*Brush War* Contender Introduction (arrival) thread...

[joel]

Contender #1 has arrived fellas..... My idea is to take pictures AS I open up the box and first view the brushes, so you also get the feeling of tearing into your new brush, comparing it, the experience etc. With ALL luxury items, all facets of the purchase/use must be considered, so I wish to share with you the presentation of each brush as well. How fun!

Just as a side note, I plan on very methodically testing all three brushes. I plan on using one cream or soap for EACH brush one after the next (IE: Trumper Almond for its first use with the PJ3, then the NEXT day Trumper Almond for the SR3824's first use, etc) I want to keep the variables as consistent as possible, and share the day to day experience (1st use with each brush with the same cream, second use with each brush with same soap, etc) I do not believe such a test has EVER been done before on brushes in such a systematic method.

Enough nonesense.... meet brush #1.

Simpson PJ3 next to Simpson PJ2 (PJ3=unused PJ2=Used in full bloom ergo the size difference)
The PJ3 is MUCH heavier (handle wise) and although the difference looks slight, the PJ3 feels SIGNIFICANTLY more substantial and sturdy... should be VERY interesting to see how it performs. On a side note - the hair is whiter on the PJ3 than on the PJ2... might just be due to the fact that it is new.

Shavemac XXL Horn Handle next to PJ3 Handle (size comparo)

 

[joel]

Well fellas - the warrior from America arrived this weekend.... feast your eyes on this beaut! REALLY a nice looking/feeling shaving brush. This will be one HELL of a test!

Pics of the three side by side, with handle/hair comparisons to come when the Plisson arrives!

 

[joel]

Well - I went out to the mail box this afternoon and to my delight was a small box from a foreign country. I got mighty excited.... egad - my Plisson I had purchased 12 days ago has finally arrived! But wait.... what is this on the side of the box...

Kent? What? Kent? I had heard from them what like 2, maybe 3 days ago that I had a brush on my way from them? England.... to California... 2-3 days? Good god those fellas at Kent sure get these suckers moving! Good show!

Well... I am not going to lie. I was still dissapointed. I had been drooling all over myself waiting for my burlwood/ebony/euro-white Plisson for awhile now, and have been naturally expecting it to be the next brush I received. Ah - such is life. So I grabbed the camera, and popped open the box from kent (tough job, but by god someone's gotta do it!)

Hmmm.... funny.... a tube....

A red tube!

Unhinge the latch (can you feel the suspense?)...

HUMMINA HUMMINA - Plissawhat? Pictures do NOT do this shaving brush justice.... amazing presentation/packaging aside, this brush has a royal "aura" attached to it, just being in its presence, holding it, etc - imparts a distinct feeling of greatness. While this brush is substantially less expensive than the Simpsons PJ3 above, this brush FEELS significantly more expensive than ANY brush I have/have ever owned.... even more so than my Simpson Polo 12 Super, which is 4X the cost. If you have considered purchasing a kent BK series... stop thinking and buy it. I feel EVERY gentleman interested in the ultimate "luxury" of shaving should own a BK. I haven't even used this sucker yet (it is taking brute force to keep myself from lathering away with this sucker) and I can tell you with certainty, I will be buying a Kent BK8 and BK12 in the very near future. This sucker is tear jerkingly gorgeous, and again... pictures CANNOT do this brush justice.

My ONLY gripe is that I have large hands, and am quite a large guy, so for me, the handle of this brush (in the portion you actually grab) is a bit small, and the brush is smaller than expected. With that disclosed, it is also proper to point out that this is the NICEST "faux ivory" handle I have had the pleasure of handling, as its quality, weight, polish and lettering are second to NONE. This brush is also literally PERFECT for traditional shaving soaps... it is almost as if it has been designed specifically for the sole purpose of whipping up copious amounts of lather from a dinky wooden bowl, without creating a mess, while still being substantial enough to be luxurious.

My hats off to kent.... I am suddenly not all that anxious for the Plisson to arrive. Seeing as how B&B forum members get 20% off from Kent, this brush is a screamin' deal. You can also pick this brush up from Robert at the gentlemans shop for under $70. Pretty nice brush for the $.

