My first razor was from Whipped Dog. It's a Lakeside Cutlery "Mandarin" that was in great shape. A tad under 5/8 with light patina. After an intense bout of RAD, I forgot about it for a while.

Once I realized my fondness for vintage American steel, I revisited my Whipped Dog, and now it's one of my go-to shavers! And you can't beat the poor man's strop. I'm very happy I learned on it before upgrading.

Bottom line, I don't think you can go wrong dealing with Larry. He's a good guy.