Gentlemen
I have been "testing" the new "convertible" brush from Smart-Helix for over a month now. As you may know Victor (the owner) and I have been in contact for quite a while with me helping as much as I can through donations, raising funds etc. S-H had to re-locate because of the ongoing war so razor production basically halted for a number of obvious reasons mainly in the manufacturing process.
The energy sector is undergoing severe strains during this conflict and power outages are an almost daily occurrence. Throughout this Victor and S-H have continued to explore new ideas and avenues related to wet shaving.
The result is their new shaving brush. I received it March 5 with Victor asking me to do an extended review of the brush and its performance, comfort, balance and quality as an everyday brush. I did not pay anything for the brush and am not receiving any other compensation other than a very nice mention by S-H.
It's an interesting take on traditional brushes in that it utilizes different materials, design elements and several forms of physical adaptability for different situations.
It arrived in a nice wooden box, very reminiscent of the Apollo razor boxes. Upon opening the box, I managed to break the clip holding the brush in place. See the video to find out how to remove the brush properly. Once I had the brush removed I immediately began "playing" with all the parts. I noticed the material of the brush was not "usual" by my experience with quite a few different brushes. It's made out of a neutral biomedical polymer...Ok then. Anyhow, it's very easy to grip, not slippery etc and there were a number of components in the box as well.
The knot is a two band Manchurian badger of exceptional density and zero shedding. It has good backbone and you can adjust the loft with the supplied inserts that are supplied. It's a 26 mm knot and the loft is set at 52-53mm without the inserts. My knot is a bulb shape which I prefer, and a fan shape is also available.
The knot does require some breaking in, but didn't seem to have the "badger funk" which some knots can come with. The main handle is available in RH and LH as well because it is designed to be held differently than other brushes. I find the hand position to be very comfortable. You can configure the brush in a number of ways. You can use it with a short handle and with a travel sleeve that doubles as the handle as well. Pretty adaptable hence the "convertible" aspect.
So I began by using the main handle. I soaked the brush for 15 minutes to begin with and used one of my hard mug soaps. The brush built a very nice lather and soaping up was without any drama or concern. The brush as I said does have good backbone and if you prefer slightly floppier, then do use the inserts. The ergonomic handle really does do what you expect...there's no issues with grip or fatigue. I have some shoulder issues and the handle didn't require any sort of hard or "death grip" to create the lather. Because of the texture, it's easy to grip and hold even when wet or soapy.
The next shaves were with a variety of soaps, both hard and soft, along with mug/bowl lathering plus loading from the soap container and face lathering.The brush was great with the mug and container lathering... with tube soaps in a lather bowl the brush does need some break in. It's getting better with continued usage.
I then started to try the different ways you can configure the brush. I did the short version and it's ok but not something I'd do on a regular basis. Using the sleeve as the handle was easy as well, it's larger in diameter than other handles but it also serves as the travel sleeve. The design on the sleeve helps with grip and for airflow to aid in drying should you have to pack up when it's damp. With either handle the brush is very light.
You do not have to glue the knot in unless you want to. When wet the brush really shouldn't be pulled out as that is quite difficult so just wait until it's dry. If you have different knots this is an easy handle to use to determine loft for knots that you may want to insert in other handles.
The stand is super easy to use, the handle just fits onto the tab which goes into the groove on the knot ferrule. It's a very attractive brush (to me) and is decorated in the traditional style of the ancient Slavs. All in all a very nice package with a very innovative design and useful configurations.
If you'd like further info and pictures please feel free to see the brush at smart-helix.com or their FB page. There's also a video link which further goes into how to configure the brush on the website as well.
Cheers!
So this is the presentation box, very similar to the Apollo boxes.
What's inside
The handle with the travel sleeve on it. The brown band is for shipping and can be discarded
This is all the stuff and how it breaks down. The knot ferrule, the knot, travel sleeve, sleeve end cap, main handle and stand with the loft inserts. For the inserts you trim off the little tabs on the outside of each insert.
The components with the knot in the ferrule.
This is how you hold the brush. Very intuitive. Comes for right or left handers. The handle screws onto the ferrule
The handle hanging on its stand
The brush with the travel sleeve as the handle. The knot ferrule just clips in and the end cap is at the other end also just clips on.
