My 1st experience with Gold Dollar 66

[Ray]

Just finished up honing 2x Gold Dollar 66. These were my 3rd and 4th razors to sharpen. I'm certainly no expert.

Honestly it’s very similar to the GD 100 in both size and shape. First impressions were the same too, scales looked less refined and a bit cheaper in finish, and the 66 has the full black logo on one side of the blade.

I used rbscebu’s lapping film method to hone it, and the marker test showed uneven bevels, so I had to remove quite a bit of material to even it out. This took way longer than expected.
I may need to invest in some stones for future honing sessions. Especially for bevel correction.

After that, it took multiple sessions on the diamond-pasted balsa strop progression (thanks again to rbscebu) before the edges started shaving comfortably. The first few test shaves gave me some irritation, but each round of refinement made a noticeable difference in comfort. In the end the shaving experience was identical to both of the Gold Dollar 100 I already have.

I found the 66s definitely took more time and effort than the 100s before they felt right on the face.

So yeah, the GD 66 will get there, but in my experience it takes a bit more patience.

I doubt this is new information to anyone but thought I'd share from a new wet shaver perspective.
Appreciate all the information shared by everyone on this forum.

 

[Bicep123]

I had to do a ton of work on a recently purchased GD208 to get it shave ready. It's not just the 66 and 100 that need work out of the box. I had to break out my diamond plates to grind down the spine straight. Can't imagine how long it would have taken using lapping film.

I noticed Saphoo store on Aliexpress is selling the GD P-81. It's one of GD's higher level models. I have one from a while back that claimed the Gold Dollar 'sensei' honed the razor to 5000 grit and was 'shave ready' (nope). I may get another one next sale.

 

[Ray]

I had to do a ton of work on a recently purchased GD208 to get it shave ready. It's not just the 66 and 100 that need work out of the box. I had to break out my diamond plates to grind down the spine straight. Can't imagine how long it would have taken using lapping film.

I noticed Saphoo store on Aliexpress is selling the GD P-81. It's one of GD's higher level models. I have one from a while back that claimed the Gold Dollar 'sensei' honed the razor to 5000 grit and was 'shave ready' (nope). I may get another one next sale.

I had a look on AliExpress Sapphoo Store but for whatever reason the P-81 doesn't show up.

I'd like to try one without a stabiliser and the P81(1996) white handle may look nice in the bathroom.

Any assistance on how to currently purchase small quantities (1or 2) for the full range of Gold Dollar Razors?
They certainly have more than shows on my AliExpress app.