Vintage "cheap" brush that's actually pretty decent.

[SliceOfLife]

So, I've owned probably close to 100 vintage brushes from makers that aren't really "high end" Your rubbersets and your everready's and the like. The boar brushes tended to be functional, but certainly not to the par of modern boars, but the badgers were across the board pretty disappointing. Even top-dollar models like the EverReady 1000 were too lofty and of mediocre hair grades, possibly even trimmed.

But as of today's shave I finally found an exception. A vintage badger brush, not from a high end maker, with actually a pretty decent knot. Is it the best brush I've ever had, definitely not. It is however, a brush that if made today would be competitive against the entry-level badger offerings of big name makers. The brush fits almost perfectly alongside brushes like the Rooney size 1 Super and the Simpson Colonel Best. In fact it reminds me more than a bit of both of those brushes.

The specs to my measure are 22mm knot, with 47mm loft. It's about the same density as I remember the Rooney Super and Simpson Colonel/Special/Berkeley brushes being... so definitely denser than typical of the "cheap" badger brushes of its era. And the hair is actually nice. Reminds me of the Simpson Best I'm so fond of. Soft but with a bit of scrub to it. I actually scored this brush as a bit of a bonus, thrown in with a display stand I bought, unused but the handle's cracked, and the knot felt so impressive dry that I gave it a shot, and I'm definitely glad I did.

Long story short if you come across a "Solid Set" badger brush with the knot in good shape, assuming the shape/loft/density look in line with what you'd expect from a modern brush of decent make, don't be afraid to give it a try. This one has really impressed me.

Sorry I can't give you a model number of the brush, but it's stamped on the bottom in black ink: 12*349 (the * is some unidentifiable mark that's faded away. Honestly it looks like a little infinity symbol)

 

[mblakele]

"Solid Set" might have been an Erskine brand. A 1953 issue of Hardware Age lists brush manufacturers, and the entry for "Solid Set" just says "see Erskine": http://books.google.com/books?id=Dt8TAQAAMAAJ.

Speaking of cheap vintage knots, I have a Kent from ca. 1950s-60s that might qualify: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...vintage-Kent-brush-K528?p=4339650#post4339650. The handle is cheap plastic, and I am fairly sure it was a mass-market brush. The knot was probably better before half of the tips broke off - or maybe that lowered the loft enough to reduce its flop. Anyway I enjoy using it now and then.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Kent is one of those makers who seemed to make better knots back then than they do now. At least for soap/face lathering. Outside the B&B LE's that were made to B&B's specs rather then kent's, modern kents all look pretty floppy and moppy to me, but I've had two really nice vintage kents with much better specs than what their current offerings have. I didn't know they made an economy line like that, neat. If the knots are the same as their higher end brushes and they just skimped on the handles, I can imagine it being great. Vintage Kent Pure's are really impressive. I've even got a trimmed end mixed hair Kent that were it not for the ends being trimmed, would be a great brush. It works great, but damn is it scratchy.

And I'd buy that it's Erskine, the handle shape is along the lines of the majority of Erskines I've seen and the font does look similar to what I remember seeing on them.

 

[Bestarrkin]

Nice brush, Ian. I have three vintage all badger Kent brushes which are superb too. Anyway their pure badger means that the knots are all made from badgers.