R A Rooney

I love the naivety of some of the rose tinted posts on that thread... the idea of "artisans" working in an industrial unit in Walthamstow is strange - more like folk who are very good at what they do doing a job to pay the rent.

I find it truly bizarre that Rooney would sooner service the US market than the one on their own doorstep. Something just isn't right about the whole thing - unless they feel its more profitable just to service the "white labelling" of their products.
 
Vic Flange said:
I love the naivety of some of the rose tinted posts on that thread... the idea of "artisans" working in an industrial unit in Walthamstow is strange - more like folk who are very good at what they do doing a job to pay the rent.

I find it truly bizarre that Rooney would sooner service the US market than the one on their own doorstep. Something just isn't right about the whole thing - unless they feel its more profitable just to service the "white labelling" of their products.
Click to expand...

I half agree with you there Vic...actually I find a lot of this unsubstantiated tittle tattle a little depressing.

On this small forum, how many of us actually own Rooney's? Probably less than 10. You think the brush makers are on 25k a year and going to get a final salary pension? Ha!
How many brushes do you think you need to sell to support a small UK business? The answer is probably more than you think.

Of course they are going to target a larger market and I don't blame them. The UK market must be tiny so they sell through a few UK retail and on line outlets (admittedly not very well) and make brushes for other companies, yet we expect them somehow to have a fully functioning PR department and fly the flag for manufacturing in the UK...just because a few shaving enthusiasts have too much time on there hands. I doubt they have the turnover of an average corner shop and a staff of less than 10 and yet just because we can access information almost immediately somehow they have to be party to that. Bo****ks.

It's rare to be able to deal directly with manufacturer's of any products because actually that's what the retailers are for and it's not worth the trouble. Most conspiracy theories are just an unwillingness to just believe the bleeding obvious, but from what I've seen and read of Rooney products they seem to be of excellent quality so if you really want to support a small UK manufacturer I know what I would do.
 
I'm drawing a line under this.

A perfectly innocent enquiry has stirred up a hornets nest. The thread I started in the SMF forum now includes a statement from Vintage Blades. And I have replied.

I'm happy to leave it there. I have more interesting things to do.
 
Maybe the reason that less than ten use them is because they don't pursue the market here so you have to import if you want one.I have one and it is a great brush, but if I didn't get it at a big discount from Britishhall I would have bought something which is easier to source.I don't think anyone is asking them to have a huge PR department maybe just be available to answer a query at some point (I am talking about the retailers here too).
 
Simpsons are very helpful: transparent and good comms.

I agree with Antdad, but it wouldn't kill Rooney to behave more like our friends on the IoM; in fact it might help them. No-one expects every component to be locally-sourced and each item to be made by a single craftsman in a leather apron at a work-bench, but some honest info on sourcing and production would be well-received. Maybe they need the mystique or cache of "Made In England" to justify prices that would buy five Chinese brushes off ebay?
 
Just have a look at that sign... they haven't even bothered to get their telephone updated. That should tell you everything about how they run their business and what their priorities are. We are a bunch of enthusiasts that are interested in products with a miniscule market that involve tiny production runs and yet we hope somehow that they are more "communicative" or we can have a personal dialogue because you need some resassurance before you make a purchase? Well Rooney ain't for you then, but I can tell you I have had more than my fair share of quality control issues with our friends on the IoM so their mystique to me is somewhat diminished. Tell me, why would a brush manufacturer tell you that its main rival gets it's brushes made in China?

If anything the retailers who sell Rooney's in the UK need to be bought up to speed and that's is what you are missing. You've seen the care and service provided by some of those U.S retailers but it's the retailers that engage with the clientele not the manufacturer. Otherwise get yourself one of those fancy Chinese brushes of ebay, Rooney or otherwise. Lets not be hypocrites, those that bought Rooney's for less than half the normal price off British Hall didn't give a Chinese monkey about where that brush was made and frankly neither did I.
 
:lol:

Here you go PI Fido, just agitating. This is the telephone number of the business that is seemingly operating next to 30a. :cool:

RHPS Furniture Wholesalers 30 -32 Sutherland Road. 0208 9258141
 
I 'd agree with Antdad if it weren't for the fact that Rooney make a big deal of their history and geography - they explicitly trade on their heritage, so we have a right to expect that to be honoured in fact and in person.

No name Chinese brushes = no comms, no info; Simpsons (with the history and geography thing) = comms and info; but Rooney is the worst of both worlds: claiming to be olde England but acting like cheapo imports. That's what sucks.
 
henkverhaar said:
FYI:
http://www.heavenhorse.com/tm07.jpg
Click to expand...

Thats a great spot Henk.

How many brushes have a name ending "ey" ?

I rather like TM14

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.heavenhorse.com/badger%20shaving%20brush.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.heavenhorse.com/badger%20shaving%20brush.htm</a><!-- m -->

I'll be emailing Mr Chen.

Have you dealt with him Henk?

And Ollie - hear, hear.
 
Yes. This is the supplier I get my knots from. And Don McIvor. And, most extremely likely, The Golden Nib. Excellent knots, good service, especially for 'hobbyists' wanting to do business with China.

TM14 is depicted with what probably is their silvertip knot.

Henk
 
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