~Shave Ready~ Carbon Steel Straight Razor 6/8" with Box GD 208

It's really shave ready out of the box! I didn't even have to stop to strop. I'm two shaves in, stropped for the second, and the shave is by far the best, easiest, no pain, no pull, no cut :D shave I've ever had with a straight. Just buy it!Now, to be clear I've only owned one other razor, a restored vintage Henry Sears and Son Queen carbon that was supposed to be shave ready, but clearly wasn't given my new experience with this razor. If you're a beginner this razor at least allows the opportunity for success; there's a curve there, may it be flatter for you.The sharpness of the edge seems uniform and I find the shape which has a slight curve up at the heel and toe - think smile - instead of straight and square, nice for the inexperienced to avoid the shaved-with-an-unhappy-cat look, something I wore quite often. The weight of the blade is hefty, in a good way. It feels solid in the hand and creates a good controlled grip, with adequate jimps for the thumb. The handle is unobtrusive, completely sufficient, and comparable to my Queen.The only negative is a nitpicking-who-really-cares aesthetic thing - hopefully - and that's the grind on the stabilizers and spine. It seems a bit excessive and very utilitarian. So it's not artful, who cares, it's a tool after all, only if it is too excessive is it potentially a future issue. My understanding is the spine and stabilizers are what maintain proper angle for sharpening; they grind down over the life of the blade at a rate that should keep the proper angle for the edge as material is removed. If they've been ground too much you might not get the optimal sharping angle. That said I'm no sharpening guru, a long way off from having to worry, and if that comes to be, it was only four-tee, sooooo just get it al-read-y! Happy shaving!

This "Hair-cutting katana" is sharp. That's the best I've got to say about it.The blade is heavy and swings out of the handle (part way) on it's own. --This is dangerous. --It should have a little "drag" to put it into "operation".. --After it slips outward, there is a lot of "drag" to get it into "operation position".. (perhaps, the drilling of the handle is "cocked"..?)It's "head-and-shoulders" above the Chinese "shavette", with the stainless steel blades that peel the first layer of skin off with the whiskers.. But, when I fold the blade back into the handle, the blade hits a bit of the handle.. There's going to be a "nick" in this blade that will tend to scar when shaving..I don't like how rounded the end is either. This is a "beginner level" razor made by nit-wits that can't drill the handle right (so the blade goes back into the handle in a "protected fasion").I've had two excellent razors (both stolen) that cost $25 and $35. (Please, this was before the inflation of today.. --I'd expect to pay $60 or more to replace them..) Both of these blades were from Solingen, Germany. --This is what I wanted and could not find.I settled on this "Gold Dollar" (POS).. --It didn't come with a protective, plastic case to put the blade in.. --It came in a plastic bag.The blade is going to have to be "monitored" all the time to be sure there isn't a defect from banging the blade into the handle (from some alignment problem I've already mentioned).I'm not happy with it.But, it's better than a "shavette".--Overall, the execution of manufacture of this razor is deficient. The lack of a case to protect it is absolute thoughtlessness from the manufacturer/supplier.. --Perhaps, there is no "parallelism" in the blade where it is mounted to the handle..It looks like I have to fix something I bought "brand-new" with expectations that it was "well-thought-out".. I'm stuck with "re-engineering/machining" the product to meet "useability and predictivity" standards.--The Gold Dollar #208 is worth it's weight in lint!It is poorly made. lacks protective case.. Sharp as hell but, don't like the thing swinging open so easily.. --Dangerous----I'm not an amateur shaver.Isn't there a good, cheap "Solingen" blade out there..?

I ordered this to have something to alternate with my then main straight, a Dovo 5/8 full hollow. This is a half hollow 6/8 inch and as such probably more forgiving of mis-strokes. It was specifically said to be shave ready. That is likely to be a subjective judgment, and all I can say is that I did not find it to be shave ready for me. YMMV. I stropped it up before trying to shave with it and after a couple of passes set it aside, as I had a set of water stones on order from elsewhere. After honing with Naniwa 5K, 8K and 12K grit stones and stropping, it shaved fairly well and is occasionally used in rotation with two Dovos and a Thiers Issard. Mostly I plan to employ the Gold Dollar when traveling, as I'd rather lose it than one of the others. I gave it three stars as it required honing --for me-- and two of the water stones each cost more than the razor. If it had come as sharp as I honed it to, I'd give it four stars. It may be that not everyone who sharpens these at "A Sharper Razor" is that good, or maybe some one has an occasional bad day. I don't know. Personally, I find the carbon scales to be relatively attractive, some of the better and more expensive Spyderco knives (like the Caly 3) have carbon fiber scales. Look it up, they are not cheap.July 1 2014 edit: I have moved this into my regular rotation. After honing & with pre-shave stropping, it is an excellent shaver. For the money, it is a solid buy, but may require honing, as mine and others' did. Adding a star to my review.