Trying to decide on a nice brush?

[PensHockey71]

Guys, first post and a little background. Took up DE shaving about two months ago and now can't get enough. I bought a "starter kit" from dirtydeedssoap.com that included a Weishi razor, pure badger brush, and a shave soap/mug. It has proven to be a good starter kit and the brush isn't that bad now that it is somewhat broken in. Looking at asking for a really nice brush as it will be a special occasion present. I really like bowl lathering and want a brush with a wide knot (>26mm) that is a lather hog and preferably in super/silvertip badger. Does anyone have any experience with the following brushes or other recommendations? I know some of these are rather expensive, but feel free to recommend brushes of all prices.

This is a Rooney Heritage "Stubby" 2XL w/ a 28mm knot in 2-band super silvertip http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=1499&cat=170&page=1

Simpson Chubby 2 Manchurian badger w/ 27.5mm knot http://www.simpsonshavingbrushes.com/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_BUTTCH2MANCH

Simpson Chubby 2 Super http://www.simpsonshavingbrushes.com/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_CHUBBY

Morris & Forndran shave brush- Really like the look of a few of these I have seen on the forum like this:

I have no idea how to contact Lee and possibly get a brush like this. If anyone could PM me about that I would much appreciate it. Thanks for all help guys, I feel like I have looked at 1000 brushes trying to decide on one!

 

[brucered]

If you like bowl lathering, I think you will be disappointed with all of the above brushes. They have shorter handles and are better suited for face lathering.

I prefer a longer handle and higher loft for bowl lathering. Shorter handle and shorter loft for face lathering.

One of the best bowl lathering brushes I have is my Kent BLK8 and my Rooney "old style" PL1.

If you want Simpson Manchurian, take a look at the M7 handle or Polo handles as they will be more to your liking for Bowl Lathering. If you want Rooney Heritage take a look at Emillion as it's a longer handle as well.

The Kent 8 gets my vote. Soft, luxurious and around $120 or less (on sale from UK vendors).

Here are my favorites in my collection along with some measurements. Most of them are in the 24-25mm knot range, but all come in larger sizes. I find the 24-25mm knot to be the perfect size for every day use.

Rooney "Old Style" PL1 Super Silvertip

Weight: 77.9 g
Overall Height: 111.36 mm
Handle Height: 58.11 mm
Knot Loft: 53.25 mm
Knot Diameter: 24.76 mm

Kent BLK8 Silvertip

Weight: 69.7 g
Overall Height: 110.00 mm
Handle Height: 55.53 mm
Knot Loft: 54.47 mm
Knot Diameter: 24.59 mm

Morris & Forndran L7 2 Band Blonde Badger

Weight: 72.7 g
Overall Height: 106.54 mm
Handle Height: 57.50 mm
Knot Loft: 49.04 mm
Knot Diameter: 24.55 mm

Shavemac #25 26mm Silvertip

Weight: 76.8 g
Overall Height: 110.71 mm
Handle Height: 53.29 mm
Knot Loft: 57.40 mm
Knot Diameter: 28.03 mm

 

[PensHockey71]

Thanks for the advice. Those are some nice brushes. I haven't used a Manchurian badger brush, but the reviews I have read are positive. I do like the M7 Simpson handle and may look into a similar handle in the Morris & Forndran if I can find one. Keep the recommendations coming..

 

[cooltide]

like you when i started on the road of wet shaving i began with a starter kit brush and since then i have bought five brushes from vulfix to semogue & last week i bought a shavemac D01, this brush is the best i have tried hands down from face lathering to scuttle to creams, i'm sure you will hear all sorts of recommendations for various reasons but i promise you, you won't go wrong with a shavemac D01

 

[Talisker 13]

Again....all great brushes, I am a bit new to the dance as well and found great luck with Larry at Whipped Dog.com. I have no affiliation but love the service. I have a 30mm silver tip with a custom pottery color on order for less than 50 bucks. I figured it was an easy intro into a large brush, great quality, and an even better price.

Best of Luck,

 

[Crag]

You can always look on the Bay for Defective Frank Shaving Brushes. At around $20 delieverd you can't really go wrong. Shipping takes a whopping 6 to 7 days from China and that is where 99% of all badger 2-band brush knots come from anyway.

I have a number of "defective" brushes and except for one cosmetically crackd handle have not noticed a single imperfection while shaving.

Give them a look, if you are interested. Frank Shaving and LiJun are my personal favorite Chinese brushes.

 

[yellafella321]

I went through a lot of very expensive brushes - Commodore X3, Duke 3, SR 3824, Chubby 1 2-band, Heritage Emillion 2, and Thater 4125/2 and settled in on the Rooney 2XL as my favorite - but I'm mostly a face latherer. Unfortunately, the 2XL isn't well suited for bowl lathering.

What you decide on for your brush should probably relate back to how you want the brush to feel on your face. I wanted something that had super backbone, was very dense, and provided a great scrubby feel without the slightest hint of scritch. The 2XL won by a mile.

Not sure if this was a typo - but if you want a lather hog - the Chubby series is probably king.

Although it cost me a lot of money, trying all these different brushes helped me figure out exactly what I wanted in a brush - and I was able to purchase most of them used here. From my experience, I had no hesitation in purchasing a new 2XL with the tortoise handle. If you really want to go all in on a $250+ brush, I'd try at least one of the brushes I named above to figure out where you want the brush to be - whether you want something more dense, longer handle, bulb vs. fan, better flow-through, etc. before asking for a really nice brush that you may not think was worth the price.

