Gold Dollars are like licking a 9v battery, you know you shouldn't but sometimes you've just got to try these things. :rofl2:
"Licking a 9v battery..."
Funny stuff.
....and yes, I've done it.
You should see the briskets, and steaks.!
The farmer is a 4th generation, beef farmer, and knows how to get the most, from his cows. I worked for him for 13 years, and I was the one that fed the cows twice a day.
High protein alfalfa.
Cracked corn with mineral supplements. ( ground by me )
And corn silage.
Cows were kept from grazing on grass, for the most part, and kept from large pastures. That's what makes them tough, and lean
Most farmers put them out to pasture for most of the year, then grain them out before market. So u only end up with fat in the outer part of the meat. ( typical store meat, of low quality, high prices). Yeah, its beef.! But what kind of beef, could be an old milk cow your buying at the local grocery store.
I tell everyone, that my wife married me for my meat. :rofl2:
This is how I relate to razors, and gold dollars. The store bought is good, but its not a black Angus, or white faced Hereford, nor a Charolais.
It’s always about the quality of the beef, in competitions we always ordered from the best source and still inspected every piece. All the great places go ahead and spend the money. I can imagine the steaks and brisket from your source yowzza
Mark-I'm just not a guy who is going to let others form my opinions on things (even my straight razor brethren). Thus, I had to try a convex Arkie for myself, and the same with Gold Dollars. I even tried Lilac Vegetal (yeah, it smelled like cat piss).
This guy has a stellar reputation across the various shaving fora. He is always experimenting and documenting the results of those experiments in clear language to share with others, which is something we could use more of around here IMO, so I have high confidence that it will be a great shaver at a great price. YMMV as usual.
Aaron
I've had two GDs just to see what the fuss is. One was absolutely fine, one was absolutely awful. If you think of them as cheap, utilitarian shaving object then they can be made for that intended purpose. The beef most people have is that you can get a very respectable Solingen razor for the same price. Even fleabay has the odd gem now and again.
A somewhat experienced shaver doesn't need to pay so much, if he is honing his own razors. My price includes honing, domestic shipping, and a free re-honing and so it is a lot higher than from a Chinese reseller. (The factory won't sell single razors and they are a PITA to deal with, anyway.) My source on fleabay sells them shipped free for $4.17 each and with a quantity discount. That's who an experienced straight shaver should buy from, not me. Then again, a somewhat experienced shaver also knows how to shop for a good vintage razor and probably has plenty of nice razors, anyway. I could see an old hand going in for a model 208, maybe, or an 800 or the 1996 (actually model P81 but the factory etches the tang of this razor with the year the company was established, and not the model number, so everyone thinks 1996 is the model number) just for variety, but a 66 is really more suited to the first time buyer who really wants to get in the game cheap or not at all. In other words, the guys who would otherwise buy a ZeePK or Master USA or some other totally disappointing piece of steel. Also some guys you just can't convince that it is perfectly okay to shave with a "used" razor. We are not troubled by any irrational "ick factor" but a lot of wannabes are.
Well, almost my entire collection consists of great vintage blades, most of which I scaled and honed myself. Some I got in lots for less that $10 apiece. So while I am certainly not your target newbie demographic, I really just want to try one and support a guy doing good work in the community. I have zero interest in acquiring and working on any of the problematic ones with poor grinds and maybe questionable steel-I just want to try a "good one."
I figure if I like it, I can keep it and add it to the collection. If not, I can PIF it to a newbie-I am always trying to recruit young guys into the cult.
Id have sent you mine Aaron to try out all you wanted. It works. After a lot of work. Its a 66 and its hidden in my razor cabinet. It was given to me as i wanted to try grinding one up for fun. Its not as good of a shaver as many of my collection but it will shave. Ive not used it enough to know how many shaves it will give before it looses its edge but i dont think it will hold up for even 10 IMO. Worth the money spent (excluding the scales material) but not the time invested to make it shave!
