Are Rooneys Shrinking?

[dreadpirate]

I have a new Rooney 1/2 that I received as a replacement for an older Rooney 1/2 that was shedding. The new one seems smaller; a smaller knot - or perhaps a shorter loft - I can't decide what it is. But it seems smaller. I almost thought it was a 1/1, except the handle is the same size as my previous 1/2.

Now that being said - I must say I like the new dimensions better. My previous Rooney 1/2 was a bit big - approaching the size of a face mop. The new one seems just right.

Is it me, or are Rooneys shrinking?

 

[dmachine]

The brushes aren't shrinking, your hands are getting bigger.

 

[beginish]

There seems to be variability within each brush type, probably reflecting the fact that they are all hand made.

 

[Red Horn]

Don't they appear to get bigger as they break in?

 

[Greybeard]

There seems to be variability within each brush type, probably reflecting the fact that they are all hand made.

This.
As an example Classic Shaving published exact dimensions for each of the Rooney 1/2 finests they were recently clearing.
Knot diameters ranged from 22.5mm to 25mm. Lofts from 48mm to 53mm.

 

[Loric]

+1 on Rooney having poor quality control. There is quite a bit of variance from one brush to the next. They are still hand made, so this is to be expected. Also I wrote a thread not long ago that newer and older Rooney 3/1's seem to be quite different. This might be another symptom in whatever caused that.

There is also the fact that as a brush blooms and the hairs loosen up in the knot, the diameter of a brush will increase, making a more broken in brush feel bigger on the face. My 1/2 and my Stubby 3 both feel much much bigger than any other brush I have with the same knot diameter.

 

[Tha Baron]

Maybe they are taking the fast food approach... Offer something smaller at the same price to generate profitability. Hence why a Big Mac sold in the 1970s was probably pretty big. Now, its little bigger than a double slider from White Castle.