 

[ThePatrician]

Bruce nailed it right out of the gate: taller lofts are better-suited for bowl-lathering, shorter lofts for face-lather. I have a Simpson PJ2 and really enjoy it, but the knot is only 22mm, so it's quite a bit narrower than your minimum of 26mm. Have you considered commissioning a brush from a vendor? You could get exactly what you are looking for, most likely for quite a bit less than you would pay buying a factory-made one. I had a brush made for me with a handle modeled on a Simpson Manchurian brush that works very well.

 

[brucered]

You can always look on the Bay for Defective Frank Shaving Brushes. At around $20 delieverd you can't really go wrong. Shipping takes a whopping 6 to 7 days from China and that is where 99% of all badger 2-band brush knots come from anyway.

I have a number of "defective" brushes and except for one cosmetically crackd handle have not noticed a single imperfection while shaving.

Give them a look, if you are interested. Frank Shaving and LiJun are my personal favorite Chinese brushes.

I wasn't aware that 99% of the 2 band knots all came from China?

He is also buying a "special occasion" brush and willing to spend a few bucks, so can probably look to Simpson, Rooney, Shavemac, Kent, M&F or a custom from a vendor/hobbiets etc instead of one with a defect right out of the gate, as you had suggested.

I'm not saying he has to spend $250+ on a brush like he was looking at, but why not a Custom Shavemac that is known to perform, can be engraved and made to order?

 

[PensHockey71]

I am no expert on brushes so everything that has been mentioned is helpful. I will look into the higher loft/longer handle since I do prefer bowl lathering. Does anyone have any information on the M&F brushes. Just really want to get the nicest brush I can since this may be one of the only times in the near future I can get a really nice brush. I am also looking into the custom Shavemac's. This brush seems to have my eye but haven't pulled the trigger:

This one from Simpson is pretty nice too but not sure about the Manchurian hair:
http://www.simpsonshavingbrushes.com/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_MANBUTTPOLO10

Let me know what you guys think and Happy Easter!

 

[PensHockey71]

I hope everyone had a great Easter. Really thinking about pulling the trigger on the Shavemac brush. Also looking into WhippedDog and TGN options. Like I said earlier, mostly bowl latherer and use colonel conk glycerin soaps and various creams. I have been experimenting trying to get a great lather. Let me know if you guys have any other recommendations. Thanks again.

 

[brucered]

pull the trigger on a Shavemac, you won't be disappointed.

M&F's are also FANTASTIC. i own 2 of them, 1 for bowl and 1 for face. ultra soft, great density, no scritch and great handles/build quality. they are much more difficult to obtain but worth it for a custom option brush as well.

Both are fantastic choices.

 

[musicman1951]

Kent BK8 for bowl lathering.

 

[s_cubed]

Again....all great brushes, I am a bit new to the dance as well and found great luck with Larry at Whipped Dog.com. I have no affiliation but love the service. I have a 30mm silver tip with a custom pottery color on order for less than 50 bucks. I figured it was an easy intro into a large brush, great quality, and an even better price.

Best of Luck,

+1 for Whipped Dog!

 

[MRGAP]

Have a 30mm silvertip Whipped Dog, I bowl lather, works GREAT!

 

[brucered]

You guys with WD brushes, do you have an others to compare them too?

Just wondering....as my WD is not even close to the quality of my Shavemacs, Rooney's, M&Fs, Kent and other brushes.

good for the price, but not in the same league as the big guys f you ask me. I have a WD handle too, and its nice from far, but up close it has bubbles in the finish, air holes, rough edges etc. my WD restore looks nice, but sheds more then our real dog.

 

[PensHockey71]

I actually sent Larry an email and got a response rather quickly. I am still looking into a possible brush from him. I also ran across these on the forum and must say they look pretty nice:

The "M7" handle should be great for bowl lathering. I am going to look into a brush with this company. Looks like they do great work!

 

[NSmalls]

Have you considered a Rudy Vey custom? I have two and they are my two favorite brushes!

 

[ThePatrician]

The M7 handle is highly sought-after. Any time they show up on the BST, they are gone almost before they're posted for sale. I have two RV customs I've asked him to make, and they are SUPERB. One of them is modeled on a M&F handle, and it is absolutely striking. They are both fantastic; his work and reputation are top-notch. I highly recommend him. I've attached pictures of them so you can see his craftsmanship. I would easily put these up against the big names in terms of quality and performance.

 

[tm3]

imo you need to consider bowl vs face (you said bowl), feel (cloud soft vs some "scritchyness"), handle size (some like it big, some don't), knot size (big and pillowy vs small and precise), handle shape (totally subjective), handle color (ibid), and fan shape vs bulb shape (i would pass to the experts on this as i don't know the nuances). price of course plays a role, and you seem to be saying that you want optimum "bang" as opposed to optimum "bang for the buck."

here is a brush that i got when i started out, better for bowl lather than face but not too shabby on the face, very large handle, large knot, extremely soft and pillowy with no "scritch," appealing (to me) handle shape and color: Saville Row 3226. i have added a few others but still use and enjoy this one very much, plus it is <$150 which is around what i paid for it.

description from the www site:This smallest member of the "32" series is completely handmade and, in over all dimensions, one of the largest brushes in the Savile Row collection. The tightly packed 26mm knot contains 24 grams of the finest and rarest hand-selected, hand-shaped silvertip badger hair, which has superb vertical strength yet soft tips. The exceptional water-holding capacity of this brush insures a rich warm lather. The faux ivory resin handle is lathe-turned by hand; the shape is both stylish and practical. $145.50