Help me pick my first good brush

[chicken neck]

Sorry if the title is a bit corney, but here goes ...

I mainly face lather with soaps (both triple milled and soft italian soaps like Cella etc but rarely glycerine soaps), typically three passes plus touch ups. I also use creams occasionally and bowl lather occassionally. I am willing to buy two different brushes if one tool is not up to the job. I certainly would not like to be limited to face lathering only.

These are my current brushes:

1. Omega boar 49. This is my go to brush for face lathering anything. It does work well (soft and good backbone), but it only just manages lather for three passes and by the third pass it is definitely thinning. Also, it would appear that the lather is not quite as good as if I bowl lather with my EJ (see below)

2. Edwin Jagger super. This feels very luxurious on the face but it just too floppy to do anything but bowl lather (which it does v well). It is even too floppy to do the final lathering stage on the face (i can only paint my face with this brush, not really work the lather into the beard). It is OK to pick up lather from triple milled soaps providing I soak the soap first and mash the brush into the soap

3. Wilkinson Sword pure (supermarket purchase). Just horrible. Binned it.

I am looking for the following from a new brush / brushes:

1. A brush for face lathering that has similar back bone and softness to the boar, but retains the heat a bit better and holds a bit more lather

2. A brush for making lather in a bowl that I can also use to finish off the lather making on my face / use to work the lather into my beard

I am willing to spend a decent amount on brushes if you think it is worth it.

These are my impressions of some of the brushes out there:

Rooney 1/1 super - everyone seems to love this one for performance and value (for face lathering soaps). However, I have also noticed a medium Rooney Heritage Stubby (48 loft, 24 knot) for sale from Executive Shaving and wondered if it was worth paying up for this (about twice the price of the 1/1). Presumably, this must be very stiff with that size knot.

Simpson chubby - i was also considering the chubby 1 in super, but the downsides seem to be that there are mixed views on the quality and also the handle is small. I would imagine that a bigger handle accomodates all ways of using the brush, but a small handle just limits the possibilities

Kent BK8 - I do like this company (I have their hair brushes and they are excellent quality and inexpensive), but are these brushes even too floppy for the final face lather after building mostly in a bowl

Shavemac - I am not a big fan of their handles (neither traditional or modern in my opinion), but the brushes do look good value for money compared to some of the big names out there

I am based in the UK so do not have access to some brushes specifically made for the US market, eg Vintage Blades Rooney specials.

I also not up for second hand purchases at the moment - prefer new (before anyone makes me an offer!)

Apologises for my ramblings but I thought the more I shared with you, the more helpful your advice might be.

As ever, I am extremely grateful for your thoughts.

 

[bill mcdill]

I have the Rooney 1/1 in best badger. It's a lather machine and the short loft is great for face lathering. Of course, YMMV, but the price makes this a great value. The handle is rather small, however, if that is a concern.

 

[chicken neck]

Thanks Bill. Any reason why you chose the 1/1 in best rather than super? The price difference looks minimal

 

[bill mcdill]

Just balked on spending the extra $. In retrospect should have bought the super but I really like this brush.

 

[huntmol]

If you're not a Shavemac fan, I would recommend a Rooney 3-1.......or, if you'd like a simply outstanding brush, go with a Rooney Emillion! Man, I love that thing.

 

[lasvegasslim]

I purchased a Rooney Style 3 small Silvertip recently as a second brush to a silvertip I bought many years ago. This one was $64 at Classic Shaving and without a doubt, the best brush I've owned. The loft is good, doesn't get soft or spreads out when loaded with lather, holds the heat well, and the best part is that it whips up the most lather I've ever had from a brush.

I use Trufitt & Hill soap, but also Taylors of Old Bond Street soap. Both lather great with this brush. Very little is needed. The brush provides a very rich, generous lather and doesn't lose the soap's characteristics, making for a smooth shave.

This brush would be hard to beat.

 

[chicken neck]

Jumped in and bought the Rooney 3-1 super!

Seemed like it was worth getting the slightly longer handle of the style 3 for the times I bowl lather. Looks like the brush is essentially the same as the style 1 apart from that.

I did also consider the Heritage Stubby 2, but it seems that it does get mixed reviews on these boards. In particular, there is some concern about it being a lather hog and a bit too firm. General consensus seemed to be try the size 1 first and then decide if you would like something with more muscle (and softness).

Thanks all.