The Official Rooney Stubby XL 2 Band Discussion Thread

[SJBFIRE]

Ok, hit the brush this am for the 2xl. Harris Arlington Soap, did some bowl lathering to attempt to cover some of the funk, then went to town on a face lather.

This brush is very different than my others...not as much of a lather hog as I thought...maybe the density keeps the lather from working up the hairs. You will still get some there, but it's not as much as a vulfix 660 or my other brushes. This brush whipped up the arlington well. I had to add more water the foam was so fluffy and light (I like a wet foam, not runny but pretty wet).

The bloom on mine is not as pronounced after 1 use as some of my other brushes. I did not see anything I would consider floppy...more on the opposite of that (but not boar). VERY SOFT. I really want to see comments on the 3xl to see if it has more flop with the loft.

Would I drop 200 bucks again...yep. Do I need a larger stand to hold the knot...yep...I can't believe that rooney will not make more of these, they would sell, even at a higher price.

Is this true? Is it confirmed that Rooney is done making these brushes? I had my heart set on a Chubby till I saw these beauty's.

 

[xillion]

Is this true? Is it confirmed that Rooney is done making these brushes? I had my heart set on a Chubby till I saw these beauty's.

From Jim at VB:

Ha! The 2Xl's are almost gone. We are down to four (4) as of the time of this post. I have asked Rooney to do another run for me. But those of you who follow my site know that it took me months to restock the Emillions. So, we will see. As to the 3XL's, candidly I made an posting error on the pricing of that brush. However, it's out there now and I will honor it through the end of the month.

Original thread here.

 

[neilt]

Is this true? Is it confirmed that Rooney is done making these brushes? I had my heart set on a Chubby till I saw these beauty's.

I can't imagine that these three batches are all that we will see from Rooney. Although from what Jim said...it does not look like more are in the pipeline.

I kinda have a feeling that we might see a full line of these come to market sometime in the future. It's a decent product with buzz and demand and the price seems very fair.

 

[Joe Edson]

Thanks for the comparisons Ian. Based on this it doesn't look like I'll be getting one of these as I love my finest and find myself using that or my shavemac D01 most these days.

 

[nEver-Ready]

First. Density. It's got good density. I'd say a worthy competitor/peer to the Chubby line. It is NOT a Rooney Finest though. My 24-25mm Finest has about the same volume of hair in it as this 30mm knot. The first image I attached is holding them sideways after a 5min soak and 3 shakes each. You can see the Finest is so dense that the hairs simply can't clump together (their bases are squeezed so tightly that the stems of the hairs repel each other even when wet). The XXXL is more like the Chubby/D01/etc packs. Very dense but not absurd. Let me put it this way. My finest is not my favorite brush, but there are no brushes that emulate it. It's in a class of its own. I've not found a hair like it or a density like it in any other brush. The XXXL is like several other brushes out there, a very good brush, but not unique.

Stiffness/soap attack. It's not Finest. It loads easily, but it doesn't rip the soap to pieces like a Finest does.

Prickly/scritch. Again this is NOT finest. It's a nice soft two band hair. Not dissimilar to Simpsons 2 band. It doesn't have that scritch that Finest does. This brush is what I expected the Finest to be (a few months ago I had never heard ANYONE describe a Rooney Finest as prickly/scritchy... it's the scritchiest brush I own by far). I imagine that if they made the 1/2 Super with this hair and packed it as dense as a Finest is, it would probably be my favorite brush.

Size. It's big. Not as big as my Heritage Super 3band 26mm, but my second largest (bigger than a Chubby 2 by a good bit, but I expect probably a bit smaller than a Chubby 3 would be (since the loft is only ~52-53mm vs ~60mm on the Chub3)

Quality. Feels like a Finest for quality. Sturdy. Didn't lose a single hair during the wash or first use. (I did rub a single hair out just now feeling the tips with my palm.) If Rooney got the pack a little denser, they could call these Finest pt Deux.


Very good brush and definitely an good buy if you were looking at a chubby 2 or 3 in 2 band. It's not quite as exceptional as a Finest (the density of those brushes is really startling for two band hair), but it's certainly not a purchase I think I'll regret.

Oh for %^&$^&! sake! I thought I could comfortably resist this brush as not adding much over my Simpsons 2-band Chubby and my Rooney Finest, and now you went and made it seem like the perfect solution to the two main gripes I have with those - excessive bulb shape for the Simpsons and scritch for the Finest. One less XXXL for the rest of you folks now

 

[Vlad]

Why haven't we gotten a full Stubby-Chubby showdown yet? Come on!

