Another help me choose

[PFP_Dad]

I will have a little disposable income next month after I get all my new house bills covered so please help me choose a brush for <$100. My existing line up can be found here. Of these my favorite is the TGN Super Badger 20/47, with my second favorite badger being the 22/50 TGN Finest Fan. I nearly exclusively face lather soaps and prefer moderate backbone with soft tips. I would like to try one of the big name badger brush makers and stick to a knot no larger than 24mm.

I am willing to wait around the BST for a used version if a more expensive brush will better fit my needs. No personal preference between makers and I have not tried any brush other than those listed. I consider excellent flow-through a must as I absolutely hate fighting my brush to get the lather out. I'm interested in knot recommendations as well as handle ergonomics.

Thanks for your help.

 

[oscar11]

Consider a Shavemac finest knot. A 23mm @ 48 to 50mm for loft.

 

[k4dm0nky]

Davinci 293... I know its a little over... but I jsut ordered one!

 

[njpaddy]

My favorite brushes for face lathering hard soaps are:

Simpson Rover Best and Rooney 3/1 Silvertip for soaps in a tub or bowl like Harris & Tabac.

Duke 1 Best and Rooney 1/1 Silvertip for my glycerin mug soap even though my mug is taller than the brushes.

 

[Amzimbo]

+1 on the Rover. Slightly over your limit but with the B&B discount at WCS, not by much. It's a terrific little brush for both soaps and creams.

 

[PFP_Dad]

I'm pretty firm on my max price, what are your thoughts on the Duke 2 vs. Berkeley 46 vs Thater 4292/3 vs Kent BK4? I think these are probably my top contenders at the moment.

 

[njpaddy]

Of those 4, I'd go Duke 2 for face-lathering soaps. The knot on the Duke 2 is pretty close to the Rover which is one reason I sold my D2. Plus I liked the Rover handle better. The Berkeley is a great brush for the price but it's going to have a smaller knot and more scritch than the D2, which is why my Berkeley got sold when I got on an anti-scritch kick last year. I do not like my Thater 49125/0 3-band at all with soaps. Maybe it's me, maybe the knot is too small, but my 3-band Thater will not load enough soap for more than 1 pass. Great with creams, thumbs-down for soaps. Maybe someone else can say if the size /3 is better than the /0 with soaps. Never had a Kent so can't comment on that one.

 

[celestino]

i don't mean to confuse you, but if you can wait a few months, the Wet Shaving Products (WSP) Stubby 2-band will be coming back. For the money, it is a spectacular deal. Good luck.

 

[PFP_Dad]

i don't mean to confuse you, but if you can wait a few months, the Wet Shaving Products (WSP) Stubby 2-band will be coming back. For the money, it is a spectacular deal. Good luck.

I really haven't heard anything about this brand, but I'll definitely take a look at them.

 

[PFP_Dad]

Of those 4, I'd go Duke 2 for face-lathering soaps. The knot on the Duke 2 is pretty close to the Rover which is one reason I sold my D2. Plus I liked the Rover handle better. The Berkeley is a great brush for the price but it's going to have a smaller knot and more scritch than the D2, which is why my Berkeley got sold when I got on an anti-scritch kick last year. I do not like my Thater 49125/0 3-band at all with soaps. Maybe it's me, maybe the knot is too small, but my 3-band Thater will not load enough soap for more than 1 pass. Great with creams, thumbs-down for soaps. Maybe someone else can say if the size /3 is better than the /0 with soaps. Never had a Kent so can't comment on that one.

Good to know, I really don't like the look of the rover handle so I'm happy to hear a similar knot is available in a shape I prefer.

 

[brucered]

Rover is nice, but pretty sure it's about $30 over your price range and the B&B code is no longer valid at WCS for simpson brushes (MAP and all)

shavemac makes a nice silvertip, but i am only familiar with their larger knots, but Savile Row makes a couple very nice little 22mm brushes for $106

for the $100 price range, the Thater you linked looks nice and they make a fine brush and don't forge Rooney....1/2 or 3/2

if it was me, i'd go for a SR or Rooney. pick the handle style you like best and go for it. can't go wrong with either of those one.

 

[CB1]

Subscribing to this thread as I'm going to be on the hunt for the same type brush myself. I also have that 24 mm fan TGN and like it a lot. I'm thinking about another TGN or a Simpson. I have the Commodore 2 which I like.

