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upgrade from Rooney 3/1?

Just looking for some opinions--with my TI straight and ATT DE, I'm thinking I should raise my game on the brush too.


Started out with an EJ Best (medium) which I found to be very soft, not scrubby, and very floppy, not to mention entirely too large. I upgraded to a Rooney 3/1 Super Silvertip, and to me it seems somewhat soft and a little scrubby, with excellent backbone, and the right size.

I like it a lot, and was just wondering what would be the next level (or two) up with the same or very similar characteristics. I would be using it with both soaps and creams. Thanks!
 
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Do you face or bowl lather?

Are you okay with a little bit of scratchiness or do you want to keep going with the same softness of brush?

You're happy with the size of the 3/1? Looking for more density? Do you like that fan shape?
 
If you want similar hair but a different handle, you could look into the Rooney Heritage 3-bands from WCS or Fendrihan. Thater 2-band hair is very high quality but may not deliver a lot of scrubbiness. Perhaps Shavemac's D01 3-band or 2-band might be a good choice since they will be soft but scrubby and deliver excellent backbone.
 
Thanks for quick replies. I'm still a bowl latherer starting out, but might try face in the future. Without much of a frame of reference, it's hard to say if I could do with some scratchiness, but I do enjoy the softness of the 3/1. Love the size and shape, and the density seems great too. (At this point, normal people might ask, "Then why change?" Ah, well.)

I'll look into those suggestions--thanks.
 
Hmm...

I found the 3/1 to be lacking density a bit, which made it feel a bit floppy on the face. It was very soft though. Mine measured out around 22mm x 46mm.

First thought would be a Kent BK4. It's a little bigger brush with a taller loft and a bit more of a bulb shape, but not drastically different. Same ballpark of softness and backbone and similar shape. I think they measure around 23mm x 52mm.

Another idea would be a Savile Row or Shavemac silvertip. Those are going to have a bit more of a pointed bulb shape, but at a tall loft they would make a nice bowl brush. The Savile Row 3122 is around 22mm x 52mm.
 
Interesting...that goes to my limited experience then. Coming off the EJ Best, the 3/1 seemed positively rigid (in a good way). I guess I wouldn't be opposed to a little more backbone though, and it looks like two recommendations for a Shavemac now. I don't know if I'd want a size increase unless it was basically imperceptible.
 
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You may want to consider a run to the IE and a visit to West Coast Shaving. It's likely what you'll want is there and you can see them live. Brushes are very subjective. I'm a face latherer and have a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip and a Simson Colonel. I'm very happy with both.
 
The one thing about Shavemac is that retail offerings are a bulb shape, so if you want to keep the fan shape, you have to go custom. That's not necessarily more money, but there's a wait time. But most people who use fan shape brushes like to face lather, so go figure...

Fan shape brushes tend to feel a bit bigger on the face because of the flatter shape, so people often will go with a little smaller knot size to compensate. On the other hand, fan brushes don't have as much support from the short hairs around the sides, so they will often feel a bit floppier and people tend to go with a shorter loft to compensate.

Another idea is the Simpson Colonel X2L, which is pretty much the same size as the Rooney 3/1. The kicker is the Simpson Best hair is inconsistent, with some folks getting very soft hair and others getting a scratchy version.

Yet another idea would be a custom brush with a 22mm TGN Finest fan shaped knot. Again, you could go with the same size as the Rooney, 22mm x 44-46mm, and you could get it with whatever shape handle you want in whatever color you want. It should be under $100 too. The Finest knots tend to be a stiffer brush but with very soft gel tips.


TL/DR:

Kent BK4 - English silvertip, similar but a bit taller/different shape
Simpson Colonel - English best, very similar but a stiffer knot
Savile Row/Shavemac - German silvertip, definitely a taller brush with a bulb shape
TGN Finest - Chinese knot and custom handle, similar size with a different feel
 
Thanks for all the advice. I'll definitely take it all on board.

You may want to consider a run to the IE and a visit to West Coast Shaving. It's likely what you'll want is there and you can see them live. Brushes are very subjective. I'm a face latherer and have a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip and a Simson Colonel. I'm very happy with both.

That is a great store. I actually lived in Phillips Ranch until about two years ago, of course only discovering wet shaving AFTER moving...
 
Interesting...that goes to my limited experience then. Coming off the EJ Best, the 3/1 seemed positively rigid (in a good way). I guess I wouldn't be opposed to a little more backbone though, and it looks like two recommendations for a Shavemac now. I don't know if I'd want a size increase unless it was basically imperceptible.
I face lather with my 3/1 and find it to have sufficient backbone. To me it's a superb all around brush for both bowl or face lathering. But it definitely has less backbone vs the 2-bands out there, or vs Simpson Best.
 
If you want a little more back bone than a silvertip try a Manchurian knot.Tipsoft sells An excellent Extra white tip & extra packed brush.Mention your on this sight & you just might get a discount............Ernie
 
I have both an amazing rooney 1/1 and a 1/2 that started scruffy and now has a lot of feedback after being broken in (tips are squared off). I attached a pic of the slightly curled tips of the 1/1
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I also have a nice colonel. Closer in feel to the 1/1 than the 1/2 but with light feedback, not scritch.

Then there is Shavemac finest I recently received. A little bit more of a premium but worth it. Similar density to both, a gentle give to the knot instead of being slightly springy like the Rooney. However being set low gives it an beautiful light scrub and the tips are amazing. While the tips may not be as soft as the 1/1 at the ends they're longer from the black band and have a nicer give to them.
 
I think I'm settled on the D01 (3 band fan). Would definitely like to try the others though, but would prefer not to get more than one or two new brushes a year.

Question about the D01 though. I enjoy the Rooney 3/1 with its 22/44 knot/loft, but wouldn't mind slightly smaller, with a bit more backbone. Would anyone recommend staying at 22/44 with the D01 considering its backbone, or would 22/42 be ok?
 
With the D01 I would stick to the 1:1 ratio personally, anything lower seems like it would sacrifice flow through and performance. My regular silvertip is softer and if it was set 22/42 like my finest fan it would be amazing and similar in size and backbone to my Rooney 1/1.
 
I agree with Joe, stick with 1:1 for a D01 3-band fan. You're going to get more backbone vs the Rooney silvertip due to the D01 being a more dense knot, so there is no need to lower the loft.
 
Thanks...I'll do that then. The only reason I was considering lowering the loft was to make the footprint smaller. Would a 21/42 be a performance sacrifice?
 
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I'll attach a picture just to help, my Rooney 1/1, Shavemac Finest 22/42 and Shavemac D01 three band 24/48.

At a loft like 21/42 I would start to question if a D01 would have more unintended backbone just due to the length of the middle band making it more like a two band that low. In turn affecting performance. My finest is definitely much stiffer than a 23/46 silver tip that I have and I think the loft plays the primary role, not the hair grade difference.

$image.jpg
 
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