Silver vs Finest (2 band)

[ambrose]

Ok so I want to build a custom brush, special thanks to lucky and slagle for enabling

I want to hear from people that have used both a silver tip and a finest like a 2 band.


I am curious as to the differences between how the hair feels. Thank you in advance. The pics are just for reference taken from vintage blades.

 

[AFG]

The 2 band will be more resilient, usually much less bloom than a silvertip. When its dry, the 2 band will feel a bit scrubby, less so once its wet. The 2 band seems to be more dense than the silvertip and will not splay as much. It may all be in my imagination but a 2 band seems to whip up lather faster. The 2 band will also be almost 3x the price. For me, I greatly preferred the 2 band once I had one in my hands and used it. The 2 band is a great brush if you like its characteristics and are willing to pay the price for one. From what I have been told, these brushes are getting harder for Rooney to make as the hair is in very short supply, something else that adds to the price.
As for building a custom brush, where are you going to get a 2 band knot to do it? I don't think its likely a vendor like Golden Nib is going to have one. The HMW white 2 band knots used by Rooney and Plisson are not likely available on the open market.

 

[ambrose]

Softer than silver tip?

 

[SRock]

Ok so I want to build a custom brush, special thanks to lucky and slagle for enabling

I want to hear from people that have used both a silver tip and a finest like a 2 band.


I am curious as to the differences between how the hair feels. Thank you in advance. The pics are just for reference taken from vintage blades.

Anytime brother!

 

[Confilo]

The 2 band will be more resilient, usually much less bloom than a silvertip. When its dry, the 2 band will feel a bit scrubby, less so once its wet. The 2 band seems to be more dense than the silvertip and will not splay as much. It may all be in my imagination but a 2 band seems to whip up lather faster. The 2 band will also be almost 3x the price. For me, I greatly preferred the 2 band once I had one in my hands and used it. The 2 band is a great brush if you like its characteristics and are willing to pay the price for one. From what I have been told, these brushes are getting harder for Rooney to make as the hair is in very short supply, something else that adds to the price.
As for building a custom brush, where are you going to get a 2 band knot to do it? I don't think its likely a vendor like Golden Nib is going to have one. The HMW white 2 band knots used by Rooney and Plisson are not likely available on the open market.

I Agree. there is nothing like it for hard soaps; once broken in, the tips become softer but the bristles remain strong and resilient. Imagine pushing them into the handle and bouncing right back.

 

[AFG]

I wouldn't say its softer. The hair used in a silvertip is a finer gauge than a 2 band HMW knot. The silvertip is probably softer than the 2 band finest or HMW knot, at least when its dry. One of the characteristics of the finest grade is the slightly scrubby feel to it.

 

[Thebigspendur]

In the end its elementary. There is no hair supplier who sells 2 band hair and only a very few brush makers who use it so your going to have to buy one from Simpson or Rooney or Plisson and spend the big bucks and then destroy the brush to get the knot out.

 

[ambrose]

In the end its elementary. There is no hair supplier who sells 2 band hair and only a very few brush makers who use it so your going to have to buy one from Simpson or Rooney or Plisson and spend the big bucks and then destroy the brush to get the knot out.

I know who has some, im just wondering if its any better than silver.

 

[whitebar]

I agree with all of the above posts about the characteristics of two band knots. Like they pointed out, the hair is hard to obtain and becoming difficult to locate. If you check Vintage Blades you will notice they are out of some of the Rooney Brushes with Finest Hair. Also, more and more Plissons are coming out as three band these days. If you really want one then I suggest grabbing one while you can. Only you can determine if two band is right for you but I love them and have been acquiring a number of them recently as I enjoy their characteristics.

 

[scoopster]

I know who has some, im just wondering if its any better than silver.

I think it is fair to say that the 2 band:
* is rarer than silvertip
* is more expensive than silvertip.
* feels different than silvertip


Is it better is completely subjective and it depends. If you like really soft and luxurious then the scritchiness of 2 band is a liability and it is not better than silvertip.

 

[Thebigspendur]

I know who has some, im just wondering if its any better than silver.

