What's new

Plisson? Need your opinions please

It's not as floppy as a Kent. I had one in size 12 and sold it. Not because of the flop. I HATED the gelled to oblivion tips. I no longer will buy a badger that has been mistreated (gelled) to the point it's painfully obvious. Some might sneak one by me, but anything that looks and acts like the Poisson is a hard pass.

Not really surprised at the response. I think they are trying to cater to a demographic that really doesn't care a bit about the value, only the name.
For the money they sure could pack the brush tighter. I tried the brush again without soaking in a scuttle. just dipped the tips in hot water. Had a bit more backbone that way but now you have cold lather.
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
For the money they sure could pack the brush tighter. I tried the brush again without soaking in a scuttle. just dipped the tips in hot water. Had a bit more backbone that way but now you have cold lather.
I started out liking very dense badger. Now I like a middle of the road. I have a Kent and the Plisson sure was a bit denser, but like I said, my tips were too bleached. Sounds like they can vary a bit on that point. I do like the Kent I have, but honestly the best I have (for my taste of a moderately dense badger that doesn't feel burnt from bleach is the VP Leonhardy. It could be my only brush.

I do feel these days that Plisson is overpriced. I think when I bought my size 12 it was around 350 usd for the HMW in horn. THe VP is a fraction of that and several times the brush IMO.
 
I have only one Plisson brush, an European White in size 12. This brush is quite the opposite from what you like: not dense at all, very long loft and very floppy.

+1! I handled several Plissons during a trip to Paris and found them all long-lofted and too floppy for my taste. :sob:
 
Nothing in Plisson's lineup will be close to what you like OP. As with many things, talk of quality going down comes with time. I think it was 2015-2017 Plisson changed hands and people that liked Plisson and whose opinion I valued said the quality had gone down remarkably.

I would only recommend a Plisson if you are looking for efficiency of use amd if you can get one used at a good deal. They excel at that, and aren't floppy, but you won't get Simpson Manchurian chubby density density or backbone. You can get better deals. 3-band VP Leonhardy are excellent and soft. A very underappreciated sleeper that unfortunately doesn't match community tastes that get hyped so much. 2-band wise I think Vie-long would be best. Try and aim for a 75th anniversary brush. The batch for that was phenomenal. It is rumored Vie long has the same hair supplier as Plisson. It's quite similar, but the Plissons I have have a better backbone at longer lofts.
 
Interesting thread.

Now I know for sure I really don't want one.

Happy shaves,

Jim
I think @kooshman7 describes a Plisson very well. It’s a completely different style of knot to other badgers on the market. It is (by design) much less densely packed than many other brushes, and much higher loft. The hairs on my HMWs and European White Plissons are very good quality - completely natural, very soft tips, and while the low density and high loft make it a soft, pliable brush, it is not floppy. Although this is an older style of knot, it is nothing like my Kent badgers, which are floppy, less lofted, and do not feel like this kind of hair quality. It is even less like a Simpsons badger - they are much denser and have much more backbone and scrub.

This style of knot makes lathering a very different experience. Instead of a dense wall of hairs or firm backbone or scrub, you get a very easy, gentle and - to my mind - luxurious feel. The knot loads and builds lather quicker, with no effort - similar to how a synthetic brush does. It feels very gentle on your face and the brush splays with great ease. For me these are all good things and I enjoy the ease of use and very gentle feel - and I think my rather soft skin prefers it.

I’ve read many comments about less quality than the older brushes, but mine are new and I do not see any evidence for this. Admittedly I haven’t used a vintage Plisson, but I do feel the hairs on my brushes are notably high quality.

You can take the view that it’s less value because you get a less dense brush and fewer hairs. Or you can take the view that adding more hair density does not improve the brush - it just makes it different (more backbone, more scrub, firmer splay and a heavier feel, slower and less efficient to load soap and make lather, less flow-through). I suppose the Plisson hairs have to be long to make the loft on size 14 and above brushes, and they are a particular source of badger hair.

