So after much research and looking around I found an amber handle shave brush. As I await my raw amber to arrive for working I figured this brush would be a nice idea for several reasons.
1. Why not?
2. I get to see what a piece of raw amber, in the hands of a professional, can be like as a handle.
3. This particular piece is called speckled amber which is a different amber than the blue, yellow, green and red I will be attempting to turn into handles.
I received this brush in the mail yesterday and was immediately impressed by its size. I have included a photo of the brush next to my Simpson's Chubby 2 for comparison. The handle is quite large at about 1.5 times the height of my chubby 2 and about as wide. The curvature of the bottom of the handle fits snugly in my palm during lathering. A very ergonomic design in comparison to my other brushes.
The appearance of the amber in varying light conditions is difficult to convey accurately in words. As such I have done my best to capture this phenomena in photos under various light conditions. The best way I can describe the handle is as follows:
The speckled amber used for this brush handle is just that, a rich, translucent, caramel color with shades of red and orange swirling about to combine in a fugue of raw beauty. Amongst this rich coloring can be seen black flecks of material which add to the raw look of the piece. It's dull appearance in fluorescent lighting beguiles its inner beauty. In the blazing power of sunlight the handle is transformed into a gleaming jewel, a true sight to behold. The sunlight acts to pierce the core of the object which then refracts as it moves through the various layers of the gem, revealing swirls and layers of colour hidden under the falsity of modern illumination. A true rarity.
I love this brush so far. Another striking characteristic of this brush is the knot. I have the following brushes and the knot on this brush stands alone.
Art of Shaving Pure Badger
Simpson Chubby 2 in Best Badger
Shavemac D01 Silver Tip
B&B Essential Boar in Salmon glitter
Frank Shaving (unknown hair quality)
Simpson Wee Scot in Best Badger
MERshaving brush with TGN High Mountain White
The knot on this new brush is advertised as being a two band silvertip. After using it last night it must be true. I have never experienced a knot so fine. I've read various posts around here talking about the qualities of badger hair. Words like scritchy and gel tips have been used to define the hairs. The term "gel tips" has always confused me until last night. I now fully understand what is meant by the term and it was truly a remarkably unique experience for me. How could hair feel like gel? I still don't know but that's exactly what these hairs looked like and felt like after a good break in lather. I was so excited I had to call my wife over just to verify what I was experiencing.
The tips looked and felt like gel. That's the only way to describe it. I will try to capture some photos of the phenomena when I get home. An incredible sensory experience for the ultimate shaving regimen. I am particularly interested in why the tips feel so gel like when wet but when the brush is dry it feels just as scritchy as my AoS pure badger. A true miracle of nature. The best face lathering brush I have experienced to date.
Here's the photos. I hope they help to elucidate some of the comments I've made on the qualities of this brush. Once I have some more face time with this brush I will update this thread with a brief review of it's overall quality as a face lathering brush.
1. Why not?
2. I get to see what a piece of raw amber, in the hands of a professional, can be like as a handle.
3. This particular piece is called speckled amber which is a different amber than the blue, yellow, green and red I will be attempting to turn into handles.
I received this brush in the mail yesterday and was immediately impressed by its size. I have included a photo of the brush next to my Simpson's Chubby 2 for comparison. The handle is quite large at about 1.5 times the height of my chubby 2 and about as wide. The curvature of the bottom of the handle fits snugly in my palm during lathering. A very ergonomic design in comparison to my other brushes.
The appearance of the amber in varying light conditions is difficult to convey accurately in words. As such I have done my best to capture this phenomena in photos under various light conditions. The best way I can describe the handle is as follows:
The speckled amber used for this brush handle is just that, a rich, translucent, caramel color with shades of red and orange swirling about to combine in a fugue of raw beauty. Amongst this rich coloring can be seen black flecks of material which add to the raw look of the piece. It's dull appearance in fluorescent lighting beguiles its inner beauty. In the blazing power of sunlight the handle is transformed into a gleaming jewel, a true sight to behold. The sunlight acts to pierce the core of the object which then refracts as it moves through the various layers of the gem, revealing swirls and layers of colour hidden under the falsity of modern illumination. A true rarity.
I love this brush so far. Another striking characteristic of this brush is the knot. I have the following brushes and the knot on this brush stands alone.
Art of Shaving Pure Badger
Simpson Chubby 2 in Best Badger
Shavemac D01 Silver Tip
B&B Essential Boar in Salmon glitter
Frank Shaving (unknown hair quality)
Simpson Wee Scot in Best Badger
MERshaving brush with TGN High Mountain White
The knot on this new brush is advertised as being a two band silvertip. After using it last night it must be true. I have never experienced a knot so fine. I've read various posts around here talking about the qualities of badger hair. Words like scritchy and gel tips have been used to define the hairs. The term "gel tips" has always confused me until last night. I now fully understand what is meant by the term and it was truly a remarkably unique experience for me. How could hair feel like gel? I still don't know but that's exactly what these hairs looked like and felt like after a good break in lather. I was so excited I had to call my wife over just to verify what I was experiencing.
The tips looked and felt like gel. That's the only way to describe it. I will try to capture some photos of the phenomena when I get home. An incredible sensory experience for the ultimate shaving regimen. I am particularly interested in why the tips feel so gel like when wet but when the brush is dry it feels just as scritchy as my AoS pure badger. A true miracle of nature. The best face lathering brush I have experienced to date.
Here's the photos. I hope they help to elucidate some of the comments I've made on the qualities of this brush. Once I have some more face time with this brush I will update this thread with a brief review of it's overall quality as a face lathering brush.
