Blix, when you get your custom it's going to be as different as chalk and cheese!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stubear
Exactly! :) That's the point of this "experiment"
My Gold Dollar (which is the only one I can speak about) takes a great edge. I have 10 straights and the GD is mid range in the shave it gives, all my others are vintage. It did need modifying before honing so I would not recommend it unless you have the tools and skills to prepare and hone, but it seems to me that the steel is decent but their quality control is shocking.
Shocking "quality control" is an understatement lol.
I just had a great shave using it, but I don't put that on the GD, it's a result of using the excellent Jnat honing tips in the wiki here, it worked great!
Now it is annoying to use because of those floppy plasticy thingys posing as scales on it, I hope USPS gets that BB to me fast!
Elephants are grey, but not all grey things are elephants.
There are GDs which can be good shavers, and there are those which can have a ton of issues. There is a very wide spread. Some have too thick shoulders, some rust very easily, and some have a blade that protrudes from below the scales if it is fully closed. That's why we started that infamous GD thread a long time ago. that does not mean that all GDs are bad. And if you buy them from someone who corrects whatever issues it may have before reselling it, you probably will end up with a cost effective shaver.
The reason that we posted a warning about them was that the way they come from the factory, they're not good razors for beginners to buy, because a beginner typically does not recognize the issues it might have, or will not be experienced enough to correct them. This is also why a beginner should probably not spend big bucks on ebay. He or she won't know all the things to look out for.
meh..... i bought one last night off fleabay for 11$ shipped.... supposedly a stainless steel model.... $11 is not gonna kill me.. *(altho the wife will if she ever sees the extent my collection has grown to)...... and i have a willingness and ability to destroy it in the process of perfecting it.... *(think about that)
so i am gonna hone it and see for myself.... *(probably end up getting cancer from something in the metal or radiation poisoning from it...)
why does everyone get so tweaked about stuff like this??
its a piece of metal with plastic handles that may or maynot scrape hair off someones face.... some people act like your buying heroin to give to kindergartners..... relax
Quote:
Originally Posted by paco664
Perhaps you should take the time to read the whys http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ld-dollar.html
These discussions about these razors have caused way to many problems, which just isn't worth the trouble...
i read that last night.... pretty much the whole way through.....Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
just don't understand why some people react like you are killing kittens by hitting them in the head with puppies....
Then I can't help you...Quote:
Originally Posted by paco664
thanks for trying tho...Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Here's the thing I don't get about GD:
They have the factory and all the machinery and tooling required to mass produce razor blades.
If they were to tighten up their quality control a fair bit, and spend an extra dollar per razor on better plastic for the scales, and a better grade steel for the blades, they could turn out good entry-level razors. Even if it doubled or tripled the end cost of their products, they could take the entry level razor market by storm. Their cost would still be 50% of what a company like Dovo charges for their entry level 'Best Quality' line.
I've wondered about that too, Caydel.
If it was that cheap and easy, I'm sure they would do it. Quality control is largely related to grind, and grinding razors was a well respected trade back in the day (thus it must not be easy). Just changing the steel would require changing everything that is done to the steel, because different steels need different treatments. They might also need a different supplier for a different steel, too. I do think better scales would be easy, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caydel
Those are just the obstacles that come to my mind based on the little I know about making razors. And I know next to nothing. I bet any of the guys who actually make razors could point out lots more complications. The factory might have to completely retool.
I agree..Ken Rup gets em from the factory in China and he fixes em all up perfectly and DOES modify them..rounding off the sharp scale corners..etc to the razor..I heard he does a great job with them..his strop's are also good for the wallet..thought I would comment in all good respect to the GD razor :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Bruno
I agree 100%. But that's why I allowed for a tripling of their per-unit cost, which I think is quite generous.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
Still dont get whats so different about a Gold Dollar razor.
Let's keep this going! I don't know how people can get sick of Gold Dollar threads!
If I may, I will try to summarize what I've gathered from a multitude of Gold Dollar threads.
SRP management has taken an official stance that GD razors are not recommended for those new to the straight razor. They feel as though the bad eggs among the GDs are too high in number to be a reliable brand. This is not to say they are all, each one of them, junk. How am I doing so far?
Thus, the unsuspecting new person may acquire a GD razor and be disappointed with straight shaving in general because of a low quality razor. This is not to say that people haven't acquired them in great condition from the factory, I've seen plenty of those accounts to know it's happened.
They (GDs) can be acquired--with some work already done on them by a reputable dealer--in good, shave ready condition. (I've ready this many times, too)
The bottom line, as I see it with respect to GDs or anything else on earth, is buyer beware. You spends your money, you takes your chances.
my ebay shipper said it would be another day added to my shipping time... apparently the razor i bought went on a 6 state crack smoking and robbery binge...
those GD razors must be bad.....