In the end, I simply found that I like the Plisson style of knot more than the denser, lower lofted knots that other manufacturers make. That’s purely personal taste. I prefer a softer, less dense knot, and I really enjoy the gentleness and extreme ease of using this. I am very happy indeed with the quality of hair on mine, and everything feels like a truly premium shaving brush to me. Whether it is value comes down to how much you like the style of knot - but the quality is there. I don’t think there is another brush available like the Plisson.

A big part of my initial buying decision was the history and tradition. Napoleon used Plissons. Plisson coined the term “high mountain white” to denote the particular badger hair they sourced from badgers in the Swiss alps, and probably only Plisson offers true “high mountain white” badger knots. That’s all very nice, but I was very surprised to also find how much I liked the Plisson knots and how much I had needed an antidote to all those heavy, dense badgers we get these days.

I dislike the way Plisson uses those flimsy transfer labels on their brush handles, just as I dislike that Simpsons does it. These are destined to wear off. Maybe you have to embrace that as part of the Plisson or Simpsons look - to have an expensive brush with only half the label, or with a label that was never put on quite straight. But history and tradition.

So I would just say based on the ones I have, Plisson makes a high quality brush that is unique and would appeal to those who enjoy a gentle, relaxed, soft lathering experience. If you don’t like a soft brush then these really aren’t going to be your thing at all, and you will resent the money you spent. If you believe quantity is value then this is not for you, but if you believe quality is value then it might be for you.
 
Last edited:

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I think @kooshman7 describes a Plisson very well. It’s a completely different style of knot to other badgers on the market. It is (by design) much less densely packed than many other brushes, and much higher loft. The hairs on my HMWs and European White Plissons are very good quality - completely natural, very soft tips, and while the low density and high loft make it a soft, pliable brush, it is not floppy. Although this is an older style of knot, it is nothing like my Kent badgers, which are floppy, less lofted, and do not feel like this kind of hair quality. It is even less like a Simpsons badger - they are much denser and have much more backbone and scrub.

This style of knot makes lathering a very different experience. Instead of a dense wall of hairs or firm backbone or scrub, you get a very easy, gentle and - to my mind - luxurious feel. The knot loads and builds lather quicker, with no effort - similar to how a synthetic brush does. It feels very gentle on your face and the brush splays with great ease. For me these are all good things and I enjoy the ease of use and very gentle feel - and I think my rather soft skin prefers it.

I’ve read many comments about less quality than the older brushes, but mine are new and I do not see any evidence for this. Admittedly I haven’t used a vintage Plisson, but I do feel the hairs on my brushes are notably high quality.

You can take the view that it’s less value because you get a less dense brush and fewer hairs. Or you can take the view that adding more hair density does not improve the brush - it just makes it different (more backbone, more scrub, firmer splay and a heavier feel, slower and less efficient to load soap and make lather, less flow-through). I suppose the Plisson hairs have to be long to make the loft on size 14 and above brushes, and they are a particular source of badger hair.

In the end, I simply found that I like the Plisson style of knot more than the denser, lower lofted knots that other manufacturers make. That’s purely personal taste. I prefer a softer, less dense knot, and I really enjoy the gentleness and extreme ease of using this. I am very happy indeed with the quality of hair on mine, and everything feels like a truly premium shaving brush to me. Whether it is value comes down to how much you like the style of knot - but the quality is there. I don’t think there is another brush available like the Plisson.

A big part of my initial buying decision was the history and tradition. Napoleon used Plissons. Plisson coined the term “high mountain white” to denote the particular badger hair they sourced from badgers in the Swiss alps, and probably only Plisson offers true “high mountain white” badger knots. That’s all very nice, but I was very surprised to also find how much I liked the Plisson knots and how much I had needed an antidote to all those heavy, dense badgers we get these days.

I dislike the way Plisson uses those flimsy transfer labels on their brush handles, just as I dislike that Simpsons does it. These are destined to wear off. Maybe you have to embrace that as part of the Plisson or Simpsons look - to have an expensive brush with only half the label, or with a label that was never put on quite straight. But history and tradition.

So I would just say based on the ones I have, Plisson makes a high quality brush that is unique and would appeal to those who enjoy a gentle, relaxed, soft lathering experience. If you don’t like a soft brush then these really aren’t going to be your thing at all, and you will resent the money you spent. If you believe quantity is value then this is not for you, but if you believe quality is value then it might be for you.

