Bill you are correct, at one time I thought I had to have every possible combination of stones and chased every new method looking for the best edge then Alfredo finally got me to settle down and master one method with a pretty simple setup, so for me it’s 1k if needed but I start mostly with a 4k then 8k,12k and JNAT, I can go from 8k to JNAT but the 12k just gets me done sooner, actually I have used a 1K and JNAT and stropped and got a very acceptable shave so if I had to I probably could get by with 2 stones but that’s no fun
Zy Vs Gold Dollar
- Thread starter Legion
- Start date
Bill you are correct, at one time I thought I had to have every possible combination of stones and chased every new method looking for the best edge then Alfredo finally got me to settle down and master one method with a pretty simple setup, so for me it’s 1k if needed but I start mostly with a 4k then 8k,12k and JNAT, I can go from 8k to JNAT but the 12k just gets me done sooner, actually I have used a 1K and JNAT and stropped and got a very acceptable shave so if I had to I probably could get by with 2 stones but that’s no fun
Thank you for the information. Of course the spine and edges are touching at the same time. But I see that Chinese manufacturers don't do this. They just hone the razor like a knife and I wanted to correct it. The issue is not honing a quality German razor, it's honing a Chinese razor.
I see this has turned mostly into a honing discussion, but I wanted to just say that I purchased a ZY "Grand Slam" razor off e-bay last week. Might take 2-3 weeks to arrive. I'll see what kind of shape it is in when it gets here, and find out whether it is really honed to "shave ready" or not.
- Thread starter
- #65
If it was bought from China, the odds of it being shave ready are slim. But that does not mean it will be a big deal to make it that way. My ZY took about ten minutes, and the grind was fine.
Last edited:
Kingfisher, very very doubtful it would shave unless it’s be touched on the stones by someone that knows how to correct the issues it will most likely have.
What's a "Grand Slam" ZY?
Grandslam Shave Ready Straight Razor Shaving Folding Natural Brown Wood Handle | eBay
I don't really know how/if it differs from other models, but the above link is to a pic of the razor. I saw it on a shave video on YouTube on a channel called "Adventures in Wet Shaving."
So, any of our resident honemeisters want to help out a newb and see if you can put a good edge on this thing when I get it? I could just immediately put it into the mail, rather than even trying it out, if you guys think that's the best idea.
I'm not soliciting a free honing, by the way. Just seeing if anybody here has the knowledge/skills/wherewithal to hone this one. Happy to discuss via PM, if anybody is interested. Thanks.
I'm not soliciting a free honing, by the way. Just seeing if anybody here has the knowledge/skills/wherewithal to hone this one. Happy to discuss via PM, if anybody is interested. Thanks.
Are you saying this is a marketing gimmick? Lol. How about the guy who's honed more razors than McDonald's has sold hamburgers? Hahahaha.
This guy either doesn't exist our is the worst honemeister in the known universe.
When the razor arrived it was barely sharp enough to function as a letter opener.
The $7 or $8 razor shipped from.china doesn't have a world class edge on it? I've seen worse edges coming out of a famous honemeisters shop on $200 razors. I've seen first hand a good 50 of them.
I hear you about expectations. I'm not saying, however, that the blade wasn't shave ready, I'm saying it was dull.
I sent it off to William in Texas and he honed it for me. I'm told by the USPS that it was delivered to my house today.
So I'll find out soon enough of the razor can have a good edge put on it.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
He was exaggerating, about the McDonalds thing. He did say matter of factly though, that he hones over 10k razors a year, though. I haven't done the math yet...
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Oh, it CAN be made to shave very decently, I'm pretty sure. The steel in the GD and ZY razors is certainly good enough, and the best shaves I get are from my own (modified) Gold Dollars. Every stock GD or ZY I have tried was capable of shaving when properly honed, which can of course sometimes include some corrective work. It won't shave on its own with no help from you, no matter how well honed. The shaver has to do his part, the honer as well. A bit of a slicing stroke goes a long way toward making the thick spined models shave nicely. The newer ones with the thinner spines, slice at your own risk.
Very important with these razors to not expect a great single pass shave. First pass is only for beard reduction, not beard elimination.
Stretch thoroughly. Prep carefully. Press lightly, stroke gracefully. Don't expect the first pass to leave you feeling like a 1974 Super Bowl commercial. Follow up with a second, or even a third WTG pass. Skip ATG/XTG until you are 4 or 5 shaves in. If in doubt, relather. Yes, even in the middle of a pass. Keep your lather nice and wet. Good shaves come with skill, skill comes with experience. The first shave, just concentrate on surviving with no cuts. Don't raise the angle too high. That's not shaving; that's scraping. A single spine thickness between spine and face is your standard shave angle.
Shaved with the newly honed ZY yesterday. William put a very sharp edge on it.
I was able to get CCS+ in three passes on the face. Still learning, so had to use my DE for parts of the neck. Handled the chin and mustache area pretty well.
So yeah, I'd have to say that a good shaving edge can be put onto this steel.
I was able to get CCS+ in three passes on the face. Still learning, so had to use my DE for parts of the neck. Handled the chin and mustache area pretty well.
So yeah, I'd have to say that a good shaving edge can be put onto this steel.
i find the ZY edges even among different razors are variable. i have 3 of them and since i bought them to learn to hone on i have no complaints that they weren't that great when they arrived.
A ZY 430 came with a little more of a toe angle than i like - but it's a good shaver now. A SS Grandslam has been brilliant from the start - not shave ready, but no major issues and then there was my wooden Grandslam which was a total dog on arrival:
i took an angle grinder to that before i could even start to hone it, but i learned more from that blade than any other. My Gold Dollar 66 is very similar to these and shaves really well. You can't beat them for the money.
i liked the scales on the ZY's more, but the new Gold Dollar razors are turning some heads.
T
A ZY 430 came with a little more of a toe angle than i like - but it's a good shaver now. A SS Grandslam has been brilliant from the start - not shave ready, but no major issues and then there was my wooden Grandslam which was a total dog on arrival:
i took an angle grinder to that before i could even start to hone it, but i learned more from that blade than any other. My Gold Dollar 66 is very similar to these and shaves really well. You can't beat them for the money.
i liked the scales on the ZY's more, but the new Gold Dollar razors are turning some heads.
T
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Nobody will ever beat the GD66 for the price, even the Chinese themselves. Cheapest I have bought them was $3.07/each. Shipped free from China. Even now, buying one at a time, you should be able to score one for $5 shipped. I love them because lurking inside all that chunky clunky steel is an insane vision of a razor that not only shaves great, but hones, feels, and looks great, too. Even with its humble coat of excess steel intact, it's still not bad.
Similar threads
