Need Help IDing Brush

[Judge Kemp]

I bought this brush (my first badger, actually) last week at a pawnshop because it caught my eye. For $10 I figured I couldn't go wrong.

The handle reads "Pure Badger" over "Cutlery World" over West Germany".

Now, I can't find anything online about this company and in searching B&B archives, there was one old thread but no answers in the thread.

The handle appears to be plastic, but there is a nice heft to the brush overall.

Any thoughts on the brush or where it came from? I presume "pure badger" is the lowest "grade" of the badger brushes, but I look forward to trying it out after I sanitize it.

Thanks!

 

[Texas Don]

By being labeled as coming from West Germany it would appear to be manufactured prior to 1989 when the wall came down. It is most likely a private label since Cutlery World was a mall centered chain of retail knife stores that may not have made it into the current era. I remember seeing them in the 70's and 80's but not since then. They most likely also sold straight razors and shaving accessories too.

 

[Judge Kemp]

By being labeled as coming from West Germany it would appear to be manufactured prior to 1989 when the wall came down. It is most likely a private label since Cutlery World was a mall centered chain of retail knife stores that may not have made it into the current era. I remember seeing them in the 70's and 80's but not since then. They most likely also sold straight razors and shaving accessories too.

Yes, the "West Germany" tag definitely narrows us down to < 50 year timetable. Assuming it is private label, is there any way to discern its originator or perhaps its overall quality as a brush?

 

[Judge Kemp]

Okay, I'm going to give myself a shameless bump here to see if anyone else might be able to assist me in my brush-infancy.

 

[Judge Kemp]

I'm going for one last little bump just to see if it pops up on someone's screen who hadn't seen it before. Last shameless bump from me!

I do appreciate any info from anyone who has seen/knows of a brush like this. I'd love to know who made the brush for "Cutlery World".

 

[Rudy Vey]

I'm going for one last little bump just to see if it pops up on someone's screen who hadn't seen it before. Last shameless bump from me!

I do appreciate any info from anyone who has seen/knows of a brush like this. I'd love to know who made the brush for "Cutlery World".

This could be any of the German brush manufacturers, so it is really hard to determine which one. But I can give a little help with the grade. Looks like Silvertip to me. Don't get confused with the term "Pure Badger" on German brushes, it just means that the brush is made only from badger hair and has no other kind of hairs mixed in. Pure badger translates to "Rein Dachs" we see on several Thaeter brushes for example. So, this is not necessarily the low pure grade we see on some other brushes.

 

[beginish]

I typed in http://www.cutleryworld.com/ and it took me to a place called "International Cutlery" formerly known as "Hoffritz for Cutlery". They still sell brushes, razors and blades, so maybe this was a house brand for Hoffritz?

 

[DanOK]

Even if it is a pure grade of badger hair that can be a good thing. My favorite soap brush is a QED pure badger brush. At $10 you got a great buy IMO. Please let us know how it performed when you use it to shave.

 

[Judge Kemp]

Rudy, Dan and beginish--thanks for the info. Perhaps I'll be able to tell what kind of badger after I've got a few more badger brushes and know the different bristle types.

I've been putting off brush and razor restoration (got two pre-WW II techs this weekend to try out and PIF to some new shaver locally) but the weekend is here and I'm headed to Sally's for some Sanitizing stuff.

I'll post a review after I shave with it this weekend. If the clean-up dresses up the knot I'll post a new pic.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Judge Kemp]

OK, an update!

I sanitized it and shampooed it this last week. Honestly, just that conditioning fluffed it up so much that I wonder if it'd ever been used. I lost the "Cutlery World" sticker just washing the handle, so I really do think it was unused.

I shaved with it for the first time tonight, and it is a beauty. It lathered wonderfully (though a bit of a lather hog I noticed) and while there was a touch of "prickliness" on the skin it wasn't the least bit uncomfortable.

Once she dries out I want to take another pic. It really fluffed up and I find I like it loads better than my boar brush (which I also like just fine).