This post is about OneBlade customer service. Regarding the razor and its pricing? Consumers will decide if the price is to high or not. The company admits its not for everyone and so be it. So customer service –
I view shaving hardware as tools, as durable goods. I expect to use them and last decades. I don’t “collect” nor “display” anything. I use them. A little less than a year ago, I decided I wanted a large brush but not one with short bristles. I also had settled on a Thater, which seemed to have a good reputation. The shaving brush OneBlade sold fit the bill. It’s a 28mm knot Thater with 60mm bristles, a big brush which I thought suitable for both bowl or face lathering. It was IMO overpriced but that’s the price of being an early adopter. This version of a Thater does not appear to be sold elsewhere. This is the brush I received.
I read the directions, followed them, and kept the box. I know most people don’t read directions and their VCR, yes VCR, is still blinking 12:00. Don’t put it in hot water, don’t mash it, use paintbrush strokes, etc. After watching youtube videos, I saw people mashing brushes all the time and vowed not to do that, it seems abusive.
For the first dozen or so uses, the brush shed maybe 5 or so hairs each use. I figured this normal as I had read that early shedding was normal as all the loose hairs haven’t been removed. Since Thater’s are made by hand (hmm, I guess that makes them “artisan”), I thought that normal. Over the summer the shedding got worse and worse to the point of 10+ hair loss each use. Although I had no idea what might be considered normal. I read
this
“As with any hand-made product, there is a possibility that a brush that is shedding hair could have a defective knot; however, don't rush to judgment. Many good brushes are too quickly condemned. … it is very common to find a few hairs falling loose from the brush during or after shaving within the first three months. ….
It is common for this period to last as long as three months of regular use, often losing three to four hairs at a time, before the shedding should settle down permanently. … the knot of the average shaving brush contains thousands of individual badger hairs means that this very small percentage will likely cause no noticeable effect on the brush's density or performance qualities. On the other hand, if a brush is losing an excessive number of hairs, such as ten or more hairs per shave on a regular basis or clumps of hair are coming loose from the handle, then contact your retailer to discuss the possibility that the brush may be defective.”
Since the brush had entered the 10+ range, I had enough. The warranty period from Thater is two years. To make a long story short, I called OneBlade support. Over the Holidays I had a new Thater in my hand in ~3 weeks from contacting them. Customer service was quick, had little wait on the phone, professional, and did not hesitate to send a new one. They did a good job. Here is the new one.
The handle is a bit darker and on the butt the have rebranded it (this is different)
Its lost maybe 5 hairs total on the first two uses and after than none. I've used it about 8 times. Maybe this helps someone or not, but that was my experience with customer service and I would not hesitant to say they were professional, courteous, and reasonably quick in response. And since they need to recoup any loss from Thater, its more complicated than if it were their own product. Was the initial cost worth it? No but I knew that. Is the current cost worth it? IMO, yes, its consistent with the cost of wooden handle Thaters. I don't have a vast experience across multiple brands but its very soft and works well.