The short handle. The ferrule with the end cap screwed on
The knot inside the sleeve with end cap at the top, ready for travel
I have been "testing" the new "convertible" brush from Smart-Helix for over a month now. As you may know Victor (the owner) and I have been in contact for quite a while with me helping as much as I can through donations, raising funds etc. S-H had to re-locate because of the ongoing war so razor production basically halted for a number of obvious reasons mainly in the manufacturing process.
The energy sector is undergoing severe strains during this conflict and power outages are an almost daily occurrence. Throughout this Victor and S-H have continued to explore new ideas and avenues related to wet shaving.
The result is their new shaving brush. I received it March 5 with Victor asking me to do an extended review of the brush and its performance, comfort, balance and quality as an everyday brush. I did not pay anything for the brush and am not receiving any other compensation other than a very nice mention by S-H.
It's an interesting take on traditional brushes in that it utilizes different materials, design elements and several forms of physical adaptability for different situations.
It arrived in a nice wooden box, very reminiscent of the Apollo razor boxes. Upon opening the box, I managed to break the clip holding the brush in place. See the video to find out how to remove the brush properly. Once I had the brush removed I immediately began "playing" with all the parts. I noticed the material of the brush was not "usual" by my experience with quite a few different brushes. It's made out of a neutral biomedical polymer...Ok then. Anyhow, it's very easy to grip, not slippery etc and there were a number of components in the box as well.
The knot is a two band Manchurian badger of exceptional density and zero shedding. It has good backbone and you can adjust the loft with the supplied inserts that are supplied. It's a 26 mm knot and the loft is set at 52-53mm without the inserts. My knot is a bulb shape which I prefer, and a fan shape is also available.
The knot does require some breaking in, but didn't seem to have the "badger funk" which some knots can come with. The main handle is available in RH and LH as well because it is designed to be held differently than other brushes. I find the hand position to be very comfortable. You can configure the brush in a number of ways. You can use it with a short handle and with a travel sleeve that doubles as the handle as well. Pretty adaptable hence the "convertible" aspect.
So I began by using the main handle. I soaked the brush for 15 minutes to begin with and used one of my hard mug soaps. The brush built a very nice lather and soaping up was without any drama or concern. The brush as I said does have good backbone and if you prefer slightly floppier, then do use the inserts. The ergonomic handle really does do what you expect...there's no issues with grip or fatigue. I have some shoulder issues and the handle didn't require any sort of hard or "death grip" to create the lather. Because of the texture, it's easy to grip and hold even when wet or soapy.
The next shaves were with a variety of soaps, both hard and soft, along with mug/bowl lathering plus loading from the soap container and face lathering.The brush was great with the mug and container lathering... with tube soaps in a lather bowl the brush does need some break in. It's getting better with continued usage.
I then started to try the different ways you can configure the brush. I did the short version and it's ok but not something I'd do on a regular basis. Using the sleeve as the handle was easy as well, it's larger in diameter than other handles but it also serves as the travel sleeve. The design on the sleeve helps with grip and for airflow to aid in drying should you have to pack up when it's damp. With either handle the brush is very light.
You do not have to glue the knot in unless you want to. When wet the brush really shouldn't be pulled out as that is quite difficult so just wait until it's dry. If you have different knots this is an easy handle to use to determine loft for knots that you may want to insert in other handles.
The stand is super easy to use, the handle just fits onto the tab which goes into the groove on the knot ferrule. It's a very attractive brush (to me) and is decorated in the traditional style of the ancient Slavs. All in all a very nice package with a very innovative design and useful configurations.
If you'd like further info and pictures please feel free to see the brush at smart-helix.com or their FB page. There's also a video link which further goes into how to configure the brush on the website as well.
Cheers!
So this is the presentation box, very similar to the Apollo boxes.
What's inside
The handle with the travel sleeve on it. The brown band is for shipping and can be discarded
This is all the stuff and how it breaks down. The knot ferrule, the knot, travel sleeve, sleeve end cap, main handle and stand with the loft inserts. For the inserts you trim off the little tabs on the outside of each insert.
The components with the knot in the ferrule.
This is how you hold the brush. Very intuitive. Comes for right or left handers. The handle screws onto the ferrule
The handle hanging on its stand
The brush with the travel sleeve as the handle. The knot ferrule just clips in and the end cap is at the other end also just clips on.
The short handle. The ferrule with the end cap screwed on
The knot inside the sleeve with end cap at the top, ready for travel
