altered blade on friodur

I just got the following friodur 451 on the bay. The picture is nice and seller identitified the blade as mint or near mint. Unfortunately when I got it, the toe end of the blade is 5/8s and the hinge end is 11/16s. My guess is it had a chip on the spike and someone in the ownership chain reground it. Before I ask for my money back, just want to check to see if anyone is aware of 451s having wider scales at the hinge end rather than at the toe. Can't see why anyone would do that, and it doesn't look right.

http://i.ebayimg.com/02/!BS8rf7Q!2k~...nzCtQ~~_12.JPG

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Originally Posted by loueedacat

...it doesn't look right.

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But isn't that the ebay photo? did you just miss it when you bid?

Very little that's advertised as mint is really mint, but nonetheless PayPal (did you pay with paypal?) should agree that is significantly not as described. It is heavily worn or damaged: totally usable but not mint

I'm not sure I follow your point. It's not at all clear from the photo that there is a 1/16s disparity in width, and like everyone else here, I don't rely on ebay photos. I asked if the blade had any issues and he responded that it was in great shape, looked like it had never been used and was near mint. Reground (and with a honed bevel by the way) is not unused and near mint. I don't think he was lying, but he didn't sell me what he described to me.

But I'm not asking whether people think it's fair to ask for your money back when a seller misdescribes a razor to you in response to a specific question - I'm comfortable in my own skin on that one.

I'm just doing my homework and asking whether it's possible that henckels actually made it this way - with an tapering edge that is narrower at the point than at the heel. It looks all wrong so I doubt it, but I've never seen a 451 so I just want to be sure.

I noticed the taper before I read your post!

Depending how good of a deal you got, it might be worth getting someone to sort that out for you, or for you to do it your self.

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Originally Posted by loueedacat

I'm not sure I follow your point. It's not at all clear from the photo that there is a 1/16s disparity in width, and like everyone else here, I don't rely on ebay photos

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My point was that I thought it was obvious in the photo, but maybe I was just looking for it because of the thread title :)

You shouldn't have to rely on the photos but like you say it is ebay. But I still think the seller is at fault more than anyone else for advertising that as mint. Whether he or she knew better is irrelevant to the burden of truth in advertising

I doubt very much that it was made that way. The seller probably figured because it is shiny it is mint and wouldn't notice the discrepancy between the width of the blade from point to heel. I learned from a friend to really study the photos the seller provides. A couple of times I got razors that were bollixed up in some way and my friend pointed out that the problems were visible in the photos if I had looked more closely. I am more careful about that now but sometimes the angle or the poor focus make it hard to see anomalies. As Lee said, it is usable if you were okay with the appearance. I wouldn't be and it sounds like you wouldn't be either.

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Originally Posted by loueedacat

But I'm not asking whether people think it's fair to ask for your money back when a seller misdescribes a razor to you in response to a specific question - I'm comfortable in my own skin on that one.

I'm just doing my homework and asking whether it's possible that henckels actually made it this way - with an tapering edge that is narrower at the point than at the heel. It looks all wrong so I doubt it, but I've never seen a 451 so I just want to be sure.

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Sorry I wrote my last post before I saw your edits

Anyway, the taper isn't even near the heel. Even if Henckels did make them tapered, why taper them in an uneven way? It certainly appears to be damage or wear :(

looks like hone wear to me.

yer, you can't really see the spine but I have a smiling 9/16 that did have very similar wear to that, less so now but it's still there.

Wise words Jimmy, pictures always tell half truths, but you can normally see it when you look properly.

thanks for all the replies. I do distrust pictures which is why I ask queistions. I've had cases where the picture looked off, i asked questions and got comfortable, and it turned out the shiny blade and lighting made it look off in the picture but it wasn't.

That's what I figured here - the shot is at any angle and it's shiny, so that could create an illusion of a taper, so I asked. I just don't think this guy knows razors.

I bought a motorcycle once off ebay, and it was ok but it wasn't anything like as clean as it looked.

Ever since then, I have always questioned pictures. These days, If I'm not sure, I ask for more pictures or with razors I hold a straight edge to the screen and see what's going on - which is surprisingly effective!

Well, happy ending. The guy immediately told me to send it back and he'd give me a refund including postage. Totally classy guy.

Seraphim was right - at the right angle you can see uneven honewear on the spine - I think the stainless makes it less obvious. This is probably a honey of a shaver to motivate someone to so zealously, but tragically -unevenly, hone it so much.

Oh well, live to fight another day.

[QUOTE=gregs656;397876] I have a smiling 9/16 that did have very similar wear to that, less so now but it's still there.
QUOTE]

yeah, the blades with smiles are tough to hone perfectly evenly, so I'm less inclined to be ****y about those. I doubt my smilies will be perfectly even in 30 years. :)

but the straight ones - hey, if I can hone them evenly, so can everyone else.