Cheap Razors - Experiences by Members?

[ladykate]

I've been known to splurge a few bucks and buy a cheap razor just to see if it will shave. I really got hooked on doing this with my first purchase... a Gold Dollar. Heh... talk about luck. I bought it after a quick review of them on the other forum but I'm stubborn so I wanted to see for myself. Of course, the thing arrived in three weeks and it was a fantastic shaver after it was tuned up.

Anyway... I'm curious about the experiences of others with the myriad of different brands out there. I'll post a few of the ones I've tried - actually tried - and wonder if others would like to participate. I would be delighted if there is a picture (sometimes these razors are listed on the 'bay with different names) and, of course, a summary of the shave experience and/or troubles getting it ready.

 

[Seraphim]

Krystal edge:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/276692-the-KRYSTAL-EDGE-challenge?p=3987179#post3987179

Selective:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/210047-GDs-are-too-good-for-you!?highlight=achmed

I don't think I need to say anything about GDs...

 

[ladykate]

As I said, my first experience was with Gold Dollars. Like has been said a billion times, they are like blank canvas - they can be made into wonderful shavers. I've not had a bad one out of 16 so far. My first one was a 'carbon fiber' scaled version. The handle looked like this:



But then I purchased a 66 (bottom of the line) and it had essentially the same blade.



Good shavers but not good for a first purchase unless you can hone a razor. After that, the world is your oyster. They can be rescaled and manipulated into a beautiful object. For less than $4 shipped (today anyway), they have to be the best razor deal out there.

 

[paco664]

i bought a "krystal edge" the other day that i was gonna use for a travel razor.... it fought a bit taking a edge *(i think it was my fault for being in a hurry)

when i get home i am gonna give it another shot.... it may be the first "dud" i have gotten....

as far as GD's go they are fabulous... i have yet to get a dud... i only wish i could get my hands on a 7/8ths one....

 

[ladykate]

I tried Hashir. They have a wonderful wide blade and good polish and even the scales look nice. But they wouldn't sharpen up for me. After one or two passes, the blade would be so dull it wouldn't cut anymore. Bummer.

 

[ladykate]

Then I tried Malik. Another disappointment. It looked even better than the Hashir but, like the Hashir, it wouldn't hold an edge. It was easy to hone, though.

 

[ladykate]

Finally, for my experiences (and YMMV), I tried Crowing Rooster. This one was bad for a number of reasons. It was really a pocket knife that was shaped like a razor. The handle was lined with metal and was extremely heavy - it could safely be carried in your pocket... if you had a tight belt to hold it up. Think CCW only with a razor. The blade didn't have a proper spine and it was extremely hard. Think pocket knife blade. The stabilizers were truly in the way - if the blade had been good otherwise, the stabilizers would need radical grinding. I built up the spine with tape in hopes of getting an edge - I was thinking of Slash while I was doing it. ;-P. I wore out a DMT getting the bevel set but it finally came together. However, once the edge was set and polished, I couldn't get it to hold its edge through the entire shave.

 

[ladykate]

My latest - and this one hasn't been tried so I'll have to report back - is this 'VTG Ultra Widen' (whatever that means). It is about $10 shipped. It has wood scales and looks nice. It is from China so my hopes are high. It isn't here yet.

 

[Kentos]

My latest - and this one hasn't been tried so I'll have to report back - is this 'VTG Ultra Widen' (whatever that means). It is about $10 shipped. It has wood scales and looks nice. It is from China so my hopes are high. It isn't here yet.

View attachment 250187

I wait for that one with bated breath

 

[rickboone1]

this looks good. are they cheap enough to salvage the scales at least?

I tried Hashir. They have a wonderful wide blade and good polish and even the scales look nice. But they wouldn't sharpen up for me. After one or two passes, the blade would be so dull it wouldn't cut anymore. Bummer.

View attachment 250183

 

[ladykate]

this looks good. are they cheap enough to salvage the scales at least?

Yes. I complained that they wouldn't hold an edge (same for the Crowing Rooster) and all sellers agreed to refund my purchase. However, and on thinking about it, I decided to keep the Hashir and the Malik for the scales. The Malik was only about six dollars and the Hashir about the same. You might be able to get them even cheaper.

 

[whiskerwacker]

Good shavers but not good for a first purchase unless you can hone a razor. After that, the world is your oyster. They can be rescaled and manipulated into a beautiful object. For less than $4 shipped (today anyway), they have to be the best razor deal out there.

Where are these $4 GD's to be found? I've looked on eBay and elsewhere and the cheapest I can find them for is $9! Thanks!

