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Badger lover considering a badger/boar mix - Survivable? Sacrilege?

Yes, the PF. Free shipping. (Much higher prices though on eBay so go to the PF website).

Vintage Scents also has great prices, but I'm not sure what their shipping is. I am also not sure what they're talking about sometimes in their descriptions but their prices are maybe better than the PF. I'd have to know their shipping to be sure of anything.

Marty, I really like butterscotch, and believe these mixed knots have great potential. I am glad to have joined this party, and also the butterscotch party.

I've forgotten which Zenith Manchurian you got and whether you liked it. I see Zenith now has some brushes in butterscotch. I don't think Zenith has a brush in mixed boar and badger; none I've found anyway.

I'm on a gentlemanly restraint (no more brush purchases; several are on order) until the fall so I'm not tempted but I can still admire them. The restraint began yesterday; I've had a recent brush buying spree of considerable proportions and had to reign myself in.

The mistura reviews are universally great.

Happy shaves,

Jim
Thanks Jim.
I got the Zenith w/ copper handle. Love the knot but copper tainted rather quickly, spotty & tacky feel; still good, frequent use, enjoyable brush. I did see that Z now has a butterscotch Manchurian, hmm - also tempting, but really itching to try Semogue Mistura mix.
Thanks for the purchase tip; I did see price at PF site w/o VAT very attractive but wasn’t sure how much they’d charge for shipping. If free, seems a no brainer.
Cheers, etc.
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
If that Mistura knot is the same as my 2011 Caravela you're going to be one happy camper.

full
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
I am trying to resist buying another brush[emoji51] this is not helping! You did recommend the Omega Jade, fortunately I listened, love that brush.

Enablers R Us employee of the month.jpg


There's a reason I win this award month after month.

All I know about the SOC Mistura is what I've read but I've read a lot and everyone seems to love the knot!

From using the Maggard 70/30 for a while I think these knots of mixed boar and badger finest or two band have a lot of potential. The best reviewed of them (by people I trust) is the Semogue mixed.

You know you have to try it before they run out and you have to wait for them to show up again in a year or three.

Did that push you over the edge? Good!
 
I am trying to resist buying another brush[emoji51] this is not helping! You did recommend the Omega Jade, fortunately I listened, love that brush.
Chan is the man 🤪. So glad i had read his (Jim’s) comments on the Zenith Manchurian and followed him down that path. Obviously he doesn’t have the Mistura yet but he has a history of great instincts in brush choices.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Chan is the man 🤪. So glad i had read his (Jim’s) comments on the Zenith Manchurian and followed him down that path. Obviously he doesn’t have the Mistura yet but he has a history of great instincts in brush choices.

I appreciate any and all compliments so keep it up, FT.

However, it's not my instincts that are good (at least not that I know about). The reality is I do a lot of homework. The information is out there.

Most of us fumble about a good bit for a while because we don't know enough about what we need and like, and how could we do better than that? Eventually, if we try a variety and pay attention to what we should and can observe, we figure out directions worth going in. Then, it gets easier, right?

Another thing I've gotten better at is determining who to pay attention to. Some people know a lot more than me and/or have a huge amount more experience with brushes over a long time period.

Two.Zenith.Manchurians.1-5-19.480..jpg


I'm glad you like your Zenith Manchurian. Which did you get? I love both of mine, but I love the copper handled Zenith Manchurian best of all my brushes. However, I realize it's a brush which has to be broken in used for a while to come into its own.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
Agreed, research is key along with knowing whose tastes/preferences run similar to your own. Copper handled Manchurian with great backbone and density remains a go-to staple in rotation (even though it didn’t make my avatar pic, lol).
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Thanks Jim.
I got the Zenith w/ copper handle. Love the knot but copper tainted rather quickly, spotty & tacky feel; still good, frequent use, enjoyable brush. I did see that Z now has a butterscotch Manchurian, hmm - also tempting, but really itching to try Semogue Mistura mix.
Thanks for the purchase tip; I did see price at PF site w/o VAT very attractive but wasn’t sure how much they’d charge for shipping. If free, seems a no brainer.
Cheers, etc.

Zenith.Copper.boar.Manchurian.2.640.7-14-18.JPG


I'm not sure what you're saying about the copper.

Personally I like the tarnished look (the patina as my wife would say), but it can be polished up and as shiny as new in a shake of a lamb's tail using Flitz and a cloth.

