#217 Brush Real or Fake? Need Your Opinions Please

[rockin26]

Hello! I recently aquired another 217 brush that was sold to me as authentic. When I received it I compared it to my original 217 brush that I purchased from my local MAC counter and found a few differences between the two. If anyone can explain why there would be differences but it's ok and the brush is real I'll be happy with that, but I do have a nagging thought that it may not be the real thing.

I've shown the seller these pictures and told her my concerns and she maintains the brush it legitimate. Perhaps it is real and I'm being too fussy? That's why I'm throwing out there to see whay everyone else thinks

I appreciate any imput!

Sorry if the pics are big, I don't know how to resize with photobucket??

My original 217 brush is at the top (still has some product on it

)

The metal binding isn't the same, my original brush looks like the binds are deeper

I included my 242 and the binding on my 242 & 217 are the same but the other brush isn't

The MAC logo on my brush is not as close to the metal as the other brush

My Brush

My Brush

The other brush is slightly shorter than my brush

The other brush is slightly shorter than my brush

My original brush at the top

 

[gildedangel]

That does look a little fishy. Where was the new one made, I see that your first one was made in Japan. If there is no country mark on the new brush than that is a big red flag! If they were made in different countries that might account for the slight differences, but the handle looks like it is a different finish. One is more matte than the other from what I see in the pictures, but that could just be the lighting.

 

[rockin26]

I checked and they are both marked Japan and you're right the finishes are different. My original brush has more of a sheen/sparkle to it and the other brush it more matte. The matte finish on the other brush is similar to the finish on my 242 (which I also bought at MAC).

 

[redambition]

They look fine to me. I have two 217's, purchased a couple of years apart... They have the following differences:

1. handle colour - one is a blue-black, one's a real black-black
2. handle crimp - one is crimped less than the other (the crimp lines are shallower)
3. bristle crimp - one is crimped more than the other
4. text placement - one has text closer to the ferrule than the other
5. handle length, one is shorter than the other

as the brushes are handmade, these sorts of variations are pretty normal. the handle colour may change a bit from batch to batch due to the pigments used. the handle may be slightly shorter or longer depending on how far the worker pushed it into the ferrule before crimping it. the crimp may be less pronounced if less pressure was used.

if you're still worried - if you could post a clear picture of the part of the handle where the MAC logo and number fall (best done in daylight with no flash in macro mode) i can check off the fonting properly. It's a little hard to see in the flash pics above.