Quote Originally Posted by Badgister View Post
Fortunately for sellers I find that many buyers on ebay will still leave positive feedback despite the sellers false claim that the razor is shave ready.

For folks that can hone this is not an issue, but for a newbie, 100% positive feedback is still not enough assurance. Like Celticcrusader mentioned, I would suggest that the buyer look at the detailed feedback, if there are specific comments praising the quality of the honing, then I would say it would be a safe purchase for a newbie.
Respectfully, I disagree. Absent an empirical, universal definition for "shave ready", when I use the term I mean exactly this: I can give myself a DFS -- if not BBS -- with the razor. Period.

People will claim that getting a "good" shave is all about the edge. Poppycock. More than anything, it's all about technique. Technique consists of:

  • knowing your face (structure and geography)
  • knowing your beard (directions of growth)
  • knowing how to prep your beard
  • knowing how to wield a razor (general)
  • knowing how to wield that razor (specific)
  • putting it all together in a methodical and deliberate manner (patience isn't just a Virtue)

None of my razors have ever passed an HHT, nor will they; my "gold standard" is popping arm hair.

If a guy wants a "shave ready" razor, he can either pay the freight and send it out for honing, or learn to do it himself. Alternatively, he can use what he's got, as-is, and afterward clean-up/touch-up with a DE or SE razor (nothing wrong with that, unless he decides there is).

WRT the OP's question: What's important to me when buying an eBay or antique razor is to disinfect it, before "passing Go".