I got a GBS straight razor kit for Christmas from my wife. Many in this forum have identified it as a Gold Dollar razor etched for Gents Barber Shop & Spa. This this comes NOT shave ready. The 120# & 240# stone it comes with does absolutely nothing to get it ready. You can get the kit for $50- At any rate, I honed it on Shapton 1k, 5k, 8k, 12k, and a 15k finishing stone.
The purpose for tonight’s honing was to see if she’d shave. The razor is a 7/8” & did take a nice mirror edge. To the naked eye, I can see the tiniest nicks (gaps) in the edge itself. Also, on the heel and toe, the luster isn’t quite uniform with the rest of the bevel. I just shaved with it- I washed my face, no shower- and went straight to the shave.
The steel thickness or quality suggested that thicker blades are a little more forgiving? That was my impression anyway. I stropped it- I wouldn’t call it BBS, it’s not even a damn fine shave. It’s a shave- my skin is smooth, but against the grain tells a different story. I can partially attribute that to not showering which is ideal- I also know this isn’t a quality razor- yet the shave was extremely comfortable & it was only my 4th ever straight razor shave.
Moving forward, should I take this back down to the 1k & see if I can try to set the heel and toe a little better in the bevel? Or should I just do some time with patience in “X” strokes throughout the progression?
This razor was VERY comfortable considering the sheer lack of quality, and I don’t know how long it’ll keep an edge- but I’m willing to use this as the sacrificial learning razor- any recommendations moving forward?
Thanks in advance!
The purpose for tonight’s honing was to see if she’d shave. The razor is a 7/8” & did take a nice mirror edge. To the naked eye, I can see the tiniest nicks (gaps) in the edge itself. Also, on the heel and toe, the luster isn’t quite uniform with the rest of the bevel. I just shaved with it- I washed my face, no shower- and went straight to the shave.
The steel thickness or quality suggested that thicker blades are a little more forgiving? That was my impression anyway. I stropped it- I wouldn’t call it BBS, it’s not even a damn fine shave. It’s a shave- my skin is smooth, but against the grain tells a different story. I can partially attribute that to not showering which is ideal- I also know this isn’t a quality razor- yet the shave was extremely comfortable & it was only my 4th ever straight razor shave.
Moving forward, should I take this back down to the 1k & see if I can try to set the heel and toe a little better in the bevel? Or should I just do some time with patience in “X” strokes throughout the progression?
This razor was VERY comfortable considering the sheer lack of quality, and I don’t know how long it’ll keep an edge- but I’m willing to use this as the sacrificial learning razor- any recommendations moving forward?
Thanks in advance!