$14 for the razor and no telling how much time and effort spent before you gave up on it. I will take your word, and never get tempted to try my luck with one!
Would not go near one personally. Apparently the Chinese Gold Dollars can be honed well with patience but I have heard nothing but bad things about Pakistani straight blades. It's funny because I don't find Treet DE razor blades bad at all so no prejudice involved.I would say to anyone who wants to start on a straight to buy a decent vintage Solingen or Sheffield Steel razor from a reputable seller like Whipped Dog.
A friend of mine gave me a Pakistani razor. He got it from somewhere, had it for a long time, and did not know any better. I thanked him, and thought, "Why not at least try?" Impossible to get an edge on it. Same as your experience, only I ain't slapping 10 layers of tape on a razor to make it shave. Once I saw that edge crumble a couple of times, I was done. Best to avoid any of them. MHO.