 

[VintageBlades]

I can't imagine that these three batches are all that we will see from Rooney. Although from what Jim said...it does not look like more are in the pipeline.

I kinda have a feeling that we might see a full line of these come to market sometime in the future. It's a decent product with buzz and demand and the price seems very fair.

Stayed tuned. Lol. No promises, but I am working on it. Before anyone asks...no, i cannot take pre-orders or hold a brush for you. Again, no promises. It is the holiday rush period over there but I am trying to get a few, key word "few" more made to arrive before year end.

PS - Hope this post is within the Forum guidelines. Just realized not in Vendor's area. Sorry, if I pushed the boundaries with this. I know there is a lot of interest.

 

[Vlad]

That's what you guys get for hesitating. NEVER hesitate on a brush!

 

[texbilly]

Stayed tuned. Lol. No promises, but I am working on it. Before anyone asks...no, i cannot take pre-orders or hold a brush for you. Again, no promises. It is the holiday rush period over there but I am trying to get a few, key word "few" more made to arrive before year end.

PS - Hope this post is within the Forum guidelines. Just realized not in Vendor's area. Sorry, if I pushed the boundaries with this. I know there is a lot of interest.

Jim,

I'm sure many members are rooting you will be successful! As always, thanks for supporting us crazies!

As for my 1XL and 3XL, hurry up UPS!!!

 

[alabamalawyer]

Here are pics of my Stubby 1XL next to my Simpson Chubby1 and Rooney 1/1 Finest. I lathered the Stubby 1XL last night to help remove the badger smell. To the touch, it seems to have the same soft tips that my Emillion 1 has. If it has the same feel when used, this will be an excellent combination -- very soft tips with some nice backbone.

Rooney 1XL (post-bloom), Simpson Chubby1, Rooney 1/1 Finest

A photo of the knots

 

[texbilly]

Here are pics of my Stubby 1XL next to my Simpson Chubby1 and Rooney 1/1 Finest. I lathered the Stubby 1XL last night to help remove the badger smell. To the touch, it seems to have the same soft tips that my Emillion 1 has. If it has the same feel when used, this will be an excellent combination -- very soft tips with some nice backbone.

Chris, this is exactly why I'm glad I snagged a 1XL (and Jim's last one). I love my 2-band Chubby 1 so a fan-shaped, soft-tipped companion will be awesome! Let us know how yours performs.

 

[alabamalawyer]

Chris, this is exactly why I'm glad I snagged a 1XL (and Jim's last one). I love my 2-band Chubby 1 so a fan-shaped, soft-tipped companion will be awesome! Let us know how yours performs.

Same for me, Bill. I love my 2-band Chubby1 and this looks to be another great brush with the same dimensions!

 

[drumana]

I'm loving the comparative photos here. These Rooney brushes look really fabulous - I'm looking forward to hearing how they perform. The handles and white tipped lofts look amazing. They do look extremely dense and I'm wondering how the flow through is on these puppies...?

 

[Loric]

I'm loving the comparative photos here. These Rooney brushes look really fabulous - I'm looking forward to hearing how they perform. The handles and white tipped lofts look amazing. They do look extremely dense and I'm wondering how the flow through is on these puppies...?

My XXL had decent flow threw out of the box. I'm sure it will get better with time though. It is definitely not the lather hog some of my brushes are, but it did hog a bit more lather than my old medium/low density Stubby 2.

 

[texbilly]

My 1XL and 3XL arrived today. First impressions: ultra soft tips, nice backbone, comfortable handles. Here they are, pre-bloom.

My Chubby 1 and Chubby 3 better watch out!

 

[djh]

My 1XL and 3XL arrived today. First impression: ultra soft tips, nice backbone, comfortable handles. Here they are, pre-bloom.

My Chubby 1 and Chubby 3 better watch out!

WOW! They sure are a purdy pair Bill. Congratulations.

 

[Darjeeling Express]

Bill, incredible. Looking forward to your impressions.

 

[neilt]

Bill, thank you for the 3x photo...I was curious!

 

[Kcaps]

Anyone have a comparison between the Chubby 1 and Stubby 1XL?

 

[texbilly]

Anyone have a comparison between the Chubby 1 and Stubby 1XL?

From me, with tomorrow's shave.