Attachment 318353
I remember that one, Jerry. Hey.!..we all got are hands on some RSO's that would shave after some work. I still have mine,
Attachment 318356
and it came in handy for learning on, in my beginning years of shaving with straights.
Over all, it spent more time on the hones, than it did on my face. But those first few shaves were great, then it was back to the hone, and leather belt....I mean strop, that was a leather belt.
If I only knew then, what I know now..
Well, thanks for your support and confidence! And it might not find a permanent place among your nice vintages if for no other reason it simply isn't an attractive razor, but it is indeed very PIF-able. Over the years I have probably PIF-ed 40 or 50, both stock and modified. It's a good feeling to get someone started, especially with something I modified or improved or even just honed, just for the fun of it.
Hey, that's not a bad looking mod.
Here's one of mine. I call it the Filarmonicadollar.
Attachment 318360
And here's a pair I did for the annual competition on B&B a few years ago.
Attachment 318361
They have landed, let you know my thoughts in a week or two, after some real use
Cool. I wish I had one of the older GD66 to send you, the ones with the stamped tang. For comparison. Those are the real beasts. I got some of them from when I used to mod them a lot, but they don't have scales.
I'm not too sure why we are putting this guy on blast for selling a shave ready razor for a decent price. Sure they may not be a vintage quality blade or a newer german/french razor but they are cheap. Allowing those with any budget to get into straight razor shaving. I can attest when worked by someone with the proper skills and tools they can be made to shave as fine as a DOVO or TI.
Speaking for myself I haven’t even come close to BLASTING, I don’t care if t gets a consumer a cheap way to get started. In my opinion it just doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a cheaply make razor with issues that need fixed when you can get one without the issues. And no matter what anyone says, ( active participants, or every now and then blow thru ) him and me are giving each other the opportunity to evaluate the razors. So it’s an A and B discussion, C,s stay out
To be fair, I think he has a point, guys. Now that things have sort of settled down, let's not throw fat on the fire. I appreciate the support but it's not really needed now. TC has both a honed GD66 and a raw one right out of the box to play with. I want to see the honest opinion of what a hardcore detractor thinks of the recent production after having his hands and hones on one. I am gratified by the support but I think things are cool right now. Some guys have come across mocking these cheap as dirt razors. Some have come across as supporting them, the idea of a cheap but usable razor, and me. This thread is all about selling them, anyway, and definitely not the venue for a war about them.
How about for a little while at least, we don't discuss the pros, or the cons, of me, my website, or the razors, until TC is ready to weigh in with his hopefully amended opinion. Let the product stand on its own merits. Buy. Or no buy. Feel free to ask civilized questions that are not flames in disguise. Again thanks very much to all the supportive and open minded guys who responded, but hold your fire, so to speak, please. Thanks. My only other option is to ask the mods to clear the noise off the thread, and I really do not care much for outside censorship even when it is to my benefit, so let's not take it to that extreme. Same goes for haters. Peace out, okay? If I could afford it, I would send razors to everyone who hates them, but obviously I can't. So wait, please, until you hear what one of "your own" has to say after having a go with shaving and honing. Thank you, all.
I don't have an opinion either way on the Gold Dollars, but tcrideshd have you taken ownership of this site ? I was under the impression that this thread was in the forum, therefore public and open for members to comment.
If you don't wish people to join the discussion just use PM's.
By their very nature, "unbiased" and "opinion" are almost polar opposites. But nevertheless, let's do keep both GD bashing and hater bashing out of it. Don't fan the flames, please. This is a vendor thread and I am the OP. I thank everyone for their support and now I thank everyone for their diplomacy and forebearance, which I am sure is forthcoming.
Yea I have. Send your check your behind on rent
Some time back ago, this used to be a gentleman's forum. I don't know how or why it changed but I would like to remind everyone of that. Th bully words serve no purpose to further conversation here. I know the GD's have always put people at the edge of their seats but come on.
