Oh, I'm sure it's a great brush. Loric is almost as much of a density whore as I am, and so if he loves a brush that's not super dense as much as he loves this one, it must be something special. I really don't have the room for any more two bands or else I'd own one already.
Morris & Forndran Blonde Badger
- Thread starter Loric
- Start date
Oh, I'm sure it's a great brush. Loric is almost as much of a density whore as I am, and so if he loves a brush that's not super dense as much as he loves this one, it must be something special. I really don't have the room for any more two bands or else I'd own one already.
- Thread starter
- #62
Awww, that might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said about me
I just think the brush feels "right". Luxurious but with enough backbone and density to keep me reaching for it. I actually fight myself a lot to reach for this or my Stubby XXL, and if I did not know better I'd say the XXL was made with my particular prejudices in mind (bigger knot, shorter loft, slightly more dense). That is what is saying something.I think the hair is a bit different. The tips are softer on mine (no vague hint of scritch), and you can feel that the soft white tips are longer. The structure feels more like Rooney's Finest, but again its not nearly that dense or stiff. The backbone and density are very similar though to D01. Sorry to beat a dead horse again.
I do have a little preview of the next M&F brush. Its the same grade of hair, but in a horn handle. The knot sizes are 23mm and 28mm with lofts looking to be in the mid 50's and high 50's for the bigger brush. I might not pick one up with the taller loft (not to mention my overly bloated brush hoard), but kbuzbee told me he has ordered one, so maybe in a couple weeks he can grace us with a review?
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Very much looking forward to giving this guy a workout. I will certainly post my impressions here once I give it a go.
Thanks, Seth for helping to put these brushes on our radar!
Ken
I finally received my M&F Blonde Badger today. Lee must have mailed it within hours of my payment about a month ago. The bad weather and US Customs no doubt delayed its arrival.
This is a fantastic brush. The dimensions are just as Lee advertised: 24mm knot, 54mm loft. The brush has great backbone, and the tips are super soft. The tips are whiter than my Simspons or Rooney 2-bands. The handle has a great feel, and the white color is striking. I rather like the lettering on it, too. The brush is definitely bulb shaped, which I like. Sorry if I am sounding like a broken record here (I don't think I am adding anything to the previous posts, just a +1).
All in all, I am extremely happy with this brush. I'm really interested in seeing what else Lee Sabini will have to offer in the M&F line.
This is a fantastic brush. The dimensions are just as Lee advertised: 24mm knot, 54mm loft. The brush has great backbone, and the tips are super soft. The tips are whiter than my Simspons or Rooney 2-bands. The handle has a great feel, and the white color is striking. I rather like the lettering on it, too. The brush is definitely bulb shaped, which I like. Sorry if I am sounding like a broken record here (I don't think I am adding anything to the previous posts, just a +1).
All in all, I am extremely happy with this brush. I'm really interested in seeing what else Lee Sabini will have to offer in the M&F line.
My M&F Blonde Horn 24mm X 50mm arrived today. All I can say is WOW!
Absolutely stunning. The printing is silver to contrast with the dark horn. Don't have a camera at work, and this brush must sneak into the house. Ken will post them, I trust, when his arrives. Took 17 days from England. Well worth the wait. Regards, Bradley
Absolutely stunning. The printing is silver to contrast with the dark horn. Don't have a camera at work, and this brush must sneak into the house. Ken will post them, I trust, when his arrives. Took 17 days from England. Well worth the wait. Regards, BradleyYou know I will. Probably later this week. It is pretty.
Ken
Ken
Well... I have had my Morris & Forndran brush for about a month now and I must chime in with my thoughts and feelings. I must say that this brush is an all-around great performer. I am a face latherer, and really love the way this feels on my face, soft tips with plenty of backbone. The handle design is perfect for me, and I don't get tired of using it at all. I really like the fact that it has not shed a single hair, not one! This brush has all the right stuff for me, and it is beautiful to boot.
