About to buy a shavemaster, any warnings?

[neilxvx]

Ok, so in addition to my DE setup i'm recieving soon, i've decided to go ahead and buy all the method shaving products as they sound like exactly what I need. I've bought all the products that I need except the shavemaster brush (although it's not 100% neccessary I know.)

So, before I spend 145 on a single brush, is there anything I should know?
The brush i'm getting in the mail soon is an omega 6215 silvertip. Should I wait and try that out? I'm willing to spend the money for the shavemaster in order to get the best shave possible, because that's what I want. Also, I figure I will need more than one brush eventually to experience different shaves and what not. So does anyone want to discourage me from the shavemaster? Anyone have anything to say? I just want to make sure that i'm not wasting my money before I buy it.

[mantic]

The brush i'm getting in the mail soon is an omega 6215 silvertip. Should I wait and try that out?

Is that the large Omega with the greenish-goldish handle? I'd wait to see how it works before getting a SM. I have a SM and its excellent but any relatively large, well-built brush will be fine--it just takes a little longer to build up a mix.

--Mark

[Austin]

If you buy the SM, I would recommend the 100 over the 200. It's smaller but works well and cheaper.

[neilxvx]

Is that the large Omega with the greenish-goldish handle? I'd wait to see how it works before getting a SM. I have a SM and its excellent but any relatively large, well-built brush will be fine--it just takes a little longer to build up a mix.

--Mark

Yep, thats the one! Heres a picture of it: http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Green-Silver-Badger-Shaving/dp/B000GERO54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1197644298&sr=8-1

That's a good point, I shouldn't spend that money until i'm completely sure that I need it. Thank you very much!

[neilxvx]

If you buy the SM, I would recommend the 100 over the 200. It's smaller but works well and cheaper.

Ya know, I was wondering about that, and looked for the s100. However, when I go to the Echante website, all I can find are the V200 series. Did they discontinue the S100? Where can I find them? And, thank you for the tip!

[Austin]

Ya know, I was wondering about that, and looked for the s100. However, when I go to the Echante website, all I can find are the V200 series. Did they discontinue the S100? Where can I find them? And, thank you for the tip!

Charles has them. You will need to contact him directly. You can specify what type of wood you prefer. They sell very well. Charles informed me that the 200 is better suited for a man with a large face. The 100 is better suited for men with medium to smaller faces.

[joel]

Ok, so in addition to my DE setup i'm recieving soon, i've decided to go ahead and buy all the method shaving products as they sound like exactly what I need. I've bought all the products that I need except the shavemaster brush (although it's not 100% neccessary I know.)

So, before I spend 145 on a single brush, is there anything I should know?
The brush i'm getting in the mail soon is an omega 6215 silvertip. Should I wait and try that out? I'm willing to spend the money for the shavemaster in order to get the best shave possible, because that's what I want. Also, I figure I will need more than one brush eventually to experience different shaves and what not. So does anyone want to discourage me from the shavemaster? Anyone have anything to say? I just want to make sure that i'm not wasting my money before I buy it.

Well, my shavemaster (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=C&t=1607) is a tremendous P.O.S. - and when I had issues with it, Charles was pretty awful to deal with.

Others seem to have them, and love 'em, so YMMV. Mine, I call the "Shedshiester."

[moses]

Charles has them. You will need to contact him directly. You can specify what type of wood you prefer. They sell very well. Charles informed me that the 200 is better suited for a man with a large face. The 100 is better suited for men with medium to smaller faces.

I hate to say it, but that kinda cracks me up a little, Andrew. An awful lot of guys around here like the little 18mm, and 20mm brushes. Somehow, I'd be a little surprised to meet them and find out they had little tiny faces. By the same token, I guess I'd have to acknowledge a medium face, but I've never come across a brush bigger than my face....

-Mo

[Gafer]

I've been using the Shavmaster S100 for about a week now. I've not written a full review yet but I intend to, I wanted to spend a little more time with it first. Until I get a full review posted here's what I've got so far.

This brush is not available from the Enchante website. You need to contact them directly. Price for mine was $95. A good value compared to a Rooney Style 3, Size 2 (Medium), "Genuine Silvertip" which sells for about $100 and is about equivalent in size.

Brush dimensions:
Handle 65mm tall, Loft 50mm, Height 115 mm overall, Knot 25mm. Fan shaped - very flat on the top. Cherry wood. Someone posted that other woods are available. When I was at the store they only had Cherry so I can't verify if other woods are available. Regardless, I understand it is coated with three coats of marine varnish. Very nice finish.

