In a recent hunt for a new shaving brush I stumbled upon Paragon Shaving - a small Canadian company making artisanal brushes from beautiful El Salvadoran Mahogany. The photos of the brush handles were stunning, and they looked unlike anything I'd seen on the market (which is really saying something with all of the artisans and brush makers out there!), so I decided to contact the owner to ask a few questions.
My correspondence with Paragon Shaving was both prompt and friendly, and I had soon ordered one of their Plisson brushes with a "Paragon" handle...
When the brush arrived it was packed very well, and came with a personal note and a small sample of Paragon's own shaving soap - again, this was first rate customer service! But then came the big question: how does it shave? Well, I've been using this brush every day for the past ten days, and here are my thoughts:
Handle: the handle is beautiful. I love the depth and character of the mahogany, and it feels very comfortable in my hand as I whip up a lather. The handle is smooth, but I have not found it to be especially slippery - it offers a solid grip while lathering up. I should mention that there are a couple of spots on the handle where the finish is not perfect; nothing major, but they are there if you look close. Personally, I see that as part of the beauty of owning a one of a kind hand-made item, but your mileage may vary.
Knot: once you start making a lather, the Plisson knot on this brush is the true star. I have two other brushes with this type of knot: a Yaqi 24mm which is a little on the small side (I use this brush for travel), and a 26mm Razorock Monster which often feels a little too big and floppy - this brush is the perfect balance between the two. The 28mm knot produces and holds a ton of lather, but it is much more densely packed than either of my other synthetics, and set at such a height that it still feels very manageable for daily shaving. The brush is not floppy, yet it still maintains that softness that Plisson knots are known for. Paragon states that they have fine tuned the height of their knots for optimal performance, and I certainly can't disagree. This is easily my favourite synthetic knot, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
All in all, I've been very impressed with Paragon Shaving; from their excellent customer service to their top-notch products, this is the kind of company that I am happy to support.
Disclaimer: I purchased my brush with my own funds, and was not asked to write a review. I'm just a happy customer.
My correspondence with Paragon Shaving was both prompt and friendly, and I had soon ordered one of their Plisson brushes with a "Paragon" handle...
When the brush arrived it was packed very well, and came with a personal note and a small sample of Paragon's own shaving soap - again, this was first rate customer service! But then came the big question: how does it shave? Well, I've been using this brush every day for the past ten days, and here are my thoughts:
Handle: the handle is beautiful. I love the depth and character of the mahogany, and it feels very comfortable in my hand as I whip up a lather. The handle is smooth, but I have not found it to be especially slippery - it offers a solid grip while lathering up. I should mention that there are a couple of spots on the handle where the finish is not perfect; nothing major, but they are there if you look close. Personally, I see that as part of the beauty of owning a one of a kind hand-made item, but your mileage may vary.
Knot: once you start making a lather, the Plisson knot on this brush is the true star. I have two other brushes with this type of knot: a Yaqi 24mm which is a little on the small side (I use this brush for travel), and a 26mm Razorock Monster which often feels a little too big and floppy - this brush is the perfect balance between the two. The 28mm knot produces and holds a ton of lather, but it is much more densely packed than either of my other synthetics, and set at such a height that it still feels very manageable for daily shaving. The brush is not floppy, yet it still maintains that softness that Plisson knots are known for. Paragon states that they have fine tuned the height of their knots for optimal performance, and I certainly can't disagree. This is easily my favourite synthetic knot, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
All in all, I've been very impressed with Paragon Shaving; from their excellent customer service to their top-notch products, this is the kind of company that I am happy to support.
Disclaimer: I purchased my brush with my own funds, and was not asked to write a review. I'm just a happy customer.
