I restored my old Duke 2 handle with a Virginia Sheng Silvertip knot. By any measure this is a great brush. Very soft tips, ample backbone, no shedding. So why am I not satisfied? I'm not entirely sure. My other two brushes are a Vulfix Grosvenor badger/boar mix and a Crabtree & Evelyn best badger. The Vulfix provides the scrubbiness I'm looking for, but it's not dense enough. The C&E is just too floppy. So I don't use the C&E and I mostly use the Duke/Sheng. But I want something scrubbier. I wouldn't mind making another brush, since I believe you can get a lot more for your money, but most of the reviews omit "scrubbiness" and focus too much on softness. I know that I don't want a boar brush, but maybe a higher quality mix know would work for me. Or is there a dense badger know that would give me what I want? Or should I just plunk down the $95 and buy another Duke 2? Any suggestions?
I've got a great brush, but .
- Thread starter Steve_in_CT
- Start date
If you want to make another brush go for a 2 band knot. I haven't tried the vs 2 band yet but tgn and franks 2 band knots are both scrubby with soft tips.
TGN finest (not officially labelled 2-band) but it is. Great backbone, good amount of scrub but not scritchy. Great value for money. Almost as good as my SOC 2-band, one of my favorites in the rotation.
I have 2 of the Virginia Sheng 2 band knots and I highly recommend them. They are nice and dense and have just the right amount of scrubbinest for me.
TGN Finest, Silvertip A, and HMW are all fantastic brushes, but may be floppy if placed too shallow in the brush.
Rather than an off the shelf brush, have you considered reaching out to any of our hobbyists for a custom brush? I've had wonderful experiences with both deruitem and ShaverJoe that gave me brushes that exceeded my expectations, all while being very reasonably priced. Good luck in your search!
Rather than an off the shelf brush, have you considered reaching out to any of our hobbyists for a custom brush? I've had wonderful experiences with both deruitem and ShaverJoe that gave me brushes that exceeded my expectations, all while being very reasonably priced. Good luck in your search!
Why don't you want a boar brush? They are very scrubby with soft tips, more so than badger. But if you want badger, go with a finest (2-band), as they have the backbone of pure badger with softer tips. I also have a TGN Finest, and with a lower loft it's wonderful. I would stick to 45-50mm loft with a 22-24mm knot.
- Thread starter
- #8
I probably haven't given a boar brush a fair trial. I last used one about 30 years ago; I had bought it because it was the cheapest one I could buy. My badger/boar mix is also not really a fair trial. So maybe the first thing I should do is try a quality boar brush. What would you recommend?
- Thread starter
- #9
I don't see any 2 band knots on the Virginia Sheng site. Where did you find it?
