TGN Finest tips drying hard

[breitlingman]

I recently bought and mounted a 20mm tgn finest and it seems to have those gel like tips that some talk about. Its great and all, but the darn brush seems to be impossible to get the soap out or something.. the tips get kind of hard and stuck together when it dries. I keep running tons of water through it but it stays gel-like and always dries hard.. any suggestions on how to get it out or maybe someone else had the same experience.

 

[mblakele]

Those two qualities go together. Both are caused by the hooked tips of the hairs. The hooked tips feel gel-like because they tend to curl back instead of poking out. When dry they tend to grab onto each other, gathering into stiff clumps.

 

[Legion]

If you are bothered by it, all you have to do is rub the dry brush on your hand for a second before use. But really, it will make no difference to the performance of the brush. I actually find the brushes that clump a little seem to work better, possibly due to the curling tips mentioned above grabbing more soap.

 

[oakeshott]

If you are bothered by it, all you have to do is rub the dry brush on your hand for a second before use. But really, it will make no difference to the performance of the brush. I actually find the brushes that clump a little seem to work better, possibly due to the curling tips mentioned above grabbing more soap.

Same here. They get "crispy" when they dry out, but rubbing them back and forth across some readily available part of one's anatomy solves that problem; might create another, but that belongs in a separate thread.

 

[VT_Hokie]

Note to self: Never buy a used brush from Mark.

Same here. They get "crispy" when they dry out, but rubbing them back and forth across some readily available part of one's anatomy solves that problem; might create another, but that belongs in a separate thread.

 

[oakeshott]

Note to self: Never buy a used brush from Mark.

Oops.

From now on, I guess my brushes go up on eBay.

 

[taco8slo]

Mine do the same, the hair is fantastic and the price is truly a bargain!

 

[Absolute Mustard]

My $160 Thater had the same problem

I think it is just how 2 band brushes are

 

[mblakele]

Not all two-band brushes, no. Only the ones with hooked tips. And I have a Rooney 3/1 Super (three-band) that has just enough hooked tips to make it feel a little crisp when dry. Here are some photographs that show the tips on three different two-band brushes:

TGN finest, hooked tips.



Shavemac D01 two-band, one bent tip visible but most are straight.



Rooney Finest, no visible hooking.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Interesting. Must be a new batch of hair. I've had dozens of tgn finest and never had a clumping problem. A quick glance at one I have near my desk found only one hooked tip in the 20% or so of the hairs I sifted through.

 

[mblakele]

Yes, it seems hair can change quite a bit from batch to batch. For anyone keeping track, I bought mine in early December 2012. The clumping is not really a problem, as long as you like the gel-like feeling. It becomes silky as soon as it gets wet again.

 

[Rudy Vey]

This is nothing to worry about. Some brushes do this, the thinner the hair, the bigger the chance it is. I have Thaeter brushes, TGN knots and my Chubby 3 three band super did the same. Just brush the b rush once over your hand and it breaks up the clumped dried hairs.

 

[TallyShave]

My $160 Thater had the same problem

I think it is just how 2 band brushes are

My Thater 2 Band did the same thing. Interestingly enough, after a few months it stopped and hasn't done it again since (about a year). Still gel like, but not longer clumps.

 

[oakeshott]

My Thater 2 Band did the same thing. Interestingly enough, after a few months it stopped and hasn't done it again since (about a year). Still gel like, but not longer clumps.

That explains why mine do it but the ones that I tried which had been loaned to me and were much older did not. Must be a function of being new.

 

[breitlingman]

Thanks for the words of advice and wisdom guys! I was getting worried about the crispy clumping that I was getting.. maybe the dried on soap was damaging it or something, but I guess it appears to be normal. None of my other brushes had this happen so I was a bit perplexed. I found that if I run it over my face towel briefly before setting it on the stand to dry it clumps less, but still a bit crispy. This TGN Finest definately has the hooked tips.

 

[edgerunner]

One of my TGN Finest had such soft fine hairs that caused tips clumping and hooking. It's nothing to worry about. My Rooney Alibaba is the most extreme case - the hooks are so strong and fine that when dry, I can't fix them by running my hand over them. It feels weird like a shark skin on touch.

Here's the TGN:

 

[celestino]

Not to worry as the other gents have mentioned. If it performs well, that is what you want. Good luck.

 

[Foyle]

My Savile Row does that. But, as soon as it's wet, it's soft as a cloud.

 

[numerounoo]

THE Whipped Dog does the same thing too ! Great once wet !

 

[robk]

Vintage Blades two-bands do the same thing. Feels weird when the brush is dry. But then, again, who among us uses a dry brush for anything other than acting out our OCD?

(Yeah, you won't find OCD in the B&B acronym glossary, but we all know that most of us here have it. It goes part and parcel with all the various forms of AD we suffer and enjoy.)