The handle is one of the best things about this brush. It's coke bottle shaped. 35mm at the knot, 30mm in the middle and 40 mm at the base. Kind of curvy like a good woman. It's weighted so it's a fairly heavy brush. Total brush weight approximately 125 grams. By comparison my C&E Best Badger brush weighs a mere 50 grams. I believe the handle is weighted for several reasons. The first so that the brush won't float when you soak it in a sink full of hot water. The second so that it will stand up on your counter top between passes. The weighting also provides a nice balance to the brush when it's loaded with cream. You gotta be pretty clumsy to knock this one over. In my opinion, If you want something that feels more like a hand tool and less like a dainty cosmetics brush this might be the one for you.

I suppose some would call it "moppy". All I have to compare it to is the C&E Best Badger brush which is comparatively stiff and a little scratchy. I'm not qualified to judge grades of badger hair and won't even try. I'll just say the tips of the Shavemaster are whitish and soft. I'll post photos in my review and let someone else be the judge as to the grade of hair.

I've found this brush works really well with traditional creams and soaps in addition to Hydrolast and the Method Shaving techniques. It really whips up nice lather much quicker than my C&E brush. Overall, I actually get better lather and therefore a better shave with the Shavemaster. I really like this brush but again, I have little to compare it to. It's small enough to lather on your face yet large enough to really lay down the lather quickly.

With respect to shedding the Shavemaster has been very tight so far. Just a few strands. Maybe 5 or 6 strands in the past week. This is about what my C&E did initially and that was it. I'll keep you posted on this but so far it is not a Shedmaster. This brush bears no resemblance to the one Joel reviewed here some time ago:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=C&t=1607
Obviously there were problems with the design and manufacture of that brush. Charles is now hand knotting his brushes himself. The handles are turned by someone else but he personally does the rest. This may not make a difference but so far I'm impressed with the quality and workmanship of my brush.

[TorzJohnson]

I hate to say it, but that kinda cracks me up a little, Andrew. An awful lot of guys around here like the little 18mm, and 20mm brushes. Somehow, I'd be a little surprised to meet them and find out they had little tiny faces. By the same token, I guess I'd have to acknowledge a medium face, but I've never come across a brush bigger than my face....

-Mo
LOL, thanks for the mental image. :lol:

Rondo Hatton: Shavemaster 200 user.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=10137

Schlitzie: Shavemaster 100 user.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=10138

[Razorburne]

Is that the large Omega with the greenish-goldish handle? I'd wait to see how it works before getting a SM. I have a SM and its excellent but any relatively large, well-built brush will be fine--it just takes a little longer to build up a mix.

--Mark



Mark,

As you have a shavemaster and have used it quite a bit, a few questions:

Do you have an idea as to the grade of hair the shavemaster is made of?

It is obviously built with method shaving primarily in mind, but how does it work with traditional creams and soaps? Is it too floppy, or does it have some backbone to it?

Of course, anyone other than Mark with SM experience can chime in.

[iron maiden]

Well, my shavemaster (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=C&t=1607) is a tremendous P.O.S. - and when I had issues with it, Charles was pretty awful to deal with.

Others seem to have them, and love 'em, so YMMV. Mine, I call the "Shedshiester."

I was wondering about Charles....I've heard he was nice to deal with, and was very knowledgeable about shaving supplies. My wife was going to order me some shaving stuff from QED for Christmas...until she talked to him....and decided against it. SO what is the deal, I wonder?

[Jack Bauer]

I was wondering about Charles....I've heard he was nice to deal with, and was very knowledgeable about shaving supplies. My wife was going to order me some shaving stuff from QED for Christmas...until she talked to him....and decided against it. SO what is the deal, I wonder?

Different Charles. Charles Roberts owns Enchante and is the method shaving guru and QED is run by another Charles.

[iron maiden]

OK...thanks for the update. I can't check any of the shaving places....I've been forbidden until after Christmas:rolleyes:

[neilxvx]

Ok so I had quite a day yesterday.

When I learned about the S100 and that I had to contact Charles directly, I called Enchante, left a message, and his wife Jean called me back in about an hour. She was explaining to me what the brush was like and then Charles himself walked in and he and I had about a 55 minute talk about, well... everything!

I had actually already placed an order from Enchante and wanted to see if I could simply add the S100 to the order. After talking to Charles, he looked at my order and switched it up a bit. He took out the things I didn't need, and put in the things I did. One of the things that surprised me was he deleted my order for the cube and gave me a round instead.

