Fendrihan Travel Shaving Brush Review

[PDADoc]

I've been looking for a travel brush that didn't cost a fortune and was small enough that it didn't take up a lot of room in my dopp kit while traveling. I really didn't care whether it was natural or synthetic, just a small size that got the job done. I received this brush today, and I was very impressed by the size and build quality, and the synthetic bristles are easily as soft as my badger hair brushes, a testament to how far the synthetic brushes have come!

I tested it with Van Der Hagen deluxe shave soap (the only one I have on hand, as I use creams), and Proraso Red Shave cream. Lathering with the Proraso was easy, but I had to work somewhat to use it with the soap. Van Der Hagen is easy to lather, so harder soaps might require more work. The bristles are so soft that I was afraid I would have trouble face lathering, but it was fine. The brush dried after only an hour or so, I was really impressed with that!

There is one thing that struck me right away that concerns me somewhat: when packed, the bristles of the brush are still open at the top of the cylinder, which means that debris or other items in the kit could rub against the bristles, possibly deforming them over time. I would have liked to have seen some sort of cover over the bristles with air holes, like my old Parker travel shave brush. Afterward, I discovered that I can place it in the other way, but it involves finessing the knot into the cylinder and then it’s fine, but it’s a bit of a pain. I suppose only time will tell, but it is an overarching concern of mine.

On the other hand, given the affordable price, and superb build quality, it's a concession I'm willing to make in the short term.

 

[BigJ]

Great review!!

 

[ajkel64]

Nice review, thanks for taking the time to tell us about this brush.

 

[WalkingSongs]

Hello, and well wishes to you! Thank you for reviewing this brush! There isn't much on it. I had been looking for a synthetic travel brush with a longer metal handle, so it could be multi-purpose in case I do end up needing a brush. This one matched the profile, and your notes helped a lot

Could it be worth it for you contacting Fendrihan about a potentially missing cap?

Don't know if this could help, but something I noticed: while I recently received the chrome-plated model (Fendrihan “Travel Shaving Brush Silvertip Fibre”), and yours seems to be the Fendrihan "Black Anodized Aluminum Travel Shaving Brush Silvertip Fibre" model, some of the features read similarly -- including, that they are 3-piece with a twist-off ventilated lid. Perhaps it's because I have a newer model, but my brush has a screw-on lid to protect the bristles so they are not exposed, and I don't have to stuff the brush in bristles down. The bottom (as defined by the orientation in your photo) of the handle screws off, so the metallic end of the brush piece, when stored inside like in your photo, becomes the 'cap' on that end, and the unscrewed piece from the bottom of the handle can then screw onto the top, to become the ventialting cap that protects the bristles. Sorry, not sure if I'm making sense, ha. Feel free to let me know if I need to clarify.

Thank you again for your post! Best regards your way

 

[PDADoc]

Hello, and well wishes to you! Thank you for reviewing this brush! There isn't much on it. I had been looking for a synthetic travel brush with a longer metal handle, so it could be multi-purpose in case I do end up needing a brush. This one matched the profile, and your notes helped a lot

Could it be worth it for you contacting Fendrihan about a potentially missing cap?

Don't know if this could help, but something I noticed: while I recently received the chrome-plated model (Fendrihan “Travel Shaving Brush Silvertip Fibre”), and yours seems to be the Fendrihan "Black Anodized Aluminum Travel Shaving Brush Silvertip Fibre" model, some of the features read similarly -- including, that they are 3-piece with a twist-off ventilated lid. Perhaps it's because I have a newer model, but my brush has a screw-on lid to protect the bristles so they are not exposed, and I don't have to stuff the brush in bristles down. The bottom (as defined by the orientation in your photo) of the handle screws off, so the metallic end of the brush piece, when stored inside like in your photo, becomes the 'cap' on that end, and the unscrewed piece from the bottom of the handle can then screw onto the top, to become the ventialting cap that protects the bristles. Sorry, not sure if I'm making sense, ha. Feel free to let me know if I need to clarify.

Thank you again for your post! Best regards your way

Yours does seem to be the same version as mine, perhaps with some updates to the design? Since it's working out for me as it is, and since I've had it for some time now, I'm not going to spend more money on another one, but thanks for pointing that out!

Just the same, out of curiosity, if you have the time and don't mind, could you post a few pics so I can have a look at it? The pictures on their website only show a vertical angle.

Cheers!

 

[WalkingSongs]

post a few pics

I hope these help! Feel free to let me know if further information could be helpful.

The top/bottom axis is oriented such that the "Fendrihan" text on the front is upright. I've labeled the three pieces as "cap," "brush," and "handle."

Images upcoming in next posts.

EDIT: I keep getting a notification "The uploaded image is too big." After running them through an image compressor, I still get that notification. Will try again to upload photos when I figure out what's going on, my apologies!

 

[WalkingSongs]

Success! (I think )

 

[PDADoc]

Success! (I think )

Thanks for the pics! It confirmed what I had already discovered last night, that your brush isn't an updated version of the one I have, it's a completely different model, slightly larger, and based on the older travel brush design that manufacturers had been using for the last few years. If that brush came in the black anodized aluminum finish like I have, I might consider picking one up. Still, I have no real issues with mine, but it never hurts to have a backup!