This is supposed to be a NOS razor. It looks quite nice, except for the spine that looks worn at the toe. What do you think?
Attachment 324454
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This is supposed to be a NOS razor. It looks quite nice, except for the spine that looks worn at the toe. What do you think?
Attachment 324454
Looks like it to me. What is the other side like? Also check bevel with a loupe.
It could be hone wear, but that is usually accompanied by similar changes on the bevel (wider bevel and the bevel closer to the spine aka reduced blade width) which I'm not seeing. It could also be from uneven grinding. It could also be from restoration work - properly done to correct/hide issues or incorrectly done and therefore causing issues.
I'm assuming this is an auction you're thinking of bidding on, and thus don't want to share full info, but it's hard to tell from the single poor photo.
looks like it, to me. Of course it could also be factory grinding. What brand/model?
I've failed to mention that I don't own the razor. It is up for sale and I am considering bidding for it. The opposite side looks similar, but not as bad. The bevel does look clean and if anything, the toe looks wider than the heel. Not sure if I can get a beeter picture using my laptop - I might give it a try. The razor is advertised as new old stock and the seller doesn't accept returns.
It is a Carl HerderQuote:
Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors
Take a good look at the seller. If all of his items for sale are razors, and his rating is 100% or nearly so, might be okay. If it is just a picker, you are throwing the dice. Most of the "good" ebay sellers are known on one or more of the popular straight razor forums. So verify, especially if a seller represents a razor to be shave ready.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eurofighter
It might be a perfectly good razor, as a shaver. It is no prize winner, as a collector piece. Keep that in mind as you set your bid. Bid what you are willing to pay for it, not what you think it will take to "win". There will be others, trust me on that. My own personal rule of thumb is if I get more than 10% of my ebay auctions, I am bidding too high. YMMV.
It looks enough like it for me to question the NOS description.
I'd probably decide on a low max bid and watch it for a while. If a lot of bidders started showing up and I still wanted it, I'd throw that low bid at it and not look again until the auction was over. Sometimes you get lucky :shrug:
that sure looks like hone wear to me, but I'm not an expert. To me NOS means never used, just old.
Yup, massive hone wear, caused by honing on the stabilizer.
The heel needed to be corrected and moved forward of the stabilizer. The honer was aware that the heel was not making full contact and applied more pressure, probably on a low grit stone, over a long period of time.
The stabilizer continued to keep the heel off the stone but needlessly ground the razor, toe half of the razor which was making full contact took the brunt of the damage.
This razor was much wider at one time and probably the width at the heel was the same as the toe. Hard to say how much width has been lost, but probably considerable.
Notice the hone wear over the stabilizer (red arrow) and even on the tang (blue arrow). It is tough to wear down a tang.
You would probably need to hone the razor with 3 pieces of tape to try to make up for lost steel, after the heel has been corrected.
If you are considering a purchase of this razor, pass there are much better razors available.
Sadly, the damage was all needless, the heel could have been reprofiled in a matter of minutes and none of wear would have occurred, with a 2-minute correction and taped spine.
That is not NOS, I would find another vendor…
Attachment 324473
Euclid got it right, on there being a heel issue
Attachment 324474
Yeah, not at that price....
Scary part is, it's a seller with 700+ feedback @ 100% positive :(
(also, weirdly, ships from Japan...but user info says seller is in the US? Just feels strange all around...)
That's the razor! I never realised the seller was US based.
Thank you guys for your inputs! I've almost bought it and now I'm happy I didn't.
Good eye, Marty
Ooof....some poor soul bought it
I hope they spotted the issues, and still thought it was worth the $180 price tag to them
(i think it's okay to say that after the auction has closed? If not, mods feel free to edit or delete if necessary)
The heel can still be fixed easily and 2-3 layers of tape on the toe and it can be honed and made to shave well, probably. The hone wear could be sanded and almost made to look normal. You would still need to tape the toe to hone it properly. You can’t add missing width, even with JB Weld…
But…I would not pay $180 or anything near that for it. What bothers me more, is calling it NOS.
Agreed. That almost looks like purposeful deception. Not saying that the selling knew any better, but somebody polished the hone wear and narrowed the blade width. This is a great thread though to show what to look for on eBay sales.Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
The guy sells nothing but straights, with the majority listed as NOS. I'd agree if he was a random item seller with one or two straights, but if that's your whole business... You should know your business
(i didn't look close enough to see if the rest listed as NOS actually were, the few I clicked looked like it)
When I look at a razor that I am considering purchase, and I do not buy many razors anymore, but occasionally, I take a long look at the razor.
