My new Shavemac Bruyers Wood Model 233 in D01 2-Band - a bit disappointed.....

[CHSeifert]

I just received my new Shavemac Bruyers Wood 233 D01 2-band shaving brush from Bernd in Germany.


He kindly switched this from a Model 439 D01 3-Band, which I bought exclusively for bowl & scuttle lathering.


I have since that gone away from bowl and scuttle lathering and now exclusively face lather.


The 439 D01 3-Band Shavemac I received also had a fan shaped knot, and I specifically ordered a bulb shaped knot.
No questions asked - Bernd offered an exchange and he would even pay for the shipping back to him in Germany.


I can not complaint over that kind of service - not at all.


I then asked him if I could order a 233 model Bruyuers Wood D01 in 2-Band with a bulb shaped knot for face lathering - knot width 24 mm, and loft 52-54 mm.
He accepted and I should pay the €20-€25 difference, which was fine by me.


I just received the brush 2 hours ago - and my complaint is that I can not in any way get the loft even close to 50 mm. It's 46 mm, at best 48 mm - not even close to 50 mm. I wanted 52-54 mm loft because I know 2-Band D01 is not that soft, so I expected to need some loft on this brush to make it feel less scrubby and scrithy and more soft and dare I say - floppy (just kidding, such a D01 2-band brush will never ever get floppy, unless you make it with a loft of 65 mm or so)


So I don't quite know how I should feel about this brush. It cost me €164 - the knot width is 24.5 mm or even more like 25 mm, when I measure it - but the loft is 46 mm, maybe stretched to the highest middle part of the bulb it is 48 mm - but not close to 50 mm. I specifically ordered ti to be 52-54 mm in loft.


I already exchanged my 439 brush and it took me 1 month to get this new 233 Bruyers Wood. But it does not live up to what Bernd told me he would deliver in an email - 233, D01 2-Band, 24 mm knot width, 54 mm loft.


Should I make a complaint again, and send it back and wait another month or maybe even 6 weeks or just accept what I got and be a happy man ?


Maybe I will be happy with the shorter loft - I ordered it specifically so that it would look like my Simpson Duke 3 in 2-Band, but to be honest, when dry, it looks more like a Duke 2 in 2-Band. The knot width is definitely there, as said it's even 25 mm in width, but the loft if very short - even shorter than my Duke 3 2-Band, which is 48-49 mm in loft.


I have always heard from Rudy Vey and other brush makers, that the knots from Shavemac are spot on 9/10 times and maybe even 10/10 times - but I have been less than satisfied 2/2 times with my 439 D01 3-Band and now my 233 D1 2-Band brush……


For €164 / $205 I expect a proper specced brush - am I unreasonable here ?


Here are the pics of it - lovely handle, but too short loft IMHO. Knot width of 25 mm is just about PERFECT though.
Bulb shaped D01 2-Band knot is just what I asked for:

 

[CHSeifert]

Here it is next to my Mühle Stylo Thuja Wood Silvertip Fibre 21 mm, 55 mm loft, and my Mühle Classic Silvertip Fibre 25 mm, 65 mm loft:

You can see the loft difference is quite noticeable:

 

[jhe888]

Is the wood in the handle briar, like a pipe? I would expect that is what they mean by "bruyers wood" and it looks like briar.

Sorry it isn't quite what you had in mind, although it is a nice looking brush.

 

[BrookR1]

Wow, that brush is so small. It almost looks painful to use. I, personally, would contact him and ask for a refund. 2/2 times??? I would consider myself cursed and move on.

 

[rebos]

I would feel compelled to return it again. You payed an extra 20-25 euros and were not given what you specifically asked for.

In cases like these where it is the second or third problem, I wouldn't get caught up thinking about how picky you might be, or how annoying it may be for the vendor; you want to be satisfied with the brush and that is what the vendor should strive for when producing a custom order.

The loft is 6-8mm less than you asked for. Thus a mistake, or at least an oversight, was probably made on the vendor's part and they should pay for return shipping and put a new knot in the brush --one with the desired loft.

 

[Neognosis]

I am very glad I don't have to work in anything requiring customer service.

 

[CHSeifert]

I am very glad I don't have to work in anything requiring customer service.

And by that you mean ?

6-8 mm difference in loft is the difference between a scrubby and an uncomfortable brush.......

 

[CHSeifert]

Wow, that brush is so small. It almost looks painful to use. I, personally, would contact him and ask for a refund. 2/2 times??? I would consider myself cursed and move on.

I would feel compelled to return it again. You payed an extra 20-25 euros and were not given what you specifically asked for.

In cases like these where it is the second or third problem, I wouldn't get caught up thinking about how picky you might be, or how annoying it may be for the vendor; you want to be satisfied with the brush and that is what the vendor should strive for when producing a custom order.

The loft is 6-8mm less than you asked for. Thus a mistake, or at least an oversight, was probably made on the vendor's part and they should pay for return shipping and put a new knot in the brush --one with the desired loft.

I just emailed them - excited what they have to say about it.

I knew a D01 2-band already is quite scrubby, so I specifically ordered it at at least 52 mm loft, rather 54 mm loft.
Consider me disappointed over Shavemac - 2/2 brushes in a row with errors.......

First one was a bowl brush in bulb shape - they ship me one with a fan shaped knot.
Second one is a scubby little D01 2-Band devil and they send me one with a 6-8 mm lower loft than what I ordered.....hmmmm........

 

[taco8slo]

I think that brush would be perfect for face lathering, the d01 hair softens considerably with use, it would be tough at first but quite soft later.

