Not sure if anyone saw the notice Brad Sears has closed.
Brad Sears Closing
- Thread starter ChipNWedge
- Start date
Thread 'Brad Sears retiring' Brad Sears retiring - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/brad-sears-retiring.638114/
It’s sad. Another one bites the dust.
sad. They made great brushes.
Looks like the trend continues....
Mozingo, Sears here in the USA - small brush makers like myself
Vielong and Thaeter closed down in Europe, and Shavemac reducing their offerings, do not sell directly anymore and closed down their configurator.
Anyone ever thought why?? A lot now want cheap, cheap and the Chinese filling this demand....
I really hope I can stay open a few more years, but who knows.
Mozingo, Sears here in the USA - small brush makers like myself
Vielong and Thaeter closed down in Europe, and Shavemac reducing their offerings, do not sell directly anymore and closed down their configurator.
Anyone ever thought why?? A lot now want cheap, cheap and the Chinese filling this demand....
I really hope I can stay open a few more years, but who knows.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
I suppose if he decided to close on his own terms that’s great. But there’s no one, such as an employee to continue the business? If it’s based on economics I’d think it would be hard to maintain a brush making operation while ignoring market forces and excluding synthetic knots.
Yeah, it is interesting. I recently questioned Simpson’s decision to do limited edition brushes in the mid-priced Alexander Simpson line, and then happened to sort a retailer's Simpson offerings by price and saw a Trafalgar at the very top.
Not all inexpensive offerings are Chinese. At the low end of pricing, like <$20, you have a lot of Omegas competing with Chinese brushes quite successfully.
Mid price, like up to $70, you have a lot including offerings from Muehle, Simpson, AP Shave Co, AKA, Semogue, more Omegas, More Chinese brushes including Western and Chinese retailer and manufacturer labels, and many others. In this range you can get almost anything you want, many grades of badger, a multitude of synthetics, high quality boar, hand turned resin, beautiful wood, European and North American production.
You really have to be a serious brush lover to go into the higher price range, where you find carefully hand assembled knots, bespoke hand turned handles, some exotic materials like bog oak and Chinese lacquer, and the best understanding of current trends. Your natural two band Shavemac knots are a good example here. There isn't a Chinese knot that is interchangeable at a third of the price yet, because most Chinese producers are lagging the trend. Of course Oumo is an exception, but they are priced like any other artesan.
So in the high price range, you get endless choices, and you get into real collectibles. Personally, I really like collecting Simpsons for their iconic designs, your brushes, for their craftsmanship and because they are actually individually creative, that is, artistic and unique, pre-canned-foam classic brushes, because there are a lot of great designs there, too. Then of course we still have off the shelf Shavemac, we have Paladin, Wald, and some others.
It took me a long time to see the point of going above that mid tier, and I still haven't spent over $200, and am not ready to, yet. I may go there for the right Simpson or exotic RV brush, but I will need to know in advance that it is going to be in regular rotation.
As an enthusiast, my purchases started off just trying to find out what I like. There really isn't much in that low tier, so I tried the Omegas and Chinese synthetics and quickly moved to the mid tier where most offerings and most of the volume are. I have tried most things here, but I am not through it yet. I am not settled on a favorite knot yet, though I know it will be small, scrubby badger, banded or black.
For the top tier, I am dipping my toes in the water. I want to buy things with the best aesthetic, the best ergonomics, and knots I will love. These purchases feel more important. They usually approach or even exceed my personal budget for daily discretionary spending, which forces me to be more deliberate. In this range, I have only ever purchased Simpsons and RV Shaving brushes. I will probably get a couple others like Plisson and Shavemac eventually, but I only see myself seriously collecting Simpson and RV brushes.
Once I figure out my absolute favorite Simpsons, I will slow way down there, to just special editions in my favorite configuration.
I am not sure how many brushes I will ask you to make me. I still need to figure out my favorite knot. It may be the Shavemac 2 band. It may be something else.
I have some sense of urgency here, because I know you won't be doing this forever, but I also want to get it right. And then, I don't know yet if I will want to explore a bunch of handle designs or if I will narrow my preference down more. If I nail the perfect knot and handle, I probably don't need 50 different handle materials, but I might want a dozen, if I am fortunate enough to have you want to make them.
I am still quite a novice, but I hope my perspective can be useful, as someone who is buying a lot of brushes.
Very well did and articulated @helicopter. It resembles my own thinking and journey.
