The Other Titan Has Arrived - 33mm M & F/Rooney Finest

[vocalistbob]

If you read my thread about my new Manchurian Chubby 3 ("believe the hype"), you know how impressed I am with it. A week earlier I created a thread titled "Clash of the Titans" about my purchase of the Manchurian and also of a M & F "Chubby 3" made with Rooney Finest hair, which arrived today.

I need to say "Wow - what a brush!" about the M&F. Extraordinarily soft tips and a very strong, scrunchy backbone - BUT this is almost exactly how I described the Manchurian. So which is better? I don't know yet - I have used the Manchurian twice and the M&F once. I figure it's going to take at least 5 or 6 latherings with both to know which is better - or if they are equally good, but different. The Manchurian did not bloom as much as the M & F has, but keep in mind that the M & F was still damp when I took the pic and the bloom will probably close up a bit when it is fully dry.

 

[Mad Man]

Crikey! What a monster brush!! I coveted the MF brushes until I kept hitting roadblocks getting one shipped down under so I have to live vicariously through you blokes. That's a mighty fine piece you've shared with us; wow!

 

[clk]

That is truly a beautiful brush. Use it in good health!

 

[Attila]

Wow! Talk about getting a whole face full of hair! I bet you could load that sucker for a few minutes and then lather up a whole platoon with some left over for a head shave or two. Impressive looking brush, congrats!

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

Bob, what's the loft on that one? It's a beaut.

 

[vocalistbob]

It's about 53 - 54mm.

 

[celestino]

Wow, that is a big brush!

 

[Loric]

Bob, I have both of these too, and both take a long time to break in. After a couple months both of mine are still subtlety changing with each use. Both are as good as it gets though, I cant ask for more from a shaving brush.

 

[vocalistbob]

Thanks for the reassurance, Loric. These brushes are big investments and I want them to be worth the $$$.

 

[Loric]

Anytime! While I cant quite say they were "worth the money", I can say I have never found any brushe I'm more happy with than these two. So even if my wallet hurts, I'm more than pleased to be able to reach for one of these two every day.

 

[andrestole]

wow, thats a big brush. Shaving your back??

 

[vocalistbob]

No, and I'm not shaving yours either, so don't ask!

 

[ChiefBroom]

I own the 29 mm version and will order this bigger one tomorrow.

Order from where?

 

[vocalistbob]

Titan Update: I have used the Manchurian Chubby 3 four times and the M & F "Chubby 3 lookalike" three times. When dry, the M & F has much softer tips and the Manchurian is the backbone champ, but in use, they feel and perform similarly. If you're looking for a focused, "solid scrub" sensation, the edge goes to the Simpson. If you want a more luxurious experience, the edge goes to the M & F.

I think the Manchurian provides a genuinely unique experience; no other brush feels quite like it. I think guys will either love it or hate it; no in-between. The M & F feels like a traditional 2-band but with superior properties and sensations. I think more guys might prefer the M & F for its more traditional feel, but there's no denying that these are two really special brushes.

 

[ChiefBroom]

Titan Update: I have used the Manchurian Chubby 3 four times and the M & F "Chubby 3 lookalike" three times. When dry, the M & F has much softer tips and the Manchurian is the backbone champ, but in use, they feel and perform similarly. If you're looking for a focused, "solid scrub" sensation, the edge goes to the Simpson. If you want a more luxurious experience, the edge goes to the M & F.

I think the Manchurian provides a genuinely unique experience; no other brush feels quite like it. I think guys will either love it or hate it; no in-between. The M & F feels like a traditional 2-band but with superior properties and sensations. I think more guys might prefer the M & F for its more traditional feel, but there's no denying that these are two really special brushes.

I don't have your "Titans." My head isn't that big. But I have more medium-sized brushes in Rooney Finest and a Tulip (T3) in Manchurian. My observations from use so far exactly track with yours. However, I don't have a preference between the two hairs. It's like Mounds and Almond Joys. "Sometimes I feel like a nut; sometimes I don't." I'll add that, in my admittedly limited experience, the Rooney Finest hair is also unique, i.e, I don't have anything else that's like it.

 

[vocalistbob]

Chief: I agree that the Rooney Finest hair is unique, I only meant that it feels more like the world's best and softest mainstream brush, whereas the Manchurian is a different kind of animal from other brushes. BTW - I also have a 29mm Rooney Finest 3-band which is the softest, most luxurious brush I have ever used.

 

[ChiefBroom]

Chief: I agree that the Rooney Finest hair is unique, I only meant that it feels more like the world's best and softest mainstream brush, whereas the Manchurian is a different kind of animal from other brushes. BTW - I also have a 29mm Rooney Finest 3-band which is the softest, most luxurious brush I have ever used.

I understood and really didn't comment with any sense of disagreement. It was more like hair-splitting. You're right -- or at least I agree (a lot about this is highly subjective and so not really about right/wrong) -- that Finest tips are soft in a way that's probably more like "mainstream" Super Silvertip or Blonde Badger softness than Manchurian. But I'm also not sure either my T3 or the M&F Stubby 2 (27mm x 46mm) in "Finest" is fully or even mostly broken in yet. So that could change.