Shavemac Faux Tortoise - 25mm Silvertip

Just got mine from vintageblades. A very handsome brush. Feels great in my hand. They are on sale right now, so the price is excellent for a brush of this size and quality.

I have used it with soap 2x and it works fine, though not as well as some stiffer brushes I have used (rooney). It does hold a heck of a lot more lather though. That is the one real atvantage to the longer loft of this brush. Holds tons of lather, way more than any other brush I have used of similar size. Three passes are no problem.

The one and only disatvantage is the stiffness of the bristles. I believe this is due to the very long loft of the brushes, compared to other manufacturers. The trade-off is stiffness, the benefits are softness and lather retention. It's all up to preference.

I will be trying with cream tomorrow, and this is where this brush will shine.

I just received the same brush in this review except with a faux horn handle. Starting whipping up some lather, but it seemed a little dry, so I added a little water and... WHOA! Lather erupted off this brush and all over the bowl.

After owning this brush for a while now, I can finally comment. This is a very high quality brush and by far the nicest brush I own. Read Joel's review for detail.

I will add, that it did take some time to learn how to lather with this brush. It holds a lot of water and your soap/cream amount must be adjusted. You need a bit more of each to make the same lather. I have been using mostly soaps recently and have been doing comparisons with the several brushes I have. This Shavemac is the softest and most luxurious! It makes loads of lather, but it does take a bit of work when I'm face lathering to fill the large brush with shavable lather. Once created, I can get up to 3 passes (but I might be heavy on the lather YMMV).

This is becoming my goto brush as I learn how to use it. It is quality and luxury in one beautiful package!

I don't agree with the others, It does work very well with soaps, it does, however, take a bit of work figuring out the best method. Once mastered, it makes gobs of wonderful lather from soap or creams, face or bowl. though the method is a bit different for each.

When I first started wet shaving I purchased a regular shavemac medium, nothin fancy, but I LOVED the durability of these inexpensive shave brushes, and just had to get a second one. Even if you don't like the "faux" look to the handle, it will still perform just like any other tried and true shavemac. Just like what Joel said, Bernd uses very soft and luxurious badger hair making it very comfortable for your face. The only true downside is the stiffness of the bristles, or lack thereof. Trying to get a decent lather from my MB soap was more work than I thought. Bottom line, great for creams but sucks for soaps. Not to say you can't use it for soaps, but if I had the choice, I'd reach for something else in my collection.

Shavemac... nuff said! Anytime you buy a shavemac, you know you’re going to get a solid brush, from a company that will stand behind it. Is it the best brush out there? Probably not – but shavemac brushes are always a close second, are always less expensive, and their quality is simply first rate. While I preferred their original silvertip badger hair their used to source, the new source Bernd uses provides a softer, more luxurious badger hair – which still makes for a superb brush.

Bristle – The bristle on this brush is exceptionally soft, and is superbly luxurious. The knot is densely packed, and this brush REALLY excels with shaving creams. It’ll work decent with soaps – but without question its strength is in shaving creams.

Handle – The handle is reasonably comfortable, and the pattern is certainly interesting. While it is dubbed “faux tortoise” doesn’t resemble tortoise in the slightest, it is an interesting “swirly” pattern, and looks neat.

Quality – Shavemac is the benchmark in quality. Enough said?

Overall – buying a shavemac is akin to purchasing an Acura – it’s luxurious, well built and will work reliably for eons. Shavemac’s aren’t really a soul touching implement, and are a bit cold to the touch (in my opinion) and do not have as much character as say a Kent, or even a Plisson – but they are exceptional tools of luxury!

To discuss this review please see THIS thread!