Looking for Opinions: Rooney Emillion 2 vs SR 3824 AND Rooney 2/1 vs SOC 2012 SE

[jdkdonk]

In in the market for a new brush or two and have narrowed things down to a these four. I'm thinking of getting one from each group.

I've only been wet shaving for 6 months, so I haven't really locked in on any one lathering method. I've primarily bowl lathered creams in the past, with my cheapo Escali badger brush, which I found to be rather scritchy with an uncomfortable handle. I picked up a Semogue 1800 boar brush that I'm using exclusively now, it feels much softer and seems to do a better job with the soap samples I recently started working through, plus the handle is vast improvement over the Escali. I've also been experimenting with face lathering so I'm pretty much all over the map.

Most important brush traits to me are:
1. Comfortable handle, I've got rather large hands and larger, smother handles appeal to me.
2. Good flow through, I don't want to spend a lot of money on a lather hog.
3. Should feel nice and soft on the face but I don't want a mop.
4. Hopefully it would be a good all around brush since I don't know how I will be lathering a year from now.

So I've tried to narrow my selections down by reading reviews and posts in this forum, and I can't seem to make a final decision, so this post is born! I'd appreciate any comments about any of these brushes, especially regarding comfort, and what type of lathering e.x. bowl, face, soap, crem, you think each is best at.

Battle 1: Fancy brush
I've seen a lot of talk about both of these brushes, they seem to be very popular.
A. Rooney Heritage Emillion 2
http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=675&cat=170&page=1
B. Savile Row 3824
http://www.qedusa.com/savile-savile-3824-silvertip-badger-24mm-knot-p-137.html


Battle 2: Nice brush
Much less talk about these, but both seem to be nice, and I like the handles, especially the Rooney.
C. Rooney Style 2 Size 1
http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=481&cat=165&page=1
D. Semogue Owners Club 2012 Special Edition - Mixed finest badger and boar
https://www.westcoastshaving.com/Semogue-Owners-Club-2012-Special-Edition_p_1877.html

Thanks for reading this and I look forward to your comments.

 

[NSmalls]

I'd go with the two Rooney's. You can order them both from the same place actually. I've owned the Emillion 2 but sold it to a friend who needed it. I have a M&F Beehive with the same knot and it's in my top 3 brushes. For the second brush, I'd go with the Rooney again, just because you won't have to worry about a break in period. I have this brush in Finest badger, which is a different grade of hair entirely, currently unavailable, but the handle is the same and it is quite comfortable. Both knots have great backbone, softness, and flow through. They will be good all purpose brushes.

 

[DrAwkward]

Get both A & B.
Forget C & D.
OTOH, you probably shouldn't listen to me. Of the 4, the only one I own is the Rooney Heritage Emillion 2, which I positively adore. Other than my Rooney Heritage Stubby 2XL, I have to force myself to use my other brushes.

 

[jdkdonk]

Thanks for the replies.

Was the Emillion in the brush wars against the 3824 or it too new?

 

[NSmalls]

The Rooney Emillion was not in the brush war. The brush war consisted of mostly 3-band silvertips. The handles on the 3824 and the Emillion are very similar in design. But the 3824 is out of stock now. So unless you post a WTB on the BST you will have to wait a little bit or pick a different handle with the same knot. The Rooney Emillion (2-band) is low in stock and will be out of stock very soon. You never know when you will see another batch, so if you are serious about getting the Emillion, I would make haste.

My personal preference is towards a 2-band brush so I personally would go with the Rooney. You have to know what you are looking for though. At this point the handles are so similar that it basically comes down to whether you want 2-band or 3-band or if you want a bulb or a fan. The 3824 is a bulb, Rooney a fan of course. Both brushes are good all rounders.

 

[jdkdonk]

I emailed Charles at QED about availability of the 3824, it's scheduled to be back in stock in the next two weeks, hopefully I can wait that long, if necessary.

Is there some other difference between the 2-band and 3-band besides appearance?

Also, I don't have any real experience or opinion on fan vs bulb.

Thanks the advice and for letting me know about low stock on the Emillion. I didn't realize it was a limited run sort of thing.

 

[NSmalls]

The short answer to this question is buy both and sell the one you don't like as much on BST.

Bulb vs fan: Fan has a larger face feel. The knot is a little more flat on top and you will be using more of the knot. Bulb has a smaller face feel and is a bit more concentrated.

2-band vs 3-band - 2-band has a stronger backbone and requires less density to achieve a firm backbone. As long as the knot isn't extremely dense you will have good backbone plus good flow through. 3-band is not as strong of a hair and the manufacturers pack the brushes a little more densely to achieve better backbone. Both have very soft tips, but depending on the batch hair, I think 3-band siflvertip may be just a tad bit softer. Neither should have much scritch.

There is a plethora of information available on these forums in regards to brushes. The best way to look through it is to go to Google and type in "site:badgerandblade.com insert search here" You may look through a lot of different threads and still not feel satisfied, in which case I suspect you will be buying both brushes.

My preferences are 2-band brushes with a fan shaped knot. I am a face latherer and prefer soaps, but I do not think this is relevant. A good brush should be able to handle anything.