Took the 'maiden voyage.'

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by BJV, Mar 29, 2014.

  1. BJV

    BJV Active Member

    Been wet-shaving for a long, long, long time, but shaved with a straight razor for the first time today. No nicks, no runs, no errors.

    Admittedly, I didn't shave as close as I normally do with my Gellette Tech or Merkur DE, but my goal was to have a bloodless face afterward, which, I accomplished.

    I used a cheap (advertised as shave-ready) Gold Dollar, stropped it as per directions, and proceeded slowly. I did, however, clean up the ruff spots with the Tech.

    I sent a vintage Genco Gold Seal Jr. to SRD to be made shave-ready, and I assume that will be a noticeable improvement to the Gold Dollar.
     
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  2. oscar11

    oscar11 Well-Known Member

    Congrats on your shave. Gold Dollars are very good shavers provided they're sharpened properly. I find them to be a very comfortable shaving razor. I would expect the Genco to be an excellent razor in all regards. I think you'll find the Gold Seal to be more finely hollow ground. I had a pretty minty one and it was a fine shaver. IMO, the older vintage razors are superb, generally. Learn to enjoy the subtle differences between razors. Good luck and start posting on "Which straight razor did you use today" if you feel like it. It's a good place to stay in touch with the straight razor users on this site. Looking forward to see how the Gold Seal works out for you.
     
    BJV likes this.
  3. Mr. Oldschool

    Mr. Oldschool Johnny Dangerously

    I do believe this has to be the only time I've ever heard anything good about Gold Dollars. Aren't they Chinese or Pakistani or something like that? Most of what I've read elswehere, you'd think they had two heads, so to speak.
     
  4. jabberwock

    jabberwock Well-Known Member

    Gold Dollars are Chinese made razors, but that does not make them bad. Modified Gold Dollars (those who have had their shoulders and maybe a bit of the spine ground down so that they can be honed properly) are usually regarded as fairly good razors.

    The issues that most folks have with Gold Dollars has to do with the razors which come straight from the factory. If you get one from a reputable seller (such as Lee over at Wet Shaving Products) then you may be surprised by how well they perform. I have a couple of them, and can compare them favorably to my other razors. The factory scales are pretty cheap, but not unusably so...personally I look at this as a great chance to put some spiffy custom scales on a well performing, low cost blade.
     
  5. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Congratulations on the maiden voyage! The first few times using an SR, I discovered, was the most challenging.
    I used a DE razor for clean-up on many SR shaves until my skill and efficiency with the straight improved. I'm not there yet (silky BBS, that is), but the more I shave with an SR, the better and more confident I become.
    Good luck!
     
  6. Stroker

    Stroker Well-Known Member

    I have never used a Gold Dollar Straight but I do have a Double Arrow (Chinese made) and it is one of the best shaving razors in my rotation. It may be that there are good ones and bad ones but I must have gotten a good one. My thought is: if it works for you, so be it! Congrats on your first straight shave. I'm sure there will be many more in the future. I agree with Oscar, there are a lot of vintage straights out there that are excellent razors for a reasonable price. They may require a little cleaning up, re-setting the bevel and a proper honing but once they are tuned up they are outstanding performers.
     
  7. Xcursion88

    Xcursion88 New Member

    People see Chinese made and they see an opportunity to open fire with the junk gun. The SAD part in all this is go ahead and find an American made or a German/Euro made razor anywhere near the cost of the Chinese made version. They do NOT exist. (No I am not talking about a used flea market find honed up to shave ready)I am talking about brand new in the box. There is nothing close. If you want to dismiss the Chinese made razor on principal that is your choice and there is nothing wrong with that, however to automatically pull the junk card because of it being made there is childish at best.

    I personally would not use a Chinese made razor knowingly but I can understand why some people do and there is nothing wrong with that.

    BTW, what is more useful, a dull Dovo no matter how great the condition or a shave ready no matter the condition Chinese Gold Dollar?
     
  8. BJV

    BJV Active Member

    After half-dozen straight razor shaves, I'm disappointed in my progress (or rather lack thereof). No cuts or scraps, but quite a bit of stubble left, even after multiple passes. And I'm seeing no differences between the restored vintage Genco and the new Gold Dollar.

    I'm writing all this off as nothing more than novice inefficiency, and I am going to conquer the straight razor if it takes months (years?).

    My question now is one of curiosity only: Has anyone ever given straight razor shaving a try and abandoned it after a reasonable amount of time? if I had to pick one razor, it would be my Merkur Classic 1904 DE with a Feather blade, and I'm beginning to wonder if I can expect any straight razor to ever match the Merk's performance.
     
  9. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    To your question, Yes—shaving with straights isn't for everyone (same with DE and SE shaving), and I know there are a few TSD members here who have tried SR shaving for a while, but simply preferred the convenience and comfort of a DE razor.
    It does take time to master an SR. I was told by a few members that it may take many months of regular use to match anything close to the BSS shaves gotten from a good DE shave. It also requires more practice, more prep, more patience, and more razor maintenance—so my advice is this: if you really wish to master a SR and get consistently close shaves, you need to invest both time and effort into the routine. To some shavers, the SR isn't worth the additional trouble. Others are glad they have stuck with it.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2014
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  10. jabberwock

    jabberwock Well-Known Member

    I still shave with traditional straights from time to time, but I usually prefer my disposable blade straight razors. It's not that I don't like traditional straights (I would never even consider selling my modified Gold Dollar 208 or my Boker Edelweiss), it's just that I get along better with my Feather SS, CJB, Parker SRW, etc.

    The point is this: there are a lot of different razors out there because there are a lot of different people with different needs and different tastes. Try a few things and decide what you like, because one size does not fit all.
     
    BJV likes this.
  11. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    With all the other options to shave with, using a str8 is something you have to WANT to do.
    If you decide you do, then you'll eventually get the hang of it. Yes, it took several months worth of shaves, but because I wanted to use a str8, I eventually figured it out and now get very good shaves. The added benefit is the enjoyment of the "want to." :D
     
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  12. markjnewcomb

    markjnewcomb Well-Known Member

    It looks like we are in exactly the same boat. I have not gotten a really good shave yet.
     
  13. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    Most important for straight razor shaving are (after a good honing job of course):

    -Proper Stropping
    -Proper Prep
    -Proper Angle

    Stropping takes time to learn to do, but as long as you have a steady rhythm with a good strop it'll come with practice. Some (like me) don't bother doing much more prep than pre-shave lotion after a hot face wash and a longer face lathering time - others go the full hot towel treatment but going the long route here will help your shaving bigtime. Angle is also something very important, anything above (IMO) 2 widths of the spine away from your face, is scraping hairs off not cutting them, and it can/will become miserable, give you razor burn and a less than satisfactory amount of stubble removed.
     
  14. BJV

    BJV Active Member

    I've always been fanatical about prep time, ever since my days in the military. My health club back in the 1970s had a steam room, and I actually used to sit in the steam room with my face lathered before I shaved.

    I've progressed to the point where I can now do 90% of my face with a straight (chin still problematic) with nary a nick yet, but no results approaching acceptable.

    If I've made no progress by this time next year...
     

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