Wow, great post. You describe Plisson brushes perfectly.

I think your post captures the character of Plisson’s natural hair and synthetic knots! :)
 
Wow, great post. You describe Plisson brushes perfectly.

I think your post captures the character of Plisson’s natural hair and synthetic knots! :)
Thanks a lot, man. I’m glad it comes across accurately in your experience too. I was as careful as I could be and these can be very expensive brushes so I’d hate there to be any misunderstanding leading anyone to buy something they wouldn’t like. Equally I don’t want to understate the positives of the brushes because if you like what they are they can be wonderful for you. I prefer soft knots and for me the Plisson HMWs are my favourite brushes by far - but they are unique and very different, and I know won’t be to everyone’s taste.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Thanks a lot, man. I’m glad it comes across accurately in your experience too. I was as careful as I could be and these can be very expensive brushes so I’d hate there to be any misunderstanding leading anyone to buy something they wouldn’t like. Equally I don’t want to understate the positives of the brushes because if you like what they are they can be wonderful for you. I prefer soft knots and for me the Plisson HMWs are my favourite brushes by far - but they are unique and very different, and I know won’t be to everyone’s taste.

You have articulated Plisson’s virtues perfectly. I like a brush that allows the flow thru of lather. Nothing worse then a brush that is a lather hog and will not give up the lather. No brush brand, gives up its lather better then Plisson imo.
 
You have articulated Plisson’s virtues perfectly. I like a brush that allows the flow thru of lather. Nothing worse then a brush that is a lather hog and will not give up the lather. No brush brand, gives up its lather better then Plisson imo.
I agree about the flow-through. I also think I get a different (better) quality of lather with my Plissons.

If nothing else my recent experience with Plissons has taught me that popular fashions in shaving gear are not necessarily improvements - at least not for everyone - and they can go too far. I’m really questioning what benefit high density, wide diameter, lower-lofted brushes bring and I’m not sure for me there is any. It’s interesting to use different things, and you can enjoy them all, but nowadays nearly all badger brushes have become so dense and backboney, and it’s widely accepted that these are the measures of a good shaving brush. I don’t think they are.
 
Last edited:
As I recall, the Plisson HMWs back in 2008, when I first started on the forums, were highly coveted just for those reasons, flowthrough and lather-making. The Kent BK4 was oft-criticized for it floppiness, but like Plisson never failed to produce great lather, even from the hardest soaps. Both these brushes were greater than the sum of their bristles.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I agree about the flow-through. I also think I get a different (better) quality of lather with my Plissons.

If nothing else my recent experience with Plissons has taught me that popular fashions in shaving gear are not necessarily improvements - at least not for everyone - and they can go too far. I’m really questioning what benefit high density, wide diameter, lower-lofted brushes bring and I’m not sure for me there is any. It’s interesting to use different things, and you can enjoy them all, but nowadays nearly all badger brushes have become so dense and backboney, and it’s widely accepted that these are the measures of a good shaving brush. I don’t think they are.
Sounds like we are on a similar journey you and I. While my favorite brush is an expensive Plisson, my favorite DE is a $4 3- piece. :)
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
Wow, great post. You describe Plisson brushes perfectly.

I think your post captures the character of Plisson’s natural hair and synthetic knots! :)
I like my Plisson synt. I had a HMW in the horn handle I sent packing. It was a nice brush but I did not appreciate the bleach job they did on the tips. For many less dollars than the Plisson badger ran me I got a much greater experience from the VP Leonhardy brushes. Longer loft, give up the lather, etc.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I like my Plisson synt. I had a HMW in the horn handle I sent packing. It was a nice brush but I did not appreciate the bleach job they did on the tips. For many less dollars than the Plisson badger ran me I got a much greater experience from the VP Leonhardy brushes. Longer loft, give up the lather, etc.

I really like my Plisson synthetic also. :)
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
To me their synth is better than the the Plissoft knock offs. I still have a Plisson Synth and like it, though I do like the Muhle Synth a bit more.

Agreed. Plisson synthetics have no hint of the slightest glue bump at all. I abhor a knot with a raised glue bump.
 
Top Bottom