I recently ordered two Gold Dollar 66 razors from China. Because I like to "fiddle" with razors, I was thinking I would get them, and depending on what state they are in, maybe modify one to make a kamisori and the other, modify and fit some nice scales. Paid £6.56, postage included from China, for two!
I wasn't expecting too much, I bought two of their custom razors before and was shocked at the poor quality of the grinds. I had to grind off shoulders and hone them to within an inch of their lives to get them to shave properly. The blades were not straight, they didn't centre, so logically the hone wear was uneven.
Got the 66's today and I was pleasantly surprised. Straight out of the box I inspected the grinds and they seemed good, if not perfect. Both centred perfectly. Carefully optimistic I placed them on a glass table to do the tap and wobble test, and was genuinely surprised to find they were perfectly straight! Honing is going to be a doddle. Even the scales are tight and have a third pin to support them.
I was not wrong. It was easy to set the bevels on a 3000 grid, and the slight hone wear is even across the spine, as good as any of my other expensive razors. Progressed to 8000, 12000 and then stropped on a leather paddle with .5 micron diamond paste then .25 micron. Looked like I had a good edge, HHT, topping hair on my arms, all of that, but the true proof is in the shave.
Lovely two pass shave, WTG and XTG. No harshness, no tugging and clearly very sharp. They are not going to be destroyed by my amateur "fiddling", they are going into my normal rotation, taking pride of place next to razors that cost many times more!
I am puzzled.... Was I just lucky, or has the quality improved? Are all Gold Dollars made in the same factory? I don't know anything about them, just four blades to judge them by, the two more expensive ones a total disappointment, the cheap ones very good.
I wasn't expecting too much, I bought two of their custom razors before and was shocked at the poor quality of the grinds. I had to grind off shoulders and hone them to within an inch of their lives to get them to shave properly. The blades were not straight, they didn't centre, so logically the hone wear was uneven.
Got the 66's today and I was pleasantly surprised. Straight out of the box I inspected the grinds and they seemed good, if not perfect. Both centred perfectly. Carefully optimistic I placed them on a glass table to do the tap and wobble test, and was genuinely surprised to find they were perfectly straight! Honing is going to be a doddle. Even the scales are tight and have a third pin to support them.
I was not wrong. It was easy to set the bevels on a 3000 grid, and the slight hone wear is even across the spine, as good as any of my other expensive razors. Progressed to 8000, 12000 and then stropped on a leather paddle with .5 micron diamond paste then .25 micron. Looked like I had a good edge, HHT, topping hair on my arms, all of that, but the true proof is in the shave.
Lovely two pass shave, WTG and XTG. No harshness, no tugging and clearly very sharp. They are not going to be destroyed by my amateur "fiddling", they are going into my normal rotation, taking pride of place next to razors that cost many times more!
I am puzzled.... Was I just lucky, or has the quality improved? Are all Gold Dollars made in the same factory? I don't know anything about them, just four blades to judge them by, the two more expensive ones a total disappointment, the cheap ones very good.
