My I've-got-nothing-better-to-do-treatise-of-the-day.
Over the last few years, I've seen a proliferation in the use of the term "gel-tips" on the forums. Originally the descriptive was only used in relation to the Rooney Heritage 2-band brushes that were manufactured in the last few years before Rooney discontinued them - i.e., before the current crop of 3-band, (so called) Heritage brushes that are being sold today (if you think you've caught some cynicism coming from me in regard to these 3-bands being labeled "Heritage", you'd be right - but that's another dissertation).
Anyway, this term "gel-tips" was not used simply to describe the pinnacle of tip softness, as seems to be the case today - if the tips are super soft, they are "gel-tips" now. For example, Thater 3-Bands, which were and are almost universally regarded as having hair tips at least as soft as anything in the history of badger brushes, were not described as being gel-tip brushes at the time that Rooney 2-bands were in production.
Rather, the term gel-tips was applied only to the Rooney Heritage 2-bands because when wet, the knots seemed to hold a thin membrane of water above the tips, giving both the appearance of gel on the tips of the brush and the quasi slimy feeling of gel on the face when applying lather. This likely had as much to do with the density of the knot as the charactertics of the hair itself. In fact, the gel-tip phenomenon was so unique that you pretty much had to experience it first hand in order to fully understand what it was like.
I for one, have yet to find another brush with this quality (though I am by no means a rabid brush buyer these days). They may very well exist and I would love to hear from anyone who has experienced the original gel-tip hair and feels they have found a current gel-tip knot. But I will say that I have bought 3 brushes described as having gel tips by forum members and found that while they were very soft indeed, they were not gel-tipped.
Thank you your Honour, the prosecution rests.
Over the last few years, I've seen a proliferation in the use of the term "gel-tips" on the forums. Originally the descriptive was only used in relation to the Rooney Heritage 2-band brushes that were manufactured in the last few years before Rooney discontinued them - i.e., before the current crop of 3-band, (so called) Heritage brushes that are being sold today (if you think you've caught some cynicism coming from me in regard to these 3-bands being labeled "Heritage", you'd be right - but that's another dissertation).
Anyway, this term "gel-tips" was not used simply to describe the pinnacle of tip softness, as seems to be the case today - if the tips are super soft, they are "gel-tips" now. For example, Thater 3-Bands, which were and are almost universally regarded as having hair tips at least as soft as anything in the history of badger brushes, were not described as being gel-tip brushes at the time that Rooney 2-bands were in production.
Rather, the term gel-tips was applied only to the Rooney Heritage 2-bands because when wet, the knots seemed to hold a thin membrane of water above the tips, giving both the appearance of gel on the tips of the brush and the quasi slimy feeling of gel on the face when applying lather. This likely had as much to do with the density of the knot as the charactertics of the hair itself. In fact, the gel-tip phenomenon was so unique that you pretty much had to experience it first hand in order to fully understand what it was like.
I for one, have yet to find another brush with this quality (though I am by no means a rabid brush buyer these days). They may very well exist and I would love to hear from anyone who has experienced the original gel-tip hair and feels they have found a current gel-tip knot. But I will say that I have bought 3 brushes described as having gel tips by forum members and found that while they were very soft indeed, they were not gel-tipped.
Thank you your Honour, the prosecution rests.
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