Brush Advice - First Brush

[Krato]

Hey guys just need a little input from others who are more experienced before I pull the trigger. I have been researching for a while about what to get to start off with in my wet shaving kit and I decided pretty quickly that I would like to start with a quality brush. After more time researching than I care to admit I set my sights on a Rooney 3/1 "Super Silvertip" from Vintage Blades with a 22mm knot & 44mm loft priced at $65 USD. I decided to wait until I got back from my vacation to place my order to avoid worrying that my package might arrive before I returned. Upon my return I ended up doing a little more browsing (I expect I probably overthink things) and came across all this wonderful feedback for the Muhle Sythentic Silvertip Fibre brushes. After looking more into them they also seem like really great brushes. They receive high praise for both backbone and tip softness as well seeming to do more with less product. They in fact seem to be touted as the best synthetic and on par with actual silvertip badger brushes (Correct me if I have gotten the wrong impression). The one I would be interested in purchasing I believe is the Muhle 33 K 256 Silvertip Fibre in Ebony Black with a knot of 23mm and loft set at 56mm. This one could be had at approx. $48USD from Connaught. I am looking for a great all around quality brush to start off with. Since I'm yet to be sure what my preferences would be I would like a brush thats good for both soaps and creams as well as face and bowl lathering. I shouldn't have a problem with managing the price of either one. So what I'm looking for is advice and opinions from the community as to what you would recommend and which you feel would be a better brush for me as well as your feelings on the brushes themselves. Thanks for your time and help. Your more knowing opinions are of great value to me.

Below are the links for the aforementioned products for your convienence.
Muhle - http://connaughtshaving.com/33k256.html
Rooney - http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=485

 

[djh]

It will be difficult to find shavers who are able to compare these two brushes one-to-one as I don't believe that too many of our members will have used the Mühle synthetic brush.
That being said, my choice would be the Rooney- it is hard to imagine that you would be disappointed with it.

 

[mekler]

I say buy a Semogue brush.. or two.

 

[neilz4]

I got the HIS Synthetic (from Beauty Strokes) as my first brush and man do I love it. I know GFCarrington did a review of a similar Muhle brush here. I haven't had much mileage with natural hair brushes, but AFAIK, synthetic has some benefits for a first brush, especially that it dries out way faster and won't hog lather within the fibers. However, the benefits come with drawbacks (outlined in the review linked)

Honestly, I think you'd be set and happy either way you went (Muhle synthetic or Rooney).

 

[BigBull]

I say buy a Semogue brush.. or two.

I agree!

Honestly, I think you'd be set and happy either way you went (Muhle synthetic or Rooney).

Very true statement. Of the two you've mentioned, they both get high praise here. So does the H.I.S. Frankly, you're asking a lot from one brush. There is a reason sooo many of us have more than 1 - fwiw, I had 1 brush for 5 years. It did a great job with creams and an adequate job with soaps. All AOS products. Then, I find B&B and it suddenly changed...

 

[Mick]

It's hard to beat a Rooney for quality and performance. The 3/1 is going to be a good all round brush.

Since you say this will be your first brush, my take would be to grab the Rooney. Then later on you can dabble with specialty brushes like synthetic, short loft face lathering brushes,and ultra soft bowl lathering brushes.

 

[shave~extacy]

+1 turtle and +1 Semogue boar, some take to them and greatly prefer a boar over badger.

 

[njpaddy]

It's hard to beat a Rooney for quality and performance. The 3/1 is going to be a good all round brush.

+1. A Rooney 3/1 Super was my first good brush and 15 brush purchases later it's still in my top 3. I recently added a 1/1.

 

[Luc]

I would recommend reading this article: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Choosing_your_first_shaving_brush

 

[Samjax]

Heh...trust me on this. Get whichever one strikes your fancy for now...and know this, you're not gonna settle for just "one" brush no matter how good it is. Of course, that's all part of the fun and remember, you have our full support to purchase as many brushes as you like!

 

[neilz4]

Heh...trust me on this. Get whichever one strikes your fancy for now...and know this, you're not gonna settle for just "one" brush no matter how good it is. Of course, that's all part of the fun and remember, you have our full support to purchase as many brushes as you like!

Pretty much, this. +1!

 

[Krato]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Is there a thread somewhere that discusses the advantages/disadvantages of synthetics vs natural hairs? Also I did look at the H.I.S. Brush and it looks nice and seems well liked but I was afraid with a 28mm knot it might be a bit.... huge. lol

 

[neilz4]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Is there a thread somewhere that discusses the advantages/disadvantages of synthetics vs natural hairs? Also I did look at the H.I.S. Brush and it looks nice and seems well liked but I was afraid with a 28mm knot it might be a bit.... huge. lol

Hah, yes! The 28mm is quite a bit large. Seriously large. It's a big brush, no doubt, but I got used to it kinda fast. A little sloppy on the face, though. I think on the link to GDCarrington's review of the H.I.S. there are four or five other parts of synthetic brush reviews, all by different people, and there are some synth/nat comparisons in there. I haven't read through all of them, though, but it's a good place to start.

 

[Face&Head]

It's hard to beat a Rooney for quality and performance. The 3/1 is going to be a good all round brush.

Since you say this will be your first brush, my take would be to grab the Rooney. Then later on you can dabble with specialty brushes like synthetic, short loft face lathering brushes,and ultra soft bowl lathering brushes.

+1

 

[rob_NH]

I bought a rooney 3/1 for my first brush. I have also since bought a Semogue boar and a Thater Badger. The Thater is by far my best brush, but considerably more expensive than the others. I really like the rooney more than the semogue by a long shot. I find I build better lathers with it, and it is capable of face lathering as well as bowl lathering soaps and creams. This is a perfect reccomendation for a first brush in my mind (based on the three I own).

 

[Krato]

Thanks for all your advice guys it was really helpful. I went ahead and bought the Muhle brush just because it was more animal friendly and seemed like a great deal. Synths seem to have come a long way.

 

[Mr B]

Hey everyone!

First post! I just purchased the Simpsons case and love it. I notice there really aren't any reviews online, it seems more people choose the duke or the wee Scott and the Case gets passed by. Does anyone have any experience with the case?

Appreciate any feedback you can give.