I waited about a month for it, but it was well worth the wait for me...My wife has even started using it when she shaves her legs and she really likes the feel of it. Mine works great with creams, but realy shines on hard soaps, making mountains of creamy lather. I even got a creamy lather from a puck of Williams!
This is the first brush that has taken the place of my two go to brushes, my custom Shavemac pre-2005 (better than D01), and my Simpson's Colonel (Ehsan) X2L in 2-band, it is that good for me.
Of course, your results may vary, but I am VERY happy with mine, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well-rounded brush. Lee is also a breeze to work with, and also provides profoundly quick responses to questions.
Disclaimer: I paid full price for my brush and am not connected with Morris & Forndran in any way. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
I give them!
I waited about a month for it, but it was well worth the wait for me...My wife has even started using it when she shaves her legs and she really likes the feel of it. Mine works great with creams, but realy shines on hard soaps, making mountains of creamy lather. I even got a creamy lather from a puck of Williams!
This is the first brush that has taken the place of my two go to brushes, my custom Shavemac pre-2005 (better than D01), and my Simpson's Colonel (Ehsan) X2L in 2-band, it is that good for me.
Of course, your results may vary, but I am VERY happy with mine, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well-rounded brush. Lee is also a breeze to work with, and also provides profoundly quick responses to questions.
Disclaimer: I paid full price for my brush and am not connected with Morris & Forndran in any way. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
I give them
!
You guys just made me pull the plug on one today! It is a horn model and the pics Lee sent look absolutely beautiful! Now all I have to do is the pee pee dance for about a month until it gets here. Thanks a lot you enablers.
Fred
Fred
How the heck are you folks ordering this brush ?
I see references to "Send Lee an e-mail" but I have no clue who Lee is nor what is his e-mail addy.
Probably a good thing since I really don't need another brush.
I see references to "Send Lee an e-mail" but I have no clue who Lee is nor what is his e-mail addy.
Probably a good thing since I really don't need another brush.
Hi George, we're talking about Lee Sabini
He was involved with Rooney for the last 5 years or so and is now reviving a brand Rooney purchased, back in the day, Morris & Forndran.
Right now, sizes I'm aware of are 24mm, 28mm and iirc 30mm. He's using a really excellent grade of hair and judging by mine, the work is top notch.
There have been silver tips available (on and off) from classic shaving, but this blonde badger is a step up from that. Very reasonably priced for what you are getting, IMO.
Ken
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Okay, so last week I received my Morris & Forndran 28mm Blonde Badger/horn from Lee. I measure the loft at 59mm. I was going to wait another week to get a better feel for various aspects, but I know you guys wants pics
This is a very nicely made brush. very soft on the tips and very dense with nice backbone.
You can see compared to the Chubby 3 this brush stands taller with less bloom. This makes it feel much smaller than the 2-3mm difference in knot size would indicate
Although it is a dense brush, it has more "face action than an uber dense brush like the CH3
The loft, density, firmness actually compare more closely to my Rudy Vey 30mm Sta, where the 2mm difference seems a more straight up difference. The RV does feel larger on the face, but the M&F gives you a LOT more action from the hair, acting more like a brush than (as I recently read) a soft golfball. I really like the feel of this brush.
The shape is somewhere between that of a bulb and a fan. Not nearly as bulb shaped as this Shavemac 227. I would say, like the Shavemac, the bulb shape minimizes bloom, to some degree, again making it feel smaller on the face than the 28mm would indicate.
It is stiffer with greater density at the tips than my Stubby 3. Softness is very comparable, but that is one of the things i need to evaluate over the next few weeks.
I would rate this a good all round brush for soaps or creams, bowl or face lather (though I pretty much only face lather soaps, myself)
Overall, this brush as outstanding. Maybe a bit small for my daily tastes but a definite winner when I want something in this range. It's "fun" to use and quickly builds a nice, quality lather from my usual go to, AOS soap. The weight is good, nice and solid without being too heavy or clunky. The handle is very comfortable.
