So in other words... not.
I guess Bobbi has a patent on proprietary heat-activated material.

To me that's what proprietary means. No one else can use it.
I would have to see what Rachel says about the "shrink tube" whether or not it was flexible enough to use as a short cut for firming the transition.
It's been my experience that anything with nylon in it, gets brittle when heated or melted.
If it's so flexible, why did it crack right at the center point of the transition which it looks like it did?
I'll tell you why, it's not flexible, and the transition was not bound correctly.
This is still a crap whip. How can you defend that.
His explanation about the "childs whip" still does not hold water.
She states on her website that it's not a toy and is made to the same "high standards" as her other whips. Then her methods of making whips has devolved to making cheap whips, inferior whips that she sells for big money. Or so it appears.
As far as the "Germany" statement he made. I speak and understand English very well. It's not a second language to me, and I took what he said the same way that everyone else did. Not his weak attempt to walk it back.
This whole letter reminds me of Hillary Clinton's explanations bout her private server, emails and the like.
There's no good justification for the way this whip was made, PERIOD.
My advise to Mr. Trout is to walk away from the shovel and stop digging.
I would not respond except to say, "Thank you for your apology Mr. Trout. I appreciate it." Then let him keep digging until he has to start typing in Chinese to be understood.
Ron