Thoughts on brush variations and reviews

[jhclare]

Hi all, just repsonded to another thread on B&B which really got me thinking:

We really must remember to take brush reviews with a pinch of salt.

A review is for that member's particular sample of that brush, there is no guarantee that your brush will be exactly like theirs.

For example, I've had three Rooney 3/1s and they've all been very different. First was really dense, second didn't bloom at all but wasn't as dense (but had prickly tips), third has a higher loft and really blooms and is soft and pillowy and is as soft as my Alibaba. All were "Super".

Everyone talks about the density of Rooneys but I've never found them to be that dense. My Vulfix Simpsons have been much denser. I even have a Heritage Alibaba 2, and my Duke 3 in Best is denser!

But maybe other people's Rooneys ARE dense, they really do seem to vary.

Also, from what I've read, the older Vulfix-Simpsons Duke 3 in Best used to have a longer loft than its original Somerset version, but my recent copy has a very short loft (45mm).

So, particularly if you are new, please be aware that the reviews are just guidelines, and that your specimen may not match the review sample exactly, particularly the knot size, shape, density and grade of hair.

They are handmade, natural products after all!

Regards,

John

 

[Audiolab]

Every review is a guide, unless you know a lot about the person then what they like you may not and vice versa. With brushes this is also complicate by the fact that it is a natural product.

Having said that I do think you can get a good feel for something where there is sufficient numbers of reviewers. On some sites there prolific reviewers who bleat the common song of that forum but there are a few who do have their own opinion and usually they say why they did or did not like something.

Without reviews we would be completely in the dark and stuck with only catalogues or lots of legwork to find shops that sell the item. Do beware that some shops post reviews of they own products across the internet, it is also surprisingly common how often I have seen the exact same review (verbatim) on several sites.

Overall I like having reviews to read them but you do need to sift to find the advice that is of value and keep in mind what you want from the product. Someone can give a one star for something that is of no consequence to you.

 

[sonny]

Nice post. And agree with Audio that you need to know more about the person.

For example, if Fido says a blade is way too sharp and discards it, I'd be inclined to try it as I know he didn't get on with Feathers/Iridiums etc, and that I like sharper blades for my tough beard. And so on..


A recent real example :

Some Gillette Platinums appeared on ebay yesterday. I haven't purchased anything in ages and promised not to for the forseeable future, but as soon as I saw them, I jumped up with joy.

Swedes were made for my face and I reckoned these would be very close to swedes in performance.

I realised they were russian made Gillette Platinums and checked out the following positive review:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=123130" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=123130</a><!-- m --> - posted yesterday - please see the FIRST post only.

I immediately bought a pack. Then I found this old negative review from an experienced user:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=99766" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=99766</a><!-- m -->

turns out it's the same blade (in both reviews) and so I most likely won't be over-the-moon with the quality of the shave. Luckily i only 'lost out' on a few quid.

Another reason why I like our forums: because there's not thousands of us, over time you can gauge the shaving styles/habits/beards of fellow users and then try out items that are recommended by these people, knowing that your chances of getting a good product are high.


Just got an email now from the seller of those Gillette platinum blades. He says he has lots. lol. Yep, they definately ain't swedes