I have an email from him where he states he is a "Maestroholic". Consistency and credibility are key...........:w
Lynn
Printable View
Lynn, fwiw, I think that all custom makers are great for the fact that they are actually making an attempt at doing something unconventional, being pioneers in something that really is a lost art. Have I shaved with any of their blades or seen the quality except for photographs? no - so I'm reserving judgment, but it stands to reason that the care put into making a custom is something worth the extra cost, and that a custom razor crafter would have to have the skill to indeed create a blade in the first place.
There is also the personal pride thing. I know that all of the custom makers are all about being known for their work, so I seriously doubt Joel's opinion here. JMHO
The funny thing is, he couldn't brag enough about how great mine are when he got them. When I, like Robert, refused to make razors for him exclusively (he contacted me to do so long before Lynn and Don), he got his widdle feewings hurt, I guess. and stopped recommending them. I would hope he and I never meet in person. I guess I don't worry about him any more. He's like a pet coon...distracted by the newest shiny thing. He just doesn't have the class to keep some of his opinions to himself, and thereby shows how truly stupid he is. And if you ever talk to him, his opinions are strong, but the knowledge base he founds them on is mediocre, at best. He's absolutely right about the quality of Tim's work, but wait and see what happens if he and Tim ever disagree about anything...he'll begin to find "flaws" and "quality control issues", and rip him, too. You just need to take him with a grain of salt (or in Joel's case, a salt mine :D) Life will take care of him, and while there will always be a group of sycophants around him, I think people are wising up to Joel and his ways, and thankfully are developing their own opinions instead of relying on his to make up their minds. He can think what he wants, but I really don't want Hoel Sperman's business...I'll try and cater to the non-bipolar, non- corrosively narcissistic crowd.
Just my $.02
What's cool, though, is that if you put him on ignore, and read what people who aren't Joel say, B&B isn't a bad place. :D But, in fairness to Joel, I'd probably be mean and nasty, as well, if I were suffering from micropenis.
+1 Joe,,take it from where it's coming. If it smells like ****, and feels like ****. then it must be ****, no need to taste it to know it is. I for one would love to own one of your razors,soon I hope. Keep up the great work and never look back at the nay sayers.:bow
So, how do I go about getting one of these low quality custom razors he's talking about. I kind of have a yen for taking one off someone's hands. I mean, I really want one of those poorly crafted blades.:w
I am certified non-bipolar with a very low narcissism quotient.
The shame is there are enough people that assume that anything he says is dogma, that his rants can probably create a problem for some vendors. If you surf long enough you start to realize that he trashes and deifies the same vendors/cutom makers/products depending on his mood, and you start to hear that he uses his reviews to trash vendors that don't do what he wants commercially. But not all readers have heard that.
It's also sad that he can't just "let it go." Instead of learning from the reaction to his hack job on RW, it sounds like he keeps making posts trying to prove he was right. Sad.
It's also sad because most of his reviews are really helpful, but the vindictive nutty ones have made me a far less common visitor to B&B. I don't want to participate in "his site" or anyone else's site, I want to participate in sites that are true shared content sites [like this one].
Edit: I love that "ignore Joel" function idea - I might try that!
TZ and Bill Ellis are the only 2 custom makers, he hasn't ripped on yet, well all we need to do is organize a group buy of TZ blades and Bill Ellis' as well, and you can guarantee he will rip on them too.
Strange thing I don't understand though, I am pretty sure earlier in this thread someone stated, Joel couldn't master straights and went to DE. Was that just a joke or is it for real. If its for real, then why keep spending 100$'s and who is he to judge someones work when he can't use the item properly. Guess he justs judges on appearance. :shrug:
Well I reckon Joel will soon cause the downfall of his own forum and we won't have to worry about his nonsense anymore.