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M&F consistency issues

R

Rami

Active Member
2017 Sabbatical Fail
2018 Charity Auction Winner
2020 Charity Auction Winner
Have one from last year and I enjoy it so much I am thinking of getting a couple more. Yet I keep hearing they are inconsistent. Can I please get the forum opinion on what the issue is and what to do to avoid getting a dud?
 
I don't think there is such a thing as a dud. Rumour is that two knots ordered of the same spec might not be identical. Still, that is pure hearsay and not my experience. I would not hesitate to order if I were you. They are magnificent. If you want to guarantee quality, and get a knot that is equal in every aspect in my opinion then I would advise you get a Shavemac. My line of Shavemacs are truly every bit equal to the M&F but with customer service, after sales support and German precision to boot. Mind you, since Brad Sears is involved in M&F that side of things is far better.
 
Sxot said:
I don't think there is such a thing as a dud. Rumour is that two knots ordered of the same spec might not be identical. Still, that is pure hearsay and not my experience. I would not hesitate to order if I were you. They are magnificent. If you want to guarantee quality, and get a knot that is equal in every aspect in my opinion then I would advise you get a Shavemac. My line of Shavemacs are truly every bit equal to the M&F but with customer service, after sales support and German precision to boot. Mind you, since Brad Sears is involved in M&F that side of things is far better.
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Whether or not a brush is a "dud" is probably dependant more on each individual's point of view regarding what sort of quality they should receive when they have spent the money that Sears/Sabini are asking and wait the 3-6 months to receive the brush. The first brush I purchased from them had an obvious defect in the handle. How the handle made it out of the workshop is beyond me (I have also seen many brushes on various BST's with the same defect). The brush was replaced and there were no issues in that regard except I waited another 3 months before I got the replacement. If I recall correctly it was a total of around 9 months wait to get the brush I paid for.

I have also heard of issues with the knots. Some have been scritchy etc. when they should not be. I suspect that this then leads to another extensive wait for the replacement.
 
Sxot said:
I don't think there is such a thing as a dud. Rumour is that two knots ordered of the same spec might not be identical. Still, that is pure hearsay and not my experience. I would not hesitate to order if I were you. They are magnificent. If you want to guarantee quality, and get a knot that is equal in every aspect in my opinion then I would advise you get a Shavemac. My line of Shavemacs are truly every bit equal to the M&F but with customer service, after sales support and German precision to boot. Mind you, since Brad Sears is involved in M&F that side of things is far better.
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Exact opposite sentiment. I bought shavemac and will not do so again. It was good the first few month. Then went backwards. Will bring it the next get together I attend so people tell me what’s wrong. M&F is the same as the day I bought it.
 
Just goes to show doesn't it! Actually I did have one Shavemac handle crack but it was replaced in a reasonable amount of time.
 
I had an M&F with knot issues - everything got resolved and I did get very generous refunds from Brad as well...however the whole process (from my first order until I finally got the desired brush) took ~9 months...

Love the brush and am really happy with it and really glad I got. But would I order another one? Not sure...
 
@alfredus what knot issues are there in general? And what issue did you get.

Maybe it helps diagnose my shavemac issues. ( basically I got hooked tips then they started breaking off? Another thing is that when I wash the knot the hair tends to clump. Not really an issue but none of the others do
 
When you say wash - do you mean rinse?

Might have totally missed your meaning but with all my brushes I rinse, and yes I suppose they all clump to a degree when very wet but then I flick out as much water as possible and wipe lightly on a towel. This brings out the shape and separates the hairs.

Question: Hand made items - should we expect some degree of imperfection since it's not a finely tuned production line with precision equipment? Not accept them, just expect they might happen.
 
Sxot said:
When you say wash - do you mean rinse?

Might have totally missed your meaning but with all my brushes I rinse, and yes I suppose they all clump to a degree when very wet but then I flick out as much water as possible and wipe lightly on a towel. This brings out the shape and separates the hairs.

