I just ordered a brand new Rooney 1/2 Super Faux Horn and received it in the mail yesterday. Some may think I am crazy for continuing to buy Rooney brushes after my recent bouts with shedding Stubby 2's. Well, I can't help it. Call it a disease...I just love Rooney brushes too much. And I wanted to find out a few things - Was the shedding issue confined to a recent batch of heritage brushes, or are the regular Super's affected as well? Also, is there any noticeable drop in quality in the most recently made standard supers? With the rumors flying that Rooney is out of business, I figured hey, let's try one more time to get a new non-shedder before all the new ones are gone.
When the brush arrived last night, I carefully open the packaging and within was one of my favorite sights - that classic red box. Would this be the last time I would experience the charm of opening that red lid? The Style 1 Size 2 within surprised me. It was beautiful. Traditionally, I'm not a fan of the loopy logo on these brushes, but I put that aside and focused on the handle. The Faux horn is stunning. And the shape is just so classic. Same design as the old Heritage Stubby 2s, not the XLs or new chubby style Stubbies. It has substantial weight...I think heavier than any of my other brushes. The knot is symmetrical, dense, with very little odor. Although I wouldn't expect a scent until after it gets wet anyway...Traditionally, my experience with Rooney super hair is that it is soft and scratchy initially, and then most of the scratch goes away as the brush breaks in. I little bit does linger, but I actually like it that way.
According to Jim at VB, the hair in this latest batch is "better than ever". Ok...we shall see. This morning I decided to jump in and give it a whirl. I soaked the knot while showering and then got ready to squeeze out the water. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me but this thing has Gel tips! (You know the look - the clumping when soaked with water). I can't remember, is this normal for standard Rooney's? I squeezed out the water and then soaked it again. Same Gell-effect. Nice. (update 10/3: hooked tips, but perhaps not classic "gel tips") Next, I loaded up some new soap - yes it is a new brush day AND a new soap day! Sweet! Cold River Soap Works - Nouvelle Fougère (Classic). The Soap loaded beautifully - although I'm not sold on the scent yet. With a loaded brush, I began to face lather. What was a rather tight knot out of the box quickly opened up and I was very pleased. Similar feeling to the Rooney Stubbys that I had to return, although smaller (24m compared to 28m). But by no means does the knot feel small. The beauty of the fan knot is that you can get a nice lush face feel from a smaller diameter knot. 24m at the collar but the diameter at the tips seemed very wide. During the first pass, I felt the familiar combination of softness and scratchiness. If I hadn't used a Rooney before and hated scratch, than I would have been disappointed. But I knew that it would change in time. I just didn't know it would change so fast - like by the end of the first shave! Seriously, by the end of the 3rd pass + touch ups, the scratchiness had been reduced dramatically. The knot was soft, lush with scrub, and a hint of scratch. I suspect the scratch will be 99% gone after only a handful of uses.
Well, I have been excited by a brush before only to be burned by excessive shedding. No hair was shed during the first shave, so we are off to a good start. More reports to come, including pictures tonight....(update: pics below)
When the brush arrived last night, I carefully open the packaging and within was one of my favorite sights - that classic red box. Would this be the last time I would experience the charm of opening that red lid? The Style 1 Size 2 within surprised me. It was beautiful. Traditionally, I'm not a fan of the loopy logo on these brushes, but I put that aside and focused on the handle. The Faux horn is stunning. And the shape is just so classic. Same design as the old Heritage Stubby 2s, not the XLs or new chubby style Stubbies. It has substantial weight...I think heavier than any of my other brushes. The knot is symmetrical, dense, with very little odor. Although I wouldn't expect a scent until after it gets wet anyway...Traditionally, my experience with Rooney super hair is that it is soft and scratchy initially, and then most of the scratch goes away as the brush breaks in. I little bit does linger, but I actually like it that way.
According to Jim at VB, the hair in this latest batch is "better than ever". Ok...we shall see. This morning I decided to jump in and give it a whirl. I soaked the knot while showering and then got ready to squeeze out the water. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me but this thing has Gel tips! (You know the look - the clumping when soaked with water). I can't remember, is this normal for standard Rooney's? I squeezed out the water and then soaked it again. Same Gell-effect. Nice. (update 10/3: hooked tips, but perhaps not classic "gel tips") Next, I loaded up some new soap - yes it is a new brush day AND a new soap day! Sweet! Cold River Soap Works - Nouvelle Fougère (Classic). The Soap loaded beautifully - although I'm not sold on the scent yet. With a loaded brush, I began to face lather. What was a rather tight knot out of the box quickly opened up and I was very pleased. Similar feeling to the Rooney Stubbys that I had to return, although smaller (24m compared to 28m). But by no means does the knot feel small. The beauty of the fan knot is that you can get a nice lush face feel from a smaller diameter knot. 24m at the collar but the diameter at the tips seemed very wide. During the first pass, I felt the familiar combination of softness and scratchiness. If I hadn't used a Rooney before and hated scratch, than I would have been disappointed. But I knew that it would change in time. I just didn't know it would change so fast - like by the end of the first shave! Seriously, by the end of the 3rd pass + touch ups, the scratchiness had been reduced dramatically. The knot was soft, lush with scrub, and a hint of scratch. I suspect the scratch will be 99% gone after only a handful of uses.
Well, I have been excited by a brush before only to be burned by excessive shedding. No hair was shed during the first shave, so we are off to a good start. More reports to come, including pictures tonight....(update: pics below)
Last edited:
