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Another Lemon from Simpson/Vulfix

Received my new Berkeley 46 (great price from a great UK based vendor). The loft is about 37mm (as opposed to the advertised 45mm) - like lathering with a toothbrush. The knot is far from well formed as well - asymmetrical and uneven. I'm done with Vulfix made Simpsons, the quality control is still all over the place. This is the third of their recent brushes I have and two shouldn't have made it past the door imo (the other, a Chubby 1 in Best, happens to be my favourite brush - so they clearly can do it). Very very disappointed. /vent
 
Could it be that they are still working towards rectifying the problems and this particular UK vendor is still holding stock from weeks, maybe months ago?

It maybe too early to down the brand just yet? Playing Devil's Advocate really.

Received my new Berkeley 46 (great price from a great UK based vendor). The loft is about 37mm (as opposed to the advertised 45mm) - like lathering with a toothbrush. The knot is far from well formed as well - asymmetrical and uneven. I'm done with Vulfix made Simpsons, the quality control is still all over the place. This is the third of their recent brushes I have and two shouldn't have made it past the door imo (the other, a Chubby 1 in Best, happens to be my favourite brush - so they clearly can do it). Very very disappointed. /vent
 
Could it be that they are still working towards rectifying the problems and this particular UK vendor is still holding stock from weeks, maybe months ago?

It maybe too early to down the brand just yet? Playing Devil's Advocate really.
Sadly not; the vendor was 'out of stock' a few days ago - this is presumably a new shipment.

Send it back for replacement.
Not keen on spending £5 to post a £20 brush when I might have to do it again, to be honest. Thinking of re-knotting with a TGN 2-band knot, should look nice with the cream handle.
 
Sadly not; the vendor was 'out of stock' a few days ago - this is presumably a new shipment.

Hey Adam, what dimensions for the brush are the vendor working to? Overall brush height, loft height, knot diameter?

I'm curious on whether vendors are working to Simpson dimensions, to which if I understand correctly, there are no loft heights specified. Or, their own interpretation of what the brush should measure based on competitors numbers?

I don't want to get too bogged down with this but feel it's a pretty important question? I believe if Simpsons were to publish the figures once and for all, we wouldn't be faced with such a conundrum?
 
Hey Adam, what dimensions for the brush are the vendor working to? Overall brush height, loft height, knot diameter?

Advertised as 90mm overall with a 45mm loft. The handle seems about right (45mm) but as mentioned, loft is waaay off, and on an already small brush this has...quite an effect. Different vendors have the same advertised specs. Not sure of their origin tbh.
 
If you are talking a difference of 8mm over 45mm, that's almost 20% inconsistent with the vendors specs.

In my eyes, that's an abhorrent discrepancy and a definate reason to return to the manufacturer for some sort of explanation.

If you are unwilling to post, suggest picture next to ruler / tape measure?


Advertised as 90mm overall with a 45mm loft. The handle seems about right (45mm) but as mentioned, loft is waaay off, and on an already small brush this has...quite an effect. Different vendors have the same advertised specs. Not sure of their origin tbh.
 
I bought my Duke 3 at thesuperiorshave.com. You should check out their website, the owner has taken photos of the actual brushes in stock (like 5 Duke 3s side by side). The price might vary slightly from brush to brush. When you order you get to choose exactly which brush you want. That is pretty labor intensive on the dealer's part, but it eliminates the kind of problem you experienced.
 
With a handmade product, such as this, there must be a margin or variance from the stated specs. I'd say +/-3-5% would be acceptable. You brush is off by 20%, I don't blame you feeling cheated. It's really a shame, b/c the 46 is a great brush.
 
If you are talking a difference of 8mm over 45mm, that's almost 20% inconsistent with the vendors specs.

In my eyes, that's an abhorrent discrepancy and a definate reason to return to the manufacturer for some sort of explanation.

If you are unwilling to post, suggest picture next to ruler / tape measure?

I agree... If I were you I'd email Simpson with pics and vent to them directly. If nothing else, they need to know that although some variation in handmade brushes is understandable, there is a line... and it is being crossed. Simpsons seem to be on point with their customer service and may even send another brush gratis. I would certainly request it - got nothing to loose. Either they make it right or they loose a customer (who is otherwise willing to purchase multiple brushes.)
 
I'm done with Vulfix made Simpsons, the quality control is still all over the place. This is the third of their recent brushes I have and two shouldn't have made it past the door imo (the other, a Chubby 1 in Best, happens to be my favourite brush - so they clearly can do it). Very very disappointed. /vent
And therein lies the rub. They certainly can do it, but they have been quite spotty about insisting the production team does do it. This was a big point in the B&B thread of last fall, which the moderators felt compelled to close (I don't necessarily disagree with that decision, either) to keep it from running off the rails. It can be found here:

badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177585

This thread has had over 10,000 visits, and has averaged nearly 70 visits a day since it was closed and forever left the B&B brush forum front page. I highly recommend a read by the newer members and perhaps a quick scan by those who participated in the thread in November. Despite repeated references to Simpson quality control, I did not come away from the original thread with any unbridled optimism. The few responses by the Simpson rep were guarded and without any declarations of intent as to a tighter grip on quality control.

I for one am taking a wait and see attitude. A good Simpson brush is a wonderful thing--I shave with one every other day. I will not, however, ever take a pig in a poke again regarding Simpson brushes until I feel comfortable that reasonable standards and expectations are met from one brush to the next.

