So, after about five years of this hobby, I had whittled down my brush stable to this:
My SOP was to pick out one brush and one soap every Monday, and use them for the week. No set rotation, just whatever I felt like. From left to right:
* Morris & Forndran 1/1: Fantastic, scrubby little brush. Probably the second most-used brush here.
* Rooney 1/1: Softer, with less backbone than the M&F, this was my "go to" for the first two years.
* Rudy Vey B&B 2012 LE: Shavemac knot, this became my absolute favorite.
* Kent BLK8: Like shaving with a cloud. If there is a better cream brush out there, I don't know what it is.
* Semogue Owner's Club: I've determined that I'm more of a badger guy, but the SOC is just so damn sexy.
* Rudy Vey custom silvertip: The LE and the M&F nudged this guy out of regular use, but a great change of pace.
And that was it. I was good. Finished. Satisfied. Until, that is, the 2015 Sue Moore auction brought a new addition to the den. For the past six months or so, my rotation has looked like this:
The M&F Chief. I passed on it when it came out (I was set, right?), and had a nagging regret about it. Made it my #1 target when the auction came around ("It's for charity, honey!") and brought it home to papa. Took a solid week with Martin de Candre to subdue the badger funk, but I could tell I was on to something. I kept pulling it out. Week after week after week. For four months straight. Just a few weeks ago I finally decided to give the other guys a turn, and they are all still great brushes, but I found them lacking in comparison. I know YMMV and all that, but for me...I have found the One Brush to Rule Them All.
My SOP was to pick out one brush and one soap every Monday, and use them for the week. No set rotation, just whatever I felt like. From left to right:
* Morris & Forndran 1/1: Fantastic, scrubby little brush. Probably the second most-used brush here.
* Rooney 1/1: Softer, with less backbone than the M&F, this was my "go to" for the first two years.
* Rudy Vey B&B 2012 LE: Shavemac knot, this became my absolute favorite.
* Kent BLK8: Like shaving with a cloud. If there is a better cream brush out there, I don't know what it is.
* Semogue Owner's Club: I've determined that I'm more of a badger guy, but the SOC is just so damn sexy.
* Rudy Vey custom silvertip: The LE and the M&F nudged this guy out of regular use, but a great change of pace.
And that was it. I was good. Finished. Satisfied. Until, that is, the 2015 Sue Moore auction brought a new addition to the den. For the past six months or so, my rotation has looked like this:
The M&F Chief. I passed on it when it came out (I was set, right?), and had a nagging regret about it. Made it my #1 target when the auction came around ("It's for charity, honey!") and brought it home to papa. Took a solid week with Martin de Candre to subdue the badger funk, but I could tell I was on to something. I kept pulling it out. Week after week after week. For four months straight. Just a few weeks ago I finally decided to give the other guys a turn, and they are all still great brushes, but I found them lacking in comparison. I know YMMV and all that, but for me...I have found the One Brush to Rule Them All.
