Vie-Long J.L. Petree brush win and why don't we talk about horse hair brushes more?

[RailroadMan]

I won Phil/Bullgoose's J.L. Petree horse brush here:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-Long-Derby-Win-a-J-L-Petree-Horse-Hair-Brush

and had my first shave with it tonight. Why does no one ever argue for the horse hair brushes? This this is great so far. Sturdy with backbone and very soft. It lathered the Above the Tie soap with no problem and I got a great shave. I think we need a third party view on this old brush argument.

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[Omnius1]

I got a Cachurro recently from bull goose, and have definitely been enjoying it! It has a very different knot, at least compared to my badger/boar brushes. Some of the hairs are clipped and some are not, but the clipped ones are set about half a centimeter below the normal ones. The overall effect is that it's very soft with light pressure, but if I press down some it exfoliates more. It's very different from my other brushes, but I'm liking it a lot so far.

The only downside so far has been that it takes longer to lather with it, but that's more because I'm used to beating the soap into submission with a boar brush, so learning to whip it up with light pressure is taking some time.

I'm very happy with it so far, and have definitely started eyeing the other Vie-Long brushes

 

[oakeshott]

Congrats on your win. That is a fine looking brush and I may just have to get my own.

also a fan of horsehair here and not because its cheap compared to badger, but because of its intrinsic qualities. My first one was Phil's beehive LE and the second one was the same brush in butterscotch . Just got another one from Vie Long and it confirms what I thought.

These brushes are not as soft as badger, but they are pretty darn soft and the scritch that remains after a short period of break-in is very mild. Hardly noticeable to most. The performance, however, actually seems a little better than badger. Quicker loading, wetter lather(which I like) and the lather releases better off the brush.

Lets also not forgot the comfort these brushes are able to give to those shavers made uncomfortable by dead animal goods.

The only clear negative, and it's a big one, is that after the shave they are nowhere near as pretty as a badger brush. It looks like someone stuck a drowned rat, ***-end first, in my brush handle after I rinse out the excess soap. I sometimes stare at mine in shock when I hang it up and think about sticking it back in the cupboard where no one can see it.

 

[RailroadMan]

I'm glad you brought this up. I wondered about the whole dead animal thing and assumed that horses need not perish to be sheared. If someone isn't completely against animal products altogether, this is a fine choice.

Also, this brush looks a lot nicer (to me) than a wet boar brush, they look disgusting wet. YMMV.

 

[RailroadMan]

Well, I really thought this might garner a little more interest, but here are some more impressions.

MWF, which I lather on top of the soap in a mug, did not churn up the best lather, but it was passable.

Tabac cream, which I did on my face, was great. Had enough for 3.5 passes, but was a little watery (my fault).

Overall, and so far, this a nice looking, feeling, decent lathering brush. I will add more as I test it out and as asked.

 

[Oscroft]

We've actually had a few threads discussing Vie-Long horsehair brushes, and there seems to be a small but firm fan base for them here on B&B.

I like them a lot and currently have two, both in brown hair - a 13060M (I think it's a 24mm knot with a 57mm loft) and a 13800M (think it's a 21mm knot, I had it set at 48mm). The hair mix is 65% tail/35% mane, which is the stiffer of the two mixes, and I think it works very well - the tips do soften after a bit of use.

I've also just ordered one of the new ones in undyed natural white hair, a 13061B. The hair is 50/50 and is a softer mix, so I'm really looking forward to trying it.

MWF, which I lather on top of the soap in a mug, did not churn up the best lather, but it was passable

I can get good lather from MWF with my Vie-Long brushes. It just takes a bit of practice - try working it on the soap a bit more more gently but for longer, and see if that works for you.

 

[mftoms59]

I received my V-L J.L. Petree Horse yesterday, the knot actually measured 47mm, since I face lather it's a big +. I did my first lather this evening, as usual the Tips already felt soft with just a touch of scritch, like my previous ~20 V-L's there was no odor detected. The handle was very comfortable and the lather built easily & quickly, I'll give it a day to dry and Thursday will be its maiden face lather with some Pana Creama Africa (I love this scent and the lather is very slick).

Alan, I received a reply from Juan and I'll be getting the Natural White @48mm in the 13066 I also suggested offering it the 13064, I think the Coffee would contrast with the White knot very nicely. Unfortunately my order will be delayed a week or so which is when he'll be placing his next order... something to look forward to and i might have to add the 13064

Here you go RailroadMan; http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...e-Long-El-Caballo-Español-(The-Spanish-horse)

 

[Oscroft]

Alan, I received a reply from Juan and I'll be getting the Natural White @48mm in the 13066 I also suggested offering it the 13064, I think the Coffee would contrast with the White knot very nicely. Unfortunately my order will be delayed a week or so which is when he'll be placing his next order... something to look forward to and i might have to add the 13064

Yep, I got a reply from Juan too, and I'm happy to start with a standard 53mm loft - I alternate between bowl lathering and face lathering. But I do like the look of that 13066 - it looks like a good grippy handle for face lathering. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it - I could see a 48mm version of it in my future too

 

[mftoms59]

Alan, I have two in the shape of the 13066 and love it, I palm the base and my finger tips are right below the knot, very comfortable to hold & control. A 48mm loft is my upper limit on my face lathering brushes and it's still bowl worthy when I have the urge for change. The 50/50 ratio will reduce the firmness slightly and adding a bit of splay, the sub 50mm loft keeps it out of the floppy zone.

