Thread: Modified Gold Dollar

Another Titan shave today, and an early one. I actually am not up early... I am just still up late, and if I lay down now I won't get up until at least 9 or 10, and I know everyone is waiting for my final Titan review and shave-off. This time I match the Gold Dollar P81 against the most expensive of my three Titan test razors, the $43 ACRO steel model.

I mentioned already that this razor skates right over my coarse stones, and it doesn't give up steel easily. I was anticipating a real battle between the razor and the lapping film, but it really wasn't that bad. and there wasn't a lot of steel that had to come off, anyway. In maybe three minutes on the 15u film, I felt ready to move to the 9u, and I was getting some stiction after maybe two dozen laps. I keept going, reducing pressure as the coarse scratches faded away, and again it was only a few dozen laps in total before I was ready for the 3u film. That stage only took a few minutes. When the 1u had done its job, after maybe three minutes, I added some shave lather and went 200 short x stroke laps with decreasing pressure. I went the usual 50 laps on the .5u and .25u plus some pull strokes, then went triple that on the .1u with just pull strokes and short x strokes, holding the balsa vertical and going for the absolute lightest pressure. I really wanted to see what kind of edge this razor would support, and the treetopping at the end was very satisfying. I have razors that I can put a better edge on, but this was really good. The only thing that wasn't optimal is that the stabilizer is very intrusive and I really should have cut the heel back just a bit more than I did. On the plus side, I really didn't have a hard time cutting this steel with the lapping film, and the razor was well set up, with a nice gently smiling edge, right out the box so setting the bevel was simply a matter of setting the bevel. This razor wasn't ground by someone who neither knows nor cares about straight razors. I would love to have that guy and a wheelbarrow full of 1095 out in the shop. So overall this razor was actually quite nice to hone. I almost wish I had two of them, so I could do another one, on stones to the finish, for comparison. Final result was an edge that treetopped easily at 1/4" with only the faintest tink of a sound.

The shave was actually about the same as the Gold Dollar P81 shave, but I expect that with continued shaving with the razor and maintenance with the .1u diamond pasted balsa, it would improve. Also this is not a common razor steel, and I am sure if I were more experienced with it, I might have got a slightly better result.

In appearance, no contest. The Titan is quite a handsome razor, very well polished, beautifully etched, with bottom jimps that are maybe slightly less well executed than those of the ACRM-2 razor, but still very nice. The stabilizer could have been made a bit less bothersome, and why, oh WHY bother with inner washers? Sheer stupidity. Like the others, a flat spacer instead of a wedge. Two marks in the minus column there. Ebony(?) scales look pretty nice, and the polished brass escutcheon with the logo etched into it is an attractive embellishment. The razor doesn't center properly but it doesn't quite touch the scales when closing. Scales are only slightly overweight and would not significantly affect the balance except for the razor itself being lighter than most others in its class.

There are a lot of things I personally don't like about this razor, but a few things that I do like. I would really like to see this razor sold without any cost-added extras, and priced retail at around $36 or so. The buyer is paying for a "strop shaped object" that he will never use, and a ridiculous zippered case that will likewise not get used. Myself, I don't buy razors to admire. I buy them to shave with. From what I have seen in the shave this morning, I can't justify paying so much more for this razor than I pay for the control razor, a GD P81. I can certainly understand if someone disagrees with me, because it is a nice looking razor considering what it is, a low budget Asian razor designed more to be sold than to be used. But no, I won't be getting rid of this one. After all, it's already paid for.

I still can't in good conscience emphatically recommend this razor, but nobody who buys one will get any static from me for it, either. If it was a lot cheaper, then I would be a fan. If it had a wedge, and the scales were thin enough to do their job. If the shank were thinned like the VG10 razor. If it didn't have those ridiculous inside washers. If I didn't use the balsa, and I needed a razor made from very hard steel that would hold an edge a long time. Mostly, it's all about the price. The GD P81 shaves as good or better, for a fraction of the cost, and while it looks better, it still doesn't have the kind of beauty I might be willing to pay extra for. YMMV.

And now, I will offer my admittedly biased summation of the Titan razors I have tried. Also keep in mind that this company offers many more models besides these. I think these are a fair representation, though I could be wrong.

ACRM-2
Cautious buy, if it fits into a particular niche in your budget. Otherwise you aren't missing much.

VG10-HZ
Don't walk away... run away.

ACRO
Why do you want this razor? If you can answer that question, buy it. Otherwise there are cheaper razors that will shave as good, and there are somewhat higher priced ones that shave as good but look and feel nicer than this or any other Titan.

Overall, I would say that this brand doesn't merit serious consideration and for a cheap shave, if you want brand new, the Gold Dollar is still king.

I did mention that I am biased, right? LOL

I thought I would give the VG10HZ one more chance to perform. After considering a few possible methods for putting a chip-free bevel on the razor, I zeroed in on a very well worn piece of 30u film. Did a couple hundred back and forths on each side, then diminishing sets, a couple of zigzag runs and a whole bunch of pull strokes to put down a scratch pattern parallel to the edge. I figured if anything, that ought to prevent the chips I had been getting in the edge, and then I could proceed from there with normal laps. So after a few minutes I had the chips mostly gone, and I didn't seem to be making any new ones. In the loupe I saw what at first I thought were very fine hairs laying across the bevel but they were actually very tiny cracks, probably quench cracks, running perpendicular to the edge. They were invisible to the naked eye. I couldn't even see them with the loupe until I ran the scratches parallel to the edge, where the cracks would stand out. I found two, but I am sure there are more, even smaller ones.

