- Thread starter
- #101
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
The last two mini Manx badgers I was waiting for, are now with me, after a bit of a postal fiasco. Berkeley 46 in best, and Beaufort B1 in pure. I also (a few days ago) took receipt of a small Edwin Jagger to see how that compared. I started a separate thread for that one.
So everything is now here.
Yes, it was an expensive 18 months!
While some are a little floppier than I prefer, I figured out a very effective lathering method for them. As a result of that, I have to say, there isn't a bad brush amongst them. The latest two haven't gotten wet yet, but they look and feel very promising out of the box.
So what have I learned?
Well, I much prefer these smaller brushes to larger ones. I also much prefer scrubby brushes to gentle ones. As such, I won't be pursuing any of the spendier Simpson badgers, with bigger or more lavish knots. I already have the brushes that are right for me. Were it not for the new lather technique, I probably wouldn't have gotten much use from the Wee Scot and Vulfix 2273, and I don't think I'll be chasing after any more super badger or silvertip badgers at any point. Pure, and the scrubby end of the best spectrum, are what have given me my favourites. However, the new technique means I can get plenty of enjoyment from all of them.
I'm particularly happy with how the pure brushes that I spent some time with, have begun to break in, and lose some of their original scritch, while maintaining their backbone. Especially the B2, which went through a very nasty stabby phase, before losing nearly all of it's scritch. Not all are broken in yet though. As well as the two I only got this morning, the Case pure and Berkley 46 pure, are still both very early in their settling in stage.
All but two will be packed back away for now, and I'll be spending time with just one scrubby one (Case pure) and one soft gentle one (Jagger 9EJ256). In time, I will swap each one for one of the others, once I've got each one I'm using fully broken in. I just don't want to be faced with too many choices every time I enter the bathroom.
Yes, I could have bought a couple of high end brushes with how much I've spent on this lot. However, I think I'd rather have this lot!
Also, while I do have got a bit of a track record for wrecking brushes, I think this arsenal of brushes should keep me in great shaves for many years to come. 
So everything is now here.
Yes, it was an expensive 18 months!
While some are a little floppier than I prefer, I figured out a very effective lathering method for them. As a result of that, I have to say, there isn't a bad brush amongst them. The latest two haven't gotten wet yet, but they look and feel very promising out of the box.
So what have I learned?
Well, I much prefer these smaller brushes to larger ones. I also much prefer scrubby brushes to gentle ones. As such, I won't be pursuing any of the spendier Simpson badgers, with bigger or more lavish knots. I already have the brushes that are right for me. Were it not for the new lather technique, I probably wouldn't have gotten much use from the Wee Scot and Vulfix 2273, and I don't think I'll be chasing after any more super badger or silvertip badgers at any point. Pure, and the scrubby end of the best spectrum, are what have given me my favourites. However, the new technique means I can get plenty of enjoyment from all of them.
I'm particularly happy with how the pure brushes that I spent some time with, have begun to break in, and lose some of their original scritch, while maintaining their backbone. Especially the B2, which went through a very nasty stabby phase, before losing nearly all of it's scritch. Not all are broken in yet though. As well as the two I only got this morning, the Case pure and Berkley 46 pure, are still both very early in their settling in stage.
All but two will be packed back away for now, and I'll be spending time with just one scrubby one (Case pure) and one soft gentle one (Jagger 9EJ256). In time, I will swap each one for one of the others, once I've got each one I'm using fully broken in. I just don't want to be faced with too many choices every time I enter the bathroom.
Yes, I could have bought a couple of high end brushes with how much I've spent on this lot. However, I think I'd rather have this lot!
Also, while I do have got a bit of a track record for wrecking brushes, I think this arsenal of brushes should keep me in great shaves for many years to come. 