There were calls last spring for Simpson to update the photos of brushes on their website to better reflect the current production line of brushes. The Simpson rep said in May that change was in the works and coming. It had not been made by November, when the referenced thread above was being remarked on in the forum. As of this morning, I can see no change in the brush representations on the Simpson website. That, and the rather smug and non-committal replies by the Simpson rep in the November thread referenced above did not give me that warm and fuzzy feeling. YMMV.

Ignatius, sorry to hear about your brush. I'm quite a fan ol' 46 and think it is a great value--when produced to expected specs with the great Simpson best hair.
 
If you are talking a difference of 8mm over 45mm, that's almost 20% inconsistent with the vendors specs.

In my eyes, that's an abhorrent discrepancy and a definate reason to return to the manufacturer for some sort of explanation.

If you are unwilling to post, suggest picture next to ruler / tape measure?

With a handmade product, such as this, there must be a margin or variance from the stated specs. I'd say +/-3-5% would be acceptable. You brush is off by 20%, I don't blame you feeling cheated. It's really a shame, b/c the 46 is a great brush.

I agree... If I were you I'd email Simpson with pics and vent to them directly. If nothing else, they need to know that although some variation in handmade brushes is understandable, there is a line... and it is being crossed. Simpsons seem to be on point with their customer service and may even send another brush gratis. I would certainly request it - got nothing to loose. Either they make it right or they loose a customer (who is otherwise willing to purchase multiple brushes.)
You are all, of course, right. And while not expecting a replacement, I will notify the manufacturer and vendor (who shall remain nameless - an excellent vendor I don't want to associate with a 'complaint') of the problem and hope it helps avoid future disappointments.
 
I think that's a fair call although the individual dealings I've had recently with Simpsons suggest decisive steps have been taken to remedy failings from the past. As is nearly always the case with these things, the proof will be in the pudding.


And therein lies the rub. They certainly can do it, but they have been quite spotty about insisting the production team does do it. This was a big point in the B&B thread of last fall, which the moderators felt compelled to close (I don't necessarily disagree with that decision, either) to keep it from running off the rails. It can be found here:

badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177585

This thread has had over 10,000 visits, and has averaged nearly 70 visits a day since it was closed and forever left the B&B brush forum front page. I highly recommend a read by the newer members and perhaps a quick scan by those who participated in the thread in November. Despite repeated references to Simpson quality control, I did not come away from the original thread with any unbridled optimism. The few responses by the Simpson rep were guarded and without any declarations of intent as to a tighter grip on quality control.

I for one am taking a wait and see attitude. A good Simpson brush is a wonderful thing--I shave with one every other day. I will not, however, ever take a pig in a poke again regarding Simpson brushes until I feel comfortable that reasonable standards and expectations are met from one brush to the next.

There were calls last spring for Simpson to update the photos of brushes on their website to better reflect the current production line of brushes. The Simpson rep said in May that change was in the works and coming. It had not been made by November, when the referenced thread above was being remarked on in the forum. As of this morning, I can see no change in the brush representations on the Simpson website. That, and the rather smug and non-committal replies by the Simpson rep in the November thread referenced above did not give me that warm and fuzzy feeling. YMMV.

Ignatius, sorry to hear about your brush. I'm quite a fan ol' 46 and think it is a great value--when produced to expected specs with the great Simpson best hair.
 
Sorry to hear that. On the plus side, Mark at Vulfix/Simpsons was very responsive to my complaints about my 2-band Chubby 1. He replaced the brush with one that he personally selected based on my complaint about the knot shape. I think they are very sensitive to recent criticism and trying to improve their image. I would contact him and see what he will do for you. Good luck.
 
Ever since I had a Grosvenor that began shedding like mad 2 months after I got it I began to question Simpson's quality control. Was going to cost me near the price I paid for the brush to have the knot replaced - no thanks. Sure, other brush manufacturers have had shedding issues brought up, but there seems to be more issues with Simpson's brushes than any others. It is a shame as I really like their best grade of hair and have kept only the Eagle in my possession.

Since then I've become a Rooney and Shavemac fan and don't really see myself picking up another simpson's. Especially given the thread last year about the many complaints of the huge variance in lofts.
 
It's amazing to look at the brushes shown at thesuperiorshave to see the variance in some of the lines. Here is one that has some drastic differences in loft of some chubby 3s and classic 1s:
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But then here is a line up of PJ2s that look almost identical:
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I do think the frustration of most, like has already been said, is the fact that we know they can put out some incredible brushes but seem to roll out duds on a regular basis.
 
I do think the frustration of most, like has already been said, is the fact that we know they can put out some incredible brushes but seem to roll out duds on a regular basis.
Which for me, anyway, is a far greater misdeed than having a reputation as a third-rate company who always puts out poor brushes.
 
You are all, of course, right. And while not expecting a replacement, I will notify the manufacturer and vendor (who shall remain nameless - an excellent vendor I don't want to associate with a 'complaint') of the problem and hope it helps avoid future disappointments.

I think that contacting both, as you're doing, is the right thing to do. This brush never should have made it past quality control, AND the vendor should never have mailed it out. Either the vendor or the Simpsons should pay return shipping on this -- you should not need to spend a penny (or pence) to have the brush replaced. I will be sorely dissapointed with any other outcome.
 
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