First for spine wear, excessive wear, Cell rot, deep pitting and cracks are deal breakers for me. Learn to recognize Cell Rot and stay away from it.
Second, I look at the heel, if the heel needs correction, the edge usually has issues, excessive wear. If the heel needed correction and they honed with tape you may not see excessive spine wear, but you will see it in blade width and uneven bevel wear.
Third the bevels, are they even or better said uneven, and if so why. Large chips and or cracks. If un-even, why?
Every razor I look at, I think what it will take to make it right and how much time will it take.
Forth I look at shape, does it look right, is the blade width even, has the toe been ground, spike muted or weirdly rounded, is the toe sharp. If not, why? Are the scales original and do they fit the blade?
I am always amazed how many razors have toes that appear to have never had the toe fully honed. I use the toe all the time, every shave. How do guys shave without a honed toe? Again, if not honed, why?
Then rust, finish, pinning and last scales. Everything can be fixed except cracks, but some I do not even try, the rest is time. Then price, there are some great deals in the wild right now, there is also a lot of junk.
Glen once wisely said “Restoration, begins at purchase. Buy the razor in the best condition you can afford”. You will be money ahead.
I found another one. What do you guys think?
Attachment 324920
Nope, Filarmonica scales are not noted for Cell Rot. That looks like it was put away wet and water spots rusted.
Some WD40 and 000 steel wool, then a good metal polish and 0000 steel wool should get most of it off. That spot on the gold wash may cause you to lose some of the wash.
It does have some excessive spine wear in the middle and the edge look to have a slight frown, directly opposite to the wear. I would want to see the other side.
Large Fliarmonica’s have a tendency to flex, if too much pressure is used. Flexing will lift the edge off the stone. I suspect the honer used more pressure or laps to try to get the middle honed, which is exactly the opposite of what was needed.
In short it has some issues.
I found the listing, saw the back side...lighting on the rear was even worse than lighting on the front.
When the pictures are that hard to decipher, I move on (again with this one NOT being a cheap razor)
Interesting. I've just realized that it doesn't take much to lift the very edge off the hone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
Here is another one advertised as NOS. Is this the result of heavy polishing?
Attachment 324980
To me it could easily be from heavy polishing. Does the pivot pin match the wedge pin? My vintage Solingen razors have nickle silver collars and pins not brass.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eurofighter
Bob
"Heavy" would appear to be an understatement. Definitely NOT NOS. All Solingen razors are stamped quite prominently. Any NOS Herder is going to have quite a patina and it is definitely not NOS anymore with all that sanding and polishing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eurofighter
Agree with Crescent City on this one! Somebody polished this thing to the point of obliterating the stamp.
And look at those curved reflections on what should be a flat section of a tang!
Yup. Pretty sure Herder never made a razor with anything but a flat sided tang.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kavik79
Maybe this was put together out of one of the NOS Herder kits... pre-war blade blank, (mostly unmarked and not heat treated but I hear of exceptions) and OEM scales. Some guy who doesn't know any better, puts it all together and calls it a NOS razor? LOL. Anyway it is definitely not NOS and so his listing is misleading. Untruthful. Inaccurate, or outright fraudulent. If inaccurate, seller should stick to something he has a clue about. If fraudulent, needs a good punch in the snot locker. Either way, he should be publicly called out. Somebody who doesn't know better might buy it.
If he worked over the tang like that, I hate to think about the edge temper. He should be forced to shave daily with that razor for the next ten years. I am getting madder and madder the more I think about it. Not just at him, but all the charlatans out there selling useless stuff to noobs just looking for an inexpensive foot in the door of straight shaving.
Anybody selling straight razors or RSO's should be forced to shave with their wares. Don't shave with a straight? Then what business do you have selling one? Don't shave at all? I am all about sexual equality but girls have no business selling man things like razors. They can't possibly have a clue. I would never dream of becoming a tampon salesman or a brassiere salesman. What could I possibly know, from experience? I have never had occasion to use either one! Ladies, and cart shavers, please don't try to sell straight razors. All you do is make us angry. And no, leg shaving is not the same as face shaving. Doesn't count.
There. I feel better now.
Are these all from the same seller?Quote:
Originally Posted by Eurofighter
I am quite sure they are not. Just random fleabay listings.Quote:
Originally Posted by DVW
