Review Gold Monkey 777 Carbon Steel Shaving Straight Razor

Dale.Whiley

Dale.Whiley

Active Member
2017 Sabbatical
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Location
Townsville - postcode is one digit off heaven
I have used this blade now 3 days straight and following are my thoughts.


Thanks to @Mark for putting these straights up for sale. I did a bit of forum surfing to find out more info on these blades. The cheap price had me concerned when compared to the "name" brands. Reviews were split between and those stating they were cheap junk that couldn't be honed properly or shave effectively.

The blade is a 6/8" and my only experience to compare this against is my daily shave, a Dovo 5/8". I found the Gold Monkey seemed to provide a smoother (smooth meaning to cut through my whiskers) shave. Whether this was the extra mass/weight from a 6/8 compared to my daily 5/8, the rounded scales rolled in my fingers assisting my angles compared to the flat/plate stainless steel scales in my daily straight or @Mark has done a superb hone on this razor???? I put it down to a combination of all these factors.

Overall a close shave without nicks. I found the 6/8 blade allowed me to maintain a flatter angle when compared to my 5/8. With only 1/8" difference I thought this may have been something I imagined but after 3 shaves; no, the 6/8 is definitely a easier blade to keep at the optimum angle.

This straight is so much more than a cheap razor to "learn on" but a very capable shave tool. I recommend @Mark's honing skills and his ability to discern good straights. When @Mark puts up some more strights blokes, grab 'em. If you have a stright you need an edge on, send it to @Mark .
 
Great review Dale! I'd be leaning very heavily on the hone - not sure it will hold as long as Solingen or Sheffield steel - but I think @Mark bends that straight into shape ;) Can't wait for my 'Plain Jane' Gold Dollar 66 to arrive now.
 
Top review! It's always great that you throw up your thoughts on what you've received. I already have a Gold Dollar but these Funky Monkeys look good.

And I echo what you've said about @Mark's honing AND razors. Top notch and a great bloke to deal with. [emoji106]
 
I'd also like to add, there are so many mixed opinions on those blades and they get a fair bit of bashing on most forums and I do understand why. Out of the box, they are as dull as a spoon and have some geometry issues and do need more work than most razors, the first razor I've ever honed was a GD which took me about 3hrs to set the bevel on a 1.5k Naniwa, I have to confess that I was too quick to judge as well. After putting quite a bit of time into them for experimenting due to the mixed opinions, I figured them out and I also knew why they were getting bashed as many honers even couldn't get them right so they are too quick to judge by calling them junk and disregard the value, I was then able to correct their initial problems and hone them straight out of the box as I demonstrated in a video by bashing them on the very low grits to thin down the heel and remove the high points, as low as #320 but realised I was setting myself up for a lot of midrange work so starting with my #600 nowadays is a good balance for me.
Now I modify them by removing the heavy heel which tends to be a problem area for most guys and to also make it easier for the end user to rehone it and learn on it if they're willing to do so after their complimentary free hone.

Why are they Cheap?
The steel is on the softer side, mass produced with no extensive work such as heat treating, after contacting GLD (the manufacturer) I gathered that they're just ground from tool steel blanks which don't require heating/forging etc but they still hold an edge, I've had a handful of shaves with a couple that I use in my rotation and had no issues, I can't say that the edge will hold up as well as a highly reputable brand or a nice hand made vintage. Some highly praise them, some can't stand them but this is my take on them based on my own personal experience only and I think this is about as fair as it gets. All in all they still do very well and the mileage you get per buck is quite hard to beat especially if you're a starter.
 
An update: In this post
Dale.Whiley said:
I have used this blade now 3 days straight and following are my thoughts.


Thanks to @Mark for putting these straights up for sale. I did a bit of forum surfing to find out more info on these blades. The cheap price had me concerned when compared to the "name" brands. Reviews were split between and those stating they were cheap junk that couldn't be honed properly or shave effectively.

The blade is a 6/8" and my only experience to compare this against is my daily shave, a Dovo 5/8". I found the Gold Monkey seemed to provide a smoother (smooth meaning to cut through my whiskers) shave. Whether this was the extra mass/weight from a 6/8 compared to my daily 5/8, the rounded scales rolled in my fingers assisting my angles compared to the flat/plate stainless steel scales in my daily straight or @Mark has done a superb hone on this razor???? I put it down to a combination of all these factors.

Overall a close shave without nicks. I found the 6/8 blade allowed me to maintain a flatter angle when compared to my 5/8. With only 1/8" difference I thought this may have been something I imagined but after 3 shaves; no, the 6/8 is definitely a easier blade to keep at the optimum angle.

This straight is so much more than a cheap razor to "learn on" but a very capable shave tool. I recommend @Mark's honing skills and his ability to discern good straights. When @Mark puts up some more strights blokes, grab 'em. If you have a stright you need an edge on, send it to @Mark .
Click to expand...
I mentioned that the Gold Monkey proved a "better" shave than my Stainless Steel Dovo. Well while I still feel the reasons I gave for the Gold Monkey "feeling" as if it offered a better shave, I have found what I believe to be "the reason".

Wet shaving is, well "wet shaving". Water is slippery and when you are holding the razor lightly you want a good grip. Well after using the Gold Monkey for the last 1-2 weeks I brought the Dovo down from the shelf and yep, still didn't "feel" as sure in my hand so I studied the 2 straights. This image reveals the reason.
Dovo%20Vs%20GM_zps2wteigdm.png~original

The Gold Monkey has slots/knurling/grips on top and bottom of the tang/shank while the Dovo only has the slots on the bottom/sharp/cutting edge of the blade. Having the slots both sides of the tang provides a secure, non-slip hold on the blade. This is especially relevant to myself as I have a physical disability (Acquired Brain Injury) that has left me with limited "feel" and control of my non-dominant left hand.

My advice? When looking for a straight, look for a razor that has slots on both sides of the tang. Another plus for the Gold Monkey.
 
Dale.Whiley said:
The Gold Monkey has slots/knurling/grips on top and bottom of the tang/shank while the Dovo only has the slots on the bottom/sharp/cutting edge of the blade. Having the slots both sides of the tang provides a secure, non-slip hold on the blade.
Click to expand...
I think they are called "jimps" on the tang as you mentioned. They can be either above or below (but more commonly above where the thumb goes).

It just goes to show that it's often the little details that matter. Glad that you worked out that a good razor for you has those jimps for added grip. [emoji106]
 
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