I take mine to the beach in the summer to get it even more tarnished. Perhaps this summer I'll polish it before its trip to super high humidity and salt air. Perhaps I will have forgotten it or decided by then another brush deserved the beach trip.

What are you saying about the copper.

For the record, while I love the knot, and while I overall love the brush, it's not my very favorite brush handle.

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I wouldn't consider buying another Zenith Manchurian in any knot other than the 28 mm knot. I have the 27.5 mm knot and like it but I like the 28 better. Anyway, I think about this butterscotch brush. I'm not totally wild about the handle (I have the same handle in a different knot and in a different color). I'm sorta kinda waiting for just the right knot and just the right handle.

I am also (with some caveats) on a gentlemanly restraint (meaning no more ordering of brushes) until the fall. So, listen up Zenith, no pressure; you have months to ramp up production of my dream Zenith Manchurian.

It will be a hard project for the Sicilians as I don't actually know what my Dream Zenith Manchurian is, but I know it's 28 mm.

Patina Floor..png


This isn't my wife and it's not my floor but my wife would like it I think.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
I agree about the type of handle in the Zenith butterscotch being somewhat “meh” and not one of my preferred shapes.
As to the Z copper, mine currently looks more like yours on the right with some serious patina and a couple of “spots” that appear to be surface erosion. Think just for fun I’ll look into your Flitz polishing solution 👍🏻 to shine it up and see what’s what.
 
Is Flitz you use just the basic liquid polish?
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I do see that they have “brass and copper tarnish remover” also but at higher price.
 
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My SOC Mistura with a cherry handle arrived a few weeks ago, but I am not going to use it until my birthday in June - cannot wait!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
My SOC Mistura with a cherry handle arrived a few weeks ago, but I am not going to use it until my birthday in June - cannot wait!

My birthday is also in June, but I suspect I'll be lucky to see my incoming SOC Mistura before July.

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Actually I don't know how fast one receives packages shipped free from the Portuguese Factory. I think I've ordered from them before several years ago, but I've forgotten how fast the shipping was then + things are not the same as they were then.


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I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the real life color of this handle is. From the photos it looks more like butterscotch (which it's supposed to be) than orange. I'll be fine with either but I'm hoping it's not "too orange."

Of course, the main thing for me is the knot. That's what I'm really excited about. If the knot is as good as the reviews of the knot...

In the meantime this Maggard 70/30 continues to grow on me.

5-29-20.FOCS.70:30.VitosRed.640.JPG

It's not got the world's softest tips yet, but it still feels great on my skin and is a pleasure to use. I believe it will be truly wonderful when fully broken in. The beautiful black beehive handle is from a broken Thater boar and was a much appreciated gift from a generous member.


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This brush ^ from the PF also looks interesting. The knot is 24 mm but the loft is a bit lower than the SOC's loft. The handle is also a somewhat shorter. It's the mixed knot.

Hey, good thing I'm on a gentlemanly restraint (for brushes) until the fall or I would have just purchased two more Semogues. They are very attractive brushes in finest and mixed.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
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I'd love a handle height somewhere between the Semouge SOC & C5 Torga. I'm so picky these days. I am interested in their finest knot, but this Mistura knot is intriguing as well.
 
“...I suspect I'll be lucky to see my incoming SOC Mistura before July.
...
Actually I don't know how fast one receives packages shipped free from the Portuguese Factory. I think I've ordered from them before several years ago, but I've forgotten how fast the shipping was then + things are not the same as they were then.”

I did receive notice, within 1 day, that PF brush had shipped but website warned some international shipments may take 45 days. So I too am curious to see how long it takes.
My shipments of goose down pillows and comforters from Elfenbein in Hungary😳 have amazingly taken less than a week to western NC, even in these crazy times. 🤗
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
“...I suspect I'll be lucky to see my incoming SOC Mistura before July.
...
Actually I don't know how fast one receives packages shipped free from the Portuguese Factory. I think I've ordered from them before several years ago, but I've forgotten how fast the shipping was then + things are not the same as they were then.”

I did receive notice, within 1 day, that PF brush had shipped but website warned some international shipments may take 45 days. So I too am curious to see how long it takes.
My shipments of goose down pillows and comforters from Elfenbein in Hungary😳 have amazingly taken less than a week to western NC, even in these crazy times. 🤗

Our brushes are in a race.
 
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