Very nice blade. I wanted to out down my safety razor and try something different. I was surprised for the price it's really good. Not fake. This is a real razor. The scales are made of low quality materials but you can't really argue with the price being so low. It's very sharp. The finish on the blade is not quite mirror but it looks very shiny with no obvious machinng marks. I honed my blade on a 3000/8000 grit stone and used some cerium oxide (glass polish powder) to lap the blade over a scrap piece of leather. I managed to shave my entire face without nics. I did have some razor burn that could be solved with more lapping. I'm gonna try a green polish bar. Overall a great purchase. Much nicer feeling skin vs my safety razor. A good beginner tool to try before deciding to invest in better razors. Read more
This razor is relatively inexpensive. I bought it to learn how to hone without ruining one of my more expensive razors. In spite of the cost, I like the way it shaves. Read more
I bought two of these to learn on and experiment with before buying a higher end item. Straight edge razors have a bit of a romantic allure because they can last you a lifetime while representing a high level of shaving skill and providing incomparable control. These particular blades do need a bit of sharpening and stropping to get them to a point of providing a comfortable shave, but they sharpen up nicely and hold their edge well with minimal maintenance. That said, the scales are complete junk, so minus a star for that. I wouldn't consider these shave-ready so most people will probably need some sharpening equipment and a strop, which will cost considerably more than the blade itself unless you happen to have some stuff lying around. I personally have some whetstones and used an old belt paired with a polishing compound I had from a copper project as a strop and it worked well. Overall, I would recommend these to anyone who wants to try out straight edge razor shaving without dropping several hundred bucks on a blade. I generally stick to my double-edge safety razor because you don't need to be as dialed in while shaving as you do with a straight razor. It makes sense to start low-end in terms of price when trying out straight edge shaving because it's not for everyone. But, with a bit of work, you can get an excellent and very rewarding shave with these blades. Read more
It may require some honing, mine did but it wasn't that bad. For $12 it was a great value... but three stars because it's not shave ready, and the scales are a bit clunky. Read more
Good looking razor. Came facial hair cutting ready right out of the package. It's definitely a heavier/beefier razor than I'm used to. I had been using disposable blade straight razors for some time now. And those alone aren't created equal. But this is a Carbon steel blade and I can vouch that those are easier to maintain shape, and sharpness than stainless steel. Read more
I bought four of these after I the first one arrived shave ready and I had shaved with it for over a week I honed it just little on my shapton 30k stone and it shaved even better so I bought three more for gifts. I have owned over one hundred straight razors and been shaving with a straight for over thirty five years so I have shaved with many types of steel and versions of blades and I can tell from experience that this ten dollar GD1996 is the best Gold Dollar brand razor I have ever shaved with and the best quality shave ready edge you will find under eighty dollars or so. You will be happy with this purchase. I must tell you that after reading some of the other reviews if your razor arrives with a slight smile in the blade strop it just a little and shave with it before you do anything else and then decide if you want to hone it. Razors can shave quite well with a smile in some cases so don't do anything until you first shave with a razor sever times. All four of these razors I bought arrived flat, straight and sharp. I hope this info helps you make a good decision for yourself. Read more
This is actually a nice straight razor for the price. Ignore any negative comments from straight razor snobs. These razors are not perfectly buffed and polished, and the acrylic handle is obviously nothing to get excited about, but it brings the cost down. The acrylic handle is somewhat flexible yet sturdy and durable and easy to hold. The hollow ground blade is good for beginners because hollow ground blades are easily honed and stropped. I definitely recommend this razor for newbees. For a few dollars more you can buy the same straight razor with an ebony wood handle and metal case, but the red acrylic handle is the least expensive, and is well-worth the low cost. Get a 1000#/4000# whetstone, strop, and polishing compounds and you'll be set. Read more
The razor arrived on time and was packaged nicely. Only qualm I had was that it wasn't that sharp when I used it. It took more attempts than usual as opposed to my other GD to cut the whiskers off my face. Pretty unpleasant shave to say the least. Read more