 

[Daiku]

I have a Vie-Long 12601 (unbleached hair, 50mm loft). I've only had the brush for a couple of weeks, but the more I use it, the more I like it. I only use it for face lathering. It's good with a shave stick, but great with VDH. Just a solid-performing, affordable brush.

 

[Neognosis]

I got the inexpensive, unbleached Peleon horsehair from my son and ex wife for father's day last year.... and honestly, for creams or a soap that is near the bottom of the bowl, I prefer it over the badgers I have. It's actually a bit softer in some ways. I am a big fan of horse now. My ex wife rides a horse, so she was excited to hear that the hair is taken without harming the horse, so the gift had extra meaning for her.

 

[celestino]

Wil, i think horse-hair brushes are very good, but for my sensitive skin and since i face-lather, exclusively, i find them too "scratchy" and i get brush burn with them, unfortunately. However, they are fantastic brushes.

 

[mftoms59]

...Thursday will be its maiden face lather with some Pana Creama Africa (I love this scent and the lather is very slick)...

This morning I loaded the J.L. Petree with my Pana Creama Africa soft soap ~65 seconds and did my normal face lather, the handle was very comfortable to grip due to the tapered shape. The brush was noticeably scrubby with a slight to moderate scritch with some pressure but overall it was a pleasant exfoliating experience, and the tips should soften quickly. The lather built quickly, ~50-70 seconds of circular strokes, a creamy layer which was released from the brush willingly. I was able to get three passes worth of lather from the knot, which seems to be more of a hybrid Fan/Bulb shape and is a big plus for face lathering.

After my shave the brush rinsed clean quickly and easily, a few shakes and swipes on my towel, and stored on my shelf. This evening, ~4:30 PM, I checked the knot, ~2/3 of the loft was dry and the bottom third was damp and should be dry by the morning, one of the benefits of a Horse Hair is quick drying.

I enjoyed this BG LE very much, more than the initial BG LE, which is better for bowl lathering, the exception was the Badger/Horse. Though taking it to the bowl would work, the shorter loft and slightly smaller knot make this ideal for face lathering. I did add the Badger/Horse model to my stable today, as a face latherer, this LE is a big Home Run by Phil and I highly recommend it.

 

[Omnius1]

After using my Cachurro for about a week, I'm finding that I like it more and more. I checked it under a pocket microscope, and it doesn't look like the tail hairs were clipped after all. Their tips look lot flatter than the mane hairs, but they are rounded at the edges, and don't look like they have been cut.

Also, after several uses some of the tail hairs have started to split, and it seems to feel less scritchy now than it did at first. The brush started out very nice, and it's looking like it'll keep getting better!

 

[Oscroft]

I got my white 50/50 brush yesterday, and so far I've only given it a test lathering, but it feels very nice indeed - I'll use it for a shave tomorrow. My first impression is that 53mm is probably the right default loft for the 24mm knot. It feels like a knot that will work well for both face and bowl lathering - and I almost certainly will get another with a lower loft later, exclusively for face lathering.

More great service from Gifts&Care too. I got an email from Juan at the weekend telling me that the new Proraso sandalwood soap I'd also ordered had been delayed - the promised delivery had not turned up from Italy, and is expected some time this week. But rather than make me wait even that short time, Juan had shipped my brush in advance on Friday - and it arrived Tuesday morning, with a complimentary sample tube of Proraso cream!

 

[mftoms59]

Alan, Juan's Customer Service and personal updates when unexpected delays/problems arise are two of the many reasons I am a repeat customer. Would you happen to own any Banded 50/50 V-L Horses. If so, how does the Hair types relatively compare as far as diameter, softness and backbone/spring, I'm just wondering if the Natural White are stiffer and thicker.

 

[JeffOlson]

I really like my Vie-Long 13061. The handle is strikingly beautiful and very ergonomic, and the high loft and soft tips provide a very comfortable experience. I like to face-lather with creams, and the 13061 does a good job.

Just for fun, I just ordered the short-loft silver tip version with the same handle. (Apparently, no Chinese badgers are harmed in producing Vie-Long's silver tip brushes--but Russian ones are...)

I really like the fact that horse-hair brushes do not require a dead animal. Also, I dare say that my V-L horse-hair brush feels just as soft on my face as my M&F Blonde Badger...

 

[Oscroft]

Would you happen to own any Banded 50/50 V-L Horses. If so, how does the Hair types relatively compare as far as diameter, softness and backbone/spring, I'm just wondering if the Natural White are stiffer and thicker

No, I never got one of the banded 50/50 brushes - but Juan did say that it's the same hair.

 

[Oscroft]

I really like my Vie-Long 13061. The handle is strikingly beautiful and very ergonomic [...] I just ordered the short-loft silver tip version with the same handle.

Yes, it's a very nice handle indeed - even nicer than it looks in the photos. And I keep thinking about a short-loft silvertip too - a silvertip with a bit more firmness would be very nice

 

[Oscroft]

I've just had a shave using the 13061B, face-lathering with Arlington soap, and it's very nice indeed

As expected, it's noticeably softer than the 65/35 hair. It also has some of that light scritch you get from new Vie-Long horse hair, presumably from the tail hairs, but that softens after a bit of use. I also really like that handle - it's something of a classic, looks great, and it fits very well in my hand.

In use, it lathered up the Arlington really well (though admittedly, it's not a difficult soap to lather), and it held easily enough lather for three passes. I really think this is going to become a favourite.