 

[Doc226]

My cheapest shaver, of course it shaves well, it's a GD

 

[ladykate]

Where are these $4 GD's to be found? I've looked on eBay and elsewhere and the cheapest I can find them for is $9! Thanks!

Go to eBay and search on straight razors (not Gold Dollars). Then click on 'Buy It Now' to filter the 3000+ hits. Then list cheapest first. On the first page I found htttime's ad ( less than $4 shipped).

 

[Seraphim]

My experience is that the three Pakistani blades I've honed were very difficult to hone. I'm not sure what the deal was, hard metal? Weird initial bevel? Too much Balthorium G in the alloy? Who knows...

Anyhow, once honed they were fine shavers, no problems to report. Perhaps there are some Pakistani blades out there that WILL NOT take an edge, but my suspicion is that the problem is that most guys don't take the proper time and effort to get them to shave ready, give up, and then blame the razor.

The only problem with the Gold Dollars is that they are cheap and allow guys to learn how to hone their own razors, which cuts into Idaho honing for hire revenues, and Places the sell Straight Razors sales of $85 Dovo beginner razors.

 

[ladykate]

My experience is that the three Pakistani blades I've honed were very difficult to hone. I'm not sure what the deal was, hard metal? Weird initial bevel? Too much Balthorium G in the alloy? Who knows...

Anyhow, once honed they were fine shavers, no problems to report. Perhaps there are some Pakistani blades out there that WILL NOT take an edge, but my suspicion is that the problem is that most guys don't take the proper time and effort to get them to shave ready, give up, and then blame the razor.

I can get them to take an edge. Just can't get them to keep it. But I haven't tried that many. Will try to rustle up a Krystal. What you say about them being hard to initially sharpen is often true. The Crowing Rooster (which is Chinese) was quite difficult. I really wanted it to work and when it started popping hair, I figured I had something. However, after a few passes, the darn thing was so dull that I could run my finger across it without any inkling of epidermal intrusion.

 

[Seraphim]

My honing o the Krystal REQUIRED a microscope to evaluate as I went. There was considerable chipping, etc as I progressed. I thought for sure the edge would not hold up to a shave after finally getting a smooth edge on there, but indeed it did. My suspicion is that the edge on yours was never right to begin with.

Then again, it may simple have been junk!

 

[ladykate]

My honing o the Krystal REQUIRED a microscope to evaluate as I went. There was considerable chipping, etc as I progressed. I thought for sure the edge would not hold up to a shave after finally getting a smooth edge on there, but indeed it did. My suspicion is that the edge on yours was never right to begin with.

Then again, it may simple have been junk!

I think the Crowing Rooster has a host of problems and it could very well be that I didn't get it right to begin with - but it seemed like it was there at the time. I've put it away but I could send it to you if you feel like a challenge. The blade is intriguing - the scales... not so much.

 

[paco664]

My experience is that the three Pakistani blades I've honed were very difficult to hone. I'm not sure what the deal was, hard metal? Weird initial bevel? Too much Balthorium G in the alloy? Who knows...

Anyhow, once honed they were fine shavers, no problems to report. Perhaps there are some Pakistani blades out there that WILL NOT take an edge, but my suspicion is that the problem is that most guys don't take the proper time and effort to get them to shave ready, give up, and then blame the razor.

The only problem with the Gold Dollars is that they are cheap and allow guys to learn how to hone their own razors, which cuts into Idaho honing for hire revenues, and Places the sell Straight Razors sales of $85 Dovo beginner razors.

absolutely...

 

[ladykate]

My latest - and this one hasn't been tried so I'll have to report back - is this 'VTG Ultra Widen' (whatever that means). It is about $10 shipped. It has wood scales and looks nice. It is from China so my hopes are high. It isn't here yet.

View attachment 250187

It finally came in!

It is a knife blade... darn it. Close to 1/4 hollow (closer to wedge) with only a .14 inch wide spine (the tang is .18 inches wide). To make a comparison, the Gold Dollar spine is almost .25 inches - which is a bit fat. The width is .82 or so. I put four pieces of tape on it and the width of the bevel was still about 3/16". The artificial bevel set on it was at a sharp angle - I had to use the sander to cut enough metal away to start with the DMT.

It sharpened up but it wasn't anything to write home about. I am currently shaving my face with a Feather for a longevity test so I shaved one side of my head with it. It worked ok. My head hair is tough so it would probably shave my face just fine. It was a tad dull after I had finished but that could probably be fixed with some more honing. I've put it aside and will dork with it if I get bored. The scales are fine and are the best part of the razor. Probably worth the money by themselves.