Da Vinci Model 290 Globe Handle Brush
Size:
Silvertip Badger hair
Street price: $138.00
Made in: Nuremberg Germany
Review of the Da Vinci model 293 can be found here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/297253-Da-Vinci-293-Bead-Handle-Brush-Review
The design of the brush with a short globe handle gives the appearance that this is a small or diminutive brush. Far from it, this brush is on the larger size of brushes having an overall height of 105mm. On first impression the Da Vinci model 290 appears to be a very well made brush. The knot is extremely dense with a rather high loft of 60mm. The globe handle looks as though it would feel odd being a ball but it is surprisingly comfortable in the hand. After a few minutes of lathering with the 290 the handle seemed to become an extension of my hand with the bristles being attached to me rather than feeling like I was holding a brush in my hand. I got a surprising amount of control from this odd shaped handle
Soak:
I soaked the 290 in my Williams promotional shave mug (I soak all my brushes in this mug). After soaking the 290 for about 5 minutes it exploded, more than doubling in size as it soaked up fully half of the water I used to soak it in. This brush holds a LOT of water. When I took it out of the soak mug it took half of the water I had placed in there to soak the brush along with it. Two firm shakes removed a large majority of what the brush had picked up but still left plenty of water to make lather with
Lathering:
I used Truefitt & Hill Grafton cream in my small stainless steel lathering bowl. The T&H cream is a reliable product and always has produced copious amounts of lather, regardless of what brush I put to it. I used my typical amount of cream (a small plastic ice cream sample spoon full which is approx. 1/8 a tsp). In retrospect I should have used my larger lathering bowl as this brush whipped up quite a large amount of lather. It would have been able to build more lather in a larger bowl.
The Da Vinci 290 whipped up an amazing amount of yogurt thick shaving cream in far less time than I recall other brushes getting to this point. Maybe because it is new. Maybe because the knot is so densely packed. What ever reason the Da Vinci 290 builds lather with far less effort than other brushes I own.
There was more than enough lather created for 4 full passes with plenty left for clean up but I got such a close shave today with the razor/blade I was using that there was nothing to clean up after the 4th pass so I had a fair amount of lather remaining in the brush and bowl when I finished shaving
Application:
The Da Vinci 290 has a surprising amount of backbone for a brush with a 60mm loft. It is soft as a cloud but not floppy or weak. It rivals the softness and firmness of my Rooney 3xl Heritage which up until I used the Da Vinci was the softest brush I owned.
I was able to pick up all of the lather out of the bowl and the brush held it with ease.
The 290 released the lather effortlessly. I was able to get more lather on my face than from most of my other brushes. A painting motion applied a thick layer of lather for each pass. Even the 4th application was thick and full on my face
Conclusion:
This is an amazing brush (an understatement IMHO).
It is a well constructed brush.
It is very comfortable in the hand.
It has plenty of body to it because of the extremely dense knot.
It has very soft tips (the grade of badger used is very high)
It releases lather effortlessly
It is a KEEPER!!!
I think the Da Vinci 290 has kicked my Kent BK8 out of the #1 spot for bowl lathering. That says a LOT as the Kent has bested every brush I have put up against it in a bowl. I am going to have to do some serious one on one comparisons between these two very fine brushes in the near future.
OK now for the part everyone has waited for (the photos):
Today's shave:
The amount of cream used:
Start of lather making:
Holding lather:
Bloom:
Size comparison:
Kent BK8 - Da Vinci 290 - Duke 2
Rooney Heritage 3xl stubby - Da Vinci 290
Making a Da Vinci shaving brush (factory video)
Size:
| Knot | 25mm |
| Loft | 60mm |
| Handle | 45mm |
| Overall Height | 105mm |
Silvertip Badger hair
Street price: $138.00
Made in: Nuremberg Germany
Review of the Da Vinci model 293 can be found here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/297253-Da-Vinci-293-Bead-Handle-Brush-Review
The design of the brush with a short globe handle gives the appearance that this is a small or diminutive brush. Far from it, this brush is on the larger size of brushes having an overall height of 105mm. On first impression the Da Vinci model 290 appears to be a very well made brush. The knot is extremely dense with a rather high loft of 60mm. The globe handle looks as though it would feel odd being a ball but it is surprisingly comfortable in the hand. After a few minutes of lathering with the 290 the handle seemed to become an extension of my hand with the bristles being attached to me rather than feeling like I was holding a brush in my hand. I got a surprising amount of control from this odd shaped handle
Soak:
I soaked the 290 in my Williams promotional shave mug (I soak all my brushes in this mug). After soaking the 290 for about 5 minutes it exploded, more than doubling in size as it soaked up fully half of the water I used to soak it in. This brush holds a LOT of water. When I took it out of the soak mug it took half of the water I had placed in there to soak the brush along with it. Two firm shakes removed a large majority of what the brush had picked up but still left plenty of water to make lather with
Lathering:
I used Truefitt & Hill Grafton cream in my small stainless steel lathering bowl. The T&H cream is a reliable product and always has produced copious amounts of lather, regardless of what brush I put to it. I used my typical amount of cream (a small plastic ice cream sample spoon full which is approx. 1/8 a tsp). In retrospect I should have used my larger lathering bowl as this brush whipped up quite a large amount of lather. It would have been able to build more lather in a larger bowl.
The Da Vinci 290 whipped up an amazing amount of yogurt thick shaving cream in far less time than I recall other brushes getting to this point. Maybe because it is new. Maybe because the knot is so densely packed. What ever reason the Da Vinci 290 builds lather with far less effort than other brushes I own.
There was more than enough lather created for 4 full passes with plenty left for clean up but I got such a close shave today with the razor/blade I was using that there was nothing to clean up after the 4th pass so I had a fair amount of lather remaining in the brush and bowl when I finished shaving
Application:
The Da Vinci 290 has a surprising amount of backbone for a brush with a 60mm loft. It is soft as a cloud but not floppy or weak. It rivals the softness and firmness of my Rooney 3xl Heritage which up until I used the Da Vinci was the softest brush I owned.
I was able to pick up all of the lather out of the bowl and the brush held it with ease.
The 290 released the lather effortlessly. I was able to get more lather on my face than from most of my other brushes. A painting motion applied a thick layer of lather for each pass. Even the 4th application was thick and full on my face
Conclusion:
This is an amazing brush (an understatement IMHO).
It is a well constructed brush.
It is very comfortable in the hand.
It has plenty of body to it because of the extremely dense knot.
It has very soft tips (the grade of badger used is very high)
It releases lather effortlessly
It is a KEEPER!!!
I think the Da Vinci 290 has kicked my Kent BK8 out of the #1 spot for bowl lathering. That says a LOT as the Kent has bested every brush I have put up against it in a bowl. I am going to have to do some serious one on one comparisons between these two very fine brushes in the near future.
OK now for the part everyone has waited for (the photos):
Today's shave:
The amount of cream used:
Start of lather making:
Holding lather:
Bloom:
Size comparison:
Kent BK8 - Da Vinci 290 - Duke 2
Rooney Heritage 3xl stubby - Da Vinci 290
Making a Da Vinci shaving brush (factory video)
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