Goodfella Razor

Absolutely love this razor! A well made product with a gentle shaving action that I would highly recommend (from which several more of this razor have been sold!) to anyone considering one as opposed to a cartridge blade... You will not regret this purchase!

I have been wanting to try an open combed razor so this was my first one. Price was $60 USD which for a razor from a small manufacturer who is starting out is not out of line. It is of comparable quality to the Merkurs and this price is not much more that. Finish is fairly good. Handle is smooth as mentioned and could be gripped a little better with some texture but I did not find this a problem. Balance was decent even though I prefer a heavier razor. I looked at the gap and it was smaller than I expected for an open comb razor which I thought would be good for me as I can't use razors that are too aggressive. I set my Mergress to about 1.5. The result was somewhat of a mystery to me. I had more razor burn and the shave was not as close as with my Feather ASD1 stainless DE which has a reputation as a mild shaver and I agree. How can a razor not give a close shave and yet still give more razor burn? Maybe this is a characteristic of Open Comb razors. I am still planning on trying another Open Comb so I ordered a Merkur 12C. Bottom line, don't be afraid to try this razor as it is a good quality razor but it did not give me close shaves and I still had razor burn. It's light weight would make it a good candidate for a travel razor. My go to razor is still my Feather ASD1 or my new stainless copy of a PILS made in Thailand. Can't mention the mfg. as I think he is blacklisted here at B&B. Looking forward to trying my Merkur 12C when it arrives.

I know that I'm a newb, but I'm not unfamiliar with a good shave (note intro). In my opinion, I think some folks have been pretty hard on this razor. I now have, and have been using a number of open combs, adjustables, and straits. There is definitely a place for this razor.

1) Price is related to cost. I really doubt a start-up is going to go for profit 'gouging'. SS is more expensive than brass and chrome.

2) I've read the reviews; I don't see it. Fit and finish is as good, if not better than my Merks.

3) I guess I'm not real sure what this means. It certainly gets into the nooks and cranes.

4) Now this is interesting. As is; I probably have rated it lower, but having used the #5 o' rings, makes a world of difference.

5) It's a 3 piece.

6) Sometimes there just needs to be a 'time out'; like if the brandy is setting in. (some will and some won't understand). BTW, I shave at night

6) Although probably more so than some other DE's, due to the shallow head.

7) Simply personal preference. If I had a way to use just the blade w/o severe blood lose, I'd try it. I'm saying that I like the small handle.

WADR,
Bob

This is my first post and I am on here as something of a novice. I've been working my way in to DE shaving for the past year, starting with a Weishi (which was fun, almost idiot proof and dirt cheap), which I had to get rid of after the butterfly mechanism broke. I had been bought a Merkur travel razor, which I used for a few months after that, but needed something more substantial.

Living here in New Zealand, there is little on offer for a DE razor user, so when the Goodfella came on the market, I thought it would be good to support a small Kiwi enterprise and give it a go.

In comparison with my (admittedly limited) experience with the above mentioned razors, I find the Goodfella to be solid, mostly well made and very user friendly. It is not aggressive, the smooth handle is not a problem and I personally like its weight.

I've been using it for a couple of months, now, usually needing a couple of passes to get a very smooth shave. Changing blades (I've used Derby blades all along) is easy, as is keeping it clean.

I do echo the sentiments of some reviews that the Goodfella is pricey, but to have it made in New Zealand is a bold step, this is their first effort and one would hope that they can take encouragement from this and go on to improve their design and bring out successive models of greater quality and merit.

The review of the black satin model by Thunderball pretty much gets The Goodfella's pros and cons down to a tee. I will happily continue with it for the foreseeable future, but from all of the reviews I've read on B&B, I know that I shall have to invest in a more substantial Merkur, Gillette et-cetera to really see how the The Goodfella ranks.

Thanks for the 'cut the cr@p' review.
Had this one on my list for some time now but your vision (combined with the other reviews) made it clear I can use my budget on other nice stuff.

I wanted this razor for a long time, but all of the reviews I've seen said it was too mild. Well, I decided to risk it and picked one up last summer. I have been using this razor couple of times a week since July, so I feel that I have given it a fair shake. That being said, I will probably retire it soon (read on to see why!)

I'm happy to say that I find it to be less mild than others seem to. Definitely more aggressive than a Tech, and you can get a good shave out of it. The balance is OK, a little handle-heavy since the head is made of a much lighter material than the stainless steel handle. I find the grip to be acceptable even though the handle is mostly smooth, but the small ridges work well.

The things I don't like about it are fairly basic: the price and the quality. First, I want to say that I'm glad to see that people are designing and manufacturing new razors in these days of multi-bladed monstrosities.

However, these things cost around $55 US and I believe they're overpriced. I find the QC was definitely lacking in the one I have. The head is poorly shaped, with one side shorter than the other, and the edge is quite crooked and tapered off. Getting a blade installed straight is impossible. I can still shave with it as long as I keep in mind that the blade is crooked. The bottom line is that I would expect a much better head at this price point, even without the flaws. It's so light that it feels flimsy and cheap.

I have a Muhle R-89 (the old version) that is physically flawless in every detail. Every part is heavy and solid, and you get a feeling of quality holding it in your hand that you don't get from the Goodfella. Plus it cost less than the Goodfella. I believe that if this razor's head was redesigned to use good heavy plated brass instead of Zamac or chromed plastic or whatever it is, and if the QC was stepped up a notch, they would have a winner.