Sorry, I just can't state enough how gorgeous this BK4 is fellas....

 

[joel]

This is EXACTLY like the HWM I had (hair wise) in fact, I'd wager this is HWM. In person it is white as white gets and the roots are black and black gets. Gorgeous hair, but the brush overall underwhelms me.

 

[joel]

Well... make no mistake about it... the packaging is poor... well - not so much poor as there isn't really any (they are a new company and are in the process of developing the proper presentation/packaging). The brush basically is shipped wrapped in tissue paper. I ain't gonna lie... it isn't impressive. I must point out, the $250 Shavemaster I received came in tissue paper as well.... save for it had a string tied around it. Seeing as how this brush is under 1/2 the price..... I think I can live without the string

What IS impressive however is the brush itself. Now aside from one rogue hair falling out (see pic below) this thing is built like a Weatherby rifle - I mean this sucker is REALLY solid (don't take this as meaning the brush is heavy by weight, but I tugged the **** outta the bristles after I found one pop out and they stuck steady... so I got a little curious and REALLY wrenched on the SOB, and it laughed, and begged for more). As you can see in the pics below - this thing is packed mighty dense, by the damn weirdest badger hair I have ever encountered. The stuff feels like a very light velcro across your face - yet is soft, AND has stiff bristle... yet provides ample flex. What the hell? Really interesting characteristics - but all meld together to excel at making a friggin' hurricane of lather with hard soap. Although I think this would do adequately with creams - I think this thing is really going to jump WAY out from the pack in terms of shaving soap lathering ability.
The handle is quite cool. Truth be told... I felt the pictures of brushes displyed on their site were kinda "funky" looking, and weren't very elegant/classy... but I was wrong. In person this brush looks markedly superior to the pictures below, or the pictures on their website. If this brush is 1/2 as good as I think - I'll be buying one in the "jazz" style handle as well. This It is made of the same material counter tops are made from and is designed to thwart germs and such, which is kinda neat - but provides perfect weighting for badger brushes! It is slightly (maybe 10%) heavier than the plastic english firms use, yet is not as "slippery" therby providing superior grip.
Overall - I think this brush as surprised me most, as it is so much different from the competition... the Simpsons comes in with a mix of quality/performance, the kent comes in with class, the Savile Row comes in with comfort and ergonomics, the plisson comes in with looks, and this thing comes in with brute force... in the traditional American way. Very interesting, solid, and well built brush - I look forward to using it.

Both tabs didn't work! DOH!!

TA DAH!

 

[joel]

First let me say.... Bernd packaging - as far as look/cool factor is exponentially superior than his previous little "black boxes." In fact - thus far the only firm to trumph Shavemacs packaging/presentation has been Kent. As can be expected from Shavemac - the brush is of superb quality, fit/finish, wonderfully comfortable handle, and striking overall design. A shavemac will never let ya down. On a side note - this shavemacs hair is among the SOFTEST at the tip I have ever experienced.... from any brush. The roots are still reasonably stiff, and the brush is not the least bit floppy, but this seems to be a thinner, softer hair than what is in my Shavemac Horn Handled XXL silvertip. Bottom line - outstanding shaving brush - and at round about $100... it is a superb bargain.

Half of the brushes have arrived - so I am hoping by next weekend we'll be able to get this show on the road!

 

[joel]

Solid.... Chrome......... Solid........ Chrome..... did I mention Solid Chrome?
Edwin Jagger came to this party swingin' hard and heavy - good lord this sucker is tear jerkingly beautiful. Pictures simply cannot do this brush justice... at least in my eyes, this is the best looking brush thus far, bar none. This sucker weighs... I mean REALLY weighs, I can't decide if it is a good thing or bad thing, but we'll find out once we start whippin' up lather, but my god does this thing just reek a pure stench of quality, class and distinction. Wonderful presentation, wonderful design, super comfortable handle, great ergonomics, pleasing to to eye, good proportions.... good lord solid chrome! Seriously.... if someone tried to steal this thing from ya - you could use it as a weapon! I can see it in the news - "Would be robber bludgeoned to death with silvertip shaving brush."
The hair is nice stuff as well, very soft and luxurious. I can't wait to try it out!

