A brush conundrum

[nicodemus38]

because there is no real set standard of softness of backbone in badger brushes,,,, its kinda hard for most people to know what the actual thing is supposed to be like.
I spent some time trying to figure out badger hair grading, and the best I could come up with is each grade represents the location of where the hair came from one the animal. the lower grades being closest to the butt hole and on the legs nearest the feet.

as far as mountain... one place kind of put it like "its kinda like with cow breeds. you know a jersey cow came from the isle of jersey and a dexter from dexter England. So most logically a mountain badger hair brush has hair that came from a badger that was trapped in a mountain region"

[brothers]

No problem, Gary. I appreciate your thoughts.

The person in question has bought and sold and kept many brushes from this brand and maintains a good rapport with the company owner, it seems. He says that my description of the brush is totally at odds with how it is supposed to feel. So I am just really curious to have a third party try it. My position on it isn't going to change. But at least I may have some independent confirmation that it is defective, and I may be able to go to the manufacturer and says, "Hey, this gent who is a great customer of yours also says it is simply not right."

I figure it is worth a shot since I'm not ready to concede defeat yet....

Regards,

Rexcarolus

Rexcarolus, I see no defeat in your decision to return the brush. The customer is always right, and there are too many very good brushes out there, from manufacturers who know this basic truth. I commend you for taking a stand, and following up. Brushes are a personal item, subject to highly variable subjective expectations and perceptions from the customers who pay the bills.

[M6Classic]

because there is no real set standard of softness of backbone in badger brushes,,,, its kinda hard for most people to know what the actual thing is supposed to be like.
I spent some time trying to figure out badger hair grading, and the best I could come up with is each grade represents the location of where the hair came from one the animal. the lower grades being closest to the butt hole and on the legs nearest the feet.

as far as mountain... one place kind of put it like "its kinda like with cow breeds. you know a jersey cow came from the isle of jersey and a dexter from dexter England. So most logically a mountain badger hair brush has hair that came from a badger that was trapped in a mountain region"

No, not really. We are dependent upon the good will of brush makers because they are free to call badger hair anything they want as long as it came from a badger. Most...but probably not all...badger pelts on the market today come from China. After that sources and origins become exceptionally murky. Rather than going through it once again I would advise a review of the brush forum archives where all of this has been discussed at length and diced to a fine powder.

Buzz

[Squire]

Sure, it's worth a shot, get a second opinion. You can return the brush later.

I'm curious how the maker can state the brush is 100% without having first examined it.

[rexcarolus]

Excellent question, Squire, regarding the maker claiming the brush is fine without having it back to examine thoroughly. I am not really sure why the maker requested pictures of the brush. I've examined it very closely and it looks just about like every other 2 band brush out there. It even feels the same when dry, feels the same when wet, feels the same when lathered on the palm--but definitely does not feel the same on the face.

I've had several brushes with the errant few sharp hairs to excise from the knot. This one seems like every single can bite with the slightest provocation, so its not just a few hairs causing the issue.

Might as well post redacted shots here to see if you discern anything that I missed:




Regards,

Rexcarolus

[Squire]

Of course pictures can't relay a sense of feel but a second opinion might disclose something.

[rexcarolus]

Hello,

I wanted to provide an update.

The brush made it safely to the fellow who graciously offered to try it. His analysis: the brush did not correspond with the description of this grade or the numerous examples in this grade he had tried.

He described it as very scritchy, more scritchy than the grades from this maker that have the reputation of being scritchy. In other words, very far indeed from the average and not at all like what was ordered.

He posted the brush on to the maker, enclosing a note stating his impressions. A week after being received by the maker, I received a reply stating that the brush was fine at first glance and that it must be a few darks hairs making it so uncomfortable to use. (I do not agree with this analysis, FWIW.) I was asked again if I wanted a refund. I promptly replied in the affirmative. That was three days ago--still no refund has been processed.

This is simply horrible customer service. It makes me wonder why I bother looking for new brushes. But then a new M&F arrived yesterday that is simply wonderful, so that lifted my spirits a lot.

Regards,

Rexcarolus

[brothers]

I know you'll stay on 'em until you get it. Hopefully this nightmare is nearing an end.

[rexcarolus]

Thanks Gary. I didn't think it would come to this, but I just filed the PayPal dispute.

Regards,

Rexcarolus

[rexcarolus]

Full refund received, though not the tracked return shipping (~$25)! No communication from manufacturer. Just "dispute closed" message from PayPal––had to go back see if the refund was actually processed, which it was. So in the end did the manufacturer handle this well enough for me not to be super-upset in the end? I suppose so, but it made it very unpleasant (beside receiving an unsatisfactory product). I have no interest in owning their products any more.

Regards,

Rexcarolus