Another rant...

[LJW61]

Has anyone else noticed the latest Hamilton Perfection brushes dont seem to be of the same high quality? They dont hold their shape as they always did & theyve even dropped the copper stock pins .. Has another company taken over production ?

 

[Richard C]

I read something about this recently; I believe they closed their UK production down after a century or whatever of manufacturing brushes in the UK. Sales, marketing & distribution still in the UK but brushes now probably made in China.

Edit
Make that in the UK since 1746 & it seems they may be made in Sweeden

The company is fairly local to me.

 

[LJW61]

Thanks Richard.
Had my suspicions, the bristles seem to part into lines & density seems lessened lately.. Shame, Ive always used them.
What alternative pure bristle brushes of the same or better quality have you tried lately?

 

[Richard C]

I really don’t do any serious trade decorating as such; when I do get involved it’s mainly finishing off bath/shower room renovations or on new plastering work I've done. Me mum used to work in a trade decorating shop many, many moons ago & I inherited a couple of sets of old Harris brushes I from my father + I have a set of old Hamiltons of my own; I also have a 1 inch “Mosely Stone” which is a beautiful little brush to use. They are all donkeys’ years old but I look after them & they always clean up well; I’ve probably got enough to keep me going until I’m no longer that interested.

I have tried new ones from time to time but I don’t like the tendency towards long bristles that seems common now. I don’t really know what it’s supposed to achieve but I find them more difficult to use so I tend to stick with the old ones; but I aint no trade decorator that’s for sure!

 

[LJW61]

Hehe ok mate.
Ive been in the trade for 30+ years and guesss Im stuck in my ways, I use the tools & brushes I was taught with so its a bit of a bummer they're not the quality they were
Im down to my last half-dozen Perfections ( I bought in bulk 20 years ago) some have been in constant use for 3 years so I need to find a replacement brand if these new 'uns on sale are anything to go by..

 

[Nige F]

Hamrilton - Erection . from the Yuk Fu factory by the banks of the Yangtsee

 

[LJW61]

LOL

 

[Richard C]

Hamrilton - Erection . from the Yuk Fu factory by the banks of the Yangtsee

Well that's what I thought initially but a quick, but admitedly not detailed, check on the company website seemed to indicate that production was now in Sweden. Hamiltons are very local to me & I distinctly remember a two page spread in the EDP saying that although all the local manufacturing jobs could not be saved, quality would not suffer. Not sure what's gone wrong but either they are secretly farming it out to firms on the banks of the Yagtsee & keeping quiet or are mixing bristle with off cuts from the local long hair barbers; anyone noticed any blonde twinges in the brushes!

 

[Lyngarth]

I Have stopped using Hamilton Perfection brushes a good while back, they are nothing like the old ones use to be, and now gone over to Purdy and will use nothing else, by far the best around.

 

[LJW61]

My mate swears by them too but I cant get on with Purdys, tried them but they dont work for me..Leastways not the synthetic ones Ive tried ,has to be pure bristle everytime...Do purdy make a pure bristle now?

 

[Lyngarth]

I think they do, can't be 100% sure but if I remember rightly there "Black China" are bristle, there are so many different models its hard to remember what is what.

 

[LJW61]

I'll look up the Purdy site , thanks