I spent way too much time in the Clown House these days because of Anigai and August West, so let’s go back to basics!
There were some horse brush talks lately including my own thread so I went ahead and bought myself a Vie-Long brush.
Sorry in advance for the bad pictures: I have a low end camera and the sky is cloudy today, I did not manage to get a decently bright room. I included the infamous Turkish #6 purchased earlier this month as a comparison.
From left to right:
Vie-Long 13066B
Brown-mahogany ergonomic handle with a fan-shaped head
Natural white horse bristle
Hair mix: 50% mane 50% tail
Knot: 24 mm
Loft: 48 mm
Turkish #6
Wooden handle with a fan-shaped head
Claimed horse hair, presumed boar hair (honestly I cannot tell, I own no boar brush)
Knot: 25 mm
Loft: 50 mm
Both are pre-bloom.
The overall finish on Turkish #6 is so cheesy: both hair and handle provide a rough touch, the cut on the knot head is irregular (not evident in the picture because of the camera angle). On the other hand, whereas Turkish #6 seems to be made haphazardly, the Vie-Long 13066B craftsmanship is just perfect: the handle is handsome (its shape has a kind of B&B Essential Boar vibe) and the hair is much softer than its Oriental counterpart. The quality does not compare here, but fundamentally you get what you pay (€27.75 vs. $2.65).
As you can figure out, Vie-Long 13066B (left) has got a much denser knot than Turkish #6 (right).
For my next shaves, I will use them in turns to go deeper in the comparison.
There were some horse brush talks lately including my own thread so I went ahead and bought myself a Vie-Long brush.
Sorry in advance for the bad pictures: I have a low end camera and the sky is cloudy today, I did not manage to get a decently bright room. I included the infamous Turkish #6 purchased earlier this month as a comparison.
From left to right:
Vie-Long 13066B
Brown-mahogany ergonomic handle with a fan-shaped head
Natural white horse bristle
Hair mix: 50% mane 50% tail
Knot: 24 mm
Loft: 48 mm
Turkish #6
Wooden handle with a fan-shaped head
Claimed horse hair, presumed boar hair (honestly I cannot tell, I own no boar brush)
Knot: 25 mm
Loft: 50 mm
Both are pre-bloom.
The overall finish on Turkish #6 is so cheesy: both hair and handle provide a rough touch, the cut on the knot head is irregular (not evident in the picture because of the camera angle). On the other hand, whereas Turkish #6 seems to be made haphazardly, the Vie-Long 13066B craftsmanship is just perfect: the handle is handsome (its shape has a kind of B&B Essential Boar vibe) and the hair is much softer than its Oriental counterpart. The quality does not compare here, but fundamentally you get what you pay (€27.75 vs. $2.65).
As you can figure out, Vie-Long 13066B (left) has got a much denser knot than Turkish #6 (right).
For my next shaves, I will use them in turns to go deeper in the comparison.
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