Thread: Modified Gold Dollar

Where did you buy it?

I have never been a fan of the Titan brand. I never saw the point of paying 4x as much for basically just another cheap Asian razor when the GD brand has several models that can be honed and used without a lot of drama. And so I have often made uncomplimentary remarks about them. The scales are bulky and heavy, weighed down with immense metal spacers, liners, and bolsters. The bevel angle is very obtuse, Style is obviously prioritized over functionality. And the greatest sin that a cheap razor can make, apart from not doing its job, is it isn't really all that cheap. I got called out on B&B by the resident Titan head cheerleader because I had never actually honed or shaved with a Titan. So, I decided to put my money where my mouth was. I believe I already posted the links below on the "What do you have coming in the mail?" thread, but here, again, I bought one each of the following three Titan razors, each made from a different steel alloy.

US $19.75 21% OFF|Titan wood handle striaght razor blade sharp already free shipping|Razor| - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32900122962.html ACRM-2 steel, 59-61 hRC.
US $29.45 28% OFF|free shipping titan brand wood handle straight shaving razor blade shaving ready|razor blade shaving|shave readystraight shaving razor - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/892056650.html VG-10HZ steel, 59-61 hRC.
US $43.13 28% OFF|Titan free shipping barber shaving wood striaght razor|straight razor|old straight razortitan razor - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1261419640.html ACRO steel, 61-65 HRC.

The first razor, the cheaper one, I tried first, in a head to head grudge match against a GD 208. My goal was to try one razor each, of the three main steel alloys Titan professes to use. I tried to pick razors with the lightest and nimblest scales, which also happen to be the cheapest models of each steel alloy. And so the ACRM-2 razor has fairly plain wood scales and a general lack of "kewl" aesthetics. I assumed that this would give the steel its best chance to shine.

First though, I wanted to take some reasonably accurate and relevant measurements by which to calculate the bevel angle of each razor. To do that, of course a bevel must be set. I don't believe in monkeying around all day with a low budget razor and so I did the preliminary laps on my 120 grit Shapton, after lapping it good and flat. I also pre-emptively rounded the heel in similar fashion to the method illustrated in this thread: https://sharprazorpalace.com/honing/...orrection.html

The first two razors are almost surprisingly hard. The third one was quite hard indeed, I was really surprised at how hard the third razor was. The hardness claims in the product listings are not exaggerated. In retrospect I probably should have beat them into shape with one of my diamond plates, but the coarse Shapton eventually got them mostly beveled, where I could take meaningful measurements. In order of cost, the bevel angles were:

ACRM-2 17.3 degrees
VG10 18.3 degrees
ACRO 16.9 degrees

That is quite a spread! The grinding was fairly symmetrical on all three razors, but the blade profile was pretty whack. The first two had a significant taper and the edges were neither straight, nor in a proper smile. A lot of steel had to disappear from those two before I was happy. The third one was pretty straight, with just a bit of a smile, and didn't need much time on the coarse stone. I didn't fully set the bevel end to end, just did the heavy lifting so I wouldn't be all day on the Big Green Brick, dishing it mercilessly with the ACRO razor particularly. But back to the bevel angles, the control subject for the first slugfest is a GD208, and the bevel angle on that razor runs just under 18 degrees. Because the two cheaper models were ground so carelessly in the final post-HT grinding, I imagine there is a lot of variability in the bevel angle even within one model. I did not use tape, since it was obvious that all three of these razors could well afford to lose a bit of spine thickness.

So last night I finally got around to honing to the finish on the first razor. I went through my 320, 600, and 1k, and the bevel looked pretty darn good end to end when I was done there. All of my stones were freshly lapped but I still went back to 15u lapping film off the bevel setter, to be followed by 9u, 3u, and 1u film, a very straightforward, standard progression. My plate was known to be flat, having been used on quite a few razors, and the film pieces had already been used but not worn out at all. I kept seeing areas on the bevel where I was not getting good contact, and kept having back up to the next coarser grit or even skipping one to go to the next coarser. I felt like I was using a certain famous "pyramid" honing scheme! There seems to be a lot of plastic deformation in the edge of that razor. I tried a different plate. I tried new film pieces. It was a struggle, and yes I have honed a few very hard razors before, without all this drama. Finally I ended up with a good treetopping edge at 1u, and from there I hit the .5u, .25u, and .1u diamond pasted balsa. At the end of that, I had a very sharp edge indeed. Due mostly to the more acute bevel angle, in the sharpness test the Titan slightly outperformed the GD208 that was honed in the same manner.