If I'm wrong let me know, I too can move on.
Just arrived, new factory shipment of Gold Dollar P81 razors. I no longer have to worry about running out, so I am dropping the price to $30. Negotiating for a shipment of Gold Dollar 208 razors, also, but don't expect them any time soon. I received a sample GD800 and after XRF testing to once and for all clear up the controversy about whether or not they are stainless, I might place a factory order for them, as well. Or maybe not. They seem awfully proud of that razor and TBH it isn't all that special, unless the steel is different. I will have to charge a lot more than I do for other GD razors, and I am not sure how well that would go over. XRF testing may be delayed due to lockdown and guys working from home or not at all. I am very curious about the steel in those supposedly SS razors. Pics tomorrow. I got a chicken to debone and ice cream to make. And GD P81's to hone.
P81 is what some are calling 1996, right?
More strops coming next week! Leather is nearly ready for final cutting and assembly.
I may make up some DIY strop kits. Hardware and a 3" wide strip of leather, you treat the leather how you want, cut the bolster pieces and notch them for the D rings, drill or punch holes, and assemble. Or maybe I cut the leather a bit oversize, builder trims to final width after treatment. I figure I can sell a kit with a piece of veg tanned steer or cow hide and a decent grade of hardware, shipped, for $30, maybe less, and see a profit. That will save some enterprising newbie a few bucks and give him a nice DIY shave related project and a finished strop to be proud of. Opinions?
Yeah. That's because the geniuses at the company decided to laser etch "1996" on the tang instead of the model number, which is P81. If you go to my crescentcityrazors.com site you will see a typical example but if you go to Gold Dollar's Alibaba page you will see that it is actually designated as the model P81.
Ok it’s time, I almost declined. Mom always said if you got nothing nice to say, just don’t say it.
Ok CCR sent me 2 razors as you all know they were Gold Dollars. First it’s the good, the scales are not as clunky and obnoxious as before yet a rivet? The edge was alright, but it was not smooth till some leather. Had worse, had better, but it was shavable.
Now I won’t tell you the grind was acceptable, it was not, one blade hade a twist in it, and not a very presentable finish towards the edge. Now and this will be my honest opinion, if your wanting to convince me it’s worth 25$, then you should not have sent it with a frown that at the heel we no turns into heel hook.
In conclusion,( and I don’t want to turn this thread into a debate) I’m sure this got a few new guys started, yet I never see them as the razors they stay with, and at $25$, I got one of the best shavers in my den for 15$, several in the 20-30$ range and with out the Chinese lack of skill.
Thanks for sending and rest assured I’m being honest from my point of view. It’s a razor that after you work on it some it will shave, I was just surprised you sent me one with an obvious mistake on the edge.
Please know I am forwarding these razors to others so if it’s just my bias, they will let me know. These other guys know you can’t hurt my feelings as long as it’s honest. Oh and I did this reply before I started drinking!
Thank you Tc, that's the way to give your opinion. Direct and facts as you see them. I respect that.Now that being said, no one will be surprised.
Thanks for your evaluation, TC. The unhoned one was luck of the draw. I did not think it would be fair to carefully select one of the best ones. The one that I honed likewise was just one of many, but of course most factory flaws no longer show up after setting the bevel, and any that can't be made shave ready will get trashed. I haven't ran across any of them for a while now, but still, if one doesn't make a shaver, it will get canned. And the grinding errors... this is one reason I am not selling these razors in the raw. Plenty of other guys are doing that, anyway. Still the bad ones aren't as bad as they used to be. Likewise, I don't recommend these razors in the raw to most newbie honers, either. Not every beginner is able to figure them out, first time at bat. As long as I only sell them honed, I think my buyers are getting their money's worth, particularly if they can't hone yet. Still waiting on someone to take me up on my no questions asked return policy.
