Thread: Advice about ebay purchases

As a newb, I don't have the experience to accurately assess the condition of a vintage blade from pictures. I know to look for rust, hone wear, pitting, etc., but my eye isn't keen enough to tell a pit from a speck of rust, from a watermark. If you guys could assess these pics and tell me if this razor is worth $25, and then tell me how you reach your conclusions, that'd be wonderful!

Specifically, wear on the tang on the bottom picture, and what appears in the pic as a little black speck in the bottom picture on the bottom left of the blade.

If you'd like to see larger pictures, PM me your email and I'll fwd you the email that the seller sent me.

Thanks again guys!

Based on those pictures, I think it would be hard to tell the extent of the staining. I say that because, in the top picture, the makers stamp appears rather faint; typically they are darker. However, I cannot tell if that is because of the level of exposure of the razor, or because only the tang is overexposed and therefore washed out.

There does not appear to be pitting (at least not any severe/significant pitting) on the blade. Hone wear appears rather minimal and even. Also, that is a Wade & Butcher. I would say it is certainly worth $25.

Unfortunately, it seems that I've already got the "itis," also known as Razor Aquisition Disorder. Thanks for the heads up and assessment.

Any thoughts on this one? A boker that seems to be in good condition, for 9.99? I'm wondering what the catch is lol. It seems to be a little rustier, but it also seems to have less hone wear than the wade and butcher. Is that a good assessment?

That Boker also appears like it would make a fine shaver, as Boker's tend to be. I'm not sure about how much time is left on the Boker auction, but I did manage to find the auction for the first razor (I recognized the photos and found that seller's page). Just keep in mind that often, auctions are bid up as closing time comes near, so the price with even just a few hours left could be far lower than the ending price.

There are, however, lots of razors that go for great (meaning low) prices. The advice I was once given (though I forget by whom) is "bid low, and bid often."

I've just noticed that that Boker has no tree on it. Could anyone comment as to what that might mean?

I try to avoid ebay for the same reasons ;-). I am no expert but think that $25 is a good price for the razor and as long as you like it, you should be ok. I have seen blades that unlike yours, look really bad, restored to incredible beauty. I think that you if you are going to continue buying on Ebay, you need to start somewhere and start developing that feel for what constitutes a good buy. Think about it as a long term proposition.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by Alraz

I try to avoid ebay for the same reasons ;-). I am no expert but think that $25 is a good price for the razor and as long as you like it, you should be ok. I have seen blades that unlike yours, look really bad, restored to incredible beauty. I think that you if you are going to continue buying on Ebay, you need to start somewhere and start developing that feel for what constitutes a good buy. Think about it as a long term proposition.

Al raz.

Quite right, you must consider the cost, the current condition, and how much time/money it will take to get the blade to where you want it. With that in mind, a good buy for one person might not be a good buy for another. For example, if you have the equipment to hone that Butcher up yourself, it would be an excellent buy for $25. Having to send it out for honing (which could run up to $20 or so) would still make it a good buy, but the cost to get it to shave must be taken into consideration. The same applies to restoration, as Alraz has commented

That's a good point. I didn't notice the lack of tree until you mentioned it. Yeah, I know that often people wait until the last moment to drop down bids, but I'm not too worried. If I don't win the auction, there will be other razors . Regardless, I wanted to aquire a few vintage razors, partly to work on honing, and partly cause I'm a bit of a pack rat . But I know how much I'm willing to pay, so that's that. Lastly, I primarily posted pics here because I'm interested in learning how people with more expertise assess blades and such, the difference between pitting and rust and how to eyeball it, and all sorts of things like that.

Originally Posted by theworldover

As a newb, I don't have the experience to accurately assess the condition of a vintage blade from pictures. I know to look for rust, hone wear, pitting, etc., but my eye isn't keen enough to tell a pit from a speck of rust, from a watermark. If you guys could assess these pics and tell me if this razor is worth $25, and then tell me how you reach your conclusions, that'd be wonderful!

Specifically, wear on the tang on the bottom picture, and what appears in the pic as a little black speck in the bottom picture on the bottom left of the blade.

If you'd like to see larger pictures, PM me your email and I'll fwd you the email that the seller sent me.

Thanks again guys!

Sorry, but it looks like someones been messin with that W&B. Personally I would either pass or offer a very small amount of money on a razor that appears to possibly have been a reject from someone's foray into restoration.

Chris L

Is it just me or does it look like the shoulder on the Boker has been nipped a touch by the hone?