Gold dollar confusion

Okay not to start a flame war but..
I'm really confused. I have been reading here that the Gold Dollar if worked with is as descent razor. I know there are several here that mod them and they seem to be raved on. But I was checking out other forums and there is no love at a all. In fact one site seems to have banned the mention of them. They justify it by saying that even when they are moded or worked on that they are basicly junk.
I've been toying getting one that is shave ready from one of the hobbiest here but being an idiot I'm confused.

I believe that some sites are run by people that make a living from selling razors etc. When they are modded, they shave as well as any other razor. They are a trap though for people that don't know how to modify them to get them to a shaveable condition. I've got a modified shave ready Gold Dollar in my collection.

I shaved with a gd mod yesterday , almost didn't need to shave today.

It will shave every bit as good as a name brand razor if your into it and adventurous... I've never complained about a gd shave, but prefer the glitz and glamour ;-)

GD's would not be an economical thing to spend time on if you made your living honing razors, as they take more time and prep work. It is not often you can just slap them on the hones and make them sharp. Similarly, if you were selling expensive razors you would not want to let on that a $4-$20 razor can do the job just fine.

But, if you are just doing this as a hobby or for fun, and are happy to spend a little time (or pay someone who is prepared to spend the time) they can indeed be persuaded to be good shavers.

I'm guessing the venders here have done all the hard work. I'm looking at an easy way to try one and after reading here the GD already moded seemed like a foolproof way to go. But like I said reading elsewhere (can't help it I like to research multiple sources) they claim they are junk no matter what you do. Its not like "they take a lot of work" or "they aren't for the noob" its that no matter what they are junk.

It just seems odd that there is love here and hate (no matter what is done) out there.

Heespharm said:

I've never complained about a gd shave, but prefer the glitz and glamour ;-)

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I've seen pictures here of some of the scary things you shave with

On the issue of shave-quality, when honed properly they shave as well as the most expensive razor, at least its been my experience and a lot of other's in here. On the issue of looks well, have a look at the past competitions held on the forums to see what can be done with enough time and patience http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/382385-Gold-Dollar-2014-Competition

If you want to judge the shave-quality on your own you can get a cheap shave-ready Gold Dollar from Buca who sells them (vendor/hobbyist section), or even get a nice creation from Seraphim. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.

imatabor said:

It just seems odd that there is love here and hate (no matter what is done) out there.

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It's not odd at all.

When in doubt, try it out. A stock, modded GD from one of our vendors or hobbyists does not cost much, and if you don't like it you can sell it on for most of what you paid.

I found Buca already and that is what sparked this whole thing. I haven't seen much of Seraphim. Is he in the vender area or does he have a website.

He has stuff for sale in the hobbyist area from time to time.

I recently picked up a modded GD from Buca and while it is my first straight razor (so I don't have a lot of experience and nothing to compare to), I have found that it shaves very well and would recommend his razors as a great starting point. I'd also recommend his strop/balsa block.

Started DE last October and now am trying to master the shavette and I'm already eyeing straights. When does this end? Probably death.
Trying to convince SWMBO that all I need is one inexpensive straight. But I have a few DEs and a few shavettes so my track record isn't good. Then add to it that I started a passaround in the DE section and it disappeared. She isn't to thrilled with all this right now. I'll have to work on getting on her good side and wear her down with love. Plus this gives me some time to figure out what I really need. But the moded GD really seems to be the way to go.

Whipped Dog seems to be the best option for an affordable shave ready straight.

I've looked at them as well. So GD or whipped dog sight unseen?

chongo gordo said:

Whipped Dog seems to be the best option for an affordable shave ready straight.

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This seems to be the canned response at most forums now.
Larry dosn't seem to have much competition and also seems to have the best marketing team!

I purchased a buca gd because I would like to try my hand at modding one. Ii figured looking at what buca did to make it shave well would help me in that process. Now there are 4 brand new gd razors just waiting for me to purchase a couple of hones!

And it is not just the Gold Dollar.
I see often on board warning like "Don't try it, it must be junk because it is cheap", but when you press the point, you find out nobody has ever tried it.

I have a Titan and a Bakkus and I find both to be very adequate.

To further the science, I just ordered a Sweeney Todd.
I'll be reporting on the honing and (hopefully) shaving experience.

totorlekiller said:

And it is not just the Gold Dollar.
I see often on board warning like "Don't try it, it must be junk because it is cheap", but when you press the point, you find out nobody has ever tried it.

I have a Titan and a Bakkus and I find both to be very adequate.

To further the science, I just ordered a Sweeney Todd.
I'll be reporting on the honing and (hopefully) shaving experience.

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I've heard it won't hold an edge ... I'm so interested to hear Ur experience

The deal about holding and edge or how long an edge lasts seems like it would be a material issue, as pin the metal. For instance is the steal in the GD cheaper than other razors?