I bought a silvertip brush from Frank's on Ebay. It started shedding badly after a month or so, so i contacted the distributor and after some back and forth, he replaced it. Now the replacement is shedding badly too. Before I buy a different brand, I hope to find out if it's something I'm doing. I soak the brush in a wide mouthed coffee cup before shaving, and rinse and squeeze the brush after use. I'm careful not to twist, just squeeze. The brush then dries on its stand. Any technical suggestions, or should i just buy a different one? I've been wet shaving for a year and a half, and had no trouble with my Tweezerman for almost a year...
2 different Frank's shedding ? Wow, I've never had an issue with any Franks brush and I own quite a collection of Franks. I don't squeeze the knots, I just gently shake. But, gentle squeezing shouldn't cause shedding ? Which model of Franks do you have ? I'm not a fan of his Silvertip (other than the big Richmond silvertip overstuffed, his 50 dollar brush) most of his silvertip offerings IMHO the knot is not dense enough. In the past Franks have always been well made. I wonder if his newer offerings are lacking or suffering from poor QC ?
Absolutely QC has gotten completely sloppy. I have read and experienced enough myself in the recent few months. That is why I quit promoting them.
Sad to hear. I was a big fanboy of Frank's, but if they are offering an inferior product now. I will not buy from Ian. High Quality brushes at an affordable price was how I viewed Frank's. It's too bad QC has gone down hill.... They used to be the best value for the buck available.
I had the same problem, except started shedding badly from day one. The distributor said he would replace it but never did.
I have noticed "Frank Shaving" brushes on eBay that are not being sold by Ian. If Ian is selling it the seller link will say "iantang19821024" In fact, up until a few months ago, the only genuine Ian Tang brushes on eBay were from the UK site. That is where I bought my first one from. I have 3 now, and have not had a shedding problem. I don't know if you came across one of the counterfeits or not - just saying... I have found Ian a decent fellow. If the quality of genuine FS brushes has fallen off, I will be very saddened. I have a genuine FS Silvertip enroute now, so will test it myself in a few days.
Mine wasn't from Ian. It's funny it shed badly from day one. It was a large densely packed one. I tend to shake the brush pretty hard but that shouldn't be a problem. After trying it off and on for weeks, it stopped shedding, but I'm not tempting fate with it anymore.
He has repeatedly provided incorrectly made custom brushes and members on several forums have been burned by him. I was one of many who received a default 60mm loft when a custom length was requested, confirmed by Ian and paid for. An error that occurs once or twice can be chalked up as a mistake. When the same error is repeated over and over again with various customers that is not a mistake. I am not interested in putting up with Frank Shaving any more.
My custom from Ian was an awesome overstuffed in best. Excellent brush, I would compare it to any high end brush out there. It's sad to hear that Frank's has gone down hill. I agree I doubt you will have any problems with the Vulfix.. Enjoy
I guess I did something stupid. Just ordered a Finest Badger chubby brush from Mr. Tang. I am very curious on how that will pan out. If all goes well, I will try my luck with the Silvertip Richmond brush with a 28mm knot. After reading this, I probably won't
I can honestly say that my 28mm richmond compares well to brushes that cost HUNDREDS more. But mine is almost 2 years old. I would hope that the new offerings are the same as his old offerings. ????
I don't squeeze the knot, but I alway hold it when I go to shake out the water. The water I use to soak it is never much above 110f. The dealer could have just received a bad batch. I'd ask for another model.
That's good info. How's the backbone on this one? Is it usable for face lathering? Hmm, I have no barn. But my house is due for a new paint job. If I end up buying it, and the brush prove to be too big for the Norsemug, it might still be useful
Yes great for face lathering. It's really soft but so dense, it gives it great backbone. Of coarse mine is one of the first 28mm, I'm not so sure how the newer brushes compare ? From this thread it sounds as if Frank's has gone down hill. ????????
Gonna bump this - said I would report when my new Franks brush came. It is a 22mm Silvertip with 52mm loft. I have lathered it 3 times so far, and it has only lost 1 hair. That is the best I've had from any of my 11 brushes! Actually can't hardly believe it... However, that doesn't minimize the experiences Mr Carrington was reporting on. Hopefully Franks went thru some internal glitch that has now been worked out. I really hope that is the case, because I have really appreciated the tremendous value these brushes have been.
