I emailed Taylor's to see if they were still producing synthetic and animal hair hybrid brushes labeled as "imitation badger". I wanted to know the full story, so I just stated the facts and tried to word it as kindly as possible. Here is the email I sent them:
And this is the response they sent:
I have to say, I was kind of mad at them, but they gave me such a clear and detailed answer that it's hard to stay upset. I am also interested to try out their new fully synthetic brush when it becomes available. I wonder how long the testing takes?
Hello, I was curious to know if the hair that you are currently using in your Imitation Badger Hair brushes is purely synthetic, or if it is a combination of synthetic and animal hairs. I have read replies that your company has sent to other people in the past, where in July of 2007 a sales representative described these as completely synthetic, whereas in May of 2008 they were described as being composed of Hogs Bristle, Nylon and fine hair. The representative also said that they would, in the next few weeks, be bringing out a new version of the imitation badger shaving brush with different hair. So I am asking, what is the current imitation badger hair brush currently composed of? Please research this with your company thoroughly before getting back to me, because these exchanges have led me to only 3 possible conclusions: Either the representative who said that the brush was synthetic simply was incorrect, your company deliberately changed the composition from synthetic to animal hair without alerting the consumers, or the representative who said that the brush was synthetic was lying to the individual. I hope that the answer is the first one. I am not mad at you personally, as I know that you personally did not have any say in this matter, however I am a little aggravated at your company right now. Please get back to me on this. Thank you.
And this is the response they sent:
Thank you for your email.
A batch available in July 2007 was synthetic and was designed for customers against the use of natural badger hair but not necessarily opposed to other natural hair.
A further batch was produced with a mixture of synthetic and other natural hair in 2008. Labeled Imitation Badger Hair or Non-Badger it was never labeled to indicate anything other than imitation badger; as a better lather, shave and durability were obtained from this combination than the previous synthetic one.
In the meantime, we have continued testing various synthetic only hair shaving brushes for the person who does not wish to use a brush with any natural hair. This is a time-consuming process, although we feel that we have the new brush ready, we are still testing the quality of shave obtained and its durability.
You are on our list to email when this product becomes available for sale.
Kindest Regards,
Barry Klein
Taylor of Old Bond Street
I have to say, I was kind of mad at them, but they gave me such a clear and detailed answer that it's hard to stay upset. I am also interested to try out their new fully synthetic brush when it becomes available. I wonder how long the testing takes?