Varlet Customer Service Woes

Same for me...put in an order over a year ago.  Got at a distribution-list email update in Spring of '21 saying that orders placed when mine was placed would be completed by July '21.  I've received no updates since this past Spring.  I have no plans on asking for an update as I want to be considerate of his situation and have total respect for the craft.  That said, I'm very close to simply 'walking away' as at some point this process and experience is beginning to pollute the perception of what I'm getting.  That's just a personal position, and no hard feelings at all (want to avoid that).  In general, it may just be a sign that I have enough artisan brushes right now (that's the truth!).

I call it bad juju. Anything that had brought angst has got to go. The only Varlet I bought direct on a drop was sold without me ever taking it out of the box. I dont like being misled. At all.

Hope Varlet does not charge when you put in the order, but when it is ready to ship out.
If the former, and he is taking his own sweet time, that is a red flag right there.

He charges when you put in the order. I ordered a brush over 2 months ago and haven’t been able to get an email response from him in weeks. Very frustrating! I ordered a brush from him before that took quite a bit of time but he kept in touch the entire time sending photos of his progress. This time it’s been crickets without a single email since I paid him.


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My single favorite brush is my Varlet beehive. If I had to pick my top five brushes, Varlets would probably occupy at least three of those spots. I have ordered two customs (a while ago) and I am very happy with the outcome. Despite my positive experiences, I find this thread distressing. I don’t mind waiting for someone’s best work. I do mind sending payment (in full) with such loose estimates as far as delivery dates go. That’s what deposits are for. Paying in full, with this much time elapsing, seems more like a no-interest loan to me. When the consumer gives up the entire payment, he loses any leverage he might have…not that it should have to come to that, but sometimes it does.

Furthermore, the lack of communication also sets off some red flags to me. Isn’t this part of the reason stated for going custom? Wasn’t improved communication part of the package…the reason why we started paying significantly more for brushes? It seemed like it was working for a while but, based on this thread and what friends have been telling me privately, I’m no so sure the “improved communication” thing applies anymore.

Finally, if this custom list is so backed up, why can I go on the site now and submit an order for a new brush? Wouldn’t it make sense to close the list until progress has been made? As a small business owner, all of this baffles me. In my business, professionalism is everything. I submitted an order months ago. I’m not impatient. It comes up when it comes up. That said, in light of recent trends, I’m not 100% sure I want to go through with it. I’d like to think I’m very understanding, but this is a two way street. At the moment, this lack of professionalism has become very hard to ignore.

I am sure someone will tell him about this thread and then we'll get one of his usual
humble brag blogposts about how exacting his standards are. LOL

I have always admired the Varlet brand and find their brushes quite attractive. I became quite frustrated back in the day at the "drops", never even having sufficient time to put my credit card in before the brush was sold out from under me. BTW, that happened not just once, but twice. Thus ended my "quest for a Varlet" period. Communication with the owner was abysmal then as well. I wish Aldo well, but unless I stumble upon one in the wild, I don't imagine I will ever own a Varlet.

Don't worry, it isn't some magical experience using a Varlet brush. I have a 28 mm Beehive and if I had to choose the face feel with my eyes closed, I couldn't tell it apart from my paladin(or even my Stirling Soap 26 mm finest).

I have always admired the Varlet brand and find their brushes quite attractive. I became quite frustrated back in the day at the "drops", never even having sufficient time to put my credit card in before the brush was sold out from under me. BTW, that happened not just once, but twice. Thus ended my "quest for a Varlet" period. Communication with the owner was abysmal then as well. I wish Aldo well, but unless I stumble upon one in the wild, I don't imagine I will ever own a Varlet.

Don't worry, it isn't some magical experience using a Varlet brush.  I have a 28 mm Beehive and if I had to choose the face feel with my eyes closed, I couldn't tell it apart from my paladin(or even my Stirling Soap 26 mm finest).

I don’t have a dog in this hunt.  This is just my opinion.

Life is too valuable to me to go through the ordeal - and it sure seems to be an ordeal- in order to get (or not) a particular makers wares.

There are too many really good, readily available brushes.

Me…I’ll take a Paladin thank you

Aldo’s knots are much more consistent than Paladin. You might get a great one, you might not. The premium being paid is for a custom brush made to your preferences. You get what you pay for. A lot of others are willing to wait. It’s not the product in question, just the more evidently recent lack of communication. That being said, he will always follow through even if the timeline is off.