I've sent the razor back as they apologized for the "sub standard work" so I can only wait to see what happens next. Hopefully they'll get it right this time.
Hiya, Heh, I forgot I'd even posted in that old thread in the link provided. At the time I was waiting for some razors to come back from RE. Well, maybe that's a story for another day. I've since found out that Matt (one of the Emporium owners) was a member here (Proraso Man) before being banned over a year ago. Matter of fact, I'd even done a less than happy deal with him a year before that. The thread leading up to his banning was a pretty darn good one. Was that you Bill who started it? Anyway, it turned into quite a 'spirited' little bunch of posts, with Matt finally being booted. Nope, you won't find much about it but things got interesting here for a day or two. Martin On the plus side, he has been known to make things right if he has to, so keep an optimistic attitude. If it was me, woulda kept the razor and asked for a total refund. You're just setting yourself up for more possible unpleasantness, but maybe I'm wrong here.
That razor looks pretty crappy to me, although to be fair they do say deep pitting cannot be removed. How deep was the pitting on the razor before the "restoration"? I think that if pitting is too deep to be removed, the customer should be notified before any work is done - and before any charge is made to the customer. From Razor Emporium's Razor Revamp page: "Our Razor REVAMP™ Process - All razors are cleaned and stripped of all soap scum and original plating. All areas of the razor are then resurfaced; removing pitting, scratches and minor dents that could have formed over the years. At this time, a mechanical inspection is given to the razor to make sure it opens/closes and holds a blade properly and any needed repairs are performed. We then plate the razor in the desired material of your choice (see below) at 8 micro-inches- thicker than Gillette and nearly 3 times that of any other plating facility today for Rhodium or 24K Gold. Before the razor is ready for you to shave with again, we clean off any residue from the plating solution and give a final buff and polish to the surfaces. Next, any specialized paint such as numbers, indicators, or color-coded tips are restored to "like-new" factory specifications. Razors are then re-assembled, sterilized in an ultrasonic cleaner, packaged with a Certificate of Revamp™ and will return to you in Shave-Ready condition. Qualified Razors - With hundreds of razors successfully plated, we have a fairly good idea of what is achievable from this process. The best results come from razors made of brass or stainless steel. This includes nearly every razor from Gillette. Unfortunately we are unable to plate aluminum 1 piece razors (Super Adjustable's, Lady Gillette's, Black-Handle Super-Speeds, Bottom-Dial Fatboys) at all. Also, 2 or 3 piece Zinc-Alloy Pot-Metal razors (Edwin Jaggar, Muhle, Merkur, Hoffritz) can only be plated in Nickel. Also, please keep in mind that most surface scratches, dings and dents can be either minimized or removed all together through our surface restoration, however deep pitting or other serious metal imperfections can't be removed! We take into consideration the integrity of the metal before aesthetics and sometimes corrosion, pitting or dents are just too deep to safely be removed on parts of the razor. Know that we will do our best to make your razor sparkle and shine, but are limited by what we receive from you."
There was no pitting like there is on the pics, I guarantee that. At worst there was a few but nothing like there is on the door and the 2 bands after the "revamping" service.
Therein lies lesson for all interested readers: Take pictures before you send your razor off to be replated, regardless of who is doing the work. Ask for confirmation before the razor disassembly and plating is done that there will be no pits in the new finish. At least that way you will have the choice of whether or not to spend money on a razor that will wind up pitted no matter what. Why not try sending Razor Emporium a couple more emails asking them to redo the razor plating job? If they do not respond, so note it in this thread. If (and only if) the defect is in the plating and not caused by pits in the underlying metal, then the work should be redone properly at no cost to you. If you do not feel comfortable sending the razor back to Razor Emporium for rework, then maybe send it to one of the other replaters used by the wetshaving community. I hope matters work out to your satisfaction. Please do post the outcome of all this. If the problem is due to pitting originally on the razor, then the wetshaving community needs to be aware that this can happen. If the problem is due to a defective plating job from the Razor Emporium, then folks need to be aware of that, too.
I've sent the razor back at their request to fix the problem. Was that a mistake? Time will tell...I do intend to stay in touch to monitor and remind them there's a large group of interested wet shavers and collectors watching.
