Originally Posted by
Bart
I'm going to be a bit of a dissonant voice here.
Before anything else, I have not seen your razors, and I think stains and pitting are unacceptable for a razor. Companies hardly ever send normal production, as replacement, to an unhappy customer. Most manufacturers send tweaked and repaired goods as replacement goods, that they received from other unhappy customers in the first place. They do that with laptops and televisions, and I bet TI makes no exception for razors.
While such is not a nice policy, I do think it is of all times, and the only way to avoid is has always been to deal with a very small business that depends on a personal relationship with its customers. Talking about razors, that leaves Maestro Livi, Joe Chandler, Robert Williams, and a number of other razorsmiths, combined with the price tag that comes with such craftsmanship.
About warp: I see more razors, vintage and new, that have some form of slight warp than I see razors that appear completely straight. It seems that it is impossible to completely control what the blade does when it's quenched during the hardening process.
I personally have always accepted an amount of warp, as long as the razor can be honed on a normal hone. So far I have seen one (vintage) razor by the brand Colibri, that is so warped that it could only be honed on a 1/2 inch narrow hone, and makes strange noises on the strop. I consider that one defect, but I still shave with it, because once I figured out how to deal with the warp, it turned out to be an awesome shaver.
I would ask TI about what they consider within production limits, before asking for a replacement. There is no doubt in my mind the people at Thiers-Issard take pride in their work.
Bart.