Are you sure? There are no standards for this stuff and dying is rampant. If you truly have a source for what rooney sells as finest or Simpson as super you better buy it all now because your the luckiest guy in the world.

 

[blantyre]

The silvertips start off quite soft and the bristles are flexible. The 2-band true whites are much stiffer, due in part to the thicker bristle. The tips of the 2-band soften considerably with use and develop a very pleasant fluffy but firm feel after some break in. The end result with 2-band depends very much on density and loft. I have a Chubby 1 and it's stiff and scrubby even after considerable break in. A Rooney 3/1 finest is quite soft and not at all scrubby.

 

[ambrose]

The silvertips start off quite soft and the bristles are flexible. The 2-band true whites are much stiffer, due in part to the thicker bristle. The tips of the 2-band soften considerably with use and develop a very pleasant fluffy but firm feel after some break in. The end result with 2-band depends very much on density and loft. I have a Chubby 1 and it's stiff and scrubby even after considerable break in. A Rooney 3/1 finest is quite soft and not at all scrubby.

Seems like the whiter the tips the softer the feel. Considering the rooney finest is much whiter tipped than the simpsons. Thank you for the reply this is the kind of answer I was hoping for.

Im going to start a new thread once I start this custom. Im just debating on the size of knot. So far looks like 28-30 mm - I love a big knot.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Who still sells 2-bands today?

 

[The Knize]

I am confused about two band finest badger being scare and expensive. I do not know what Rooney uses, but I thought the Rooney photos were just examples anyway. This seems to be called "two band finest." Is there something different out there that also goes under that description?

http://www.thegoldennib.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_9_43&products_id=165

A 30 mm brush? Holy smoke that is a lot of brush.

 

[mretzloff]

Who still sells 2-bands today?

The Golden Nib has some.

 

[scoopster]

The Golden Nib has some.

Is there anyone in possession of a Golden NIB two-band AND Simpsons two-band Super or Rooney two-band Finest? I am skeptical they would perform similarly but that is sheer conjecture on my part based on cost differences.

 

[mretzloff]

Is there anyone in possession of a Golden NIB two-band AND Simpsons two-band Super or Rooney two-band Finest? I am skeptical they would perform similarly but that is sheer conjecture on my part based on cost differences.

I can do a quick search, but I believe a member here made a custom brush with a Golden Nib finest. Maybe he coincidentally has a Simpsons or Rooney finest.

EDIT: Here's the thread.

 

[The Knize]

Is there anyone in possession of a Golden NIB two-band AND Simpsons two-band Super or Rooney two-band Finest? I am skeptical they would perform similarly but that is sheer conjecture on my part based on cost differences.

note that Golden Nib also has something called Super Badger, which is apparently Silvertip that is treated so that the tips are lighter and softer, which also seems to give the Silvertip more of a two band appearance. You might want to look at Penworks.com, too. That is the completed brush sister site to Golden Nib. Both have excellent reputations on B&B as far as I can tell.

I thought that Finest was generally a step below Silvertip, and Finest and Best seem to be used to designate the same quality. But I sure do find badger have designations to be confusing, if not out and out inconsistent between brush/knot sellers!

I will be interested in the answers on all of this as Penworks is running a great sale and I was about to buy a brush and was trying to figure out whether to get finest or silvertip!

 

[mretzloff]

note that Golden Nib also has something called Super Badger, which is apparently Silvertip that is treated so that the tips are lighter and softer, which also seems to give the Silvertip more of a two band appearance. You might want to look at Penworks.com, too. That is the completed brush sister site to Golden Nib. Both have excellent reputations on B&B as far as I can tell.

I thought that Finest was generally a step below Silvertip, and Finest and Best seem to be used to designate the same quality. But I sure do find badger have designations to be confusing, if not out and out inconsistent between brush/knot sellers!

I will be interested in the answers on all of this as Penworks is running a great sale and I was about to buy a brush and was trying to figure out whether to get finest or silvertip!

Here are the general hair qualities (from lowest to highest in quality, click for picture):

1. Pure
2. Best
3. Silvertip
4. Finest (2 band)


Some companies, such as Rooney, name their silvertip super. Some companies use the names for other qualities. For example, Shavemac has a finest that uses silvertip and pure badger.