Thater 4411?

[Hubsche1]

Hey all,
I'm starting my search for a new brush, since most of mine shed. I'm always on a tight budget, so I was thinking either the Simpson Commodore or a Thater 4411. The Simpson's already been praised so much that it's pretty much a no-brainer, but has anyone tried the 4411? I've heard very good things about Thater in general, and wonder if this is a good deal. Thanks for any help!

 

[Kostas1]

Everyone here is super helpful, but I think many members will, as I'm doing now, ask for more information.

What do you use the brush for? Soaps, Creams, even mix?
Do you bowl lather or face lather, or even mix of both?
Are you looking for scrubby (not scritchy or prickly, but scrubby) or cloud soft (as in, can barely feel it on your face)?
Are there any handle designs/styles/materials you prefer?
What do you currently have and what do you like about them?
Any insight into why your current brushes shed (use or quality)?

Thanks (and sorry to answer a question with multiple questions)

 

[Hubsche1]

Ah, true, I should have added more info.

-I tend to use creams or soft soaps (croaps) the most, though I do use hard soaps on occasion as well.
-Larger knots are face lather for me, smaller are bowl lather. I'm looking for something 18-20 mm, I think, as I'm on a budget, and so bowl makes sense.
-I've used silvertip and pure badger, as well as boar/badger mixes. The two brushes mentioned are best grade. Looking for some backbone, maybe a little scrubby.
-No handles preferred at this juncture.
-I have a Rooney 3/1, Vulfix Grosvenor 404, and Whippeddog Silvertip. Rooney was a little too floppy, but nice overall. Grosvenor had some nice backbone, but shed like crazy, and the Whipped is huge and soft.
-As to why the shedding, the Grosvenor may be poorly made/defective; it always sheds 2-5 hairs, and the Whipped is inexpensive, so I figured it may have this sort of problem. Nothing against the makers; the brushes have been good, and I'll probably still use them from time to time.

So yeah, mainly just want to find a good brush without breaking my bank. With a little luck it won't shed like mad, and be a new daily driver. I've looking at the Best qualities because I haven't yet tried one, and they're usually reasonably priced.

 

[Kostas1]

Sounds like 2-band finest is right up your alley. I find that it is the best combination of soft tips, with enough just enough scrub. Shavemac Finest is one of the best bang-for-your-buck knots out there. I also am a big fan of The Golden Nib (TGN) 2-band finest. Both of those options are fairly priced. You might want to check the Hobbyist section of the BST. Artisans like Rudy Vey and Bob Farvour (and many others) can help you out with a custom made handle and set the knot just to your liking...all at a good price. Good Luck!

 

[neilyasno]

+1 on the finest. I own a few TGN finest knots and they seem to be right up your ally. They are soft but with a lot of backbone and a little bit of scrub. You can either buy a cheap handle from whipped dog and epoxy it in yourself or have a little bit of fun and buy a vintage brush to restore. Just drill out the old knot and pop the new one in. I recently payed around 20 bucks for my 20 mm knot. Really a much cheaper deal and you can have pride in knowing you made it yourself

 

[gooser]

the 441 was my first badger brush and i love it .. mine is in finest badger 21mm if i remember right but anyway i use it on hard pucks , creams , face lather , bowl lather , u name it ... it has the backbone and nice soft tips ( not like a silver) and for me is a good size and holds lather well ... some black badgers i have are sometimes not comfortable to face lather for me and silvertips are to soft for me and i find the 4411 in between ... if you dont like the look of the white Simpsons then with the thater i think u can go black or brown in all fairness the only Simpson i have used is my Wee-Scott so any opinion i have on the 4411 is cause i have it and thats how i feel about it...

 

[mwhitcraft]

I do not have any Simpsons, so I cannot compare, but Thaters are very high quality brushes and certainly shouldn't shed after a week or so of use.

 

[Hubsche1]

Thanks for the replies so far, guys! I'll do some research on the finest, and keep thinking about the Simpson/Thater debate. Thanks again!