Item Description
First of all, I would like to congratulate and thank all involved in making this brush a reality.
On to my personal impressions:
Presentation: Brush comes in a very attractive tube. Top class packaging. Smell was not bad at all, a bit worse after soaking but still less than other brushes I have dealt with.
Badger: From my first touch, I felt extremely soft tips. Absolutely luxurious to the point of decadence. I think softest I have ever tried.
On the other hand, and this is a prime example of personal / subjective perception, the brush seemed less dense than I expected from reviews. Bristles do not feel as firm as I expected either. I do not have a Rooney Finest or Simpson Super but the B&B brush seems close in flop to Omega Silvertips and Rooney Super Med Style 3. Once again - this is based on my experience and perceptions. My HMW 12 is much denser and firmer than the B&B brush.
Color of the head: compared to most of my other brushes - it is darker. Since it is guaranteed unbleached, and I've read that anything else is bleached, with evidence in tips under magnification, I used a 30x loupe to compare tips for B&B and Plisson HMW but other than the color did not see pronounced differences in the tip structure (maybe I need more magnification?). These photos might not show the difference very well - I'd like to invite others with better brush collections, photo skills and equipment to share their results.
Plisson HMW in bloom- B&B b/e bloom - Unknown vintage - Little Cutie (custom silvertip)
HMW 12 in bloom - B&B b/e bloom
Bloom comparison: HMW 12 and B&B - WOW the difference!
Blooms: HMW 12 and B&B
Handle: The brush has very nice heft, I like it in my hand - despite the fact that I generally am not a big fan of plastics. Handle also looks great, very aesthetically pleasing!
Water retention & Lather: I have only lathered it 4 or so times. Currently, the B&B brush soaks less water than my HMW 12. Nevertheless, it does make ABSOLUTELY GREAT LATHER in the bowl with glycerine and hard soaps and Musgo Real cream. I prefer to lather on face but I have not done it yet as my face felt a bit dry these days (colder temps, playing tennis outside, etc.) Will lather on face tomorrow when I shave.
Quality: This brush has not lost a single hair so far. I honestly have not had another brush like this (well, don't know it the Unknown vintage shed in its early days) - all other have shed some hairs when new. Some more, some less. But the B&B beat them all. I hope it stays this way.
Overall: Great brush, after great efforts by all involved! Quality, function, luxury, looks - it has it all. A caveat: it may not be what one is looking for - if more firmness, density, and less bloom is desitred.
Cheers
Ivo
Discussion thread
On to my personal impressions:
Presentation: Brush comes in a very attractive tube. Top class packaging. Smell was not bad at all, a bit worse after soaking but still less than other brushes I have dealt with.
Badger: From my first touch, I felt extremely soft tips. Absolutely luxurious to the point of decadence. I think softest I have ever tried.
On the other hand, and this is a prime example of personal / subjective perception, the brush seemed less dense than I expected from reviews. Bristles do not feel as firm as I expected either. I do not have a Rooney Finest or Simpson Super but the B&B brush seems close in flop to Omega Silvertips and Rooney Super Med Style 3. Once again - this is based on my experience and perceptions. My HMW 12 is much denser and firmer than the B&B brush.
Color of the head: compared to most of my other brushes - it is darker. Since it is guaranteed unbleached, and I've read that anything else is bleached, with evidence in tips under magnification, I used a 30x loupe to compare tips for B&B and Plisson HMW but other than the color did not see pronounced differences in the tip structure (maybe I need more magnification?). These photos might not show the difference very well - I'd like to invite others with better brush collections, photo skills and equipment to share their results.
Plisson HMW in bloom- B&B b/e bloom - Unknown vintage - Little Cutie (custom silvertip)
HMW 12 in bloom - B&B b/e bloom
Bloom comparison: HMW 12 and B&B - WOW the difference!
Blooms: HMW 12 and B&B
Handle: The brush has very nice heft, I like it in my hand - despite the fact that I generally am not a big fan of plastics. Handle also looks great, very aesthetically pleasing!
Water retention & Lather: I have only lathered it 4 or so times. Currently, the B&B brush soaks less water than my HMW 12. Nevertheless, it does make ABSOLUTELY GREAT LATHER in the bowl with glycerine and hard soaps and Musgo Real cream. I prefer to lather on face but I have not done it yet as my face felt a bit dry these days (colder temps, playing tennis outside, etc.) Will lather on face tomorrow when I shave.
Quality: This brush has not lost a single hair so far. I honestly have not had another brush like this (well, don't know it the Unknown vintage shed in its early days) - all other have shed some hairs when new. Some more, some less. But the B&B beat them all. I hope it stays this way.
Overall: Great brush, after great efforts by all involved! Quality, function, luxury, looks - it has it all. A caveat: it may not be what one is looking for - if more firmness, density, and less bloom is desitred.
Cheers
Ivo
Discussion thread
