New brush is shedding

I bought a new brush and on the first inspection noticed that it shed. It was about 40 hairs. Do you allow that new brush shed a several dozen hairs before first used? Artisan suggests starting to use the brush. What would you do in this way? Would you ask for a warranty case and replace the brush or start using it?

I would use it, note how many hairs are shedding. There is a lot of hair in a brush. I believe for a badger brush a gram is equal to about 1000 hairs. Seems for the times I’ve seen the gram size it corresponds pretty well to the knot size, aka a 22mm knot having 22g worth of hair. I don’t go off that much.

Shedding that much at the beginning indicates a brush that likely didn’t receive as thorough a combing as it should have most likely. Bad knots do happen but it’s rare. I only had 2 catastrophic failures and that was from poor adhesive, and it became evident in under 20 shaves. 10 was the more likely count.

Most often a manufacturer doesn’t state the common amount of hairs they comb out that didn’t get taken in by the adhesive to set the knot together. It’s just not something that would really get talked about. Ken from Paladin would be able to give the best answer likely as how many hairs get combed out as I know he combs his knots, washes them, and so forth from the place he gets his knots, so he’s had the most experience from numbers. Scott from Declaration, Aldo from The Varlet, and Brett from Mozingo Brushworks making their own knots would have good info there making their own knots too. I have had over hundreds of brushes, and only had a few that approached numbers like yours. They did calm down. Can’t even think of the models now that did it but they did calm down and stopped shedding.

For me I would say by 20 uses if the brush is still shedding even 2 hairs would be too much. I know some manufacturers would say that is okay, but I have numerous brushes that go dozens of shaves before dropping a hair. I don’t have any that do it consecutively consistently. Rarely will I get one where it drops a hair back to back.

I always thought a brush shed hairs during use - lathering, face lathering, rinsing, etc. If a brush sheds 40 hairs by just opening the box and looking at it, return the brush. Whilst i am not sure if 40 hairs would impact density and performance, unusual and ask for replacement or refund

The artisan's recommendation would have probably been valid if 4 hairs. With 40 hairs being shed, a really good artisan would have promptly offered to remedy.

I would also be interested in how you found the approx. 40 hairs that were shed.

You have correspondence documenting your concerns. Now use it - daily. If it sheds a hair after 3 weeks (way long enough) it's excessive and you have good reason to re-open the issue with the maker.

If it's stable ask the maker how long they think it would be reasonable to return the brush. Honestly watching Rud's brush smashing vids I'd say makers should cut us off at 30 days max!

Even though I've never had a brush that shed anywhere near that amount of hairs, I would still use it and see how it goes. And you say all those hairs fell out before you ever used it? Definitely start using it and see if any hairs fall out after two or three uses. I'll bet it'll have little to no hair loss after you start using it.

I have a GF Trumper brush and a Shavemac that both shed. I kept using them and they have slowed down to 1-2 per shave. So keep using it or if you don't like picking hair off your face, just use them to lather your hand.

I would ask for an exchange if it keeps shedding.