This is the human equivalent of a GD:Quote:
Originally Posted by paco664
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk0wgiB2fw1qb5t5v.jpg
say what again!!!
As I posted last night, it doesn't have to be that way. BTW I don't understand it either....Quote:
Originally Posted by paco664
I'm going to go out on a limb here, if anyone cares to follow me. Here at SRP we recommend that newbs only buy SHAVE READY blades from REPUTABLE vendors. No one will dispute that. Now, say a reputable vendor sells Gold Dollars. Said vendor will no doubt sell that razor shave ready. Let's also assume that he cares about his clientele, so he has weeded out the bad from the good, leaving good newb razors at a cheap price.
Now, also imagine that a newb arrives at SRP. He asks all the usual questions about what razor to buy, how to keep it on the cheap, etc. He knows from lurking here that shave ready is the way to go, and someone recommends him the aforementioned reputable vendor. With all negative factors eliminated, the newb goes on to buy the Gold Dollar.
So, my question is what is wrong with that?
So as long as a newb is doing his homework, buying from a repuatable source and NOT e-bay/amazon etc and not having to deal with all the corrective honing, why is this so controversial?
BTW - We have all done our best to hijack Blix's thread, and for that I must apologize. I think we should all let him have his thread back....
totally agree... but i have the ability and materials to fix the GD and hone it........
i wholly agree it is not a newbie/starter razor and they would be MUCH MUCH better off buying a shave ready from the classifieds here or a vintage off ebay then send it to one of the excellent hone masters here on this site..... OR a reputable new one such as a DOVO..........
If everyone keeps agreeing, this GD thread will die quietly, and no one wants that! P.s. Blix, do you find that using tape on the spine of your GD is better than not using tape? How about breadknifing...let's talk about breadknifing GDs.
I'm saying I think it would cost WAY more than that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caydel
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan82
Here is my take on both of these. We agree that there are inconsistencies with GD's, right? Some of these, like sticking through the scales, odd shoulders, some grind issues, etc, can be easily spotted, and that particular razor can be discarded or fixed. Some other problems, such as Blix mentioning that his razor rusts between passes, indicate other problems - problems with the steel. Again, some of these can be spotted right away, like rusting during honing or not holding an edge at all. But many report that their GD's won't hold an edge well, or the edge crumbles while honing, or whatever else. Now, we can either assume these people are being less that truthful, or we can take them at face value. Personally, given the variations in the quality of everything else, I don't have trouble believing that some of these problems do exist.Quote:
Originally Posted by paco664
Here is a potential problem. What if the steel does crumble or the razor won't hold an edge, or something else goes bad with the steel, but not until the razor has been used a bit/honed a bit/touched up a bit, etc. In other words, if these problems don't occur during the initial honing. I have heard (though I have not seen it happen) that some Wapis, for example, start to crumble after a few honings; I would suspect that is because the steel wasn't consistent through and through or maybe the HT only got the very edge hard and not the whole blade. But I trust the people I have heard this from (weigh that how you will), and I believe such problems can emerge even if they are not detectable right away.
So, it is my belief that even if you buy an inconsistent razor from THE world's best vendor, you are still taking more of a chance than if you just pick up a razor that is more consistent. For me, the $45 pricetag for a GD from a good vendor is just too high to take that particular risk.
I hold the same beliefs if you have the time, skills, and inclination to fix one up yourself. You may deal with all the immediate problems only to find things go bad later. Here, it would be a risk of time, rather than money, so, again, weigh that how you will.
So have any of the guys with the "wicked edge", outstanding shave, GD's shaved with many other razors ? Just curious what is the benchmark.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo7
I always use tape, so I wouldn't know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onimaru55
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9484/family1.jpg
By blix72 at 2011-07-17
To mention a few: Friodur 8/8, Gotta 6/8, Geneva 6/8, a few Keen Kutters, a Heljestrand, a couple Sheffield wedges.
Not shown in the picture:6/8 AXA Solingen, 6/8 Imperial Razor Co., a 6/8 Japanese Iwate Hirade folding.
Now could you guys stop hijacking please, a GD may be the Voldemort of razors, but I may have been lucky and gotten a usable one. Now this thread is about me using it for a few days in a row to see if it actually holds up.