Again, thanks for your evaluation. Considering your outspokenness against Gold Dollars in general, prior to this point, I am actually somewhat encouraged. Your opinions are noted and appreciated.
Outstanding Review TC! It's what I thought it would be.
How many on average do you trash?
QC on these is worse than 1850 England, and GD have been around long enough to sort it out.
I just don't get why they don't just step up the game a bit and charge more.
There are so many Chinese products like this that are hit and miss.
You can get a mid 50's quality cut throat for not much more, and sometimes less.
Can't recommend them to any one starting because of the honing gymnastics involved, it causes frustration for a beginner and it is probably the cause of many beginners giving up on what we know is the best way to shave after the initial learning curve.
Was surprised that you sent TC 1 OK razor and 1 crap razor that should have been trashed by the sounds of it..
It's like those Damascus razors you see on ebay, someone needs to go to the forge and teach them how to do it right.
People will buy cheap to save a buck, but do the math and it does not add up if you have to replace it within 2 years, or it doesn't work at all.
Another concerning issue is that you can buy said items delivered to your door for less than it costs to post it 100 miles from me, how is that possible? Working conditions and hourly rates must be fun to say the least..
No argument here. Though actually I suspect that the old Sheffield producers made a lot more lemons that were discarded over the last 170 years, mostly within the first year. I am sure that they dropped the ball a lot, on HT and Tempering, and you just don't see those razors today because before they could get to be antiques, they were discarded as junk. But yes, even though GD quality control has improved a lot, it still has a long way to go. No argument here.
They try to go upmarket, with their 800 and 900. They just can't quite crack that nut. The fact is, they do not know how to make razors.
Yes, I can. You can. A newbie maybe can but it is hit or miss. And some guys you just can't convince that a "used, ewwwwww" razor is a worthwhile purchase. And then too there is the problem with honing. Now, I could scour fleabay for cheap vintages and pick a bunch of them up for $30 or so, some for $20, some few for even $10, but it would be an ongoing hunt, and even I can get fooled by deceptive pics on occasion. So then I hone them, tack on $5 or so for shipping, $15 or $20 for honing, and a few dollars plain old profit, pay for the lemons I bought, too, and you are looking at a $60 razor. Plus there are plenty of other guys doing that, already. And I would have to take pics and put up a listing individually for each and every razor. Meh. With my Gold Dollars, the buyer is getting a shave ready razor, with a free re-honing any time within a year of purchase, and return privileges for 30 days, for $25 for the 66, and $30 for the P81. He can buy from me, or he can buy elsewhere, and something else. Many buy from me. Those who don't, might get a good vintage, shave ready, shipped free, with a guarantee and a free rehone, for less than $25 but not likely. For twice that much, maybe. 3x that much, no problem. Some wannabe straight shavers know that they want a high grade razor, strop, brush, etc and don't mind spending the money. Some guys will only take the plunge if they can pick up the whole kit for what they figure is a reasonable price. After all, there are plenty of DE razors out there for $10 or so, and cheap blades, no strop required, no honing required... You can righteously and authoritively state that the newbie just needs to spend the money for high grade equipment, or else "simply" buy a good $20 vintage and hopefully get a good one and hopefully find someone to hone it, and start in with two big wild cards in the hand already. You aren't wrong! But my sales are proof that you aren't always right, either.
Again, you are not wrong. In fact, I myself do not recommend these razors in the raw to a newbie. In fact, I do not recommend ANY razor that is not shave ready to a newbie. There are no honing gymnastics involved, once the bevel has been set and a proper edge worked up on the razor. All that is needed is a simple touchup. Or else, maintenance post-shave with a properly set up and properly used balsa strop.
The "crap" razor was not yet honed. Nor did I go through the pile and select the best one. I Just grabbed one out of the pile. I thought he might want to see a raw one, so I included it along with the honed one. The "OK" razor was honed. It may have even been worse than the other, before I honed it. I haven't ran across any that I couldn't hone, for quite some time now.
