Saffronspokes-
I don’t work for Isen, so can’t comment. Different people approach the paint process in different ways. I’ve said all I can from a third party point of view, so i’ll leave it at that. I think you’ve aired your grievances publicly pretty thoroughly though, which Is something you’re totally entitled to do (being the internet and all), but I don’t really see what dragging the issue out on this thread any further than what’s already been said is going to achieve to be fair.
I’m sure you will have spoken to Matt/Caren at Isen directly about this, so not sure what continuing to bring the issue up on here will achieve other than borderline trolling to be totally honest with you.
Paint gets chipped. It’s just a fact of life. Sorry if I’m being a bit blunt, I’m just stating my opinion as a third party.
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For sure - what’s considered ‘acceptable’ with regards to the durability of paint will obviously vary from person to person.
I think the main thing that a lot of people are unaware of is that handmade bikes of this type and the paint that’s applied to them is not the same as what you’d get on a mass produced bike with a factory paint finish - the paint products used in the by the majority of the big factories in the Far East are horrendously nasty chemicals, both for the environment, and the person applying them, and as such are illegal in the EU due to their impact on the environment and user. I paint bikes for a living, and even if these products were available over here, I still wouldn’t use them because of how damaging they are not only to myself, but more importantly the environment.
So yeah, factory paint will always be much more durable than a custom / small batch production finish, but that’s the trade off you have to make if you want a more unique and technically involved paint job like you get with a custom finish.
Dont get me wrong, I fully understand your point of view and that it must be pretty frustrating, but fact of the matter is that hand made bikes of this type will always need to be treated with a bit more care than a standard factory bike painted in the Far East.