Why shouldn't I. Gold Dollar

[RayClem]

I'd like to get a peggies before I make a 100 year investment. As I stated earlier. It would be nice to try out straight shaving then invest in a razor that is above entry level (about 80 pounds here)

As For honing they said they started on a 4k, then 8k and finished with a Belgian coticule. Is that good enough?

It all depends on your beard type and skin type.

I have a coarse beard and sensitive skin. I could never shave with a razor finished in that manner. I have a Belgian coticule and it does not come close to producing an edge sharp enough for my beard. I like my edges honed to a minimum of 12K with even higher levels being better. However, I realize that I am not a typical shaver.

What DE razor blades work best for you? If you can get a great shave with a Derby Extra blade, a straight finished on a Coticule might be just right for your beard. However, if you tend to prefer very sharp DE blades like Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Gillette Nacet, and Personna Platinum, you are likely to find a coticule-finished edge to be too dull. Coticule edges are quite smooth, but they are not particularly sharp, at least not as far as straight razors go.

One thing you can do to make a razor edge sharper is to strop it on a balsa strop pasted with very fine abrasive particles. I finish my razors on a 20K Suehiro Gokumyo synthetic hone followed by pasted strops at 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 microns. That makes for a super sharp, super smooth edge that my beard and face love. However, not every shaver need to go to that extreme. There are plenty of folks who can shave using a razor finished on a Norton 8K; but I am not one of them.

 

[Slash McCoy]

First, a coticule edge can be very smooth and comfortable. However, in sheer cutting power, it is quite underwhelming, even from an accomplished honer with a great stone.

Second, a GD is crudely ground and most models will give a beginner all sorts of grief while trying to learn how to hone. However, once it has a good bevel set, the hard work is done, and the bevel should only ever need to be set once, if you don't damage the razor. Scales are sort of ugly and sort of floppy on some examples. The guys in the factory are not razorsmiths. They are just ordinary factory slugs and maybe last week they were making G.I. Joes or tennis rackets, and next week the factory down the road might offer a penny an hour more, and he will be making George Foreman grill knockoffs or Nike shoes. Craftsmanship is lacking except surprisingly and fortuitously in the metallurgical department because in spite of what many naysayers will naysay, the steel is actually not bad at all. You will get a lemon once in a while. The razor wholesales for a buck fifty per, so you are not gonna get prime chateaubriand cooked by Emeril Lagasse himself, for baloney and cheese prices.

Some models have atrociously heavy scales. It is a fad that has really gotten out of control, thick wooden scales with metal liners and heavy metal bolsters. Some of the GD "W" series are examples. The older models have flimsy feeling ABS scales that give a more satisfying balance. There are "some" GD users who prefer them. I feel that the razor should balance where you grip it, at the shank, near the shoulder. You may well disagree. Most of the GD razors do suffer from one deficiency in my view, and that is a too obtuse bevel angle. A few have exactly the opposite problem. But a bevel angle that is too great by only a degree or two might be perfect for some shavers, especially beginners, as long as it is honed dreadfully sharp. YMMV. I myself find most of the GD models quite adequate, as long as I hone them.

More Gold Dollar Stunt Shaving! Shaving several weeks growth with a Gold Dollar #66 Straight Razor! - YouTube

A lot of internet shave ready razors are not actual shave ready razors. You really should deal with someone who is a member of the community, either a member of one of the forums or highly recommended by many members of a forum. A GD with a so-so edge will simply not perform very well at all. A GD properly honed can shave very well. As good as a fine Japanese hollowground, or a great vintage American razor? Probably not, though a brilliantly honed GD will indeed outshave a not so great edge on a premium razor.

A GD66 will work just fine, if it is well honed. A P81 or a 208 or a 200 or 800 will be a bit better. And speaking of well honed, keep in mind that there are plenty of pros who will give you an edge that is definitely shave ready, but you can beat that edge honing it yourself using The Method. LEARN TO SHAVE FIRST, though. Then come back and ask how to hone it yourself. A pro can't afford to spend an hour or more honing just your razor. He's got to get it out the door and move on to the next one, or he will soon find he is doing skilled work for minimum wage. YOU, on the other hand, can cheerfully spend a day or two getting it nailed. So there is shave ready, and there is science fiction laser beam 17th dimension sharp. One will shave. The other will astonish. So figure on learning to hone your own, but AFTER you learn to shave with a razor that is already shave ready.

Verify your seller here or on another forum. Don't just take his word for it or go by his fleabay feedback score. And consider going a bit upscale, beyond the 66 model. Even better would be a nice Genco, or a vintage hardware store razor, (there were several brands) or a Union Spike, or one of several not as famous American brands. These razors were made cheap, in huge numbers, and sold to the masses, not rich aristocrats, and there are a lot of them still around, still selling pretty cheap compared to more highly sought after razors. As long as it is genuinely shave ready, seller verified on this or another forum. Preferably this one, actually. I think the membership here is slightly more objective but YMMV.

 

[Karlahn]

If you are unsure about shaving with a straight then yeh. If you think it is something you will stick with I'd get a vintage from griffith shaving goods

Any U.K. equivalent?

 

[kcbrett]

One more thing to think about...
If you buy a G.D. and find you're just not going to get into Straight Razor shaving, you spend the 30 bucks and there it sits. If you buy a vintage American razor from a real reputable person, Like one from this or other forums that hone by hand, You could sell it for about what you paid if you don't like S.R. shaving. OH, I guess you could use the G.D. to open envelopes.

I did a horrible hone job on my first one, warped/bent the edge and everything, but it makes a fine box cutter!

 

[totorlekiller]

Well like you said. I don't think the potential crappyiness of the scales will effect the shave, unless they are poorly balanced? Also I might get something fancier if I end up liking it. Just figured its a good stepping stone instead of starting with 80£ on a base level boker/dovo. I can get this and if I like it go for a razor thats a step up from entry level.

Well, there is shaving and there is shaving. There are many ways to get unwanted hair of your face, but to make is as pleasant as possible, for me, holding a beautifully crafted artifact is important. Hence, I tend to get rid of even perfectly functional scales in good conditions if they are plastic.

I understand that the grind of the whole blade would effect the sound it makes while shaving. Not sure how the softness of the shave would would be impacted exactly though? Surely that's more a characteristic of the edge- which we established here is properly sharpened. What other factors of the blade could impact it?

Well 2 blades from different steel origins or with different grind will feel different even if honed the same. It is not that one is better than the other, it just feels different. Some develop a preference to a certain feel. But again, this is irrelevant if the objective is just to take off unwanted facial hair.

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

I am in Scotland, and will be happy to help you along on your SR journey.

If you send me a bog-standard GD66, I will hone it and return it to you with a laser-sharp method edge, no charge.

I will also tell you how to make your own basic balsa strop, pasted with .1 micron diamond paste, and the only other bit you would need is a leather strop. This will keep you shaving indefinitely, and it will be up to you if you want to develop further honing skills.

PM me if interested.

 

[rbscebu]

@Biltong & Boerewors I have a summary of diamond pasted balsa stropping here that may be useful to you in explaining it.

How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop

lol camo

www.badgerandblade.com

I will soon be revising the document with the latest developments in the thread.