This might be the best request yet.. Blix let one of the mods know when you are ready to post to the thread, until then we'll leave it closed..Quote:
Originally Posted by Blix
I dare you!Quote:
Originally Posted by paco664
I double dare you!
a few weeks back someone made a thread about shaving with their gold dollar for a month and it started a poop storm.... well i had said towards the end of that thread that i bought a GD model 208 in stainless and that when it arrived i would give my honest opinion of it....
it arrived today.... i watched as the maillady *(oxymoron??!!) carried this sinister looking package towards my mailbox.... she had a look of pain... or constipation on her face as she handled the package as if she could sense with her 7th sense *(that all postal workers have) that inside there was something inherently dangerous and evil..... as her fingers lost contact with the package her countenance brightened as if a heavy load had been lifted from her.... her expression was that of someone finally using the bathroom after a week long taco bell binge... but i digress.....
i retrieved my shotgun from under the bed and made sure it had one in the barrell and as my wife removed the slightly bulky package i kept the muzzle trained on it.... because better to have a one handed wife than the consequences......
i gingerly opened the package to find a plastic case holding a most evile looking razor shaped object.... reminded me of silence of the lambs when hannibal was wearing the mask..... i dared not open it yet... but did admire the deceptively attractive scales.....
i soaked my waterstones and pondered my approach to honing it.... should i wear kevlar gloves?? or just make sure i had my cup on.....
finally i opened it.... quite anti climatic if i say so myself..... it was a quite large blade ~3/4" or so.....it was if i was at the animal shelter and the killer pit bull was letting me pet it....
i gently applied 2 layers of electrical tape to the spine..... still it waited....
i carefully spoke to it calming it as i set the bevel on the 1k.......
then i gently honed away on the 6k....... it gleamed at me almost telling "i want your blood"....
then i went to another stone i have that is ~8k..... i look at it with the 100x scope.... smooth edge.... hmmm...
the c12k and it played for a while... speaking in their mandarin dialect that i didn't understand..... mean while i know they are plotting together to kill me and my family while we sleep.......
then.... the pasted strop....... it is at this time i was convinced it was tame enough to handle bare handed.....
finally the latigo.......
i make the lather.... it waits....
finally i press the cold hungry stainless to my face.... i hear it mumble something about "wonton soup and moo goo gai pan"....
my hands shaking like a dog sh!tting a peach seed i continue....... and it happened.... it bit me ... on the throat....
just a minor nick... but i feel the poison seeping into my blood stream as i type this.... and i have a odd craving for brains..... but oddly enough i received a DFS *(i have never achieved BBS because of weird hair growth patterns on my neck..... but that doesn't matter now as i know todays shave will probably be the last due to this relic of unspeakable evil)
here are some photos...
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...4/SDC13862.jpg
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...4/SDC13864.jpg
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...4/SDC13871.jpg
*(this has been a cheap attempt at humor... i found the razor to be well made and honed fairly easy.... after my shave without additional stropping it passed the HHT for the length of the blade with my wifes hair which is very fine...... i have nothing bad i can say about this razor....)
There was a Gold Dollar thread a few years back that went to all out war. Hilarious stuff. Be warned. You have now opened the door to endless argument. buckle up.
http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...n664/flame.gifhttp://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...664/boxing.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyCakeDC
It was me making that thread a couple weeks back. I was only planning to use it for a week+ until my Brian Brown came in, and I did :) It held up fine, although not a huge pleasure to use because of really flimsy scales. I also got a model 200, which is the same as yours with different scales, and it seems to be of better quality steel than the model 66. No rusting and staining as the first blade. It required some shoulder work before honing as the first, but it ended up quite nice actually. :) Now GD threads tends to be closed, so enjoy it while you can.
The steel is good enough, but the quality control is a lottery. If you get a good one its great value, mine needed some work before I could hone it properly but now its a great little shaver.
I have a question regarding the different models of the Gold Dollar straight razors. I have noticed that some models advertised on ebay as stainless steel and some as carbon steel. I have even seen the model 66 advertised there as stainless and another advertising the exact same model (66) as carbon steel? Can anyone give me any info on whether it is stainless or carbon steel? And if you know which models are carbon steel that would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. And yes I know there are better brands out there. And would like info from people that own one please. :) -Mack
i have a 208 and 3- 66's......
the 208 is stainless...
the 66's are carbon.....
all 4 of them are excellent shavers once you get them properly honed.... *(i had no problem honing any of them... and they all took a excellent edge)...
i will have 4 more 66's on the way shortly to complete a 7 day set....
Charles I got another GD for you to take a crack at if you're ready for the challenge again. I've tried twice to get the bevel and it's totally kicked my ass thus far. I'm gonna take one more crack at getting it tonight I never thought to fix the shoulder so I'll take care of that first. If I can't get to tonight I would have no problem letting you take a wack at it if you wanted a challenge.
cheers
-Omid
It only takes me a couple of hours to make and fit acrylic scales - and the material can be had for nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by tinkersd
I find it easy to work with and looks good when finished.
Give it a go - what have you got to loose?
Ok. I'm in awe of some pictures on another site. I hope that this doesn't get pulled, but I'm posting so that some people may enjoy a true genius at work on what most of us wouldn't even think of trying:
Those "look" cool!