Question: Hand made items - should we expect some degree of imperfection since it's not a finely tuned production line with precision equipment? Not accept them, just expect they might happen.
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I would expect the odd imperfection for sure but I think that the price paid should reflect in the quality of the workmanship as well. I have not been very specific above but the "defect" I have mentioned was not an imperfection per se but more so that the handle had not been finished properly. As with @alfredus Brad was easy to deal with (I did not receive nor was I offered any refunds although return postage was paid for) but I ended up waiting an extensive amount of time for both the original brush and the replacement (again approximately 9 months). At the time I was also told steps were being taken to ensure that the same issue did not happen again. Unfortunately for me I chose to buy another brush from them and have had an almost identical issue once again. The prospect of waiting another 3-4 months to get a replacement (typically it appears that they will not go out of their way to expedite the replacement process) does not excite me at all. Also unfortunate for me is that the knot is wonderful and there are of course no guarantees that a replacement knot will even be from the same batch of hair. Makes it a very frustrating experience especially when one considers that the brush retails for $200 USD. At this stage I have simply been offered a refund of the purchase price, return shipping and some financial compensation, I have not been offered a replacement or any other resolution which is also quite frustrating.

In the case of M&F you are paying a premium price for a premium product. There are not many other brush makers that charge more than they do. Personally when I pay that sort of money I expect a brush that is extremely well finished and of high quality. I understand that there may be the odd brush that slips through quality control from time to time but I would not expect it to happen to the same person twice.

I will not say anymore here.....
 
Sxot said:
When you say wash - do you mean rinse?

Might have totally missed your meaning but with all my brushes I rinse, and yes I suppose they all clump to a degree when very wet but then I flick out as much water as possible and wipe lightly on a towel. This brings out the shape and separates the hairs.

Question: Hand made items - should we expect some degree of imperfection since it's not a finely tuned production line with precision equipment? Not accept them, just expect they might happen.
Click to expand...

I did mean rinse, it’s just something I noticed and I don’t care about. I am more annoyed at the loss of tips
 
Rami said:
@alfredus what knot issues are there in general? And what issue did you get.

Maybe it helps diagnose my shavemac issues. ( basically I got hooked tips then they started breaking off? Another thing is that when I wash the knot the hair tends to clump. Not really an issue but none of the others do
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I personally love hooked tips in my brushes - but have never experienced them breaking...many pay money to have hooked tips...

The clumping is due to the hooked tips - just go over the knot with your hand a couple of times when it is dry and they unclump - one of my favourite past times :D :D :D

I know this sounds stupid, but do you take good care of your brushes? Warm (not hot) rinse, until no soap is in there, followed by cold rinses (for the hair follicles to close up again), towel drying and then letting the brush sit and dry? Decent wash with shampoo, vinegar, glycerine every 6-12 months?

I am just asking, because if there would be any issues with breaking hair, you would expect them to be in the dry climate here in Adelaide, and I certainly don't have those problems.
 
alfredus said:
... do you take good care of your brushes? Warm (not hot) rinse, until no soap is in there, followed by cold rinses (for the hair follicles to close up again), towel drying and then letting the brush sit and dry? Decent wash with shampoo, vinegar, glycerine every 6-12 months?

...
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SHHHHHH

Not so loud mate - my brushes will want to move to your place if they hear that!
 
alfredus said:
I personally love hooked tips in my brushes - but have never experienced them breaking...many pay money to have hooked tips...

The clumping is due to the hooked tips - just go over the knot with your hand a couple of times when it is dry and they unclump - one of my favourite past times :D :D :D

I know this sounds stupid, but do you take good care of your brushes? Warm (not hot) rinse, until no soap is in there, followed by cold rinses (for the hair follicles to close up again), towel drying and then letting the brush sit and dry? Decent wash with shampoo, vinegar, glycerine every 6-12 months?

I am just asking, because if there would be any issues with breaking hair, you would expect them to be in the dry climate here in Adelaide, and I certainly don't have those problems.
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I skip the towel dry. I hang them upside down after rinsing in cold water. Maybe the tips are still there. But something is off. Maybe shavemac is not for me.
 
Rami said:
I skip the towel dry. I hang them upside down after rinsing in cold water. Maybe the tips are still there. But something is off. Maybe shavemac is not for me.
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Really sorry to hear...it is very rare, that someone is not happy about a Shavemac - but we all have different tastes.

I can offer to either look at some detailed pictures (dry, wet, loading, washed, drying) of the brush - or you could send it to me and I can have a look in person - please PM if you think I can help
 
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