Gold Dollar club cut throat straight razor shaving razor

Not even close to shave ready, I had to start bevel setting it with a 400 grit diamond plate; it also arrived with some rust spots on the blade. The strop is ok. I am still giving it 5 stars. The blade shape is very good, and the steel is also good. After sharpening, it shaves wonderfully.

I'm new to straight razors. I do have a few vintage ones, but, this in my first new one. It feels well made and substantial in the hands. I had to hone it before using it, but, that is something to be expected. The strop is made of a soft leather and it does it's jod.

Given that this is a cheap razor and strop combo, I normally wouldn't even bother reviewing the product. It served the purpose I bought it for, namely as a set with which I could practice stropping a razor without risk of damaging an expensive strop or rolling the edge on an actually-shave-ready razor. If that's how it was advertised, as an economical practice set, it would get five stars. That being said, the seller is claiming this product is sharpened sufficiently to shave with out of the box. That is false advertising. Do not try to shave with this out of the box or you might end up with a painful experience. It did not pass the typical tests of sharpness to determine if a razor is shave-ready - tree topping test and hanging hair test both failed right out of the box. I didn't bother trying to shave with it, as I had a different shave-ready razor to use. Get it to practice stropping, or to practice honing a smiling blade, but know that you're getting what you pay for, not what is advertised.

Arrived covered in rust.

I love a good straight razor. Ive been using them since I was 19(I'm 43 now) and the feeling of a properly honed razor just cant be beat by any other shave method. Having heard mixed reviews, I decided to buy several different gold dollar razors to try them out for myself. First thing I noticed about this particular razor is it isnt quite the same shape as the one pictured. Almost like the one I got had excessive wear towards the heel. The edge bevel was also excessively wide, which normally happens when you have a thick edge or a thin spine. I dont listen to the term "shave ready" on any blade since rarely is that true unless you have pretty soft facial hair. I gave it a test run after a light stropping on plain horse hide, and it definitely wasnt shave ready to my face. So I took it to my black arkansas stone. Gave it a couple light "X" strokes, stropped it and tried it again. Was a bit better but still not smooth as it needed to be. Also noticed it felt weird on my stone. So I took it to the stone again and noticed the same weird feedback as I was honing. i wiped the blade and noticed a weird scratch. Or atleast I thought it was a scratch. Turned out to be a super fine crack. Which at least explained the feedback I was getting while honing. The other gold dollar razors I got about the same time have all been good, though also needing honing, and didnt have any odd wear. I will just have to chalk this up to a fluke. Stuff happens.

I’m not sure if some bloggers on this blog are purists or what, but this razor was shave ready right away. A pasted strop is always a good idea immediately before shaving to obtain maximum performance. The Sheffield type design, hardwood handle, and carbon steel keenness is absolutely the best bang for your buck at this price point or ANY price point. Purists need to recognize! The strop is one of the best I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a few. Update: This razor holds a GREAT edge and after 3-4 shaves performs like new. Although I recommend this for an experienced user, I highly recommend this as a gift to yourself or someone special. Update: A great edge and lineup tool as it STILL retains a keen edge.

You want a straight razor and thought this would be a good one to start with. The first thing to know is that shave ready is a sales claim. You must be ready to hone and strop any razor to get a smooth shave. Some are better than others but even a $100.00 razor needs to be touched up. I got this razor because of its unique blade shape. I have 20 razors so I do need one but wanted this blade. I did try to shave after a good strop but it needed to be honed better to get a smooth shave. Once that was done I had a nice close shave. To hone I started with a 300/1000 grid stone then went to a 3000/8000 and finished on a black arkansas stone. Then I stropped it using the nice strop that came with it. As for the whole razor, I question if it is a real Good Dollar because comparing the blade with others I have it does not have the name on the tang between the pivot and the blade and the rivots are different from the others. Also the scales are the thinnest and cheapest I have seen a Gold Dollar. Almost like a Dovo with wood scales. Over all I feel this a good razor but the craftsmanship could be better. For what I paid, it is not a bad deal especially when you factor in the very nice strop.

Shipping was really fast. The razor came with a useable edge, just not as comfy as i like it to be. But, after i took it to the hones, it took a VERY nice edge, with very little effort. It shaves as smooth and easy as my historical razors, and the edge does NOT fail after several shaves, and i have not hit the pasted strop yet. And no sign of it being in the neer future. It is a good size razor, with good heft, and nice hard wood scales. The pleather sleeve is a nice touch, and the strop, while not top notch, is a nice travel piece. The razor is 6/8, and feels nice in hand. I am extremely pleased with this purchase, and have zero regrets about it. If you are on the fence about this, get one, and you will not be sorry.