Rooney Heritage "Stubby" Size 2 (Medium)

I got mine from Jim at Vintage Blades as the "Limited Edition" - it has a tortoise-colored ring about halfway up the handle, hence its name Two Tone, but it's the same three band Super Silvertip 24mm Heritage grade knot. The current Heritage series is now only available in the two-band Super Silvertip, so if you want three-band Heritage grade Super Silvertip, check out the "Limited" series at Vintage Blades while they last.

This brush is a great value even at the $155 I paid. It will make quick lather of any triple milled soap. Mine bloomed into even more of a fan than the one pictured above, but it also has a bulb-shaped dome. Looking down from the top, the hairs are very dense; like the one on the left pictured above. The backbone is sturdy yet the tips are soft on my face, although not as soft as my 1940s Erskine pure badger but to be fair, the Erskine is a "flopmeister" at this stage of it's life; I just use it for creams and soft soaps these days.
Back to the Rooney: it's my first Rooney brush and I'll never sell it. This brush has lost maybe 3 hairs total the first few shaves since I got it about 6 weeks ago. While it is somewhat of a "lather hog", I face lather most of the time, so I see this as a plus - the brush itself will hold enough lather for 4 passes with the right soaps; just add a little water to the tips as you go. I can't speak highly enough about this brush.

Thank you to all who recommended it, and a big thank you to Jim and Erin at Vintage Blades.

The Stubby Heritage 2 is one impressive brush.

Compared to my Rooney 1/2 (not exactly a floppy slouch), the Stubby seems to be an order of magnitude denser. When I pat my hand down on the top of the knot, there is practically no give! It took a little getting used to the added density of the knot but after a few trials, I began to understand the special qualities of this brush. If I pushed too hard, the great knot will hold the lather as its own. But if I back up a bit and use a light touch on my face or in my bowl, nice lather comes easily by letting in some air!!

But no matter how I use it, the tips are the main attraction. Have you ever used a new brush and face lathered over and over again with different soaps? I've done that and my face was a little raw from all the "scratching". But when I did the same with the Heritage, it left no irritation - the tips are that fantastic and they seem to stick out their tongues at the dense, stiff knot!!

Price: 6 -- More pricey than most Rooneys but good bang for the buck.

Quality: 9 -- No brush is perfect, but Rooneys in general and this brush in particular are exceptionally well-built. The minute you put it in your hand, you sense the quality.

Density: 8 -- Few brushes are more dense.

Stiffness of Tips: 7 -- See "Softness of Tips"

Softness of Tips: 9 -- Softest I own. By far. I would love to see how the manufacturer selects hair that rises so far above many exceptional badger knots. Simply wonderful!

Ergonomic: 7 -- Very good feel and easy to hold. Not quite the automatic fit as say my Kent BK4, but very good.

Latherability: 7 -- The only reason I didn't score this higher is the relative "learning curve" some might experience. Once you do figure it out, wonderful lather and plenty of it will be the result!

It's a wonderful experience to feel the significant backbone of the knot and at the same time enjoy the luxurious tips on your face. No other knot in my small collection comes close in terms of that combination. My first experience with the Rooney 1/2 Super (and for that matter, my Chubby 2 Super) was very similar - learning to "master" the knot's density. The Stubby Heritage is its stronger brother! Once you understand its unique characteristics, you'll be rewarded with a fantastic experience.

Highly recommended!

EDIT: I may have misinterpreted the intent of the "Stiffness of Tips" criteria (or maybe not) and I now assume it was to reflect the relative stiffness of the bristles. Therefore, I have updated my scoring consistent with this assumption and my review. Sorry for any confusion.

I've had my Stubby 2 for about a year and a half. This is one of my top rated brushes as it gets counter top space 24/7. I have three heritage brushes and none are shedders.

The heritage brushes have great resiliency, dense knots, and soft tips. The bone white handles are also very classy IMO.

The brush really doesn't break in much. It retains is density and resiliency use after use.

These brushes do cost a bit more than other Rooney offerings, but are well worth every cent. If you are looking for a Heritage series brush I highly recommend the Stubby 2 or an Emillion if you like a longer handle.