Goodfella Safety Razor

Discussion in 'Safety Razor Reviews' started by mastermute, Jan 24, 2009.

  1. mastermute

    mastermute FatBoy

    The Goodfella Safety Razor is a new razor that is produced in New Zeeland. It is a bold venture to start production of double edge razors [outside "low-cost" countries]. It is marketed as a "premium product" and the pice reflects that.

    The handle is polished and quite heavy. The grip is ok, but the razor would have benefited from some kind of treatment of the handle (gentle knurling).

    The head is open comb style. Not much blade exposure (a low score there isn't nessecarily bad, is it?). And the head is slim and VERY LIGHT! This, combined with the heavy handle gives the razor a very strange balance that I don't really agree with. I opted for the black head and it looks really classy.

    The Goodfella is most probably among the gentlest shavers I have in my collection. It's not a bad razor at all, but it is my belief that it isn't worth the price (USD $70+ shipping at the writing of this). I truly appreciate the effort and work put into this product (I also understand it's mostly made by hand), but unfortunately I think it's too expensive.
     
  2. riffin

    riffin Active Member

    I like this razor. The weight and balance felt right in my hand. The surface of the handle is surprisingly grippy even though its a polished surface. The cuts at the top of the grip help a lot. However, I did nearly drop it a couple of times when it was soapy. I plan to try it with some o-rings in the cuts and maybe on the bottom part of the handle.

    The blade exposure was fairly low, but I could definitely feel the edge. I think I would have liked just a tad bit more aggressive. If it were adjustable, I'd turn it up 1/2 a notch. I found my self going over a couple spots extra time to get a close shave. The extra passes left my skin a tiny bit more irritated than usual.

    I really like the slim profile of the head. I felt I had a lot more flexibility in choosing the blade angle. I'll have to have a few more runs to get the optimum angle.

    The price was a little high. I put out $55, which is better that the original price, but still a bit high. I DO think this a razor that people will be trading in 50-100 years, the way we do vintage Gillettes these days. The build quality it that good. This razor will go into rotation. If they make an adjustable, I'd give it a try. I just hope they pick up enough sales that they can bring the price down.

    UPDATE: I got some #5 o-rings at Lowe's in the plumbing section. The #6s seemed to fit too, but I liked the tightness of the #5. I put one in each of the five grooves at the top of the handle. Since there were ten in the pack, I put the other 5 clustered together around the bottom end. This made a HUGE difference in the grip. It was much easier to control and there was no risk of dropping it. The rings at the top look like they were made for the razor. Goodfellas should consider this as an option. The rings at the bottom look a bit kludgey, but and a nice bit of touch control for the pinky finger.

    This can boost the Grip ratting to 7 or 8. But since it a mod, I won't change the rating in this review. I highly recommend trying the o-rings out if you have a Goodfellas razor.
     
  3. cem

    cem Guest

    An outstanding razor

    My beard is sufficiently tough that barbers have complained about it. Over the past 50 years I have tried several Gillette double-edged razors, Gillette's 2-, 3- and 5-bladed razors, a Rolls razor, a cut-throat, a multi-bladed Wilkinson, and an assortment of German double-edged razors with straight bars and/or open combs. None of these would shave me close without cutting me. A Goodfella is the first razor I have ever found that will.

    Although the Goodfella is an open-comb razor, its combs protect the skin from the blade even better than the bar on my Gillette Slim Adjustable set to 1. This ought to prevent a close shave, and indeed, the Goodfella will not shave close if I handle it as I do other razors. However, the Goodfella lets me use techniques that no other razor will let me get away with. It lets me hold the blade to the skin at an extremely acute angle and, at the same time, it lets me draw the razor across my face at a severe angle to the edge of the blade. Either angle by itself would normally lead to cuts but with the Goodfella they do not, and they let the Goodfella slice safely through low stubble that other razors cannot cope with.

    I find the weight and balance of the Goodfella to be as good as any razor's, and although the handle looks slippery, I find it not to be.
     
  4. crackstar

    crackstar Israeli Ambassador to TSD

    Gentle as a pussycat!

    I freaked completely when I used this razor this morning. I received it yesterday, and when I saw it was an open comb, I was very nervous to use it. HOWEVER-- this is soooooooo gentle and forgiving, that unless you see there is a blade in it, you would never think it could shave me so close and smooth, with NO cuts, or razor burn, or irritation, and I have a very tough beard. It is an amazing DE! :)
     

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