GOLD DOLLAR straight razor wooden scale vintage razor for men barber shaving ready without stabilizer

Keep is mind this is a 20 dollar razor, not a 200 dollar razor. It gets five stars for what it is. I would probably rate it the same if it were twice as much, but not quite German or Japanese quality. Larger and heavier than expected, but not a bad thing. The heft is different and easier to use. Not shave ready from the factory, but not hard to hone and strop and expected. Even expensive German razors are not shave ready from the factory half the time. Once honed (it took 20 minites with proper whet stones), it shaved similar to my vintage German razor and almost as good as my Feather. Metal was surprisingly decent quality with almost no imperfections. Handle is chunky real wood, but OK Chinese finish, similar to a Chinese AK 47 wood stock, and the blade is not exactly centered in the middle when closed. The case and bag were excellent, similar to Dovo. I will still purchase a new German or Japanese razor at some point, but this is a great addition. You can’t beat it for the price, especially a new razor. Read more

Been shaving with Double Edge, Single Edge (SE), and Single Edge Hollow ground safety razors for about 30 years. Had to teach myself to hone blades to use the SE Hollow ground (reusable blades) so I do have the equipment to hone, finish, and strop. Bought a few "Cheap" straight razors a couple years ago to sharpen (pun intended) my skills at honing them. I wanted to put my father's straight razors (most from the late 1800s) back into service and didn't want to send them off to be prep'd. Fast forward to this razor. I wanted something to take with me when I travel instead of worrying about someone deciding I no longer required my antique straight at an airport or hotel so I bought this blade as a "Well, might as well try it." I can't tell you how pleased I was/am with this steel. Did it come "Shave Ready"? Well no, but very close and that to me is to be expected of any straight no matter the price. A razor's "keenness" will diminish just setting on a shelf. I won't kick a manufacturer on a straight unless the bevel isn't set with the spine or what I call "free ground" or the geometry is completely out of wack. This razor had almost perfect blade geometry and was simple to bring around. 30 laps on my finish stone, 35 laps on fire hose / chrome oxide, 15 laps on clean fire hose, and 70 laps on leather. All together about 5 minutes of "work". So far I'm about 15 shaves in with general stropping only and she's still giving clean, comfortable shaves. When it's time to hone, I'll probably add a 40 lap routine on a 10K stone and follow up with the above and expect the shave to improve even more. All in all this is a GREAT razor. I have put this and another low cost razor in my normal shave routine (Steel needs to rest between shaves believe it or not) and use my father's blades when I'm feeling nostalgic. If you've never used a straight or understand some of the maintenance that comes with them you'll have to teach yourself to do that maintenance. The tube has all kinds of folks that explain the ins/outs so it is your friend. Just be careful, keep at it, and in a few weeks you'll be enjoying smooth shaves with NO irritation without all the "15 blade, warmed, vibrating, lube strip, $5 per cartridge shaves. And hey, they look cool as all get out! As for the 4 star overall... It's really not fair. The blade had some minor scratches that didn't impact the operation at all. If I'd paid $200 and these were present I'd be upset but for the price on this, and it not being a display razor I'm just being picky. Read more

I've had GD straights in the past and was hesitant to get another. Uneven grinds and chunky shoulders that required a Dremel to grind down just so you could be disappointed with how hard to hone it was... This particular razor I received was shave ready after a good bit of stropping with no honing required. It's shoulderless too. I can't vouch for all of them but I'm extremely pleased with this. It isn't anywhere close to as finely finished as a TI or even most Dovos but for the money it is a great razor. It is in rotation with razors 20x the price and is a joy to use. Read more

First off this razor did not come shave ready, major pulling and tugging on first 'with the grain' pass (right hand hold on right face cheek/sideburn). Honed razor before trying again. Second attempt found the razor acceptable. Pro's: Easy to hone due to no heel stabilizer. Bevel set with 3K stone without issue, further progression through grits followed well. Scales are pinned well and blade is centered, almost to much friction on the blade when opening. Nice wood scales. Takes edge easy (See Con's) Con's: Very heavy razor, twice as heavy as any of my other straight razors. Difficult to maneuver around Larynx and Jawline due to the heft of the razor. Hones easy but does not keep edge long. Dulls after a few shaves. Read more

This straight razor, while inexpensive, was no where near ready to shave!!! Gold dollar did not even come close to lining up the sharp edge bevel relative to the spine for consistent sharpening. I had to procure the proper whetstones and start all over to get the edge to line up properly with the spine, and from there sharpen it further to make it shave ready. Gold Dollar advertises this as a great beginner's straight razor.....I beg to differ. Tried it right out of the box and it felt like I was pulling my hairs out by the roots!! After a first attempt at sharpening it I achieved the same painful result. It was at this point I realized the edge was not properly lined up with the spine of the razor and I had been just wasting my time trying to sharpen it. Had to start with a 400 grit stone to create the proper edge bevel and work my way up to a 12,000 grit stone to create a proper edge. This should have been done at the factory!!!! Read more

I just got this razor today and when I took it out, I was impressed with it's appearance. I find it to be a handsome piece. Then I tested it on my arm and it shaved nicely. Even so I gave it 20 passes on my finishing stone then stropped it. I then shaved with it and it did a great job. If you are looking for a inexpensive razor that comes shave ready or close to it, this is it. UPDATE. Butterfingers here drop his Gold Dollar Razor in the sink and it broke. I ordered another and when it arrived I honed. This one seems to be even better. I had a real smooth shave. I have given thought of ordering a more expensive razor but I can not see any reason why I would. Read more