Although we took a couple days off for Christmas, we have been taking a hard look at how to improve our service you, our friends, patrons, and patrons-to-be. The first thing is to expand our ReadyMade Collection of Morris & Forndran and BSSW shaving brushes. (More on that in a moment.)
Secondly, we've been paying close attention both to customer feedback and comments about other brushes on Facebook as well as on several wet shaving forums. What we're seeing is more interest in what I'll call "firmer" 2-band knots (i.e., more backbone and moderate "scritch") and, on the flip side, we've also noticed increased awareness of the more luxurious 3-band Silvertips like those we offered two years ago--what one friend fondly calls "Unicorn Hair" (i.e., medium backbone with soft tips and minimal scritch.) To that end, we've been negotiating with our Chinese suppliers, and testing numerous knots to find knots that meet--and hopefully exceed--these differing requirements. We hope to have these knots in quantity by mid-February. (All are, of course, tied by hand by skilled artisans!)
Please know that we will be offering our current 2-band Silvertips (now designated as "1704C2x") while supplies last.
In the meantime, we will be offering limited quantities of the new 2-band knots--designated "1712A2x Select Badger"--dense 2-bands with springy backbone and resilient tips--and the 3-band Silvertips, designated "1503B3x Special Badger" in our ReadyMade Collection.
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| BSSW "Knight" with 1712A2B Knot | BSSW Wanderer & Knight Shaving Brushes with 1503B3F & B Special Badger |
A quick word about our new knot coding system: for BSSW brushes listed beginning January 1, 2018, we have begun using are including a coding schema to facilitate comparison between our brushes and (perhaps) brushes from other makers. The system is very simple: the first four digits indicate the year and month the knots were received. The fifth position is an internal code assigned to each the knot maker/supplier. The sixth indicates the number of bands while the seventh, shown above by an "x", denotes the knot shape: (B)ulb, (H)ybrid or (F)an profile.
With all of this, please be assured that we are continuing our relationship with Lee Sabini of Morris & Forndran! AND expanding our ReadyMade offerings of M&F brushes. Lee tells us he's received some of the best 2-Band Finest Badger hair he's seen in years and is planning to bring in more of his 3-Band "Super Badger."
All in all, 2018 is looking quite promising.
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome!
But for now, know that Nancy, Gus and I wish you a Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year!
Brad
