What’s in a name? Well… in the case of Plisson – everything. There is a lot of hype around this brand as a lot of fellas who have been around a long time – and post quite a bit are gaga over them… that and they are the most expensive and hardest to acquire. Well, I’ve owned quite a few Plisson’s myself because of their reputation, and to dispel all rumors… I don’t particularly care for them. Now – don’t get too far ahead of me – they are without question fine shaving brushes, and certainly they perform on par with some of the best brushes out their – however they feel incredibly cheap, and they are radically overpriced and over hyped. This brush feels no better on your face than a brush ½ it’s price… in some instances 1/3 its price – yet it actually feels CHEAPER in your hand than a brush that costs ½, or even 1/3 of the price! It’s almost like purchasing a Rolls Royce, then having it arrive with a cloth interior. As you can see in the pictures above, the “burl wood” handle is actually plastic… and hollow plastic at that, so the brush weighs as much as a pack or two of DE blades, which is certainly not what one would/should expect, and it comes in a really cheap, flimsy box with the brush kept in place by a RUBBERBAND attached to the box, and some cheap foam. Pretty pathetic for a brush of this price and caliber. Some claim packaging isn’t important – but I disagree… would you be thrilled if you purchased a Rolex and it came in a plastic bag, or if you ordered a custom pistol, and it arrived in a cardboard box (they usually come in a very nice bulldog range bag) ?
Ok – back on point –
The brush works very well with hard soaps, and is among the better brushes for hard soaps.
Bristle – Reasonably firm shafts with soft tips. Pretty well packed knot, and has an invigorating feel when rubbed against your face. As funny as this sounds – the bristle head feels, and performs almost identical to the C&E $40 best badger brush. On a brighter note, the bristle is gorgeous with the black shafts and the white tips.
Handle – Looks cheap, and feels even cheaper. Decent ergonomics, but really feels pathetic.
Quality – The brush head is formed and shaped superbly, and the quality of the brush from a longevity standpoint is quite high, as it does not lose ANY hair, and it seems as though the brush would last quite a long time if used daily. I am not a fan of the metal band around the base of the hair (the knot is glued into a metal cup which is laid into the plastic) and overall I am not overly impressed with the quality of the brush.
Overall – this is a nice shaving brush – but unless you really need to have a Plisson to have a Plisson, I’d suggest shying away from them. Some models are built better, however NONE of them offer a good value, or superior performance to brushes that can be found much easier, and purchased for far less money. Overall – pass on Plisson.
To discuss this review please see THIS thread!
