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Not to offend if this is a member's offering, but here is another example of "look before you leap" on razor purchases.
I have gotten some awesome deals on the bay but I have taken a chance on a couple only to find it just wasn't as
good as I originally thought.
Vintage RED IMP Solingen Germany Steel Straight Folding Razor Original BOX | eBay
From what I can see on that one, granted the pics aren't that great, but it's not all that bad. The hone wear looks relatively even all the way along and there's still quite a bit of blade left there to do a nice restoration on. Depending on the price it goes for, not bad at all.
Never mind..just noticed the crack..lol. Stupid phone.
You can break it of at the crack, hone it up and use it for those tight spots that the big blades wont get into....
The crux of this thread should be: any member of SRP interested in the item,consult a mentor before bidding.
Luckily I have been successful on my ebay purchases. Definitely reading posts like this has helped.
I really like Red Imps and have had several so I look whenever one is listed. This one caught my eye because a first glance, a good clean up and honing would suffice, then I noticed the crack. Just passing it on. I bought several razors before I was introduced to this forum and I wish I had the information available that I have now. It sure would make a difference in my approach and in the "collection" I have.
I agree with you pixelfixed.
Man, yeah, those pics are subtle in showing that flaw! I have also been pretty lucky overall with eBay... I've had a couple close calls where I just Bid on something like that Red Imp then on later inspection saw a crack or serious flaw and 'luckily' someone outbid me (whew!).
But, in these days where a cup of premo-Starbucks is like $7 and gas is solidly in the $4+/gallon... I just don't sweat stuff like razors under $20 a whole lot... I've gotten stung a bit here and there but the education (.. depending on where you go to school it is like $170/credit..) I've gotten in making those mistakes FAR outweighs the monetary loss as each time I've gotten a bit more alert with my assessment of various points of the razor, use the zoom feature WAY more and actually picked up a razor with a fatal flaw in a group of other 'nice' razors that I plan on learning how to cut and make a 'shorty' out of. And, scales and pivots can sometimes be re-used and it is nice to have a garbage blade lying around when you come upon a Thread here titled "Forced Patina" and you just can't wait to mix up a solution and dip a junker to see how it turns out. ;-)
Caution is great, of course... But, recovering from an error with a grin on your face and new knowledge in your head is worth a lot more... Aside from the scales on this Imp... The only use I can think of is, if you cut it off at the break, how easy would that be to use under/around your nose?! :)
Shawn
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That crack does not show on the other side.
Attachment 138823
This may go cheap and not have a crack ? Time to ask the seller. I did one time and they just sent me the razor. I get a reply " I can't tell but if you give me an addy I'll just send it to ya ". Well it wasn't cracked where I thought it was but it was at the other end.
Wow, great learning thread. Did not notice that crack when viewing.
Wow... Yeah, that pic is blurry enough you can barely see it all and only if you follow the bevel across. Either crummy photography results or (leaning toward the cynical) brilliant photography results! ;)
My wife is a Photographer and I have her take my pics when I post on the Classifieds here... Her editing software is so good I've had to ask her to re-edit as, particularly with razor boxes, the pics will come out a lot better than the item; in that it will be much easier to see/read the script in the pic than with the naked eye.
I think most people just don't know enough about straight razors, other than they are popular/valuable, so they think a crack like that probably ups the value 300% and will be forever puzzled if the razor doesn't sell for $75-$100. ??
10pups yes sir I also noticed that you could not see it on the other side. I wonder what would happen if you rubbed it too hard or even used a dremel. I just think that it might come apart on you if handled too rough. Cutting it does have some intrigue. I have a case that I suspect has been ground in the back. Still looks nice but I have only seen one other that looks like it.
Thank you all for the replies, it will be great information for the newer folks and a reminder for the more experienced ones.
I try to limit my photo editing on items I sell to cropping and color correction, some flaws are more apparent when you do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Prahston
just out of curiousity, what software does your wife use? i'm a big fan of adobe's lightroom and photoshop. It is not always the software it is the eye of the photographer that really makes the difference. I do not have that, so I use software :)
As for the razor I would have to ask for more pics of that area ... both sides it could simply be dirt or "devil's spit" and not a crack but if you look real close on the pic of the back you can see that the crack is there.
jim
@syslight... My wife uses Lightroom... She was initially very frustrated by the cost of Photoshop but then someone introduced her to Lightroom and she found that, for what she wanted to do with editing, Lightroom was the better/more affordable way to go. I hear ya on the "eye" explanation as there are often times outside of razors where my wife will show me a picture and do a "This one/that one?" type interrogation on me and we almost never agree... For photographs of people I far and away prefer softer lighting, muted colors, less makeup and just what in my mind is a more 'natural' shot. But, she can speak at length about how this position or this lighting or this particular makeup/effect has this result and it is just way, way over my head. With pictures I just use my phone and a John Daly approach and just "Grip it and rip it!"... She always says I take good pictures that way but I never try to do more than capture what I see. I think it is like me trying to explain shaving or razors to her.
Back to the razor in the picture... What gives away both sides to me more is following the bevel... There is a noticeable interruption that you can follow up what is likely a crack/fracture on the front of the razor yet a far less noticeable interruption in the bevel on the back of the razor... I flipped back and forth between front and back until I knew the area I was looking at was in the same area on both sides. Truly a great example of what you'll see if you look closer; a LOT closer!
