Vie-long 13061M anyone.

Henrik · Jun 22, 2013

After years with boars and badgers in different gradings I am contemplating to take a dive in the warm pools of a hair I am not that familiar with at all. Horse. I now there is a lot of fans out there so I do need some advice. The handle on the 13061M looks good.
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My main reason for posting is the loft and the overall feel. Although usually fond of shorter lofts (and usually denser knots) I occasionally grab a somewhat bigger brush- when it comes to the height of the loft. One of my boars in particular comes to mind - a 65mm loft boar (an Italian Zenith). I like it a lot. Very lush and gorgeous. It goes with a pretty big knot as well. (Perhaps 23mm-have not checked to be honest)

Would the loft 57mm of the Vie-Long be the ticket to someone like me? I am not really asking for advice on the brush handle- but more so on the mix of mane/tail hair and the overall height of the loft. Would the big loft be too floppy compared to a boar?
As when comes to badgers I got pretty much the whole spectrum covered but with this type of hair I am all lost in the wilderness.
I am thankful for any advice given.

mblakele · Jun 22, 2013

So... "unbleached brown horse hair in the approximate ratio of 35% mane hair and 65% tail hair", knot 23-mm, loft 57-mm (from BGS).

I have a BGS 2012 LE, which is natural 35% mane, 65% tail, 25-mm x 55-mm. I used it this morning, and it has plenty of backbone. A 23x57 would be a bit different, but probably fine.

You may find the hair a bit prickly at first, but mine either broke in or I got used to it. A similar brush in bleached and dyed hair was softer to begin with, but prone to tangles.

For reference, here are the horse brushes I have used.

Henrik · Jun 22, 2013

mblakele said:
So... "unbleached brown horse hair in the approximate ratio of 35% mane hair and 65% tail hair", knot 23-mm, loft 57-mm (from BGS).

I have a BGS 2012 LE, which is natural 35% mane, 65% tail, 25-mm x 55-mm. I used it this morning, and it has plenty of backbone. A 23x57 would be a bit different, but probably fine.

Thanks! Your 25x55 and your findings about your brush might might bring a torch in my search of a new brush here. I am really fine with brushes in general but I thought it would be fun to try different kind of hair.

alohakid · Jun 22, 2013

I have/had several Vie-Long's in both blends in various knots and lofts , with various handles , and say , Go for it ! The brush your considering is great !
For the Vie-Long horse hair's I think a 24 knot should be the baseline .
From there you can try a shorter loft , a 50/50 blend , or a different handle .
But the 13061M is all you really need .

Mick · Jun 22, 2013

The 13061 Vie Long I had was very soft. Very much like my Kent BK8 in softness. Great brush with creams and bowl lathering. Good release of lather and cloud soft.

Oscroft · Jun 22, 2013

I have both that knot and that handle - but in different brushes. I have the handle with 50/50 white hair, and it's one of my favourites.

I have the knot in a handle that seems to be no longer available and I like it a lot, but with experience I think I'd prefer a slightly lower loft - not sure I'd want it quite as low as the 50mm of the 13061S, mind.

Starkicker · Jun 23, 2013

I have the same brush only the white hair version. I bought it as a 14080 model number, but it doesn't exist I don't think. I love the brush, it's soft but slightly stingy. The handle is a little smaller than I expected, but its an all around great brush.

bosseb · Jun 23, 2013

Henrik said:
Would the loft 57mm of the Vie-Long be the ticket to someone like me? I am not really asking for advice on the brush handle- but more so on the mix of mane/tail hair and the overall height of the loft. Would the big loft be too floppy compared to a boar?

I have this brush in all white unbleached 50/50 horse. I've had the 21 mm Vie-Longs (both 50/50 and 65/35) and they were floppier. I have therefore set the loft at 50 mm and the result is very comparable to my Semogue 620 except for the scritch. I am quite sure that the unmodified brush would be floppier than a Semogue 620 but maybe not a Semogue 830.

You can order a custom loft Vie-Long here: http://www.giftsandcare.com/en/hors...vie-long-horse-hair-shaving-brush-13061m.html .

Hope this helps OP!

Henrik · Jun 23, 2013

Thanks for all your GOOD observations gents. I finally decided to go with the regular 24mm knot and 57mm loft (aka not going to fuss around to have the loft shorten). Besides I have plenty of brushes in different sizes so I am ok. And yes Bosseb- the giftandandcare is the shop most convenient for me (well us both I guess).

alohakid · Jun 23, 2013

Please report back !

Oscroft · Jun 23, 2013

Henrik said:
And yes Bosseb- the giftandandcare is the shop most convenient for me (well us both I guess).

I got my Vie-Long brushes from giftsandcare too - great service!

alohakid · Jun 23, 2013

I've purchased from giftsandcare as well and agree , great customer service .
Although I believe in the stock lofts of Vie-Long brushes .
And Pasteur Pharmacy in NYC has a good selection of Vie-Long horse hairs .

Henrik · Jun 23, 2013

alohakid said:
Please report back !

Hokidoki. Will do. I just placed my order and could not resist to add an Institut Karité soap (never tried it out but I have longed for it for a VERY long time), some more La Toja (quite possible the best stick on earth), and a razor case that has had zero reviews yet.

mftoms59 · Jun 25, 2013

Gifts & Care for All your Horse Hair Brush Needs, bought 21 of the 25 I owned there.

Starkicker · Jun 26, 2013

I just used a 14080 and man my face feels raw. Same MWF, same brush i've been using for two weeks, same blade even. The only change was the razor (went from a EJ DE89 to a Merkur 34HD). The shave was pleasant, nice and mild but man my face is raw. I didn't think I pushed the brush, but I might have?

I'm adjusting to the height well now, I like using it to facelather with. I can still feel some of the stingers from the tail hair; how long until those soften? I compared this to a WD silvertip and there was no scritch whatsoever from the WD, but pushing it around my face was like pushing rope. No exfoliation but it lathered up nicely. Still prefer a little more backbone though.

Henrik · Jul 4, 2013

Ok- I have received the brush and by now I have swirled it up twice. Here are my observations:
Appearence- the handle is gorgeous and very comfy. I guess they must have altered the colour of the handle- it´s now brown (goes well with the hair). The hair: I am not fond of dyed hair no matter what beast so in this case I got- well natural horse hair. Not in particular beautiful but like I said- I like to stick with the natural appearances of brushes. Some hairs are sticking out here and there. A bit of slackiness in production I believe. Also the overall shape could have been nicer cut. But again we are talking about a rather cheap brush here.
I must have gotten a rather over sized brush. Specs: knot-27mm, loft- 60mm. Not a hint of floppiness here. So I wonder why I read so many threads where people are raving to go below 50mm on these horse hair brushes. The brush IS very dense compared to my experience with the boars that I got or have had.

The smell: yes it´s there- but I would not call it dreadful. More a humble scent right from the stables. Quite like it. Anyway it will wear off with time of course.
Action! Lathering up was REALLY easy. I used Gold Dachs Spezial and I must say that I was treated with a very luxurious lather in less time than the boars- maybe even my badgers are beaten.. My guess is that the soap is better picked up by the roughened tail hair.
I can feel some scritch when doing circular movements- again must be the tail hair. No bother though. I face lather most of the time and what I do is to begin with a few (light) circular movements and continue with paint strokes.

Summing it all up: I am very pleased with this brush!