 

[joel]

This shaving brush was without question the one I was looking forward to seeing for the first time, as I really wanted to know... so what do the big boys classify silvertip as? Also - of every shaving brush company I am aware of, there is NO greater price differentiation (proportional) than that of a vulfix super VS a vulfix silvertip, and by that I mean - a Rooney (second biggest price diff) super silvertip is about 3X less expensive than a "rooney finest" were as a Vulfix silvertip is a whopping 3.3X more expensive than a Vulfix Super. The 2235 Super is $70 @ classic shaving.... and the 2235 silvertip from vulfix will set you back about $230.... that is some SERIOUS coin.

Well.... I get the brush in - standard decent vulfix packaging, and I am immediatly blown away by the handle. Every picture I have seen of this handle has made it look goofy. I have never understood why ANYONE would buy it... as to me, there were few handles that displeased me more - but I digress - in person, it feels amazing, looks superb, and is remarkably elegant.

Now the bristle.... with this brush - I am convinced the term "Silvertip" is nothing more than a sales tactic. There is not a single person who can show EVIDENCE (not just word of mouth, or folklore) on what EXACTLY silvertip is... it seems firms just tack that on the "top end" models to boost the price - as the simple fact of the matter is - this silvertip is basically no different from the standard vulfix Super. I spent 15 minutes with this brush next to my T&H Travel brush in "super" that I believe is made by vulfix, and aside from the tips of the "silvertip" being a touch whiter, I couldn't really tell a discernable difference. They look (for the most part) identical and aside from the "silvertip" being a touch softer at the tip... there wasn't really a noticible difference.... I think this could explain why we have seen several un-used Vulfix silvertips for sale on the forums in the past, as quite frankly... there is no real discernable change. If the brush didn't say "Silvertip" on the back of it marked into the handle... I would have thought there had been a mix up. Now, with that - I must point out, I still have not used the brush... so I could change my opinion all together, but thus far I am pretty skeptical.

 

[joel]

Gents,
These fine brushes are quite uncommon in that there are not very many vendors who actually carry these brushes. They actually use a badger hair from German Badger, which is quite nice/soft. I would classify this brush as "floppy" which isn't necessarily a "bad" thing, as it is incredibly soft and luxurious. The handle on this brush is gorgeous, and polished to a brilliant luster, and it is incredibly solid, ergonomic, and comfortable. Pictures do not do this shaving brush justice, as it is a very handsome, albeit plane looking shaving brush. This brush in particular is model 93 K 257 from Nashville Knife Shop and of all the brushes, this is one of the least expensive offerings. Very nice box/presentation and overall a very nice brush... looks like it would be a great substitute for a Vulfix Super.

 

[joel]

Let's start with the standard Simpson box/packaging.... nothing superb, but nothing awful. The handle on this little guy is very wide and "chubby" - hence the name I presume. Absolutly superlative fit and finish, just about the best I have ever seen, and the handle is smooth as glass with a tremendous "shine" to it... the "Chubby" line is touted to be the finest shaving brush on the planet, and I presume for good reason, as this thing is built like a tank, is gorgeous, extraordinary quality/fit and finish, and the densest packed badger head I have ever seen!

This brush in particular has a badger hair different than that of the PJ2/3 and the Polo 12 I have... this hair is "straighter" incredibly ridgid, yet soft at the tip. This thing I am sure, will scrub like none other... and as a result is probably amazing for soaps. One thing is for sure.... the word "floppy" will NEVER be used to describe a Chubby.

I am incredibly eager to put this bad boy into action.

 

[joel]

Very, VERY light brush.... feels cheap. Cheap flimsy packaging as well for the brush, but the bag/overall presentation is superb. The bristle is surprisingly soft and supple... actually feels rather nice. Brush comes with its own stand and shaving cream sample, which for the price of the brush, is a nice touch. This one should be fantastically interesting to comapre to the other brushes made of badger hair.