Larry Andro at Whipped Dog sends a packet of Oxi Clean with the knots he sells to reduce odor. I've never had an English brush smell bad, but the Chinese ones now coming on the market do have a strong animal smell. One seller of Franks Shaving brushes (Chinese) claims that 95% of all Badger hair on the market today comes from northern China. If this is so, there must be some pretty nervous Badgers around there, no wonder their hair falls out in clumps when made into brushes. Perhaps the English are civilized enough to deoderize their brushes before placing them on the market <g>.