Varlet is moving to Order Form

Thanks to Aldo for taking the time to write a thoughtful response.

I understand this may not fit with the brand and aesthetic that Aldo has created but perhaps he could offer a “bare bones” handle with no engraving, a simple shape that required less time on the lathe, a single color option (probably different from the current offerings), but with the same knot options as the more custom handles.

Porsche offers just such options costing approximately twice what their fully loaded vehicles cost

Haha, I understand what you’re saying and I could be wrong but aren’t those ostensibly just “de-tuned” race cars? You’re paying for limited edition, full caged, street legal, higher horsepower, etc, versions of what their using to compete that year.

I’ll gladly pay more for a racing stripes and a carbon fiber wing on my brush though

From the perspective of decreasing inherent value: in some cases the "Special Edition" Porsches are substantially different autos (even lightly detuned racecars), in others different vehicles trading on a revised balance of performance v luxury but in many others well and truly simply decontented production lots grotesquely overpriced to prey upon the flippers and poseurs. 

My experience, having owned quite a few over the years (especially when doing well in corp), is no vehicle (maybe even luxury good in general) more accurately reflects the asset bubble wave economy the West (particularly the US) has experienced since abandoning Bretton Woods.  It is an indicator both prognostically and retrospectively of asset bubble induced economic malady.

I'll preface this by saying that this has nothing to do with flippers, flipping, etc. It probably does have to do with overpaying. I'm not condoning or condemning any of it. It's just how it is. I don't really care to get into why it is this way, who's responsible, etc. Also, it's Aldo's business and he's free to charge whatever he feels his work is worth. As a self-employed person without any set rates, I totally get wanting to work less for more money when it's possible to do so.

For those willing to pay for a premium brush, I think the $400 point is where many people start to get uneasy and reevaluate. Take retail prices out of the equation for the time being. What does a Wiborg White Badger sell/raffle for now? I'd say $550-650. Black Eagle HT1 25mm, $400-$500, 28mm $450-$600; Dec B1 or B2 Jeffo, say $400-$500, B5/B6, $300-$400; Varlet low light $400-500. Any of these could be more or less on any given day. And some can be way more, but these are ballpark figures, maybe a bit on the high side overall.

And I think these numbers have to do more with scarcity than quality. I don't think I will ever have the chance to buy a Wiborg direct. Most people probably feel the same way. Black Eagle...We assume more will be available, but who knows when and how many will be sold publicly in 2020? Probably not many, but certainly more than Wiborg. Until recently, I thought I'd get 2-3 more Varlets this year in drops. DG is a different animal due to how the batch of hair sort of dictates how desirable a brush is, so DG resale prices can be all over the map.

I think a 29mm Low Light Ranger from the recent drop could sell for around $450, give or take. I remember multiples of another shape (privately) sold for $500, but I don't think the buyer made his money back on them. So I think that $400-$450 range is probably what a secondary market buyer might expect to pay for a 27 or 29 mm Varlet brush in a normal color. Most people in this game begin to wince around $400 . I'm talking about people who are willing to buy a $310 Varlet from a drop. Second hand, I think $400 is the number where they get uneasy. $450....you lose most of the people in the game. $500...all but the high rollers are out, unless it's a raffle.

A base model 27mm Gaslamp now retails for $495, so let's just call it $500. There goes almost everyone...primary market, secondary market, etc. To the high roller, it doesn't matter. I'd be willing to bet at least one person has an order in for one custom Varlet in every shape already. I wouldn't be surprised if three people have already ordered 6 brushes each already. But to the guy who was in the game for $300-$400, and conflicted around $450, Varlets are no longer an option. Maybe they still are on the table for folks who don't already own one. I have four, so I am holding off for now. As much as I would like one in each shape, I'm willing to wait to see what happens, or just forget about that plan for now.

I could shell out $500+ for a brush, but there's no guarantee I will love it. I think Varlets are constructed as well as any brush I've used, but I like some of mine more than others. And, if I don't love it, I'd be worried about taking a hit, especially if I spent $680 on a 29mm XD beehive with all the bells and whistles. So I count myself as someone who has been scared off by this new price structure, which is sad, because my Varlets are my favorite brushes.

Excellent points all around. I’m not really active on the secondary market much. I certainly haven’t sold many Varlets as they’re my top brush. I’ve said that many times and will continue to do so.