Not so. Those "Damascus" RSO's (many are simply acid etched with a pattern that only simulates pattern welded steel) are not sold domestically to buyers who will actually shave with them. Especially in Pakistan. Not many shaven faces there, and you won't see a Pakistani barber with a ZeePK in his hand, either. Gold Dollars and Gold Monkeys are actually sold and used locally in China. Big difference. Those razors you are talking about are meant to sell to the gullible. These Gold Dollar razors are meant to be used. Yes, they could really use a competent razorsmith at the Gold Dollar factory to iron out some disturbing details, but as you know, Chinese manufacturing philosophy is all about "good enough" and keep the volume up. Don't slow down the line! But good enough apparently is good enough. I shaved with one of my P81s this morning. It was good enough. My face doesn't feel any different than after shaving with Solingen steel.
Why would you have to replace it in two years? I don't get it. I really don't. Could you explain why it would have to be replaced in two years? And why would it not work at all? Mystery. Hystery. I am sensing some hate there. Enough hate to grasp at the most insubstantial straws and spew out the most illogical arguments. There is no reason why it would need replacing in two years or for it not to work at all. It is a razor. That's all. It is honed and ready for use. You seem desperate to discredit my product but I am still waiting to hear anything substantial...
So how do I improve working conditions? Oh yeah... stop buying the product. Sure, THAT will raise those wages!
Thanks for your comments. I will point out that they are off topic here, though I did rise to the bait rather than have your post deleted. The thing is, there are a few haters here, and a lot of guys just parroting them, and a lot of the most insensible arguments imaginable, and no clearly stated objective. What is your objective? To discourage me from selling? I don't get it. Buyers buy, anyway, no matter what, because not everyone out there makes $160k/year or even $60k or even $30k or I could go on but that would be depressing. Some guys just can't budget any more for something to shave with, when those blue plastic things are so cheap and the rent is overdue and one kid needs braces and they all need shoes. FACT. I have a market. FACT. I serve that market well. I am not trying to take business away from "artisans" or sellers of $100 to $350 razors. Mine is very much a bottom-feeding operation. Don't like it? Or you are just swayed because one of your heroes doesn't like it? Or just attempting to take the high moral road and sound righteous? Too bad. If you want me to stop selling these razors, I need to see a darn good reason to do so. If you want others to stop buying them, that is gonna be even harder, because the market is there. Meet it, or beat it, either better product and service for the same price, or same product and service for a lower price. But you aren't making a dent. My position is unassailable. Shave ready razor, starting at $25, no questions return policy, and one free rehoning. I might even drop it down another five bucks. Would that make you happy, or sad? Actually, no, I won't, because my supply lines aren't keeping up right now due to virus related shipping issues. But when I can order 100 and get them in 20 days or less like the old days, I might just see how many I can hone in a day and fix a sales/price target to match. But I am guessing that would just tick certain people off even more. How much is this razor and this level of customer service worth, do you think? Please, even if you ignore the rest of this post, answer that question, and answer it honestly and knowledgeably, without just repeating stuff you have heard.
In 8 years I have commented once before on the GD debate, shouldn't have bothered.
Was recommended to try a gold monkey because they were supposedly better,
that thing would not take an edge. Maybe I should have purchased 3 in the hope of getting 1 good razor,
maybe it was a fake clone, nothing would surprise me out of China.
Next was a gold dollar that was sent to me shave ready, and yep it shaved a treat.
That guy sure did know how to hone.
Then I purchased one straight from the bay. Got it shaving OK but there were issues with geometry.
Honed with no tape was the answer.
I don't oil my razors in storage because they are kept in a dry environment.
Both GD razors developed surface rust within 6 months.
"Those "Damascus" RSO's (many are simply acid etched with a pattern that only simulates pattern welded steel) are not sold domestically to buyers who will actually shave with them."