For someone who likes a medium sized brush with great action, firm/dense hair without being a lather hog or too dense to actually feel like a brush, this would be a great daily choice!
Ken
This is a very nicely made brush. very soft on the tips and very dense with nice backbone.
You can see compared to the Chubby 3 this brush stands taller with less bloom. This makes it feel much smaller than the 2-3mm difference in knot size would indicate
Although it is a dense brush, it has more "face action than an uber dense brush like the CH3
The loft, density, firmness actually compare more closely to my Rudy Vey 30mm Sta, where the 2mm difference seems a more straight up difference. The RV does feel larger on the face, but the M&F gives you a LOT more action from the hair, acting more like a brush than (as I recently read) a soft golfball. I really like the feel of this brush.
The shape is somewhere between that of a bulb and a fan. Not nearly as bulb shaped as this Shavemac 227. I would say, like the Shavemac, the bulb shape minimizes bloom, to some degree, again making it feel smaller on the face than the 28mm would indicate.
It is stiffer with greater density at the tips than my Stubby 3. Softness is very comparable, but that is one of the things i need to evaluate over the next few weeks.
I would rate this a good all round brush for soaps or creams, bowl or face lather (though I pretty much only face lather soaps, myself)
Overall, this brush as outstanding. Maybe a bit small for my daily tastes but a definite winner when I want something in this range. It's "fun" to use and quickly builds a nice, quality lather from my usual go to, AOS soap. The weight is good, nice and solid without being too heavy or clunky. The handle is very comfortable.
For someone who likes a medium sized brush with great action, firm/dense hair without being a lather hog or too dense to actually feel like a brush, this would be a great daily choice!
Ken
Great job, Ken. Is the hair exactly the same type as the standard M&F? Density, too?
Per Lee, the hair is the same. I didn't get the smaller one so can't really compare but given the larger knot and taller loft I would expect them to feel very similar.
Ken
Ken
Nice job Ken. I have two 24x53 white handle and a 24x50 horn. The hair and density is the same. The taller loft adds to the bloom, but they have similar face feel and action. The shorter loft has very little bloom, and works similar to a 22mm knot. Lee informed me yesterday that he has a 26mm Horn. Shame on him.
Yep, Lee may well be the biggest enabler of us all
If you can't handle temptation, do not contact Lee. He'll find or make whatever your needs dictate. At least that's been my experience.
Ken
That is a steller looking brush.Good thing I'm a low income earner to keep me from getting another brush.Congratulations on that beauty.
To clarify, Lee tells me the hair on the limited production horn handle brushes you see here is the same as the white handle Blonde Badger brushes that initiated this thread. It is different hair than the brushes found at one of the vendor's sites, though. I notice Ken's brush says Blonde Badger, just like my 24x54 white handle M&F.
I enjoy my Blonde Badger so much, and Lee is such a great guy to deal with, that I pulled the plug on a 27x57 horn handle Blonde Badger. Based on other peoples brush measurements in this thread, it seems like Lee made a few with differing measurements as prototypes. I also suspect variation with the horn handle brushes has to do with the handles themselves. Either way, these are fantastic brushes. Ken has described the face feel and performance of these brushes quite well.
I'll post more when my new brush arrives.
Andrew
Oh, and if anyone reading this thread contacts Lee, be sure to congratulate him on the birth of his new son last week.
+1! I was gonna add that but didn't want to muddle the review. Thanks for the catch!
Ken
Hi Ken, and thank for the info.
I sent Lee an e-mail to see what he has, and I guess I am officially out of the sabbatical.
Since I am in the "Let's Try Big Knot Brushes" mode and I have a 30mm in the mail from Loric, I am thinking that a 28mm similar to yours would help fill in the collection.
What do you think ?
I passed on my congratulations on the addition to his family.
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