At one time, I recall you offering being able to duplicate a hair system from people sending one to you. I am interested in sending you one of my old pieces (from another company) and asking you to duplicate it. Do you still offer that service?

John

Hi Encouraged,
Absolutely. We get hair pieces to duplicate all the time. Hair Club, Hair Direct, and Richard Farrell to mention a few. At Richard Farrell they pay $2,800 for one unit--customers are amazed that they can get the same thing for a fraction of the price. We send the unit in to the factory and they 'clone' it. If the unit you are sending in has been worn it may be faded. If that's the case it's a good idea to include a fresh hair sample with the unit so we can get the color exactly right. The factory will put the hair sample under a microscope and determine the exact color. And we'll duplicate every nuance of the old system--base material, pleats, shape, hair density, wave, darts, etc. Often times we can make suggestions to improve the unit such as temple flaps, crown position, gray in the temples, etc. Send yours in a save a bundle.
Regards,
John

(04-17-2016, 04:16 AM)ToplaceUSA Wrote: Hi Encouraged,
Absolutely. We get hair pieces to duplicate all the time. Hair Club, Hair Direct, and Richard Farrell to mention a few. At Richard Farrell they pay $2,800 for one unit--customers are amazed that they can get the same thing for a fraction of the price. We send the unit in to the factory and they 'clone' it. If the unit you are sending in has been worn it may be faded. If that's the case it's a good idea to include a fresh hair sample with the unit so we can get the color exactly right. The factory will put the hair sample under a microscope and determine the exact color. And we'll duplicate every nuance of the old system--base material, pleats, shape, hair density, wave, darts, etc. Often times we can make suggestions to improve the unit such as temple flaps, crown position, gray in the temples, etc. Send yours in a save a bundle.
Regards,
John

Thanks John, that is good to hear. There has been a lot of recent complaints at the place I have been buying from (for the past 6 years) about lack of consistency (density, black knots, color match, etc.). The company implies in their responses to forum members that this is an industry challenge and that inconsistency exists in the factories. I don't routinely read a lot of posted complaints on the Toplace website. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on the 'industry' challenge reaction. For me, the biggest drop off the past 2 years has been with very detectable black knots along the front hairline. I've also noticed the density of my last several orders has been off (less than the 70% I order). I look forward to hearing your reply. Best, John

Encouraged,
The bigger suppliers use more than one factory. That adds to the complexity of things. We use only one factory. We've used the same factory for over 9 years so that helps. But knotting hair all day long is not on the 'to-do list' of high achievers. It's boring and monotonous work. Older people don't have the dexterity to do the job so it's a young person's job. People have trouble staying with the job for a long time. So it's true that this is an industry wide concern. Regarding your comment about the detectablity of black knots along the front hairline---is the entire unit bleached? Or just the hairline? Black hair is the most difficult to bleach since it requires more bleaching time to remove the color. Bleach too long and it harms the integrity of the knot. Bleach too little and the knot is visible. It's a fine line between the two. The lighter the color of the hair the easier it is to bleach the knots. Of course there's always the old trick of ordering the front hairline in blonde hair and then just color the hair shaft black.

(04-19-2016, 03:53 AM)ToplaceUSA Wrote: Encouraged,
The bigger suppliers use more than one factory. That adds to the complexity of things. We use only one factory. We've used the same factory for over 9 years so that helps. But knotting hair all day long is not on the 'to-do list' of high achievers. It's boring and monotonous work. Older people don't have the dexterity to do the job so it's a young person's job. People have trouble staying with the job for a long time. So it's true that this is an industry wide concern. Regarding your comment about the detectablity of black knots along the front hairline---is the entire unit bleached? Or just the hairline? Black hair is the most difficult to bleach since it requires more bleaching time to remove the color. Bleach too long and it harms the integrity of the knot. Bleach too little and the knot is visible. It's a fine line between the two. The lighter the color of the hair the easier it is to bleach the knots. Of course there's always the old trick of ordering the front hairline in blonde hair and then just color the hair shaft black.

Hey John. Thanks for your reply. Glad to know that you have had success with the one factory.
I have read about the complexity of the front hairline with dark hair. I am tempted to go the recolor route of ordering blonde and having it colored back to dark brown. I would think this would be the better way to go and would have less cons. What would be your recommendation?

John

Yes, it's a good way to go if you have dark hair.
Regards,
John

(04-20-2016, 12:22 PM)ToplaceUSA Wrote: Yes, it's a good way to go if you have dark hair.
Regards,
John

Thanks. I'll plan on sending you one of my pieces to duplicate, along with a hair sample.

John