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TGN Super Finest > WSP SuperFine

When I received the WSP Stubby in SuperFine last week, I've got to admit, I was pretty let down. It's a great brush, don't get me wrong. It's got a beautiful, ergonomic, faux tortoise shell handle. It doesn't shed. The bristles are very densely packed with plenty of backbone. The tips are why I was initially let down.
When I opened the box and gave it a dry run (as I always do), I was pricked. The hairs are not pillow soft as promised by the website. I even found a stray hair that appeared to be a synthetic broom bristle packed in the knot. The badger bristles don't resemble gel on the skin. You feel every single thick Manchurian hair as it drags along your face. Under a magnifying glass, some of the tips even appear to be clipped although I can't be sure. These hairs are VERY thick. I reported this and my fellow shaving fanatics here at B&B told me to break it in and see what happens. Granted, when it gets wet the tips go from prickly to scrubby, which I like, but I did not by the brush looking for overly scrubby badger hair. I'll keep it around because sometimes I do prefer scrubby, but no amount of breaking-in is going to make this brush what I wanted when I ordered it.
Enter the TGN Super Finest. This knot came in early yesterday. I could tell that I got what I was looking for with the dry run out of the box. I glued it in, waited the recommended 24 hours to cure it and gave it a test run.
For only a 22mm knot, this thing is a beast. Its everything the stubby is with super-soft gel tips. The density is almost there too. That part surprised me. I wasn't expecting density like that coming from a non-specialized, 22mm knot. It's a steal at only $38.00
Well, that's how I feel. As always, YMMV. I like my WSP SuperFine. I love my TGN Super Finest.
 
You might consider trying to run it against some super fine sandpaper. I have done this on a few of my brushes in the beginning really works wonders for boar and tapers the tips that are cut well.
 
I start with 2000 sometimes if it is really close to what I want. I get a whole sheet and mix up some lather on it. I have used 800 but be careful and understand what you're trying to do just hit the tips at close to 90 degrees I like to mix up my lather in about a 6 inch circle I will mix for 10 seconds then tap tap tap my lips till i like what I feel. I go clockwise counter clock wise and alternate.
 
Interesting, your description is very similar to the TGN Finest F2 that I got in. Not gel tips and a bit scratchy.
 
Consistency and uniformity in knots is usually a challenge.

How some vendors like Shavemac get the predictability that we enjoy is rather amazing, isn't it?
 
How some vendors like Shavemac get the predictability that we enjoy is rather amazing, isn't it? Its not just amazing it is

Manufacturing of Shavemac shaving brushes

This is how your original shavemac shaving brush is made

Artisans produce the shavemac shaving brushes by hand.

Top quality badger hair, precision scales, forming block for contouring, thread for tying, epoxy resin and artisan skills are needed to produce a shavemac shaving brush head.

Measurement of the badger hair

The diameter and the weight of the materials for the brush head required are initially determined through the borehole of the brush handle. For example, approximately 14 grams of badger hair are needed for a 21 mm diameter.
The badger hair required is weighed using precision scales with weights upwards of 0.1 g. Incidentally, one gram of badger hair is made up of approximately 1000 hairs.

Profiling of the shaving brush hair

The “forming block” has an internal contour that gives the brush head its shape. For this purpose the badger hair bundle is placed tip-first into the “forming block” and carefully “tapped” until the desired profile is accomplished. In the end the bundle of hairs is tied with thread.


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The artisan handwork of the brush maker shows in the “plucking”.

The unevenness is then corrected by hand in the course of the surrounding dark design. In the brush makers lingo this is called the “plucking”. This is how the finished shaving brush head gets its symmetrical profile with the design running consistently in parallel.


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The shaving brush head can now be used in the shaving brush handle.

 
YMMV, I guess. I would take the Superfine Stubby any day over the TGN super-finest and I have had both. Yes, its a bit more expensive, but a better knot IMO. The SuperFine is a much denser knot and yes a bit scrubbier, but mellows out nicely. For me, the WSP has softer tips, greater backbone and a much nicer face-feel due to the density of the knot.
 
While I don't have the stubby, I do have their superfine offering. I also have the TGN's super finest and finest f2. I like them all for different reasons. I feel the WSP is slightly floppy while wet, but the TGNs stay firm. The WSP feels softer, but less dense than the TGNs.
 
While I don't have the stubby, I do have their superfine offering. I also have the TGN's super finest and finest f2. I like them all for different reasons. I feel the WSP is slightly floppy while wet, but the TGNs stay firm. The WSP feels softer, but less dense than the TGNs.

The stubby, which is an XD knot is quite a bit more dense than the normal superfine. I think its noted as 30% more dense, not sure how Lee actually measures that, but it is definitely a much denser knot.
 
The stubby, which is an XD knot is quite a bit more dense than the normal superfine. I think its noted as 30% more dense, not sure how Lee actually measures that, but it is definitely a much denser knot.




+1 I can attest to that. While this is my only experience with WSP, my father has a monarch in SuperFine. I think 30% is a fair number.
 
The SuperFine knot I have is crinkly when dry, softens immediately when wet and turns gel-tipped. It's dense, but not super-dense, has a light scrub, and is softening with use. There don't appear to be any clipped hairs.
 
TGN super finest is exceptionally high quality two band knots. Gel like tips with high density. If you buy, you Never regret it!
 
How some vendors like Shavemac get the predictability that we enjoy is rather amazing, isn't it? Its not just amazing it is

Manufacturing of Shavemac shaving brushes

This is how your original shavemac shaving brush is made

Artisans produce the shavemac shaving brushes by hand.

Top quality badger hair, precision scales, forming block for contouring, thread for tying, epoxy resin and artisan skills are needed to produce a shavemac shaving brush head.

Measurement of the badger hair

The diameter and the weight of the materials for the brush head required are initially determined through the borehole of the brush handle. For example, approximately 14 grams of badger hair are needed for a 21 mm diameter.
The badger hair required is weighed using precision scales with weights upwards of 0.1 g. Incidentally, one gram of badger hair is made up of approximately 1000 hairs.

Profiling of the shaving brush hair

The “forming block” has an internal contour that gives the brush head its shape. For this purpose the badger hair bundle is placed tip-first into the “forming block” and carefully “tapped” until the desired profile is accomplished. In the end the bundle of hairs is tied with thread.


proxy.php
proxy.php

The artisan handwork of the brush maker shows in the “plucking”.

The unevenness is then corrected by hand in the course of the surrounding dark design. In the brush makers lingo this is called the “plucking”. This is how the finished shaving brush head gets its symmetrical profile with the design running consistently in parallel.


proxy.php

The shaving brush head can now be used in the shaving brush handle.


This is why I love shavemac :) these really are the finest brushes around.
 
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