I have seen so many people buy them, ask a couple of questions here and then disappear.
They are marketed as a razor on popular auction sites.
"Why would you have to replace it in two years? I don't get it. I really don't. Could you explain why it would have to be replaced in two years? And why would it not work at all? Mystery. Hystery. I am sensing some hate there."
Referring to Chinese products in general there, not razors.
The "good enough" philosophy is morally wrong in my opinion, remember buying a drill or other electric tool that lasted 20 years? Land fills are overwhelmed with "good enough". There is no interest in repairing these products because it's cheaper to just buy another. Not hate, more disappointment.
" What is your objective? To discourage me from selling?"
My recommendation has always been the same, buy the best you can from a reputable brand and get it honed by someone that knows how when starting out. This saves a lot of disappointment and frustration.
I have no objection to you selling them.
"Don't like it? Or you are just swayed because one of your heroes doesn't like it? Or just attempting to take the high moral road and sound righteous?"
Not jumping on anyone's bandwagon, talking from experience. My "heroes" don't frequent this forum...
"How much is this razor and this level of customer service worth, do you think? Please, even if you ignore the rest of this post, answer that question, and answer it honestly and knowledgeably, without just repeating stuff you have heard."
Very fair price. Can't imagine you make a fortune out of them.
You just kind of dropped the ball by sending out a razor with what sounds like a frown.
Now answer my initial question, how many per say 100 do you trash?
Anyway, best of luck in your venture. If there is anything I hate it's typing...
..........My recommendation has always been the same, buy the best you can from a reputable brand and get it honed by someone that knows how when starting out. This saves a lot of disappointment and frustration.
This!
I thought I did answer your question. I haven't trashed one in a long time. Out of probably the last 100, that would be zero. Before that, mostly it was victims of overenthusiastic application to grinders, sanders, dremels, etc and so there were a few of them back in the day, usually when I was modding them. Of course different people have different tolerance to defects and different levels of willingness to straighten them out. Some guys if you give them 100 raw Gold Dollars, they will cheerfully toss a few rather than spend any time on them. And that's okay. They are $4 razors and you can get more. I will contrast them to factory fresh Dovo "Best Quality" razors, which cost rather too much to discard, even though their blades can be every bit as wonky. The only three I have ever owned had issues. But at $60 or $70 each, you really would not want to toss very many of them, and if you touch it to a hone, you can forget about returning it to Dovo. But you don't hear guys screaming about poor quality from Dovo. And now they are what... probably $90, $100? Don't get me wrong, I love my Bismarcks, yeah, so don't think I am trashing the brand, just the model. If a GD66 cost as much as a "Best", they wouldn't get tossed, either. And like I said, I haven't tossed any in recent memory. Haven't had to. And so far nobody has ever returned one, even though I would accept a return, no questions asked.
No, I don't make a lot of money selling them. That's okay. I make a little, and I get razors into eager hands. I feel okay about what I am doing. I am retired. I get a check every month. I have investments, though some are not doing so well right now. (HINT... buying SQQQ can be a good way to not watch all of your money evaporate when the market is crashing). In another year I will get my social security and then I will have two checks every month. I don't need to make a pile of money from selling. I used to enjoy my flea market days, netting less than $200 on a good day, $40 or so on a slow one. I usually had an audience, if I was honing, actually. It was kinda fun and this is still kinda fun. It's not a career. I would not advise anyone do this for a living, without another source of income.
If I had noticed the frown, even though my intention was to just send a random unhoned razor along with the honed one, I probably would have retained it because I definitely know how to deal with a frown and most guys fiddle around wasting time and steel and still end up with a frown.
My razors are already honed. Poorly ground razors are not an issue for my buyers. I deal with them quickly, starting with as coarse a medium as I think I need to gitter done, and no playing around with the "bevel setter" before the razor is ready for it.
