Shave Factory boar brushes are a low cost line of boar brushes. You see them pop up from time to time on B&B but with out much detail. I ran across a photo of a high density Shave Factory brush a while ago, and decided to take a chance on them. I had a bunch of extra Paypal funds from BST, and an eternal case of SBAD and purchased all four sizes of thee line up for $40 shipped. What showed up in my mail box was a mixed lot to say the very least. Keep in mind that these are first impressions and that the brushes in use are not fully broken in. They have just about two weeks of use, and will continue to break in for some time.
Here are three of the four Shave Factory brushes, more to come on why the S is not pictured here. The M brush has had no break in (zero wet dry cycles) so it has not bloomed at all. Look at the monster bloom on that L though!
First off let me start off with a rundown of the specs. XS - 25mm x 50mm ($8), S 25mm x 55mm ($9), M 25mm x 60mm ($9.50) , L 29mm x 68mm ($15). All with free shipping.
The XS, S, and M are all the same not just set at different lofts. Density is very similar between all three, and is similar to Omega's and non LE Semogues. The SX has a stubby little handle, and the S and M have the same handle (save for paint color). The bristles come in partially broken in with many split tips, and lathering decently. They are softening up and making better lather with use. The hair seems to have more backbone than Omega banded boars, but time will tell how far they break in.
For me the modest difference in price is more or less fair as the a dolor more for a painted more substantial handle makes sense. Though if they are using the same knot size and hair, the difference in loft between S and M seems like it would not require a change in price, even if it is only 50 cents.
As for the large, its a very dense boar, its at least as dense as my Semogue 2011 LE, and thats saying something! It might be even more dense, in the 4 extra MM of knot space, they cram literally twice the hair into the knot as the smaller 25mm brushes. Literally when you ball up the hair of the knot, its about twice the size. At its stock loft its very very big. It is a full order bigger than my Chubby 2 two band, Omega 27mm Pro, M&F 34mm Chubby, or even my 39mm Sophi Cosmetics Kabuki. Its a big brush there is no getting around it.
However with the addition of a hair band and several O rings (aka more trouble than its worth... almost) this thing turns into a Chubby style boar. The new loft is about 55mm. I dont hate boar brushes, but even extra dense boars I never got the face feel I look for from a high end shaving brush YMMV. This beast however is a backbone and density monster, with a reasonable loft. I dont know if its in my rotation to stay, but it certainly has my attention for the moment. I think I still prefer my big two bands, and Kabuki's, but this brush puts a smile on my face. I had totally written off finding a Chubby style boar, but here it is. It took some extra fooling around, and looks a bit silly, but it is what it is. Plus for $20, the novelty alone keeps me entertained.
Also of note is that the hair on the L is slightly different than the other three brushes. Its lighter in color, and for whatever reason dries very very fast. A good shake after a lather, and a couple hours and its almost dry to the touch even with the extra density and banding keeping the knot tight.
The (Ugly) Chubby Boar!!!
You can see the bloom is much smaller with all of the banding. It is still a big brush, but the face feel is much much smaller now. The face feel of the large is closer to that of the smaller two now, though perspective would make you think its still bigger than it is. With the height of the M being twice what the other two are, and how close the camera was, you get a bit of "forced perspective here" distorting the sizes slightly.
I like the XS with its low loft/knot size ratio, and the L with its high density. While most users would like the S and M most, I find them to be a bit tall lofted for my face lathering. Though I think most users would choose one of the two for balance bowl and face lathering.
Here are three of the four Shave Factory brushes, more to come on why the S is not pictured here. The M brush has had no break in (zero wet dry cycles) so it has not bloomed at all. Look at the monster bloom on that L though!
First off let me start off with a rundown of the specs. XS - 25mm x 50mm ($8), S 25mm x 55mm ($9), M 25mm x 60mm ($9.50) , L 29mm x 68mm ($15). All with free shipping.
The XS, S, and M are all the same not just set at different lofts. Density is very similar between all three, and is similar to Omega's and non LE Semogues. The SX has a stubby little handle, and the S and M have the same handle (save for paint color). The bristles come in partially broken in with many split tips, and lathering decently. They are softening up and making better lather with use. The hair seems to have more backbone than Omega banded boars, but time will tell how far they break in.
For me the modest difference in price is more or less fair as the a dolor more for a painted more substantial handle makes sense. Though if they are using the same knot size and hair, the difference in loft between S and M seems like it would not require a change in price, even if it is only 50 cents.
As for the large, its a very dense boar, its at least as dense as my Semogue 2011 LE, and thats saying something! It might be even more dense, in the 4 extra MM of knot space, they cram literally twice the hair into the knot as the smaller 25mm brushes. Literally when you ball up the hair of the knot, its about twice the size. At its stock loft its very very big. It is a full order bigger than my Chubby 2 two band, Omega 27mm Pro, M&F 34mm Chubby, or even my 39mm Sophi Cosmetics Kabuki. Its a big brush there is no getting around it.
However with the addition of a hair band and several O rings (aka more trouble than its worth... almost) this thing turns into a Chubby style boar. The new loft is about 55mm. I dont hate boar brushes, but even extra dense boars I never got the face feel I look for from a high end shaving brush YMMV. This beast however is a backbone and density monster, with a reasonable loft. I dont know if its in my rotation to stay, but it certainly has my attention for the moment. I think I still prefer my big two bands, and Kabuki's, but this brush puts a smile on my face. I had totally written off finding a Chubby style boar, but here it is. It took some extra fooling around, and looks a bit silly, but it is what it is. Plus for $20, the novelty alone keeps me entertained.
Also of note is that the hair on the L is slightly different than the other three brushes. Its lighter in color, and for whatever reason dries very very fast. A good shake after a lather, and a couple hours and its almost dry to the touch even with the extra density and banding keeping the knot tight.
The (Ugly) Chubby Boar!!!
You can see the bloom is much smaller with all of the banding. It is still a big brush, but the face feel is much much smaller now. The face feel of the large is closer to that of the smaller two now, though perspective would make you think its still bigger than it is. With the height of the M being twice what the other two are, and how close the camera was, you get a bit of "forced perspective here" distorting the sizes slightly.
I like the XS with its low loft/knot size ratio, and the L with its high density. While most users would like the S and M most, I find them to be a bit tall lofted for my face lathering. Though I think most users would choose one of the two for balance bowl and face lathering.
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