Rooney 1/1

[njpaddy]

Meet my new Rooney 1/1 Silvertip in faux horn, received today from VintageBlades. After buying 8 Simpsons last year, I recently brought my older Rooney 3/1 Super Silvertip back into rotation. While it's soft and a nice change from the Simpsons, it's still too moppy for my liking. This is why I switched over to Simpsons in the first place. The lofts on the newer Rooneys seem to be a little lower, so I decided to try the 1/1 horn with a 44mm loft. According to Jim at VB, the new faux Ivory and Ebony 1/1 he just received have a lofts lower than 44mm, but the web site hasn't been updated. Pictured below are 1) front side out of the box; 2) back side; 3) lather shot with Salter Fresh Mint cream; 4) side by side with the Duke 1 and 5) top shot of the 1/1 and Duke 1. Both knots were wet for shots #4 & 5. The Rooney feels very similar to the Duke 1, but without the slight scritch of the Duke. After a few more shaves with the 1/1, I'm going to have to use both brushes in the same shave to see how much of a difference there really is. Like most of my Simpsons, the Rooney lost about 8-10 hairs between 2 test lathers and an actual shave. It's not a problem. I just thought I'd mention it so no one thinks loose hairs washing out of the knot during the first few uses is limited to just Simpson.

 

[Vlad]

This is making me miss my 1/2. Remind me, how's the density and backbone on these things?

 

[Artes]

I am very happy with my Rooney 1-1.

For me it is a little small for daily shaving, but it is an integral part of my travel shaving kit.

 

[JaDo]

I've noticed several vendors having a sale on their Rooney brushes. Wonder why?


That brush looks nice. I have a 3/1 Rooney in faux horn that I really like. Hmmm...I'm tempted to get a 1/1 with a shorter loft.

 

[Brent]

Brian, out of curiosity what is the loft on your original Rooney 3/1?

 

[njpaddy]

I've noticed several vendors having a sale on their Rooney brushes. Wonder why?

I think the current prices are more in line with the competition. I paid $75 for my 3/1 in 2009 and thought it was worth it at the time. At $65 it's tough to ignore. Factoring in shipping, the Rooney 1/1 and Duke 1 are now close in price for very similar brushes. There also seems to be a lot more competition from custom brush makers (M&F and RV) and do-it-yourselfers than there was 3 years ago.

Brian, out of curiosity what is the loft on your original Rooney 3/1?

I think my 3/1 was 48mm, but it has a lot of splay. I kept the Rooney because it was my first good brush, but gave away my Simpson Colonel that also had a 48mm loft. The Colonel didn't have as much splay as the Rooney, but I now prefer my brushes with a 44-46mm loft depending on the density of the knot.

 

[hon]

Is the Rooney 1/1 denser than D1?

 

[njpaddy]

That brush looks nice. I have a 3/1 Rooney in faux horn that I really like. Hmmm...I'm tempted to get a 1/1 with a shorter loft.

Jim told me the new 1/1 Ivorys he has have lofts around 40. I just decided to stay in my safe zone with a 44.

 

[JaDo]

Jim told me the new 1/1 Ivorys he has have lofts around 40. I just decided to stay in my safe zone with a 44.

whoa...40mm loft? That is super low.

 

[njpaddy]

Is the Rooney 1/1 denser than D1?

Not sure yet. The Rooney is a slightly larger knot 22 vs 20 and is softer than the D1, but I need to lather up both to compare as they seem pretty close.