Offered a Gold Dollar shave ready (by expert) razor for £20

Hi Guys

i'm a newbie and i'm sure this topic has cropped up.

i really want to go the whole straight route and understand that a shavette is in no way a straight razor (only in looks) however part of the appeal of a shavette, at least to me appears to be:

• doesn't need honing
• doesn't need stropping
• has replaceable blades
• Looks the same
• inexpensive and cool designs
• Potential for super close shave

so many would say "win/win", all the benefits and minimal upkeep.

So why then do we even use straights anymore? to me its because there's no substitute for the real thing. You can buy a lab diamond that looks just like the real thing and costs pennies, however its not the real thing is it???

There's always been a certain allure and prestige with the straight and it's something that i don't think should be allowed to die out, especially in the fires of the latest Corporate "1072 bladed" monstrosity that has a guy with no hairs on this (perfect) face using it and costs £15 for 4 cartridges (at that rate i'd be spending probably £30 a month on shaving).

What do you think guys?

only issue for me is that i would want to hone myself when it dulls (any recommendations on an inexpensive hone(s))

I've never shaved with a shavette. Everything thing I've read about straight razor shaving seems to imply that shaving with a shavette requires a different technique (steeper angle) than straight razors. Also, shavettes are considered to be less forgiving.

What model of GD are you being offered for £20? I recently purchased a honed GD 66 for $18 (Google says equivalent to £13.75), with free honing for a year from a member of the forum on the Panjo marketplace. Deals are out there if you look. £20 might be worth it for one of the other models of GD, but I think it is a little steep for a 66.

Its a 209 model sir

NiteEyez said:

Its a 209 model sir

Click to expand...

£20 seems reasonable for a new & professionally honed shave-ready Gold Dollar 209 to me. You are paying roughly £6 for the razor and £14 for the process of making it shave ready.

A stock, shave ready GD is a good starter razor. What I don't like about a stock GD is actually a good thing for a beginner. The very obtuse bevel angle contributes to a very mild shave. If the edge is well executed, this is one razor that will not filet your face or punish you too severely for lack of skill. The price looks okay to me. A shave ready edge is worth about $20 these days, plus the value of the razor itself. You might could get it cheaper elsewhere, or maybe not. You might get a better edge elsewhere, or maybe not. If it is a member of this forum then his reputation is on the line and I would think that he would turn out very good edges. I expect that you will be satisfied that your money was well spent. Another good option would be a shave ready vintage razor from www.whippeddog.com. And if you have a CONUS address, you might want to sign up for Doc47's passaround box, which will allow you to try a variety of razors and keep one of them if you like, "paying" for it if that is the right word, by becoming a donor to the site. I think he now has several boxes going around so the wait won't be too long. Maybe get the GD for now and start learning with it, while you wait for the passaround box to arrive.

Speaking of address, you might want to include your location in your profile so it shows up in your post header. This can sometimes be helpful to someone replying to your posts.

A good thing to make a habit of, is to always check the sharpness of a razor when you first get it, and before/after honing or when the razor seems to not be shaving well. This gives you an idea of what is going on with the razor itself and where improvement is called for. HHT works but I prefer the treetopping test. Pass the razor over your forearm about 1/4" (6mm for you guys using that silly metric system thing) above the skin. See if it cuts the tips off any arm hairs. If it severs one or two hairs, it is a good edge. If it severs several hairs and does so absolutely silently with zero snapback, then it is super crazy sharp, an edge that is well above the ordinary. If you must reduce the height to half of that height to get any treetopping, then the edge is marginal but should still shave if you do your part. If it won't treetop hair at all at 1/8" then don't expect the razor to shave very well or at all. Simply shaving the skin of your forearm is no test for a razor. A pocketknife should do that, and you wouldn't shave your face with your pocketknife.

Sharpness tests are not an absolute indicator due to factors like hair texture, razor grind, etc but they will give you a pretty good idea of whether your razor SHOULD be shaving well or not, and whether it is ready to shave with after your first attempts at honing. Performing a sharpness test at every opportunity helps to give you a baseline, and makes the results relevant at least to you.

Thanks guys

To me i shave both whit a shavette and a traditional straight. The technic is not The same but very similar to my opinion, yes The angle is different and The shavette is less forgivin but, to my opinion ir's just a Matter to get used to it. I used my traditional straight for at least 95% of my shaves and The shavette when i feel to lazzy to strop. To my opinion it' sa Matter of personal preference, lots Will swear that shavette is better and some Will swear that a traditional straight is better. My advice is to try both and juge for your self, of course there's some pros and cons for both but go for what you preffer.