Straight Razor Men's Professional Cut Throat Straight Edge Shaving Razor Carbon Steel w/Box Gold Dollar 208

I purchased this razor on a whim and was not expecting much, so I was pleasantly surprised. This may be an inexpensive straight razor, but it works surprisingly well. As others have mentioned- don't expect good results right out of the box- you will have to put in some time to hone a good edge on the blade. But once you have done this- it works quite well. This razor will never compare to a high end Dovo or Boker blade, but if you are looking for a good introductory blade, you can't really beat this for the money. If you are new to shaving with a straight razor, you will need to learn to hone your blade periodically, or you will have to pay someone else to do it for you professionally. You will need several varying grits of whetstones that will add some initial expense to your shaving costs, but will save you money in the long term over paying others to sharpen your blade.A couple of small gripes: The curved heel of the blade could have been ground better where it meets the bottom edge of the blade, but I do have to remember this razor was under $30! Also, the factory edge was pretty rough and not honed very evenly enough across the blade. One side of the blade's edge was honed slightly higher than the other, so I started out with a 3000 grit Japanese whetstone to even it up a little. (It took a lot of passes to get it right, so I probably should have started with a few passes on a 1200 grit stone to save some time before going to the 3000.) Once I had it evened up, I cleaned up the opposite side just a little, and then progressed to a DMT Extra Extra Fine 8000 mesh diamond stone to polish the 'new' edge from both sides of the blade. Finally, 30/50 passes on the rough/smooth side of a leather strop to align the blade's edge yielded a nice shave. It is now extremely sharp and seems to hold a good edge.

update (4-17-2017) Okay, took me awhile but finally got my razor SHARP! This is a great razor BUT you need to know how to sharpen it. i tried four different places that said they could sharpen a straight razor and each one failed to finish the job. When you buy a straight razor you also need to buy a good strop (doesn't need to be expensive) if your just starting out don't buy an expensive one because I am fairly sure you will end up putting nicks in it while your learning. Also buy a honing paste, believe me, it is needed. Point 25 micron. I am not sure if it okay for me to put a link on here to a youtube video so I will not do so. I will try to update this with a description of how to do it or ???The writing below was from 2015 when I bought this razor. I am in my opinion still just learning to shave with a straight razor but am finding that getting a straight razor sharp is harder than one might think. Unless you know a good place to get it sharpened or know how to I would suggest staying with a safety razor or going with a shevette. I just got my shevette and it is sharp! My issue is I still have to deal with replacement blades.This straight razor is great but do not forget you will need to sharpen it yourself or get it sharpened by someone unless you simply want to use it for practice. This is a Gold Dollar 208 straight razor and is great for the price. I bought this because I had bought a shave ready and the complaints by other people were that it was not sharp enough, I actually thought the shave ready was nice and sharp (cut myself three times while learning). I compared this razor with the shave ready after I took it and had it sharpened by a professional in town. The shave ready and this one after it was sharpened (15 dollars) shave about the same.

Wet shaving, and particular shaving with straight razors, has become a sort of hobby with me. This was my first straight razor and I've since acquired dozens of vintage straight razors since. In the process I've learned enough about the subject to conclude that this is a good razor. At $18 it is a very very good deal. You will have to sharpen it which requires a proper hone stone and the skill to use it. After it is sharpened, pretty much all you need is a decent strop unless you injure the edge which requires re-sharpening the blade. The hollow ground blade has the correct geometry and it is properly pinned in the scales. The scales are basic plastic, but fine razors have had celluloid (plastic-like) composition for over 100 years and seem to hold up just fine. The weight and size of the blade make it a pleasure to use. Once it is sharpened, your ability to get a DFS (damn fine shave) will be limited only by your shaving technique.UPDATE: It is now 6 months later and I've had occasion to acquire 4 more of these that I intended to give away. All 4 of the new razors are not as good a quality as this one I acquired originally. The scales don't line up, they squeak, and blade on some hits the side as the razor is closed. Some are better than others, but all in all, this is an inexpensive razor that has the feel of an inexpensive razor. The blade is decent enough to justify the price, but don't expect it to become a prized possession. If you really master shaving with a straight razor, you'll end up buying something nicer and being glad you did. Maybe that's why some reviewers call this a "beginner's razor".