Personally I haven’t sold one for over 300 and for the most part I have seen brushes at retail or up to 100 over. Sure maybe more back room deals have occurred for more, nothing surprises me any more.

As a self employed contractor I get it. I aim to get as much as I can for my services at any given time. However sometimes I price myself excessively for a variety of reasons. The most relevant reason is to meter the amount of work that gets accepted due to my prices, and trust me it works. Then if it does get accepted regardless of my high rate - it’s worth my while.

One other thing...regarding the heirloom part...I used one brush for about 12 years, a 3 band Vulfix. The knot eventually fell out in several clumps. The tips were always fine. I am a little nervous about the life span of a two band brush with treated tips. Do we know how long they last? My friend uses only one brush, an old Paladin, and the tips are beat to hell. Maybe it doesn't matter in a large rotation of brushes, but I still view brushes as consumable items (as opposed to razors).

Brush longevity depends greatly upon the care the individual gives the brush. I cringe on almost every person I see lathering a brush on videos. Way too much pressure put on the brush, not to mention the circular motions. Some brushes look like the people don’t rinse thoroughly in photos I’ve seen. I saw a Sterling brush on eBay awhile back that I was horrified to see the condition it was in.

I remember hearing about some Plissons that I think were 2-Band that lasted the fellow for about 30 years and only bought a new one as he wanted a new brush and still used that brush. You’ll find that story on Shave my face.

You are right in that brushes are consumable, but I’ve heard of several stories of long lasting brushes. Not sure what caused your Vulfix to catastrophically fail like that after so many years. It’s theorized that the bleaching does shorten the life span somewhat, but I’m pretty sure I remember Ken at Paladin saying the manufacturer assuring they will still have good life span. I think it’s here you’ll find info on that specifically.

Not going to quote entire posts but points made by Pork and Kehole are excellent.
Particularly struck by how politely and diplomatically they put across the outrage
many must be experiencing. So why am I – a customer who isn't planning to consider
a badger brush at any price for a while – even discussing this? Because if people acquiesce,
artisans will take it as a sign of acceptance and twist the shank in even more. If you place a frog
in a pot of water and slowwwly raise the temperature, he won't notice until it's too late and he's cooked.
In this case, customers have been thrown into a pot of boiling water right upfront.

In Thailand, they have an unspoken practice of changing foreigners 4-5 times more than locals.
I once asked a Thai about this and the answer was: "because you can pay". So clearly there's
no universal standard for setting prices.

The most expensive brushes I can remember were released by Black Eagle as a set of 5...they cost
$3,000....but it seemed like a one -off commemorative set, never to be repeated and some % went
to wildlife conservation IIRC.

I just hope the doesn't start some sort of a competition between brush makers as to who can get
away with charging the most.

Not going to quote entire posts but points made by Pork and Kehole are excellent.
Particularly struck by how politely and diplomatically they put across the outrage
many must be experiencing. So why am I – a customer who isn't planning to consider
a badger brush at any price for a while – even discussing this? Because if people acquiesce,
artisans will take it as a sign of acceptance and twist the shank in even more. If you place a frog
in a pot of water and slowwwly raise the temperature, he won't notice until it's too late and he's cooked.
In this case, customers have been thrown into a pot of boiling water right upfront.

In Thailand, they have an unspoken practice of changing foreigners 4-5 times more than locals.
I once asked a Thai about this and the answer was: "because you can pay". So clearly there's
no universal standard for setting prices.

The most expensive brushes I can remember were released by Black Eagle as a set of 5...they cost
$3,000....but it seemed like a one -off commemorative set, never to be repeated and some % went
to wildlife conservation IIRC.

I just hope the doesn't start some sort of a competition between brush makers as to who can get
away with charging the most.

So flippers are ok, but not ok for the original artisan to get paid?

So flippers are ok, but not ok for the original artisan to get paid?

You guys are obsessed. Thank god for Reddit and the morality conscious folks of r/wetshaving to keep us in line. I sir, appreciate you!

So flippers are ok, but not ok for the original artisan to get paid?

That's a rather simplistic reduction.
I don't think anyone ever objected to Wolfman's price increases, because they
were done in a very logical and acceptable way.You could clearly see his rationale,
he took something from customers but he also gave them other options, he found
a way to balance the demands placed on his time. No one argued against it.