As Shaver X stated, let us know the outcome of this, and we hope that your razor comes back in excellent condition.
What's up Huck, Well, you gotta ask yourself how that Aristocrat could have even been sent out looking like it does. That should tell you something right there. You also are probably aware of the other forums (one in particular) with some threads going about that company. It's one reason why I suggested a refund and done deal. Best thing would be to keep in touch with em and call frequently if needed. They're very good about getting back to the caller, or at least that was the case with me. Don't bother listening to whatever excuse it is for the condition issue, just tell em you need it fixed and soon. I see you sent some things to Dale at Reliable......ok then. As you found out, calling is the best way to contact him about some work. You need to make sure that he personally checks each piece extremely carefully before shipping em. That is important. He'd done a few razors for me in the past, but it wasn't the experience I was looking for. I know other members have had very good luck with em, so who knows. Sheesh, it's a damn minefield out there ain't it, Martin Oh yeah, as far as other members of the shaving community watching what's up with Razor Emporium...the owners are quite aware of exactly what's happening.
Thanx Martin, it's puzzling to me why there can't be more consistency in performance as far as plating is concerned. I'm almost convinced that we've entered a period of "it's good enough or ok" instead of "if it isn't as good as it can be, then do it again" which is what I expect. I make razor handles and shaving brushes and I know when something isn't good enough, why can't others who take money for their services do the same? Maybe this is one of the reasons so much manufacturing is done off shore. We seem to have lost our way.
Or perhaps we have entered a period of "I don't want to eat the cost of fixing bad workmanship". In the end, the two often turn out to be the same thing. Although some companies have the "put lipstick on the pig and shove it out the back door" mentality, they don't do so over the long term. That is because they either fix their nonsense (aka bad management) or go out of business. Hobbyist or artisan businesses are no more exempt from these standards than a large corporation. Rest assured that there are still many companies that have stellar workmanship and top-notch quality control. If you don't believe me, just look at an Edwin Jagger or Muhle razor. The reason so much manufacturing is, or was, done offshore is cost rather than quality. Cutting expenses is paramount in offshoring and it frequently shows in the end product. Customers don't like that one bit, resulting in the current onshoring trend. I don't think we have lost our way at all, which makes poor workmanship all the more inexcusable. Why? A lot of the work they do is very good. Just look on Leisureguy's blog if you want some examples. It is quite obvious that some quality control issues exist, and not only with Razor Emporium. Worried reactions won't solve these problems, though. It is simply a matter of very publicly complimenting the vendors when they do good work and have good customer service and politely and calmly calling them out and demanding a solution when they do not. Remember, we are at The Shave Den. As long as we make rational commentary based on fact and reason and refrain from rock throwing, we can expect that our posts will be allowed to stand.
Aren't you reading a lot into very little. This is one razor , one plating job, one qc problem and your individual anger over a mistake. Reliable and Razor Emporium are both very small businesses employing 2 to 3 people at most I think, they aren't robot perfect , they make mistakes ,the best we can hope for is that they address a customers concerns well . They plate razors they can't cure rage. The venom , anger and vengefulness in the thread seems out of proportion to the importance of just one razor. Do we really want to hurt their business, ruin them, insult them , drag their name through the mud for a razor? Even an Aristocrat ain't worth that.
If there is only 1 or 2 people doing all the work that is only more reason for quality control and should be easy to take care of, just hand it to the other person and let him check it.
While I agree that the razor should never have been returned in the condition that appear in the pictures. I think we should at least wait and see how RE responds. If they fix the problem in a timely manor without a lot of hassles then they at least stand behind their work.
I agree as well, however this particular vendor has had so many complaints it's hard not to "read into it" and not just on this shave site. Now it took 2 months to send my razor back to me in crappy shape so it's going to be interesting to see how it arrives the second time around. I don't wish ill will towards anyone, I just ask you to do what you say you're going to do, especially if I'm paying for it.
Half of me says yes to that thought, and the other half of me says no to that thought. Each for the same reason, you may get answers but they might not be the ones that bring resolution. Huck, it appears that we will be finding out by proxy through you. Good fortune and I hope you get your razor back in great shape so you can enjoy it.
