What's a good price to pay for a Red Imp

Found one at a local antique store in good condition, no rust. (no box though). just wondering if the $50 price tag is worth it.

any pics?..deep pitting gets annoying..sandpaper is required..but if its tarnish..Flitz and #000 woolpads work well

The blade itself is in good condition. No rust or pitting. Just a few scratches possibly from hone wear. scales are in good shape. A little of the gold color on the symbols on the scales is wore off.
I'd get a pic but it's right near the front and they're pretty anal about that sort of thing.

Depending on how extensive the hone wear 50 clams seems a little high. Those razors also seem to suffer from scale shrinkage too.

Not trying to be a smart @#$, but it's worth exactly what you are willing to pay.

As some people on this forum may attest, I always ask what razors are worth; to my dismay lol. When I am told it's too expensive I feel great for not buying it right up until its sold - then I get upset thinking I'll never find another lol. If people tell me that I might be getting a good deal, I begin to wonder if there's something wrong with it lol!

I know - I have an illness... Brother do I know but, $50 isn't bad for a razor that's in good shape and if you like it...

Is it a 132 or 133? I would pay $50 for a 133 in the aforementioned condition.

Earcutter said:

Not trying to be a smart @#$, but it's worth exactly what you are willing to pay.

As some people on this forum may attest, I always ask what razors are worth; to my dismay lol. When I am told it's too expensive I feel great for not buying it right up until its sold - then I get upset thinking I'll never find another lol. If people tell me that I might be getting a good deal, I begin to wonder if there's something wrong with it lol!

I know - I have an illness... Brother do I know but, $50 isn't bad for a razor that's in good shape and if you like it...

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Earcutter does have a point...without pics it's a shot in the dark nevertheless

noahpictures said:

Is it a 132 or 133? I would pay $50 for a 133 in the aforementioned condition.

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What's the difference between the 132 and the 133?

I've seen Red Imp's have a pretty good reputation around here, just trying to find out a little more info on them. I would of went into a little more detail in the OP but I was posting from my phone.

The 132 is a near wedge and the 133 is a full hollow. They were also made in different places, some in the U.S. (Case) and some (Morris) made in Germany.

I would say $50 is a decent price if in really good shape but if there is wear then it's a bit high. Condition, condition, condition.

Also make sure to check the blade fit in the scales good.

its only 50$.... price of a decent meal...

if its not rusty and no pitting and no visible cracks i would gamble the 50.......

paco664 said:

its only 50$.... price of a decent meal...

if its not rusty and no pitting and no visible cracks i would gamble the 50.......

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You eat a lot fancier than I do!

Personally, if I hesitate and ask myself if it is worth it I don't buy it.

There is no right answer to this.. Ive paid $75 for each of my two imps.. An NOS 133 Morris, and a near NOS Case 132... I liked the Case so, much, I just paid $120 for a perfect NOS Case.132.In my short experience, I've.found that really nice our NOS Case versions, are a little harder to find.... Bottom line, its what youre willing to pay that matters with this stuff.. and how long youre willing to wait.. They come up all the time on ebay and the forums..Me personally, even though I just paid $125 for one, I know if I waited a bit longer I could snag an nos for $80-$100, but it requires patience...as for used, or ones that have a lot of honewear, and pitting, I stay away..

Wid said:

The 132 is a near wedge and the 133 is a full hollow. They were also made in different places, some in the U.S. (Case) and some (Morris) made in Germany.

I would say $50 is a decent price if in really good shape but if there is wear then it's a bit high. Condition, condition, condition.

Also make sure to check the blade fit in the scales good.

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Thanks for the info Rick!

I'm gonna have to go back and take a second look at it. Even though the gold lettering was a little worn on the scales they were still real clean and it seemed to open and close fine. There was no rust or pitting on the blade so it might be that it was never used and just picked up the scratches through careless handling.

All I can say is If its a 133 I'll probably pick it up. If you don't see a pic posted in the next 48hrs you'll know I didn't get it. Although I'm trying not to let SRAD get the best of me.... Stay tuned....

They also had a "swatty" if I plan on one day honing my own straights would this be a good pick up? Or is there better options out there. Sorry, Im still somewhat of a newb.

is it a case red imp or morely? case red imps scales warp bad. so, consider this into the cost. I'd say around 30-35 is a fair price. 50, not unless scales are pristine, all imprints are intact and it's all in good shape. and you just love red imps.

A Swatty is nice for the right price. You will only be able to use it for maintenance on an already shave ready razor.

A better option imo is a coti which are much more versatile.

I never pay what's on the sticker in a shop like that. Fifty bucks sounds like a decent deal, so offering less and getting it would obviously be a better deal. Be prepared to tell them what you would give for it. If I were there I would offer $35 then be quiet and wait for answer. They will probably counter offer and you now have a nice razor at a good price. I have even told them if they can't sell at my price, they can just put it back in the case. Sometimes I get dirty looks, but I also get good deals. Good luck.

Jim

GregDR said:

Found one at a local antique store in good condition, no rust. (no box though). just wondering if the $50 price tag is worth it.

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I have a 133 and it's real nice

I paid $30 for mine, not hone wear, rust or pitting, but the labeling on the scales was pretty much gone.

If it is clean, $50. If you need more than metal polish on a rag, then honing I would call the price high. I picked up a 132 and 133 for just under $30 each. The 132 has quite a bit of hone wear, and was polished when I bought it, coated in hardened oil, the 133 has some rust and pitting on the spine, but honed up fine and has almost no hone wear. Both could use rescaled, but they are perfectly functional.

There was another 133 with scales shrunk smaller than the blade, tagged at $60, in the same store as the other two, and the antique store owner would not budge. She normally wheels and deals with cash payment too...but some stuff she has is consignment, and not actually hers.

Kills me that she has a pile of broken razors that will never shave again tagged unbelievably high, and razors that will take hours of cleaning that are priced even higher! (is $100 for a rusty pipe a good price? The horn scales are broken too.)

Phil

I went back and checked it out. It's a 133 Case. Still couldn't bring myself to buying it without a little more research. It seems that on one side of the scales it's missing something, I'll have to check out some pics. There was a little pitting on the tail along with a little dark discoloration which I think would polish out fine.

I was able to snap a quick pic of the display. not very clear, sorry.

Also they wanted $50 as well for the Swatty. It's in its original box and has some marks on the surface from use on it.