Goodfella Black Satin and Chrome Razor Open Comb

I finally got to try this beautiful razor.
The stainless steel handle and satin black finish of the head are excellent quality levels. Good balance but especially the mechanical perfection of the head, which allows adjustments in a very precise way.
Aggression is very low, but with three coats (two pass against the grain) you get a perfect result without any nicks or discomfort for the skin.

Hi All,

Living in NZ and having easy access to these razors means I'll write a review.
First off I didn't buy mine, I was given it by a friend, which I might add I have given it to someone else now.

It is truly awful! and outrageously over priced, for this money why would you even consider it???..I don't get it, you'd play safe with any other make of razor, and I mean any other and save some money in the process, and I don't get some people who say, it's made in our own backyard, does that give them license to rip us off then?

The balance is all wrong, it's the most mild razor ever, so much so I had to do at least 5 passes plus touch ups (which meant irritation) to get anywhere near as good as my Merkur 38.

And the price.....robbery, absolute robbery just because it's made here in NZ do they think it justifies the price tag, the pay rates here aren't even high to justify this, I personally think it's a rip off.

Avoid it, you'll be glad you did.

OK... The time has come....

First,,, a little background.... I won this razor a little over a year ago during the 'Carnival of Smiles",, for writing a review on another shaving product (Parker 86R I believe).... I put a lot of time into that 'award-winning" review ,, so I felt like I should go above and beyond for the Goodfella that I received as a prize.....

So...... I've been loyal to the Goodfella.... It has been used for every shave that I've had since it arrived (minus one... WWII event.. Opted to use a vintage Gillette to be 'legit').... Readers,, please take note: I don't shave every day... Three times a week maximum with as few as one shave a week during the 'lazy times'....

I have used many different items and techniques,, but one thing remained consistent through it all: The Goodfella razor.... I felt that I owed it to the B&B and the fine people at Goodfella that sent it to me for free to give it a 'fair shake' and all that....

Oh,, and I'd like to take a second here to be blunt... I'm not the type of person that's 'up for sale'... If someone wants someone to fluff them up because they gave me something for free,, they need to keep looking... I'm not their guy....

That said,,, here's the review.....................

>>>Price: In my opinion,, it's pretty damn expensive..... Honestly,, the only way that I would have ended up owning one of these things would be the circumstances that I actually did get mine: luck of the draw.... Don't get me wrong here... I know that it takes a lot to manufacture something like this these days,, especially in a non-sweatshop country like China or India.... I respect the people at Goodfella's for doing what they can to try to fill a void in the market with a 'modern anachronism'..... I guess it isn't cheap to keep 'old school' alive but with a modern twist.... Thus,,, I gave them a "3"... More expensive than average,, but that's the price you have to pay for an independant company that has a decent product....

>>>Quality: I was very happy with the overall quality of the package deal... The box seemed pretty decent as par as packaging goes,, and although it wasn't a wood and leather turn of the century Gillette box,, that's not what they were going for when they made the thing.... Most people don't store things in the original box these days anyway.... The razor itself seemed to be very well made... I know my way around a machine shop and my vintage Gillettes,, and I was very pleased with the craftsmanship.... Everything fits together well and the level finish seems to be a cut above 'the norm'.... These guys keep their tolerances pretty tight... There is next to no play between the head and base when the handle is tightened down,, and the whole razor fits together quite naturally.... My only concern was the finish on the head (I have the black head/stainless handle model)..... It has actually held up quite well throughout the past year.... There is a very slight wear-through on the corners... Nothing too noticable unless you're looking for it.... Also,, the soap makes the black parts turn grey... I hit it with the spray foam shower cleaner stuff a few seperate times over the past year and it went back to being black pretty much instantly... So,, a solid "9" is in order....

>>>User Friendly: It's kind of hard to screw this up unless you have no idea what you're doing.... The razor is very forgiving... In the realm of 'non-plastic razors' it's a definite "10" on this one....

>>>Grip: I've heard a lot of varying opinions on the grip... Here's another (mine)... For how highly polished and untextured most of the handle is,, it actually feels pretty solid in the hand... The grip rings are where they need to be and do their job very well... No,, it's not as 'sticky' in the fingers as a crisp NOS knurled fatboy or a fat black bakalite handle on a Gem,, but it never gave my soapy hands any trouble (Yes,,I'm surprised too)...Unless you shave with some sort of bizarre inverted grip double-jointed method,, you shouldn't have any problems.... I've only dropped my razor once and it was completely my fault,, not the handle's.... it gets an 8/10....

>>>Ease of Blade Replacement: It's not as idiot-proof as those 'twist-to-open' units or a MachIII,, but the blades go in pretty easily... The old-style Gillette design makes it pretty easy.... Also,, there isn't that much of a 'slop' in tolerances (depends on the blade),, so you don't have to work hard to keep both edges even as you tighten,, but it's good to keep an eye on it... Once again,, an "8"...

>>>Aggressiveness: This razor is very mild.... I don't think that I cut myself with it once during the whole year.... My styptic pencil is lonely... The occasional dot of blood did appear,, but nothing to write home about..... A "3" feels right here.....

>>>Adjustability: A "4".... "Why",, you ask...??? I know it's not an adjustable razor.... That's not the point.... Gillette used to let this little secret out with their 'Old" style razors: A more aggressive shave can be achieved by 'under-tightening' the handle... Try it... It works really well,, especially on the Goodfella.....

>>>Balance: It's right on the second indented ring from the bottom.... The head does feel a little light,, but the whole razor balances very well right where you hold it..... To be honest,, it has a pretty decent feel to it.... Another "8"....


The conclusion: So,, it's been over a year,, and with the exception of one bloody 'in the field' shave with a single ring,,, I have used nothing but the Goodfella.... In a way I'm relieved that I can move on and try out the dozen+ vintage razors that I have acquired in that time.... In another way,, I understand that the vast majority of my future shaves will probably be with the 'Goodfella".... Even if I thin my collection down to a handful,, the goodfella will stay.... It shaves very well and isn't overly aggressive... I lost more blood shaving with the single ring once than I did with a year of the Goodfella... Part of that could be because I was used to the Goodfella's tame and forgiving nature....

And yes,, I gave that thing one Hell of a testdrive.... Almost every shave was a different combo of:

Blades: Sharp, Derby,, Personna Platinum,, and Israeli Platinum Plus...

Brush: Tweezerman Badger or Omega Boar....

Soap: Tabac,, Susie's Lemongrass and Coconut Lime,,, Speick,, asst. Conk's,, VDH...

Through all of these various combos,, I found that the Goodfella seems to prefer the Derby blades... A 5-pack of these is included from the manufacturer... Coincidence...??? I don't know....

Oh yeah,, one more thing... This is crucial: ALWAYS finish your shave with Lilac Vegetal....!!!!

-Jim