So the VG10HZ razor is toast. It might actually be a decent model but I definitely got a bad one. I was hoping to get a couple of good shaves from it and then let it go on fleabay, but it's a gone pecan.

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

I thought I would give the VG10HZ one more chance to perform. After considering a few possible methods for putting a chip-free bevel on the razor, I zeroed in on a very well worn piece of 30u film. Did a couple hundred back and forths on each side, then diminishing sets, a couple of zigzag runs and a whole bunch of pull strokes to put down a scratch pattern parallel to the edge. I figured if anything, that ought to prevent the chips I had been getting in the edge, and then I could proceed from there with normal laps. So after a few minutes I had the chips mostly gone, and I didn't seem to be making any new ones. In the loupe I saw what at first I thought were very fine hairs laying across the bevel but they were actually very tiny cracks, probably quench cracks, running perpendicular to the edge. They were invisible to the naked eye. I couldn't even see them with the loupe until I ran the scratches parallel to the edge, where the cracks would stand out. I found two, but I am sure there are more, even smaller ones.

So the VG10HZ razor is toast. It might actually be a decent model but I definitely got a bad one. I was hoping to get a couple of good shaves from it and then let it go on fleabay, but it's a gone pecan.

And you expected something different? I believe I'll stick with the good ones made a long time ago with the good steel. I can also count on those. I hope you find what you are looking for!

Originally Posted by Johntoad57

And you expected something different? I believe I'll stick with the good ones made a long time ago with the good steel. I can also count on those. I hope you find what you are looking for!

Nah. I wasn't expecting a lot. I actually expected the Gold Dollars to come out ahead of the Titans. I was just answering a challenge from the resident Titan cheerleader on B&B cause I was kind of putting the Titans down but he pointed out that I had not actually ever tried any of them. So I decided to be fair about it and give them a go, picking one model from each of their three most popular alloys. And now the straight shaving community knows just a little bit more about them. I didn't like them before I tried them. I don't like them now that I have tried them.

When I ever encountered very hard steels I use a 6 micron (4k equivalent) dmt. Cuts faster due to it being diamond. And because it's not low grit I never had issues with chipping.

Try a micro bevel with an extra layer of Kapton tape on 1um film.

Years ago, Mark Richmond, CNTG made some razors from extra material from his knives. I think it was VG10, (there have been a few generations) it worked well on his Richmond Artiflex knives, but the razors micro chipped so badly that he stopped making them shortly after debuting them.

It was a good looking razor, well ground, nice and wide, about 1 inch and very hard. I bought a couple and was able to get a good edge, after taking it to .03um film from a 12k stone progression, jointing the edge and adding a micro-bevel on 1um with paper.

This was also a good solution to a chip free edge on the old Hart razor that were notorious for micro chipping.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Try a micro bevel with an extra layer of Kapton tape on 1um film.

Years ago, Mark Richmond, CNTG made some razors from extra material from his knives. I think it was VG10, (there have been a few generations) it worked well on his Richmond Artiflex knives, but the razors micro chipped so badly that he stopped making them shortly after debuting them.

It was a good looking razor, well ground, nice and wide, about 1 inch and very hard. I bought a couple and was able to get a good edge, after taking it to .03um film from a 12k stone progression, jointing the edge and adding a micro-bevel on 1um with paper.

This was also a good solution to a chip free edge on the old Hart razor that were notorious for micro chipping.

That sounds like a good suggestion, and if the bevel angle was more in the normal range I would have tried a compound bevel. But it is pretty thick. AND there are cracks, which I didn't detect the first time around. But I agree, a chippy razor sometimes performs pretty decently if you finish with a microbevel.

Anyway, I tossed it yesterday. Blade = no good. Scales = no good. And today was trash day. I put the ACRO on fleabay and I will probably shave a couple more times with the ACRM-2 before it, too, suffers the same fate.

I never tried a Hart. Too many things, including the price, I didn't like about it.

LOL the film over paper! Before I picked up the diamond on balsa habit, I used to do that a lot. I sent a Hibbart Spencer Clark Frary whatever hardware store razor finished that way to a hardcore natural stone zealot and he said no way was that a film edge LOL! It is a game changer, that's for sure.

What's the old addage?

You can put lipstick on a pig, but at the end of the day, it's still a pig! Good Luck to you!

I would like to introduce myself since it is my first post, although i have been reading this forum for years and acquired a lot of knowledge from you all.

My name is Miguel, i am from Spain and i have been shaving with a straight razor for 8 years.

I have been thinking of thinning out the spine of al gold dollar, and i came across this site in wich a member of the forum gives a great and detailed explanation of his process.

I leave the link here not knowing if im breaking a rule, if so, forgive me for that.
The Basics of Gold Dollar Modification

In the process, he uses a 3d printed block to grind the hollow further up the spine.
I can't find the blueprints anywhere, so if any of you have them or anything similar as well as some advices i would be so greatful
Thank you in advance