Item Description
After some encouragement, I have decided to turn my original post into a review. It's my first one, so here goes!
Shavemac Genine Horn Brushes
Both have a 21mm knot & 50mm loft
Since this is basically a review of two brushes, I am not including a rating, but if I had to rate each brush, the Silvertip would be a 9.0/10.0, and the D01 would be a 9.8/10.0
Price: These brushes are excellent value for money. The Silvertip was $130, and the D01 was $150. While pricey, compared to the high-end Simpson or Plisson brushes, they're downright economical.
Quality: The quality on these brushes is top-notch. I've only lost a few hairs from both, and the knot quality and craftsmanship of these brushes is flawless.
Handle: From the moment I saw a Genuine Horn handle on B&B, I was in love. They have such a beauty to them, a natural feeling that can't be matched by any other type of handle. Wood handles have the same natural look, but with Horn every single brush is unique looking. The dark and light variation practically makes this brush a work of art!
Ergonomics: Perfect size for my hand, not too short, not too long.
Latherability: Both of these brushes create gobs of lather in seconds using both soaps and creams. I think you might say that the D01 does slightly better with soaps, and the Silvertip does slightly better with creams, but they both perform so spectacularly with soaps and creams, that I am hesitant to label either one as a soap or a cream brush. I primarily face lather, and these brushes excel at that, but they also work wonders bowl or palm lathering.
Customer Service: I felt the need to include this simply because when you purchase a product, it's nice to know that the manufacturer has your back, no matter what happens. You can search B&B and find countless stories where someone was unhappy with their Shavemac, or it was defective in any way, and Bernd gave them a full refund, shipped them a new brush, or offered to fix it free of charge. In addition, Shavemac offers COMPLETE customization of any of his brushes. Being able to choose any handle style, hair type, knot size, and loft length is out of this world.
Stiffness of Tips: Really great. Not in the least bit floppy, stiff enough to pick up soap easily, yet not at all prickly or scratchy.
Softness of Tips: Cloud soft. Each time I lather it feels luxurious, yet still provides a good beard prep.
Density:
Conclusion: Both of these brushes are abso-freaking-lutley incredible. Both work well with soaps or creams, and do splendidly with face, palm, or bowl lathering. The only differences I can detect between the two are a very slight difference in bulb shape (my Silvertip seems a bit more round), and the density. It seems, then, that is the only determining factor if you are deciding between the two. So is it worth the extra $20-$40?
In my humble opinion, yes.
I was someone who, after a month with a Rooney 3-1, still found it too scrubby. I had thought that super dense brushes weren't for me, until I found the D01 Shavemac. It has an a perfect softness and backbone to it. Other dense brushes are known to be lather hogs, but to me both of these brushes had similar lather-retention, and easily provided lather for 3+ passes. By no means have I used every brush out there, but I have tried a Muhle Pure, Rooney 3-1 Super, Crabtree & Evelyn Best Badger, B&B Essential, Savile Row 3122, Shavemac 22579, Muhle 91 K, and a QED 3420 Best - and my D01 Shavemac blows them all out of the water. Trust me, if you take the time to choose your own specifications for a Custom Shavemac, you will not regret it.
Discussion thread for this review:
Comparison of Custom Shavemac D01 & Silvertip
Shavemac Genine Horn Brushes
Both have a 21mm knot & 50mm loft
Since this is basically a review of two brushes, I am not including a rating, but if I had to rate each brush, the Silvertip would be a 9.0/10.0, and the D01 would be a 9.8/10.0
Price: These brushes are excellent value for money. The Silvertip was $130, and the D01 was $150. While pricey, compared to the high-end Simpson or Plisson brushes, they're downright economical.
Quality: The quality on these brushes is top-notch. I've only lost a few hairs from both, and the knot quality and craftsmanship of these brushes is flawless.
Handle: From the moment I saw a Genuine Horn handle on B&B, I was in love. They have such a beauty to them, a natural feeling that can't be matched by any other type of handle. Wood handles have the same natural look, but with Horn every single brush is unique looking. The dark and light variation practically makes this brush a work of art!
Ergonomics: Perfect size for my hand, not too short, not too long.
Latherability: Both of these brushes create gobs of lather in seconds using both soaps and creams. I think you might say that the D01 does slightly better with soaps, and the Silvertip does slightly better with creams, but they both perform so spectacularly with soaps and creams, that I am hesitant to label either one as a soap or a cream brush. I primarily face lather, and these brushes excel at that, but they also work wonders bowl or palm lathering.
Customer Service: I felt the need to include this simply because when you purchase a product, it's nice to know that the manufacturer has your back, no matter what happens. You can search B&B and find countless stories where someone was unhappy with their Shavemac, or it was defective in any way, and Bernd gave them a full refund, shipped them a new brush, or offered to fix it free of charge. In addition, Shavemac offers COMPLETE customization of any of his brushes. Being able to choose any handle style, hair type, knot size, and loft length is out of this world.
Stiffness of Tips: Really great. Not in the least bit floppy, stiff enough to pick up soap easily, yet not at all prickly or scratchy.
Softness of Tips: Cloud soft. Each time I lather it feels luxurious, yet still provides a good beard prep.
Density:
D01: Oh wow. Enough cannot be said about the density of this thing. Super dense, enough to rival the famous Rooney knot. Gives a great massaging feeling when lathering. Holds enough lather for days of shaving, yet manages to not become a lather hog. In addition, I've always secretly believed that denser knots will last longer. They have more hairs, so I naturally assume after years and years of use, my D01 will still be going strong while after a while (a LONG while, but still) my Silvertip just might need to be send back to Shavemac for restoration. I'm not sure if this is true or not, it's just a feeling I have.
Silvertip: It sounds lame, but I'd say "dense enough." It's not as crazy dense as the D01, but with the 50mm loft has still got enough backbone to do really well with triple-milled soaps. However, it is still a force to be reckoned with when compared to almost any other brush.
Conclusion: Both of these brushes are abso-freaking-lutley incredible. Both work well with soaps or creams, and do splendidly with face, palm, or bowl lathering. The only differences I can detect between the two are a very slight difference in bulb shape (my Silvertip seems a bit more round), and the density. It seems, then, that is the only determining factor if you are deciding between the two. So is it worth the extra $20-$40?
In my humble opinion, yes.
I was someone who, after a month with a Rooney 3-1, still found it too scrubby. I had thought that super dense brushes weren't for me, until I found the D01 Shavemac. It has an a perfect softness and backbone to it. Other dense brushes are known to be lather hogs, but to me both of these brushes had similar lather-retention, and easily provided lather for 3+ passes. By no means have I used every brush out there, but I have tried a Muhle Pure, Rooney 3-1 Super, Crabtree & Evelyn Best Badger, B&B Essential, Savile Row 3122, Shavemac 22579, Muhle 91 K, and a QED 3420 Best - and my D01 Shavemac blows them all out of the water. Trust me, if you take the time to choose your own specifications for a Custom Shavemac, you will not regret it.
The one on the left has D01 hair, the one on the right has Silvertip.
Discussion thread for this review:
Comparison of Custom Shavemac D01 & Silvertip
Price was $195 shipped. As always, Bernd and Shavemac are great. I could have put all 10's, since it is close to perfection for me. However, the "holy grail" brush might still be out there.