To add to your perspectives I have been venturing into making own brushes. Well I think about design, my dad does the actual work on his lathe
My latest brushes have been with knots provided by either Apshaveco or Maggards. It gives me an extra dimension as my dad is making them and I like the one of a kind hook as well.
Another perspective that might be influential is the trade tariffs that at least the EU is imposing on products from outside the EU. High end brushes can command an increase to up to 40%-50% and they calculate that over the total value so including shipping. That puts most brushes almost “automatically” off of my list. That said I have a Rudy Vey brush on my bucket list doe when my readiness for higher end brushes is there.
To add to your perspectives I have been venturing into making own brushes. Well I think about design, my dad does the actual work on his lathe
My latest brushes have been with knots provided by either Apshaveco or Maggards. It gives me an extra dimension as my dad is making them and I like the one of a kind hook as well.Another perspective that might be influential is the trade tariffs that at least the EU is imposing on products from outside the EU. High end brushes can command an increase to up to 40%-50% and they calculate that over the total value so including shipping. That puts most brushes almost “automatically” off of my list. That said I have a Rudy Vey brush on my bucket list doe when my readiness for higher end brushes is there.
Yeah, EU taxes are crazy. VAT in EU and UK are nuts, too. I recently ordered a single Simpson brush with express delivery for significantly less than the UK price that includes VAT.Very well did and articulated @helicopter. It resembles my own thinking and journey.
To add to your perspectives I have been venturing into making own brushes. Well I think about design, my dad does the actual work on his lathe
Another perspective that might be influential is the trade tariffs that at least the EU is imposing on products from outside the EU. High end brushes can command an increase to up to 40%-50% and they calculate that over the total value so including shipping. That puts most brushes almost “automatically” off of my list. That said I have a Rudy Vey brush on my bucket list doe when my readiness for higher end brushes is there.
When I lived in New York it was similar, high taxes. It encouraged black markets, informal transactions, and doing things yourself, however inefficiently, poorly, or dangerously, especially for people with lower levels of professional specialization and income.
In a global economy, it really diminishes the experience for a lot of people, and probably puts the brakes on upward mobility for many households.
It is interesting to think how European taxes effect not only housing prices in Munich, but also opportunities for Rudy to turn brushes and even for Simpson and Shavemac to sell within their own markets and neighboring markets.
The customs union can ensure a level playing field for certain participants, but the entire EU is also just another participant in a global sense.
Decades ago in New York, I dabbled in some cottage craft via ebay and for some reason found a bunch of customers in Taiwan. I wonder if Taiwan's low taxes had something to do with it.
It is cool that you have handles your dad turned. My wife's cousin had a pen turning business years ago, and I want to see if we can get together and turn some handles eventually.
Merry Christmas!
You too! Happy Christmas! Enjoy your day(s).
And awesome if you can get together with your cousin. Pens…another Achilles heel perhaps! Haha!
As for the rest of your reply - spot on - nothing to add.
Well Rudy I do not know what you define as “Cheap”, but looking at the Oumo Brushes from ROC, they are not what I call price point brushes sub $50.00. They are in my World Pricy at starting point of $80.00, and up.
My definition of price point brushes are lower end offering like Zenith, Omega, Smog, Phoenix Artesian, Yski, DSC, etc. All do one thing, apply soap, or cream.
Those High-end Brush are in a smaller demand, but some people are will to spend more then $100.00 for Handle & Unique Knot. I am sure those buyer want Brush from specific Brush Makers in what I call Vogue. Like the Wald S1 That became available to order at over $550.00 USD, and Sold Out with 24 hours.Bugatti
Also know people who want what I will describe as High End Anything are the same people who will pay for top quality items. These people they are into Cars, Pool Cues, Watches, and only purchase top tier items.
These same people are the ones who will wait Four Year, put up a Million Bucks to get a New Bugatti Made in Italy Auto. Only about 80 per year are built, like I said current wait time is 4 years, and a Million buck Deposit to hold your place.
I personally appreciate fine Cars, Fine Dining, Fine Cigars, Great Bourbon, Scotch, Beer, I am not a cloths, or shoe person. I am not the guy who is going to chase a Wald S1.
I’ve gotten rid of most of my cheap brushes. I’m more into getting brushes that are high end. I love my Simpson? Thater, Kent, Plisson, and custom brushes. I do have a Rudy Vey in my custom collection. To me the brush is where to invest. They elevate the experience for me. I really like the French style that Plisson brings to their brushes.