The market eventually decides what is ok...or not.
This thread is a statement towards a certain artisan, informing him that
his price increase seems random, massive, ill informed and unacceptable.
We have still to see whether the market meekly accepts or rejects his prices.
Evidence so far point to the latter.

Just wanted to say hello to DFS and I hope it's ok for me to post a reply. I thought it best to post here to reach out directly to the shaving community instead of posting on my blog.

First of all, I would like to say that any discussion and opinion about my business is ok with me so far, the discussion has been pretty civil and I'm really glad to see that. With that said, I'd like to dispel the myth that I'm sitting in my office with mahogany paneled walls, smoking a cigar, and trying to figure out how to get everyone's money. I mean that in jest and lightheartedly. I am loving that this thread has turned into an economic discussion, as that is what I studied in college. So in the spirit of perfect information, maybe a word from the supplier of the goods in question would help!


I'd like to chime in about the big changes I just made. As I mentioned in my blog, my main concern was the time that it takes me to make one brush. Also, my customer service has not been that great and it's something I would like to improve.

Let me take it back to 2014. I had no clue what I was getting into in terms of production. Let's take the Beehive for example. My goal was just to make the most intricate and unique version of a Beehive, without taking into account the cost to make something like that. I figured, with time, my skills will improve and I will be able to make them much faster. Well, one of those things happened, but the other didn't. The Beehive now is so much cleaner and well crafted than the first ones back in 2015, but I'm still spending the same amount of time on it. Also, being bent over the lathe carefully sanding each bead is literally back-breaking. I can't do it all day long, though I LOVE working on brushes and would do it for 12 hours if my body allowed me.

Now... 5 years later I have to re-evaluate the Beehive. I don't mean to boast, but I really don't think my skills on the lathe or tying knots can improve. Where I'm at right now in terms of production time is what I have to work with. I now know that variable which I didn't know in 2014, TIME. I have to charge more for the Beehive (and all brushes) because I have to face reality. I will say that no other brush in the line-up takes as much time as my Beehive but they are all in the same ballpark.

That is just one example. I could talk about the Alumilite which you can literally whack with a hammer without it cracking, the engraving (which is timely also because every handle is slightly different, not CNC'd, meaning the engraver needs different settings for EACH HANDLE), or I can talk about my in-house hair sorting which is why the knots are so beloved. I never have promised perfection and never will, but I do promise an excellent product.

Now, maybe I overshot it a bit on the price, but I honestly don't think I am that far off the mark. I am willing to consider that it was a slight overstep, of course I am not that arrogant, but considering I'm giving folks the chance to order what they want, instead of chasing my drops for perhaps a brush they weren't even looking for and then miss out, I feel good about where I'm at. So, doing it this way I am being respectful of YOUR time. How much is that worth to you?

I don't want to compare my brushes to other brushes, or even razors, but it does beg the question, if there are vintage English brushes out there still being lathered, why question the longevity of badger brushes? I've been told by many customers that my brushes will be handed down to their sons when the time comes, and that is just the greatest thing to know. It's why I build them like I do, with the materials that I do. It's why I engrave them too. But, just a word, care for your brushes! They really need proper care.

I've got a few brushes that are paid for already and have been communicating with every buyer, production is going smooth so far, and I'm not feeling stressed, nor are the folks that have paid for their brushes. They know they're getting one of the best brushes out there and it's being made with care by one guy in his small shop. They're getting the exact color they want, in the exact brush size, the exact handle, everything they want they're getting. They know I'm working on them diligently and will deliver them when they are the absolute best they can be. For me, it feels GREAT to know that.

I've been as honest as possible since 2015, have never taken advantage of the demand in my brushes, and am not doing so now. I do virtually no marketing. I don't even post on Instagram, anyone who looks at that would ask if I'm even trying to sell brushes. If any of you guys were around for my first ever release, you know I have been dealing with 30 second drops far too long. Now in 2020, I'm just facing reality, and setting something up which can last and provide real value to those who purchase. I assure you guys this isn't a $200 plain white t-shirt!

Lastly, I just want to say that even though I'm 5 years in, this is just the first step. It's not like I could've just called the brush-makers over in Europe and ask them how to make a shaving brush. I had to learn it on my own! With the all of the knowledge I've gained there are more possibilities, more ideas than can be realized. But... no promises. Take care everyone and enjoy the weekend!


-Aldo

best wishes with the brushes, Aldo!

I wonder how long until Bozingo starts making knock off Varlet handles?