Anyway, he was EXTREMELY helpful, enthusiastic, and down right friendly. I've never met someone so passionate about their product. Once I get my order, he told me to call him, and he is going to actually walk me through the process of using the products. I'm EXTREMELY excited to say the least.

[Austin]

Mark,

As you have a shavemaster and have used it quite a bit, a few questions:

Do you have an idea as to the grade of hair the shavemaster is made of?

It is obviously built with method shaving primarily in mind, but how does it work with traditional creams and soaps? Is it too floppy, or does it have some backbone to it?

Of course, anyone other than Mark with SM experience can chime in.

Keith,

I came close to purchasing a 100 for shave soaps. Charles was kind enough to demonstrate it on a shave soap. Surprisingly it did lather quite well with a soap. Nevertheless, I did notice some flop but then again Chas. is quite rough with his brush. I may still order one after Christmas in a dark wood. The hair is silvertip.

[Austin]

I hate to say it, but that kinda cracks me up a little, Andrew. An awful lot of guys around here like the little 18mm, and 20mm brushes. Somehow, I'd be a little surprised to meet them and find out they had little tiny faces. By the same token, I guess I'd have to acknowledge a medium face, but I've never come across a brush bigger than my face....

-Mo

:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

Tiny faces are funny!

[joel]

Ok so I had quite a day yesterday.

When I learned about the S100 and that I had to contact Charles directly, I called Enchante, left a message, and his wife Jean called me back in about an hour. She was explaining to me what the brush was like and then Charles himself walked in and he and I had about a 55 minute talk about, well... everything!

I had actually already placed an order from Enchante and wanted to see if I could simply add the S100 to the order. After talking to Charles, he looked at my order and switched it up a bit. He took out the things I didn't need, and put in the things I did. One of the things that surprised me was he deleted my order for the cube and gave me a round instead.

Anyway, he was EXTREMELY helpful, enthusiastic, and down right friendly. I've never met someone so passionate about their product. Once I get my order, he told me to call him, and he is going to actually walk me through the process of using the products. I'm EXTREMELY excited to say the least.

Cross your fingers and hope you're brush isn't as bad as mine.... Charles is nice as can be when you're buying stuff from him, but if you've got an issue, isn't so nice :wink:

Best of luck.

[mantic]

Mark,

As you have a shavemaster and have used it quite a bit, a few questions:

Do you have an idea as to the grade of hair the shavemaster is made of?

It is obviously built with method shaving primarily in mind, but how does it work with traditional creams and soaps? Is it too floppy, or does it have some backbone to it?

Of course, anyone other than Mark with SM experience can chime in.

I think its an upper mid-grade, roughly comparable to "super" or "best" badger, vs. "Silvertip." It works very well with traditional products as well as Hydrolast: it will generate a lather far faster than any other brush I have.

"Floppy" vs. "backbone" is a little hard for me to qualify...in a way, the answer is "yes." :redface: If I soak the brush then stand it up the hair will "lean" a little like a "floppy" brush might. But on the face it feels...stiffer. Hard to explain.

Really my only beef with it is its size; its a monster of a brush. I understand that the newest version of the 200 has been "tweaked" by making it slightly smaller, which is probably a good thing. The 100 is considerably smaller.

IMO the 200 is for a Method shaver who wanders into traditional territory once in a while, and the 100 is for the traditional shaver who wanders into Method territory once in a while. :biggrin:

--Mark

[Kyle]

I think its an upper mid-grade, roughly comparable to "super" or "best" badger, vs. "Silvertip." It works very well with traditional products as well as Hydrolast: it will generate a lather far faster than any other brush I have.

"Floppy" vs. "backbone" is a little hard for me to qualify...in a way, the answer is "yes." :redface: If I soak the brush then stand it up the hair will "lean" a little like a "floppy" brush might. But on the face it feels...stiffer. Hard to explain.

Really my only beef with it is its size; its a monster of a brush. I understand that the newest version of the 200 has been "tweaked" by making it slightly smaller, which is probably a good thing. The 100 is considerably smaller.

IMO the 200 is for a Method shaver who wanders into traditional territory once in a while, and the 100 is for the traditional shaver who wanders into Method territory once in a while. :biggrin:

--Mark

I'd wager that the shape of the brush (almost a flattop) has at least a little bit to do with the floppy/stiff phenomenon.

I'm hoping that after the first of the year I get a chance to watch Charles demo one of these.

