my analog brothers:

i am trying to decide if the time has come for a retip or replacement of my cartridge. it is a benz woodbody low output. it is probably 4 years old with 800 hours. this became an issue recently when i purchased a record that had been billed as excellent condition. it sounded fuzzy and distorted even after cleaning. other records sounded alright though. then i tried to play a piano solo record on christmas eve and had to take it off due to the distortion.
my friend lent me his just-retipped miajima shilabe cartridge last week and it tracked both of the problem records perfectly. when he took his cartridge back, i remounted the benz and am experiencing the same distortions. under an eyeloop, the diamond appears as a larger lower mass that arcs inward from the base with a small tip not unlike a nipple at the end. i wonder if it worn to such a degree that the larger sides are contacting the groves now and causing the distortion. anyone have any thoughts? if it needs retipping, any thoughts about retip vs. trade-in?
thanks in advance.

tom