Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Today I face lathered once again with this brush.
In the photo above the brush is brand new.
In this picture it's between the copper handled Zenith Manchurian 28 mm beauty and the 33 mm (by my measurement) MS silvertip wall of badger. My AP Shave Gel brush is 28 mm according to the vendor but I measure it as 30 mm.
By any standard it is a very very large knot. It's larger than a 28 mm knot has any right to be.
When I first used this brush I didn't much like it. It didn't load particularly well nor did it lather as well as I want a brush to, but things have changed.
The brush's grade is higher than merely passing.
It's improved a lot as it's broken in. I have no complaints now about its loading or lathering capacities. It's a very nice brush indeed particularly in the Department of Soft. No, I'm not at all saying it lacks backbone and scrub. It's certainly not as backbone heavy as the Zenith Manchurian but it has plenty of backbone.
These gel tips are in another world of soft!
However, that doesn't mean anything else is lacking. This is a very good brush which just happens to be incredibly soft.
As you might suspect, the 28mm Gelousy SHD Bulb is an extremely dense brush. In this photo you can see how the knot has opened up with use.
Anyone buying the brush needs to know a few things. All of these are provided in this material, linked, on the vendor's sales page. I'll cover a couple of the highlights.
Does this brush displace my favorite brush, the Zenith Manchurian in the copper handle? No, not bymiles light years, but, still, I really do like the AP Shave Company Gelousy SHD.
A shout out to Frank @Dragonsbeard for telling me about the brush. I'm glad I bought it and like using it. I suspect anyone would. It's my only gel tip so I can't compare it to any others.
Happy shaves,
Jim
In the photo above the brush is brand new.
In this picture it's between the copper handled Zenith Manchurian 28 mm beauty and the 33 mm (by my measurement) MS silvertip wall of badger. My AP Shave Gel brush is 28 mm according to the vendor but I measure it as 30 mm.
By any standard it is a very very large knot. It's larger than a 28 mm knot has any right to be.
When I first used this brush I didn't much like it. It didn't load particularly well nor did it lather as well as I want a brush to, but things have changed.
The brush's grade is higher than merely passing.
It's improved a lot as it's broken in. I have no complaints now about its loading or lathering capacities. It's a very nice brush indeed particularly in the Department of Soft. No, I'm not at all saying it lacks backbone and scrub. It's certainly not as backbone heavy as the Zenith Manchurian but it has plenty of backbone.
These gel tips are in another world of soft!
However, that doesn't mean anything else is lacking. This is a very good brush which just happens to be incredibly soft.
As you might suspect, the 28mm Gelousy SHD Bulb is an extremely dense brush. In this photo you can see how the knot has opened up with use.
Anyone buying the brush needs to know a few things. All of these are provided in this material, linked, on the vendor's sales page. I'll cover a couple of the highlights.
- It's a weird brush in that it feels extremely stiff when dry and extremely soft when wet. When dry it feels way way too stiff and crunchy, like it scares you to think about using it. Don't fear. Wet, it's a totally different animal.
- It's supposed to air dry. You're not to mash the tips into the towel as that will damage the gel tips. In my experience it is not dry by tomorrow but it is dry by day after tomorrow (in my dry house).
- Unless you're a huge brush nut like me you might want to consider buying one of the smaller brushes. This is a seriously large 28 mm brush which seems even larger in use.
- That's not to say it's too big for fans of huge brushes. Just know what you're getting into.
- Generally I think of a normal sized brush as being 24 mm or larger, but I am kinda sorta thinking about maybe one day getting another one of these brushes in 22 mm. That's how big these brushes are. Normally I wouldn't think of getting a 22 mm brush except as a novelty or travel brush. Did I mention density? They're not kidding about SHD! I'm not kidding about how big this knot is either.
- The handle is really nice if you like the look which I do.
- There's nothing about this knot or its handle which seems low end or cheap.
- It has not lost a single hair.
Does this brush displace my favorite brush, the Zenith Manchurian in the copper handle? No, not by
A shout out to Frank @Dragonsbeard for telling me about the brush. I'm glad I bought it and like using it. I suspect anyone would. It's my only gel tip so I can't compare it to any others.
Happy shaves,
Jim
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