My second razor was a GD that was modded by a forum member. I still have it - holds an edge and is scary sharp. A great shaver at any price.
Gold dollar confusion
- Thread starter imatabor
- Start date
Except for fancier etching, slightly better looking scales, and slightly better finishing of the stabilizer, I see no difference in quality between a gd and my dovo best.
- Thread starter
- #123
I just wanted to give an update not to rekindle a flame. I still don't understand why these pieces of steel cause such strong emotions. But at least here we can have an open and gentlemanly discussion, unlike other places.
OK guys, the only way I am going to figure out for myself is try one. So point in the right direction to whom I need to get this razor from as you guys know have been shaving since the 60s but can't hone a lick from a earlier post. In any event, hook me up with the top dog. Thanks, guys, you are great helping damn asses like me.
- Thread starter
- #125
Check out Buca in the hobbiest section. He knows his stuff and is great to deal with.
Bucca hu, will do that & make up my own mind. Thanks so much. Grayson
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Like Seraphim says, simply post on that other forum about GDs and see how long you last. There us much for a vendor of mid to high level razors to fear, from a razor that can be had raw from the factory for $3 and change, shipped. In truth, though, it takes a lot of work to make a GD into a fine razor. Essentially, it involves making a razor from scratch, using the GD steel as a rough blank that has already been heat treated and tempered. Is 50 hours of your labor worth the difference in price to a higher end razor? And are you willing to invest the time and money for tools, equipment, supplies, and practice? If so, you can indeed make an heirloom quality razor out of a GD. For much less but still considerable effort, you can make a GD into a not very pretty but very effective shaver that will continue to shave you well for a lifetime or more. It's just a piece of steel. A good piece of steel, poorly ground, pinned between ugly scales.
A GD reworked by one of the reputable modders here is well worth the usual price, whether it is simply "fixed" and honed or transformed into a work of art.
As for factory GDs, beware of that rabbit hole. Fixing them up can be very addictive. Not fixing them up gives you only a very poor letter opener.
A GD reworked by one of the reputable modders here is well worth the usual price, whether it is simply "fixed" and honed or transformed into a work of art.
As for factory GDs, beware of that rabbit hole. Fixing them up can be very addictive. Not fixing them up gives you only a very poor letter opener.
Having only just started this, I can say that all GD's (from the factory) should come with a warning that says, "some assembly required".
I bought a 66 (which may be the bottom of the barrel even for GD's) just to see. I would guess that either the blank wasn't hot enough when it went into the stamp forge or the dies are crap (and could be both). Minimal finish grinding; just enough to create the profile. The spine was all over the place and I ended up removing a lot of metal on one side to get the sides to true up and you can't get serious about bevel setting until the spine is sorted. The scales on the 66's are even cheaper than the 208's. If I put any more work into the stupid thing, I'll be forced to replace the scales too, just to justify all the time I have in it (rabbit hole).
Bucca
Seraphim
I have 1 from both of these gentleman and they both shave great and hold a fine edge.
Seraphim
I have 1 from both of these gentleman and they both shave great and hold a fine edge.
Well said Slash, and welcome back.
Gentlemen? Who walked in? Nyuck Nyuck Nyuck! And glad to see slash is back!
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
You really shouldn't bother ordering just 1 or 2. I suggest ordering at least 10 at a time. And generally, if you are really going for it, figure on some plain acrylic scales, nicely shaped and polished. Easy, cheap, and nice looking. Look how cheap you can get 30" X 6" X 1/8" acrylic sheet from TAP plastics. That's enough for about 16 razors.
The rabbit hole is deep and dark. I have been to the bottom. Scary down there.
Lol,
I'm in that rabbit hole but I quite like it right now. The spine is an absolute wobble fest on mine so steel is being taken back left right and centre to allow me to set the bevel.
It's fun. Embrace the challenge.
It's fun. Embrace the challenge.
I sent this in a PM to a member who asked my opinion, but thought it would be appropriate in this thread for common knowledge:
Ive honed over 250 GDs, out of that only 2! weren't able to take an edge. The bevel set from the factory is horrible. It requires more work than most guys realize, and I think most give up too soon, and then blame the "cheap razor", instead of realizing that they are the whimp who just didn't spend enough time on the 1k stone setting the bevel.
I don't do anything to select "good" razors. I grab one out of my stash and go to work on it. No big deal whatsoever. The key, as with any razor, is to set the bevel correctly.
Theres a lot of prejudice out there. If some guy spent $200 on a razor, honed it up and it didn't turn out OK, they'd simply go back to the hones and keep at it. If the same happens with a GD, they throw their hands up, give up, and blame the GD.
Ive honed over 250 GDs, out of that only 2! weren't able to take an edge. The bevel set from the factory is horrible. It requires more work than most guys realize, and I think most give up too soon, and then blame the "cheap razor", instead of realizing that they are the whimp who just didn't spend enough time on the 1k stone setting the bevel.
I don't do anything to select "good" razors. I grab one out of my stash and go to work on it. No big deal whatsoever. The key, as with any razor, is to set the bevel correctly.
