Stylus Wear Question

..about Soundsmith.   There is no doubt that he would do a great job....just wondering if I'd get back the same abilities as my Winfield.

Inspection & rebuilds are two different things . . .

Only Ortofon builds a Winfield.

I strongly suspect their Replicant 100 stylus would have an above average lifespan for wear.

Even if you have an appropriate microscope, you have to know what to look for. I agree that sending it to a specialist makes the most sense. With Peter, you should find out what their turnaround time is. Steve at VAS is also solid (NJ). The concept here is simply inspection at this point, not "retipping"- if the stylus is worn, you may be able to take advantage of some trade-in/up program from the manufacturer. 
I found one of those old Shure stylus microscopes a few years ago. It's pretty cool... as an artifact. 

You can have someone other than Ortofon inspect. If there is wear you can send it to Ortofon.

Andy Kim at http://www.phonocartridgeretipping.com/ has a quick turn around time.

If you have Replican 100 stylus and you are the first owner of this cartridge then you can roughly count an hrs of use, the Replicant 100 can be used for 2000 hrs at least. If you like the sound - do not worry, this stylus profile must have a long life-span (if you followed manufacturer’s recommendations regarding optimal tracking force and antiskating). I think it will be fair to say 2500 hrs life-span.