Bad news: I don't see any sign that my last two orders of GD66 are moving. These orders were placed with a Chinese reseller that has always given me great service and prices in the past, but the problem seems to be that many shippers are not shipping anything but masks and other protective clothing and supplies.
Good news: The factory seems to have gotten their act together on getting the product airborne and I am confident enough that I just pulled the trigger on 100 Gold Monkey 666 razors and 100 Gold Dollar 208 razors, with 3 day lead time and no more than 10 day idle time sitting in the forwarder's warehouse. So I should have these inside three weeks. Several people have asked about 208's and 800's but I find that the price for the 800 is a bit high for the quality of the grinding, which is only marginally better than the cheaper models. I have sent the 800 that I recently received to someone who will be testing it with an X-Ray Flourescence gun, for an assay of the alloy used in the razor which is claimed to be Stainless Steel, but is said by many of our peers to be carbon steel. However I don't see why substituting SS for the carbon steel would justify $21+ price from the factory. Scales are still ABS and cheaply made. Grind is still manageable for an intrepid and enterprising honer, but shall we say inexpertly done. So I will probably NOT be selling GD800's on my site. I would have to sell them at around $45/each, shipped, and I don't think buyers would beat a path to my website for a $45 Gold Dollar. The 208 is ground at least as well as the 800 and I can afford to sell it pretty cheap. The 666 will probably replace the 66 in my lineup when I run out of them, if I like them. I have only seen the 777 model and it seemed okay, haven't really messed with them much yet.
Still haven't got around to making another batch of strops. I still have two of the Working Man strops left, and a couple more in the shop that I haven't listed yet on the site. Sometime this week I will get some more strops ready to sell and listed on the site, and I will put together a couple of DIY strop kits.
You are tenacious! I'll give you that. Your determination is something that not a lot of people process or even know how to channel. Unfortunately for you, you are up against a some fordable experts that know quality and have many years of experience. I trust their judgment and their advice. I have always gotten great results listening to these wise men. I have always gotten quality!
I wish you much luck in selling your razors! Just don't be too disappointed in your sales numbers here.
Probably right about the shipping issue CCR.
Ordered something from China April 2nd. Still waiting....
Thanks. I am not really targeting those "experts". They know how to pick a likely looking vintage razor, or else they can afford a big name new razor. Those aren't the guys who will be drawn to a $25 to $35 shave ready, money back guaranteed, Chinese straight razor with a free re-honing thrown in. I don't expect many of my peers to be buying these razors.
My sales so far since I resumed selling online haven't been disappointing at all. This isn't a career, anyway. I don't need the money all that much. I just want to sort of pay for my hobbies a bit and bring new guys into the straight shaving fold. TBH if I was selling a dozen razors a day I would quit. Too much work. Honing. Testing. Sanitizing and packing. Shipping. Ordering. Website and ebay listing management. I have other demands on my time. Projects started and not completed. Beer to brew and drink. If I only sell a dozen razors or strops a week, that is more than enough to make it worthwhile but not so much that it is a big PITA.
The gd vs other razors "thing" been going on a long while. And been beat to death. I've heard it all. "Break them in half, they rust (carbon steel rusts all of it and fast lol) they're made from recycled refrigerators (steel can be recycled infinitely) . The steel is way too hard, it's way too soft. It's stainless, it rusts, blah blah blah. End of the day I would bet they sell more straight razors than every other maker combined. Beefy razor that can be had for cheap. The only objection I get is it's from china. And some people prefer to buy their goods from elsewhere. That I get. But the rest of it is baloney. My first razors were vintages and several new. I stood away from gds because of the advice I got. But bought 10 anyway. And managed to prove to myself (you have to believe your own eyes) that they can easily be made to shave with the best of them. Now most pricey straight have lot of frills. Like gold wash, fancy scales, etching. Which are nice things to have but have absolutely nothing to do with shave quality. Like a paint job ever won any race anywhere. Anyway just calling it the way I see it.