Theres a lot of prejudice out there. If some guy spent $200 on a razor, honed it up and it didn't turn out OK, they'd simply go back to the hones and keep at it. If the same happens with a GD, they throw their hands up, give up, and blame the GD.
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+1. Ive handled more than my fair share of Sheffield wedges which are warped 30-40% of the time. And dovos, (not just the best now) and they have a very high warp rate as well. These razors most times require more work than a GD. Many factory edge razors have issues, modern TIs being another one. Its not a big deal guys, JUST SET THE BEVEL! You wont have to do it again any time soon.
- Thread starter
- #137
Os a GD honeable out of the box?
So do you have to remove the stabilizer (or part of it ) to make a GD able to be honed? I thought I read that the stabilizer "as is" prevents the bevel to reach the heel.
So do you have to remove the stabilizer (or part of it ) to make a GD able to be honed? I thought I read that the stabilizer "as is" prevents the bevel to reach the heel.
I received some further questions:
Of the 250 GDs I've had, I have had ZERO warped blades (I have had three warped Dovos however...). GDs do come with a smile to the blade, and some guys have some sort of weird idea that a razor is supposed to have a dead flat edge, and if they run the razor up and down the hone and see the toe and heel aren't getting honed the same as the middle, once again their first reaction is to say that the blade is warped, when most likely it is not.
The stabilizer is a big honking booger of steel at the heel of the razor, and yes, the honing will go easier if you remove it prior to honing, but that is not required (see attached pic to see how to hone without removing the heel booger. There has been no modification to that razor, I just grabbed it from my pile of GDs). What is required is some intestinal fortitude, and a "can do" attitude.
Nope. If you need your hand held, tend to wet yourself when the going gets tough, or just prefer to sit quietly with a plate of milk and cookies, then please don't bother trying to hone a GD yourself, and please don't whine to the rest of us about it either.
Go watch some John Wayne, Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen movies and drink some bourbon straight up and try again when you get some hair on your chest, OK?
Thinning out the spine:
Well, this is a particular brand of voodoo advocated by that terror of the High Seas, Slash McCoy. You must realize that Slash spends weeks on end out on the wine dark sea, often suffers from bouts of scurvy and sometimes shaves whilst blindfolded. If you want to take his word as gospel, that's up to you... My opinion is that it is entirely unneeded. Just put that GD to the bevel setting hone and have at it. Simple as that.
Here's an excerpt from a post I made back in 2010:
Let's take a look at the GD, shall we?
The QC from the factory is a bit lax, so the outline will vary from piece to piece, all are about 13/16 to 7/8 width:
Tip outline, and edge outline vary.
The biggest issue is usually that the heel of the razor is difficult to make contact with the hone due to that extremely large heel stabilizer and thick shoulder on the spine bevel. Some bulk removal of material is usually required to get that sorted out.
Outline is one thing, the next is the tang of the razor. 8 out of ten of them will have a tang that is not in-line with the body of the blade. This isn't really an issue unless you plan on re-scaling them.
Which leads us to the scales.....
CHEAP, lightweight plastic scales, more often than not come very loose. Some simple re-peening tightens them up, no problem. They are then at least serviceable for protecting the blade.
That's the ugly bits about these razors.
Let's take a look at the grind:
Here's a cross section from a diced up GD:
Hollow, but not full hollow or singing by any means. Nice thick spine adds some heft.
Here is where it falls on the grind chart:
It is my opinion that this is one of the highlights of these razors, as I have never had a warped blade yet (sample size~50 so far).
Marker test shows good contact except for smile at toe and heel. This is fresh out of the box:
With this one you can see the issue with the edge at the heel:
So, how about the edge?
Well, when they come off the assembly line in Shanghai, they look something like this (all scope pics at ~400x):
None too pretty! I wouldn't let that thing near my face!
But, after some time on the hones, these razors hone up quite fine. Here is the finished edge on the very same razor as pictured above, finished to 0.1um diamond lapping film.
Well, Seraphim, pics are all well and good, but you don't shave with pics, do you?
Nope, I don't shave with pics, but I do like to find out empirically what is going on, not simply going on my own opinion. I like shaving with very sharp razors.
Here is a shot of a HHT hair cleaved by the edge shown above:
The hair cleaved without any *ping* or *pop*, nice, silent cut-in-two HHT. Nice clean cut. Does the same to the whiskers on your face
My review:
Hard to assign numerical values to this razor. At first glance, I'd give the razor a 1 for craftsmanship, because, let's face it, it's not very refined AT ALL.
Yet, they did get the important bits right- the grind has always been well done, and as mentioned, I have never had a warped blade yet. Important part #2 is that they can indeed hone up as well as most any other razor if you take the time to do so. Once honed, I have recieved many a close and comfortable shave from these razors.
You can buy them on EBay for ~$13 or so. Just be aware that they come with lots of warts and faults at that price point. None of which cannot be overcome, but be prepared to invest some sweat equity in getting it in good shaving shape. So how do you assign a "value" rating in that regard? Sure, $13 sounds like the deal of the decade, yet you will also need some proper tools (hones, hammers, buzzsaws, etc.
