Gold dollar 200

[Huxley]

Just bought me one of these along with a strop from the ebay seller mysterydoll, jay has been great and very quick in responding.

But what are these razors like edge wise to the more renowned straights like dovo and TI, apparently this razor will be stainless and has been gun blue tested as some folk didn't believe this.

Do many of you have experience with it, i wanted something cheap just to get me going i should be looking at a shapton glasstone in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Luc]

I don't have any experience with those but apprently, they are good. Please post the results!

 

[Huxley]

Of course id be glad to, bit daunting really but joels guide has been great help for me.

It will be shave ready as jay is a decent honemeister.

I won't be stropping it at first just in case i do it wrong.

Btw thanks for the dark side linky in your sig, i can now enjoy b&b at a more comfortabvle level.

It might get here pretty quick, jay said i then caught the last mail delivery and usps has been pretty rapid for me in the past.

 

[mainaman]

I recently honed a #208, shaved surprisingly well and smooth.

 

[Sputnik]

Got mine from Jay too. A great shaver. When mine came in, I just did 30 strokes on Chinese 12K and it was ready to go. I shave with it every other day and it keeps the edge beautifully. I strop it before and after each shave: 20 strokes after to remove dirt, hair, etc., and about 40 strokes before to align the edge. I use a paddle strop. Really like the razor.

 

[richmondesi]

I've PIFed one, and it was very well received. The edge has needed some touch ups, but 8 laps on the Barber's Hone I gave him brought it back beautifully. Nice value if you get one that doesn't need some serious work.

 

[holli4pirating]

I haven't ever had a GD200, but I was wholely unimpressed with the handful of GD's and DA's that I have had. Yes they shaved, but they were just ok shaves. I don't know about edge durability, because I only had them for a week or so, so only a few shaves.

Personally, though I'm a little curious about the SS one, I wouldn't actually pay to try it.

 

[Huxley]

Well from what i can gather when jay ordered them he made it clear that he wanted them to be decent and qc before despatched, plus the fact i got him to hone it is for the quality reasons, this way it 'should' be pretty good.

Anyway it's my first straight so i can practice making a bevel followed by an edge and not have fear of it going horribly wrong, i have however done as much reading as i can on them, quite a bit of information to take in.

I will be grabbing me a 12k chinese waterstone in the next week or two to keep it honed up nicely.

 

[holli4pirating]

Well from what i can gather when jay ordered them he made it clear that he wanted them to be decent and qc before despatched, plus the fact i got him to hone it is for the quality reasons, this way it 'should' be pretty good.

Doesn't the fact that someone has to ask a company for "good" products ring any alarms?

 

[richmondesi]

Doesn't the fact that someone has to ask a company for "good" products ring any alarms?

Well sure it does, but if asking for the "good" stuff before paying $12 for it when the closest alternative in the marketplace is $60+, I'd say it's not THAT bad a deal

 

[holli4pirating]

Well sure it does, but if asking for the "good" stuff before paying $12 for it when the closest alternative in the marketplace is $60+, I'd say it's not THAT bad a deal

I suppose if you want to rule out vintage razors, your price for the closest alternative is accurate, but so long as there are vintage razors around that can be had in good shape and shave ready for a good price, I see no reason to buy a GD.

 

[Huxley]

Of course but seeing as they're coming from a reputed member on srp im sure it'll be fine.

Like i said it's my first straight, i don't deserve to be picky until i know it's for me and the gd seemed to fit the bill.

 

[richmondesi]

I suppose if you want to rule out vintage razors, your price for the closest alternative is accurate, but so long as there are vintage razors around that can be had in good shape and shave ready for a good price, I see no reason to buy a GD.

Yes, I was talking about new razors. Do you find vintage razors in great shape in the neighborhood of $12-15 frequently? I can't, and I'd like to

Point being: for what they are, they are not THAT bad. You and I have a lot of nice razors. I'm with you in that I'll not be in a big hurry to be picking up more of them. However, for someone getting started, they certainly aren't bad by any stretch.

 

[holli4pirating]

Are you referring to Jay when you reference a well reputed member of SRP? He's banned, last I checked.