This morning I stropped both razors and did the usual one razor to one half of my face test. Soap was Arko, brush was a 30mm Whipped Dog silvertip, stropping was 40 laps on one of my compressed cowhide strops, and another 40 on the Kanayama. The end result was pretty close, but I probably required one or two fewer strokes on the Titan side, due to the slightly superior sharpness. There did not seem to be any difference in closeness, and I want to say that the GD shave was smoother but I will put it down to the lighter scales and better balance of the GD, and just being more familiar with it.

So the real question of course is whether the Titan is junk, and if not, which of these two razors is the better value. Most of the Titan models have really awkward and heavy scales that look like they would be more at home on a pocketknife. This model had more reasonable scales, though they still very slightly overbalance the razor. They are separated by a flat spacer rather than a proper wedge. They do grip and hold the razor at the 270 degree position, though, and at the closed position, as they should. Nice enough scales to look at except for a puzzling sandblasted or lasered design right in the middle of them. The jimps on the razor were quite well executed. Side to side grind symmetry was good. The razor centered well between the scales. Steel was fairly hard, though that doesn't mean much. The razor didn't really feel at home in my hands, but didn't feel particularly awkward, either. Overall fit and finish was a bit better than I would expect from a $20 Asian razor. All three Titans came with a fancied-up zippered leather case trimmed with stainless steel, and a useless looking Chinese Strop Shaped Object. So $5 to $10 of the cost of the razor is in the useless add-ons. I hate that just on principle. There was even some "strop wax" LOL! I suppose I should try to strop on the strop, but I just can't bear to think about it, since I have several proper strops, and leather enough, including some shell, to make quite a few more.

Now the last time I ordered GD 208's from the factory, they were $3.50 each, and shipping was roughly a buck apiece. Call it a $5 razor. You can usually find them sold retail, unhoned, on various sites for about $10 or so. Compared to the $20 Titan, there is really not a lot of extra bang for the buck in the Titan. Of the two, then, I would say if you want a cheap razor but not like GD cheap, maybe the Titan is the one for you. If you want to get in the game with the tightest budget possible, then definitely the GD is the way to go. But the Titan definitely is not junk. I won't be ordering any to sell, though. There really isn't much room in the price for a decent markup to still sell it at an attractive price.

Stay tuned. I will review the other two Titans soon.

Nice detailed review. One thing I am curious of is the honing costs, so to speak. You described all you had to do for the titan to get it sharp out of the box. Is that significantly more or less than your average gold dollar? Will an extra $10 translate to much easier honing?

Thanks

Originally Posted by planeden

Nice detailed review. One thing I am curious of is the honing costs, so to speak. You described all you had to do for the titan to get it sharp out of the box. Is that significantly more or less than your average gold dollar? Will an extra $10 translate to much easier honing?

Thanks

Most of the regular established GD models will be easier to hone, generally, than that Titan. However as far as the brand goes, overall, the jury is still out. I still have two more Titans to hone, they only have a preliminary coarse bevel.

I never found titans to be harder or.easier to hone than gold dollars. The fit and finish is better. But you can always polish a gold.dollar up yourself. I'm surprised they haven't made any scales in micarta or g 10 thin. But whatever it is, it is.