 

[edgerunner]

I've owned Commodore X3. Now I have X2 and Vulfix 2234 Super which has the same hair grade. But I want to make a unorthodox suggestion in a sub-100 price range - Vulfix 2234 Silvertip. Priced $80, it's a big improvement over 2234 Super. The knot has better density and backbone, and the tips feel much better than the Best. It's 21-22 mm but it doesn't feel small. The handle is one of the most comfortable I've tried.

 

[sgtd]

Take a look at the Vintage Blades-branded finest brushes. Soft tips when wet with good backbone. I'm not sure if its still available or not but they did offer a 20mm along with a 22 and 24mm. I have the 24mm and really like it. Is also well under your price range. Another one to consider is the SOC 2-band. That thing is a soap killer and great for face lathering.

 

[PFP_Dad]

if it was me, i'd go for a SR or Rooney. pick the handle style you like best and go for it. can't go wrong with either of those one.

I like the SR 3120 and 3122, any experience with the backbone on these? I find the TGN Silvertip Grade A fan too soft/flimsy. What hair grade would you recommend on the Rooney?

 

[brucered]

I like the SR 3120 and 3122, any experience with the backbone on these? I find the TGN Silvertip Grade A fan too soft/flimsy. What hair grade would you recommend on the Rooney?

first off, both of those look very nice. it might be worth the extra $15 for the 3122 to get the 22mm knot. i think SR measures at the plug of the knot, so at the opening it may be 23-24 or so (i'd have to measure mine to see what it is as listed or bigger, like shavemac does)

i'm guessing those ones do not have extreme backbone. my 3124 is a very enjoyable brush to use and the handles style is one of my favorites. it has nice heft, i love the fact that they are engraved (both sides) and it just adds a touch of class to a $100'ish brush, nice flow, ultra soft. mine has the hooked tips when dry, but when in use it has a very very soft feel. many think the SR knots are the same or similar to shavemac silvertip, with a bit of extra hair (not much). it's not Duke density, but not Kent floppy either.

as for the rooney, i think the only one i can recommend is the Super Silvertip. i had a 3/2 (I think that's the one i had), early on and sold it (regrettably now) and it was very soft and had a huge fan on it. the only rooney i have now, is an Old Stock and it's not fair to compare with the current rooneys.

hopefully someone who has a current Rooney can weigh in, but if my memory serves me, it was fairly dense, had nice flow and no issues releasing lather and was very very soft on my face.

lots of Simpson users, but lots of simpson nay-sayers on here, but you don't see too many people upset with the quality and performance of Rooney brushes. if you order a Rooney 24/50 it will likely be exactly 24/50....whereas if you order a 24/50 Simpson, you may be a 23/46 etc.

 

[PFP_Dad]

I just now found the Rooney's and to be honest I like their handle look the best of SR and Simpson and on par with the Thater. I'm aiming ideally for about 22mm at the opening as my 24mm RV is bigger than I like.

 

[brucered]

don't forget Shavemac EXPERT selector: EXPERT BRUSH

a 20mm SILVERTIP runs about $95+10shipping and you can pick your loft, shape and handle material/color. or for a 22mm knot, you can get a FINEST for the same price.

these knots will likely be 1-2 mm larger at opening. so if you are aiming for a 22mm opening, the 20mm might be the correct size. you'd have to check with Bernd at Shavemac for the exact size at opening.

 

[PFP_Dad]

I didn't realize the custom Shavemac's were so economical.

I think I have it narrowed down to 3 now (yea, I know, great job since I started with 4).

Thater 4292/3 (Does anyone know if their measurements are the plug or opening?)
A Shavemac similar to This (20mm knot).
Rooney 1/1

I'll have to do some more research on each of these and see how the list evolves.

 

[Oscroft]

I have the Rooney 3/1 in three different hair types - Silvertip, Best and Pure.

I like the Pure for when I want a good exfoliating scrub - it's much better than cheaper Pure hairs I've tried, but it won't be to everyone's liking.

At the other end, the current Silvertip (which I believe is equivalent to the old Super Silvertip) is luxurious - it's one of my favourite brushes. And even though it's soft, it still deals with hard soaps just fine - I have no trouble getting a good lather from DRH, Tabac, MWF.

But the hair that is under-appreciated is Rooney Best. It doesn't have the same softness as Silvertip, naturally, but if you want a firmer hair, it really is very good indeed.

But if you were going to pick one, Rooney Silvertip is a classic high-quality hair, and is the one I'd recommend.

Another brush mentioned in this thread which I have is the Simpsons Duke 2 - mine has Best hair. It has a denser knot and it takes a little bit of breaking in before it flows properly, but once that's done, it's a superb face lathering brush. My only issue with it is that the handle is a bit small - and I don't have large hands.