Resurrecting this topic because I've just had another shipment of moulds directly from Chocolate World and for the second time in a row I've found scratches in the moulds. Along with a number of small blemishes randomly throughout the moulds, there are a couple of marks which appear in the same place on each mould of a particular design.
I contacted the agent I buy them through who said that they only send back around 5-10 moulds per year, so for me to get this many problems back to back is unheard of. They actually downplayed the problem, and suggested that these small marks might just be a fact of life. They even went so far to say that if the moulds aren't up to my standards then Chocolate World "might not be the company for me", which I can't believe is true as just about every chocolatier seems to use them.
To make sure the marks I was seeing were actual scratches and not just marks in the polycarbonate, I cast one of the moulds in dark chocolate and have attached a picture of result. The "A" shape mark on the left and the series of "C" shaped scratches on the right are present in the same place in every mould I received in this design, so it's clearly a manufacturing fault. There are also a number of similar marks in random spots on each mould.
The simple question is: are small defects like this "normal" and I'm being too picky? Or should these be going straight back to Chocolate World?
Would be grateful for any advice as this is driving me (and the agent I bought them through) insane.
Thanks x