Another Titan shave day! Today I put the VG10HZ through its paces and I am sorry to say that it disappointed me even more than I was anticipating. This razor was very chippy. Oddly enough, the coarse stones that I set the bevel with didn't chip it out much, but when I took it to the lapping film, I knocked several chips in the edge on the 15u and on the 9u. This almost never happens, especially on the 9u. Even the 3u left a bit of roughness the first time I hit it. The Naniwas were a bit gentler on the razor but I definitely got some dishing down the centerline of the stone, as this steel is fairly hard. I finally did end up with a decent edge after a rather drawn out session on the balsa progression, but it was nothing special. The bevel angle is definitely on the wide side now. The spine is really hard, and I ended up removing a lot of steel at the edge. The razor treetops, but not very well. At 1/4" above the skin, about every other pass gets a hair or two.

Cosmetically, this razor is a mixed bag. Pocketknife style scales, with a steel liner, a big steel flat spacer, and a brass bolster at the pivot end. Consequently the scales are rather heavy on this razor, and the balance hit is significant in the handling of the razor. Finish is quite good. On the show side, there is a very attractive brass escutcheon inlaid into the scale, with the company logo very nicely etched into it. Polish on the blade is good, etching on the blade is crisp and detailed. Inner washers, which I hate. Blade doesn't center well.

In the shave battle, the control subject was a GD66 and it definitely outshaved the Titan, owing mostly to the fat bevel angle, I believe. The Titan shaved a lot like a ZY430+. Plenty of mass but not a lot of raw cutting power. It shaved, and the shave would satisfy many shavers, but in a direct comparison the humble GD66 showed the more expensive Taiwanese razor who is boss. I only got the one, so it is possible that I just got a lemon, but from where I am at, I say give this $30 razor a miss, and get yourself a Gold Dollar if you want to go cheap, or a decent vintage if not quite so cheap. Not impressed with this razor. YMMV. I put its relative failure down to a very obtuse bevel angle, necessitated by a steel that chips easily at the edge.

So, that's two down. The cheapest performed nicely enough, the middle one sort of sucked. Next and finally will be the most expensive of the three at $43, the ACRO model. I actually think it will perform quite well once I get it honed, but we will see.

Originally Posted by Bill31521

I never found titans to be harder or.easier to hone than gold dollars. The fit and finish is better. But you can always polish a gold.dollar up yourself. I'm surprised they haven't made any scales in micarta or g 10 thin. But whatever it is, it is.

I agree with you on the scales. G10 would be perfect for a cheap knockabout razor. They could just cut them flat, like the acrylic scales on the GD P81. Micarta for the more upscale models, sure. Either material would be very tough and fairly cheap. I would be happy if they would just use a proper wedge, and scales flexible enough to bend properly inward at the pivot.

I never believed for one moment those Titan razors were made from high quality Japanese VG10 steel, I have owned many Japanese knives with VG10 steel it's great steel why on earth would a Chinese junk razor manufacturer ever contemplate using it, simply doesn't add up If you believe that you must be so naive.

Maybe the VG-10 tempering/quenching in these razors? I don’t know what the recommended hardness range is for VG-10 but it’s considered somewhat soft for upper end kitchen knives among the kniferati, but that’s a plus on a kitchen knife, it’s tough and isn’t as chippy as some harder ‘high end’ steels.

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

I never believed for one moment those Titan razors were made from high quality Japanese VG10 steel, I have owned many Japanese knives with VG10 steel it's great steel why on earth would a Chinese junk razor manufacturer ever contemplate using it, simply doesn't add up If you believe that you must be so naive.

I usually don't quibble over semantical minutae, but Titan is not a Chinese company. The razors are made in Taiwan. The VG10 is indeed a good knife steel. That doesn't make it a good razor steel. A knife typically has a bevel angle much more robust than a razor. I am thinking that it just isn't a good alloy for a typical razor's bevel angle, which is probably why this one has a significantly heavier bevel angle than the other two. And the razor actually is made from VG10-HZ, to be technical about it, though TBH I don't have a clue what the difference is.

Anyway I think we can agree that this particular Titan razor is indeed junk. Gold Dollar's cheapest razor beats it in the shave test, and I really can't defend that level of performance. I was going to do a passaround with it after finishing this evaluation, but after honing and shaving with it, I don't think it is worth the postage.