Yup, I do get good vintage razors for $12-15 frequently. I have 20 of them on their way right now and boxes full of them. "For what they are" doesn't speak much to me. For what it is, Natty Ice isn't THAT bad but I'd still never recommend it to anyone or drink it myself. I do think that starting with a low quality razor is a bad idea, because if a new guy gets bad shaves and thinks the razor is great, he's more likely to get frustrated and drop straights all together. Newbies shouldn't put themeself at a disadvantage with inferior gear, especially when there is no need to.

By the way, if people are happy with GD's then I'm happy for them.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I'm pretty sure no one is paying $12 for a Gold Dollar with no problems and shave ready either.......


Just food for thought. I guess as long as no one makes these out to be a poor mans Friodur, no big deal. Some people just seem to have extremely high expectations for these

Yes, I was talking about new razors. Do you find vintage razors in great shape in the neighborhood of $12-15 frequently? I can't, and I'd like to

Point being: for what they are, they are not THAT bad. You and I have a lot of nice razors. I'm with you in that I'll not be in a big hurry to be picking up more of them. However, for someone getting started, they certainly aren't bad by any stretch.

 

[richmondesi]

I'm pretty sure no one is paying $12 for a Gold Dollar with no problems and shave ready either.......

I wasn't talking about shave ready ones. This thread was started by a gent who mentioned (later on) getting a Chinese 12K with the intentions of getting his razors ready to go. Additionally, there was another member who shared his successful use of the same strategy.

Additionally, there are well regarded members who sell DAs and GDs regularly for a lot more money ($100+) with aesthetic modifications, but the steel is decent. Well worth the cost for someone wanting a cheap start. He also mentioned that he was going to be getting one hand picked and QCed... whatever the cost, it's still likely to be significantly cheaper than most good vintage razors in similar condition.

You are right... These aren't a poor man's Friodur (that would be a vintage Shumate ). However, it's a decent starter.

 

[Huxley]

Are you referring to Jay when you reference a well reputed member of SRP? He's banned, last I checked.

Must have been a while as his accounts fine from what i can tell.

http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/members/jreiter22.html

Anyway im not expecting too much like i said it's my first straight it's not meant to be expensive in case i do bugger things up.

 

[holli4pirating]

Must have been a while as his accounts fine from what i can tell.

http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/members/jreiter22.html

Anyway im not expecting too much like i said it's my first straight it's not meant to be expensive in case i do bugger things up.

With all due respect, you are mistaken. He is banned. Even if he wasn't banned, I'm not sure what makes you think he's a well reputed member on SRP. The same debates happening in this thread have happened more or less every time GD's are mentioned on SRP. The vast majority of Jay's posts, as far as I can tell, are in threads about GD's are seem to be little more than advertising them. Sure, maybe he answers questions about them and maybe he sells good ones and maybe he ships quickly, but being a good salesman does not make someone a well reputed member of a community like SRP.

 

[Sputnik]

Again, I am not sure why some people tend to dislike GD so much. Is it because the razor is made in China? People just believe that if it is not German, it is no good. Well, Wapi is made in Poland and it is decent. The US-made Genco are top notch. And I would not even dare to mention my favorite French-made TI. I really don't get the hostility toward GD and DA razors. Now, if you do a cost/benefit analysis for any brand new razor on the market right now, GD simply cannot be beaten. That said, one has to keep in mind that it is a stainless steel razor, which means it is a bit harder to strop and hone if/when compared to a carbon steel razor. Other than that, it is a good platform to learn straight shaving.

 

[richmondesi]

Again, I am not sure why some people tend to dislike GD so much. Is it because the razor is made in China? People just believe that if it is not German, it is no good. Well, Wapi is made in Poland and it is decent. The US-made Genco are top notch. And I would not even dare to mention my favorite French-made TI. I really don't get the hostility toward GD and DA razors. Now, if you do a cost/benefit analysis for any brand new razor on the market right now, GD simply cannot be beaten. That said, one has to keep in mind that it is a stainless steel razor, which means it is a bit harder to strop and hone if/when compared to a carbon steel razor. Other than that, it is a good platform to learn straight shaving.

I think it's mostly because a ridiculously high percentage of them have warped tangs, terribly placed scales, heels that need fixing, comically bad shoulders, or a bad combination of the aforementioned issues. The steel is decent and takes a nice edge, but as a rule, they are a crapshoot. Like I said, though, I think they are a fair value (very good value if you get one without too many issues. I don't think there is a "if it is not German, it is no good" attitude that is prevalent in this or any other straight razor community.