[Razorburne]

Thanks, Mark - great description...very helpful. If I was ever going to purchase a SM I planned on it being the 100 anyway (primarily due to price), but as I fall in the category of traditional wetshaver venturing into the Method every once in a while, it seems like the 100 might be the right choice.

[ratcheer]

I don't think $145 is so much to spend on a brush - it is only $10 more than my most expensive brush. When I was buying it, I was looking at brushes that were as much as $350, or maybe more.

Tim

[Razorburne]

I don't think $145 is so much to spend on a brush - it is only $10 more than my most expensive brush. When I was buying it, I was looking at brushes that were as much as $350, or maybe more.

Tim

Price is all relative - for me - a recent graduate school graduate who just got married and has bills to pay....$145, while I feel it would be money well spent, just isn't in the cards at the moment, and for me, is "expensive".

However, I agree that brushes can be significantly higher in price...no doubt.

[ratcheer]

Price is all relative - for me - a recent graduate school graduate who just got married and has bills to pay....$145, while I feel it would be money well spent, just isn't in the cards at the moment, and for me, is "expensive".



Point taken. :redface: It is hard to know everyone's life situation. I am by no means wealthy and I am price conscious when making almost any purchase, but it is easy to remember back 32 years when I was just starting to establish myself.

[Gafer]

I was going to hold these back for a review but I'll post them here so you guys can see what the S100 looks like. The brush with the cream colored handle is the famous C&E Best Badger brush for reference. Yeah, I know, if you're gonna Method Shave you gotta use Feather's. The Derby pack was more handy when I took the photos.

[Razorburne]

thanks for the pics, Gafer....where's that review?:rolleyes:

I'm looking forward to it....I am debating getting the s100 myself....what's your initial impression? have you tried it with traditional creams also - does it work well with them? very interested in what you have to say.

[Brad]

My understanding is that the supplier he is using for the bristles is different and he puts them together himself. My S100 is over a year old and no issues at all. I alternate between that and a B&B Finest and enjoy them both. Sorry you had a bad experience Joel. I have found Charles a joy to deal with and hi swife is great too.

Cross your fingers and hope you're brush isn't as bad as mine.... Charles is nice as can be when you're buying stuff from him, but if you've got an issue, isn't so nice :wink:

Best of luck.

[Razorburne]

Brad,

Have you used your shavemaster with both hydrolast and traditional products? How well does it work with the traditional stuff?

[neilxvx]

I was going to hold these back for a review but I'll post them here so you guys can see what the S100 looks like. The brush with the cream colored handle is the famous C&E Best Badger brush for reference. Yeah, I know, if you're gonna Method Shave you gotta use Feather's. The Derby pack was more handy when I took the photos.

You're supposed to use feathers with method shaving? That's news to me:confused:

[Gafer]

You're supposed to use feathers with method shaving? That's news to me:confused:

Charles insists the system has been built around a fresh Feather for each shave. :eek: Can't afford that! I do know that he at least use to start Method shavers on Derby's but as I was leaving his store the last time he dropped a couple Feather's in my bag and said they were a must try with Method shaving.

[Gafer]

thanks for the pics, Gafer....where's that review?:rolleyes:

I'm looking forward to it....I am debating getting the s100 myself....what's your initial impression? have you tried it with traditional creams also - does it work well with them? very interested in what you have to say.

I'll see if I can work up the review. I'm afraid my qualifications as a reviewer are kind of weak given that I've only been using it for a little over a week now and the only brush I have to compare it with is the C&E Best badger.

That said, I love the S100! I've used it with Palmolive (old stock I'm hoarding) Truefitt & Hill Lavendar, Kiss My Face Unscented, C&E Sandalwood soap, Williams Mug Soap and got outstanding lather from all of them. I was pleasantly surprised at the lather I got from the soaps given the common wisdom that you need a stiffer brush when using soaps. Tell that to the S100!:thumbup: I've also enjoyed how much lather the brush holds. Plenty for four passes. Again, I should think this brush is a good value. It's comparable in price to similar Rooney brushes.

[Brad]

Brad,

Have you used your shavemaster with both hydrolast and traditional products? How well does it work with the traditional stuff?

I use it for both. I have recently started to try to venture into a str8, and haven't been brave enough to try it with Hydrolast yet. I know it works for Mike, but until I master traditional creams with it, I'm steering clear of using Hydrolast with a str8 shave.

I whipped up some T&H Lime cream this morning and had some HUGE lather in my bowl really quick. I have also used some classicshaving.com soaps and have done several superlathers with Taylors avocado and shea butter soap. It works great with everything I tried, you just need to either shake it out a little more or add less water than usual.

Brad