) to get it into top notch shape. So is that a good deal, or not? You will have to decide that for yourself.
I have been more than happy with the GDs I have used.
Of the 250 GDs I've had, I have had ZERO warped blades (I have had three warped Dovos however...). GDs do come with a smile to the blade, and some guys have some sort of weird idea that a razor is supposed to have a dead flat edge, and if they run the razor up and down the hone and see the toe and heel aren't getting honed the same as the middle, once again their first reaction is to say that the blade is warped, when most likely it is not.
The stabilizer is a big honking booger of steel at the heel of the razor, and yes, the honing will go easier if you remove it prior to honing, but that is not required (see attached pic to see how to hone without removing the heel booger. There has been no modification to that razor, I just grabbed it from my pile of GDs). What is required is some intestinal fortitude, and a "can do" attitude.
Nope. If you need your hand held, tend to wet yourself when the going gets tough, or just prefer to sit quietly with a plate of milk and cookies, then please don't bother trying to hone a GD yourself, and please don't whine to the rest of us about it either.
Go watch some John Wayne, Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen movies and drink some bourbon straight up and try again when you get some hair on your chest, OK?
Thinning out the spine:
Well, this is a particular brand of voodoo advocated by that terror of the High Seas, Slash McCoy. You must realize that Slash spends weeks on end out on the wine dark sea, often suffers from bouts of scurvy and sometimes shaves whilst blindfolded. If you want to take his word as gospel, that's up to you... My opinion is that it is entirely unneeded. Just put that GD to the bevel setting hone and have at it. Simple as that.
Here's an excerpt from a post I made back in 2010:
Let's take a look at the GD, shall we?
The QC from the factory is a bit lax, so the outline will vary from piece to piece, all are about 13/16 to 7/8 width:
Tip outline, and edge outline vary.
The biggest issue is usually that the heel of the razor is difficult to make contact with the hone due to that extremely large heel stabilizer and thick shoulder on the spine bevel. Some bulk removal of material is usually required to get that sorted out.
Outline is one thing, the next is the tang of the razor. 8 out of ten of them will have a tang that is not in-line with the body of the blade. This isn't really an issue unless you plan on re-scaling them.
Which leads us to the scales.....
CHEAP, lightweight plastic scales, more often than not come very loose. Some simple re-peening tightens them up, no problem. They are then at least serviceable for protecting the blade.
That's the ugly bits about these razors.
Let's take a look at the grind:
Here's a cross section from a diced up GD:
Hollow, but not full hollow or singing by any means. Nice thick spine adds some heft.
Here is where it falls on the grind chart:
It is my opinion that this is one of the highlights of these razors, as I have never had a warped blade yet (sample size~50 so far).
Marker test shows good contact except for smile at toe and heel. This is fresh out of the box:
With this one you can see the issue with the edge at the heel:
So, how about the edge?
Well, when they come off the assembly line in Shanghai, they look something like this (all scope pics at ~400x):
None too pretty! I wouldn't let that thing near my face!
But, after some time on the hones, these razors hone up quite fine. Here is the finished edge on the very same razor as pictured above, finished to 0.1um diamond lapping film.
Well, Seraphim, pics are all well and good, but you don't shave with pics, do you?
Nope, I don't shave with pics, but I do like to find out empirically what is going on, not simply going on my own opinion. I like shaving with very sharp razors.
Here is a shot of a HHT hair cleaved by the edge shown above:
The hair cleaved without any *ping* or *pop*, nice, silent cut-in-two HHT. Nice clean cut. Does the same to the whiskers on your face
My review:
Hard to assign numerical values to this razor. At first glance, I'd give the razor a 1 for craftsmanship, because, let's face it, it's not very refined AT ALL.
Yet, they did get the important bits right- the grind has always been well done, and as mentioned, I have never had a warped blade yet. Important part #2 is that they can indeed hone up as well as most any other razor if you take the time to do so. Once honed, I have recieved many a close and comfortable shave from these razors.
You can buy them on EBay for ~$13 or so. Just be aware that they come with lots of warts and faults at that price point. None of which cannot be overcome, but be prepared to invest some sweat equity in getting it in good shaving shape. So how do you assign a "value" rating in that regard? Sure, $13 sounds like the deal of the decade, yet you will also need some proper tools (hones, hammers, buzzsaws, etc.
) to get it into top notch shape. So is that a good deal, or not? You will have to decide that for yourself.I have been more than happy with the GDs I have used.
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- #139
Thanks for the amazing post.
But could you clarify something though:
Yet in the 2010 section said:
Also
I'll just sit here and wait for your answer.
But could you clarify something though:
Yet in the 2010 section said:
Also
I didn't know you were a mind reader.
I'll just sit here and wait for your answer.
It's a big issue to some folks. But in reality, it's not a show stopper whatsoever. I think I illustrated that in the last picture. It just makes it a bit more unwieldy with the heel blob on there.
bottom line is this:
Its a $5 razor. Are guys expecting perfection?
bottom line is this:
Its a $5 razor. Are guys expecting perfection?
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