 

[Face&Head]

First, that's a gorgeous brush; the handle is just stunning. I love my Shavemac brushes but I'm not a huge fan of the D-01 2bands, especially with short lofts, as they're too scrubby & scritchy for me. I think your specification of a Loft/Knot ratio of between 2.1 to 2.2 was spot-on and you could have even gone a bit taller without worry about a lack of backbone. This is especially true because of the bulb shape. It has been my experience with the German makers that their specifications often reflect a smaller knot with a shorter loft than the actual brush. I've thought that this might be the result of them measuring the knot before it is set in the handle. But the variance in the loft with your brush seems too great for this to be a viable explanation. So yes, I'd return it.

 

[CHSeifert]

First, that's a gorgeous brush; the handle is just stunning. I love my Shavemac brushes but I'm not a huge fan of the D-01 2bands, especially with short lofts, as they're too scrubby & scritchy for me. I think your specification of a Loft/Knot ratio of between 2.1 to 2.2 was spot-on and you could have even gone a bit taller without worry about a lack of backbone. This is especially true because of the bulb shape. It has been my experience with the German makers that their specifications often reflect a smaller knot with a shorter loft than the actual brush. I've thought that this might be the result of them measuring the knot before it is set in the handle. But the variance in the loft with your brush seems too great for this to be a viable explanation. So yes, I'd return it.

I will return it - They just cured my SBAD for now to be honest

I will not buy Shavemac brushes for a loooooooooong time to come - if ever after this incident.

They ought to pay for a guy from UPS/FedEx to pick this up at my door and not expect me to go to the postoffice and stand in line, for the second time, because of their errors.
I had high expectations - but I got to admit they have really left me disappointed

The brush head is smaller than a Duke 2 in 2-Band - all I wanted was a Duke 3 2-Band sized brush with a wooden handle.........SBAD cured

 

[German]

Shavemacs are of excellent quality and their customer service is excellent. While it is unfortunate, that you did not get the brush you ordered it does not justify to "condemn" the company... In the end you do not order from robots but people who occasionally make mistakes...
Being humble goes a long way... that is true for suppliers ... and their customers...

 

[CHSeifert]

Shavemacs are of excellent quality and their customer service is excellent. While it is unfortunate, that you did not get the brush you ordered it does not justify to "condemn" the company... In the end you do not order from robots but people who occasionally make mistakes...
Being humble goes a long way... that is true for suppliers ... and their customers...

You are right - was just a tad bit disappointed once I unpacked the brush and saw how short the loft was.

Now I've cooled down - and just hope they can see that the loft is on the shorter side of things and that they will correct it in a proper manner

I was really excited about this brush, because I love the Bruyers wood handle and golden foot - so that's why I got a little carried away......also since this is the second mistake out of 2 in a row, I do feel they should have double-triple checked this brush before shipping it to Denmark to me.....

Well, my SBAD is cured - have a Semogue LE 2011 Finest Badger 2 and a Simpsons Duke 3 Best in the cart at shaving.ie - so all is well now.....again

 

[cessnabird]

Well, my SBAD is cured - have a Semogue LE 2011 Finest Badger 2 and a Simpsons Duke 3 Best in the cart at shaving.ie - so all is well now.....again

SBAD cured, such a thing doesn't exsist does it? I am sorry you had such bad luck regarding your Shavemacs. Enjoy the new brushes when they come in!

 

[wimbouman]

What I have done in the past is draw the outlines of the brush on paper, and then indicate the modifications I would like to see.
It's easier to draw the desired knot shape than to tell about it, in my experience.

It looks like:



That handle is fantastic, I would give it a try.

 

[theJJ]

 

[CHSeifert]

Good laugh......

With that said - when I pay €164 for a handmade precision tool like a Shavemac brush is supposed to be, I expect top quality control and not something taken out of a sketch from a Muppet show.

If I order a taylor made suit, I certainly don't expect the pants to be 1" longer or shorter than what I originally ordered.
4-6 mm in stiff D01 2-Band brush may seem like Nothing to the average Joe, who don't know nothing about brushes and how they feel - but this can easily be the difference between a tolerable scrubby brush and an very uncomfortable unusable €164 hand made brush........

 

[theJJ]

Good laugh......

With that said - when I pay €164 for a handmade precision tool like a Shavemac brush is supposed to be, I expect top quality control and not something taken out of a sketch from a Muppet show.

If I order a taylor made suit, I certainly don't expect the pants to be 1" longer or shorter than what I originally ordered.
4-6 mm in stiff D01 2-Band brush may seem like Nothing to the average Joe, who don't know nothing about brushes and how they feel - but this can easily be the difference between a tolerable scrubby brush and an very uncomfortable unusable €164 hand made brush........

Oh I know. I posted Grover because I read that you "cooled down" and didn't want to rile you up again by saying what I was originally thinking, "If I payed through the nose for a custom guitar with jumbo frets and received medium frets I'd send it right back. That's BULL****! Send short stuff back and get a Rooney."

BTW, Merkur makes AWESOME bulb-shaped silvertip brushes. I have the one that came with the Futur set. Check out http://thesuperiorshave.com/Dovo_Merkur_Brushes.html for all sorts of eye candy.

 

[life2short1971]

With all due respect the knot really is at the the best height for the size. I have some 2 bands and the tips are soft as can be wet and the coarseness felt from the hairs would not be changed by the difference in height although the performance of the brush would likely decline. If it were me I would try the brush a bit and if I didn't like it I would sell it on the BST and pick something else. The difference in price of bought vs sold on the BST is roughly equivalent or less than paying an exchange to a different brush in most cases. But of course that is what I would do. Good luck I hope it works out for you.

 

[shave~extacy]

Sorry to hear your difficulties with a purchase. I know it can be frusterating for sure.