Wald A1 Synthetic Brush

[Dtownvino]

Gentleman, I had a fan. Used it 2x but a friend really wanted it and thought I needed a bulb. Sold it to him. Now i am wondering from those that have a bulb and a fan, does it matter?

I purchased another one today but need to specify bulb or fan. Really torn, it’s like the first time i ate sushi, I wasn’t sure I liked it then in 2 days I craved it.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Gentleman, I had a fan. Used it 2x but a friend really wanted it and thought I needed a bulb. Sold it to him. Now i am wondering from those that have a bulb and a fan, does it matter?

I purchased another one today but need to specify bulb or fan. Really torn, it’s like the first time i ate sushi, I wasn’t sure I liked it then in 2 days I craved it.

I’ve got three of each. In my opinion there’s no difference other than the looks. The loft is 2mm higher on the bulb so that both knots perform and feel similarly, by design. He does offer an “OG Bulb” option, which is a little less dense than the regular bulb.

I was actually surprised that the bulb splays just as effortlessly as the fan. But it does.

I think you should pick the one you think looks best.

 

[Elliot]

I like both of those better than the Beelzebub.

Feel like the Bloodline is authentic to him, so probably going there.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Feel like the Bloodline is authentic to him, so probably going there.

Very true, and as good a reason as any. The Bloodline and Deep Sea colours are definitely the look that defined Wald’s unique style and got his work noticed. They are stunning.

 

[Dtownvino]

I love both bloodline and deep sea.

 

[Dtownvino]

I’ve got three of each. In my opinion there’s no difference other than the looks. The loft is 2mm higher on the bulb so that both knots perform and feel similarly, by design. He does offer an “OG Bulb” option, which is a little less dense than the regular bulb.

I was actually surprised that the bulb splays just as effortlessly as the fan. But it does.

I think you should pick the one you think looks best.

I somehow knew this would be someone’s answer. I’m a sucker to keep buying the same thing over and over again.

 

[Rocket 1]

Gentleman, I had a fan. Used it 2x but a friend really wanted it and thought I needed a bulb. Sold it to him. Now i am wondering from those that have a bulb and a fan, does it matter?

I purchased another one today but need to specify bulb or fan. Really torn, it’s like the first time i ate sushi, I wasn’t sure I liked it then in 2 days I craved it.

Probably a little less helpful but I had that debate on my initial (and to date only) purchase of the A1 Nimbus. I am historically a bowl latherer and almost always prefer a bulb, or hybrid, particularly for "painting" strokes. And in general I have never enjoyed a fan knot more than a bulb, until the A1 (for the reasons shared in my earlier post). In addition, I personally think the fan knot is a more pleasing shape when fitted to a Nimbus handle. I was very tempted to purchase another one with today's drop, but decided to hold off for the other matte colorways.

 

[Rocket 1]

PS I forgot to credit @Mr. Shavington . He provided his same guidance above, around the time I was considering my purchase. It did help push me over to selecting the fan, given my aesthetic preference. I always find his guidance helpful. Although I have learned to avert my gaze from his brush collection images, unless I am prepared for a new brush purchase

 

[muzichead]

Looks like the price went up on this drop also. The new price is $252.40, up from $240.00 in the last drop...

 

[Dtownvino]

Looks like the price went up on this drop also. The new price is $252.40, up from $240.00 in the last drop...

The dollar has been weakening against the Euro since December. It has had an 11% swing in favor of the EUR, so it’s about in line with the exchange.

I buy from a lot of European suppliers, so I’m tracking it all the time.

I used a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees, 229+19= 248 EUR * 1.1 = $272.80… my credit card company charged about 0.50 less than that.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Looks like the price went up on this drop also. The new price is $252.40, up from $240.00 in the last drop...

I think it might be something to do with currency. My Wald A1s were all US$ 249. The price now is € 229. So he has changed to sellng in Euros rather than American dollars. Whether it’s more or less than before depends on where you live and what the current rate is. Sounds like your price in American dollars is pretty close to the $249 it was before.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I have been able to fight off the urge to get a Wald brush so far. It’s very difficult to place any orders from Bali on my phone. We switched out the SIM cards for local internet, etc., so the credit card companies all require a one time code texted to the phone……to the number attached to the phone. Alas, when you switch cards, you are assigned an Indonesian phone number…. And the texts don’t go through. There is no email option.

I guess forgetting my laptop power supply is saving me a lot of money. <eg>

 

[muzichead]

I think it might be something to do with currency. My Wald A1s were all US$ 249. The price now is € 229. So he has changed to sellng in Euros rather than American dollars. Whether it’s more or less than before depends on where you live and what the current rate is. Sounds like your price in American dollars is pretty close to the $249 it was before.

I made a mistake on the price, I thought it was $240 but as you pointed out it was $249 so I guess that wasn't too bad...

 

[Rudy Vey]

The dollar has been weakening against the Euro since December. It has had an 11% swing in favor of the EUR, so it’s about in line with the exchange.

I buy from a lot of European suppliers, so I’m tracking it all the time.

I used a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees, 229+19= 248 EUR * 1.1 = $272.80… my credit card company charged about 0.50 less than that.

Shavemac also has now only Euro as the currency online. The Euro has gone up a bit over the $. For me good and bad....the rate is now about 1 Euro to 1.10 Dollar. Mid-end last year, I think in September or so, the two currencies were equal.

 

[Dtownvino]

Shavemac also has now only Euro as the currency online. The Euro has gone up a bit over the $. For me good and bad....the rate is now about 1 Euro to 1.10 Dollar. Mid-end last year, I think in September or so, the two currencies were equal.

This is true, the dollar was stronger than the Euro part of Q4 2022. The Euro has rebound about 11% since then. All in all, the price difference is 5 dollars since February for the brush due to currency. And mind everyone, in NA we get the brushes cheaper than EU countries as we don’t pay the 19% VAT and Jannik doesn’t collect local sales tax. So even though are shipping is higher, it still works out we get the better deal.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

This is true, the dollar was stronger than the Euro part of Q4 2022. The Euro has rebound about 11% since then. All in all, the price difference is 5 dollars since February for the brush due to currency. And mind everyone, in NA we get the brushes cheaper than EU countries as we don’t pay the 19% VAT and Jannik doesn’t collect local sales tax. So even though are shipping is higher, it still works out we get the better deal.

Very true. Living within the EU my $249 Wald A1 brushes all cost me $307, including the tax. If you don’t get charged import taxes you save a lot of money buying from outside the EU.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Ok, it’s only a guess, of course, but the Wald synth might be too soft for me. Is it possible to characterize the feel of his badger offerings? I have read his descriptions on the website, but I’d value input from all of you that have his badger brushes.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

Ok, it’s only a guess, of course, but the Wald synth might be too soft for me. Is it possible to characterize the feel of his badger offerings? I have read his descriptions on the website, but I’d value input from all of you that have his badger brushes.

I’d say Wald’s badger brush is one of the best premium artisan style badgers. That is to say it’s dense two-band hair with strong-ish backbone and soft white tips. I have only one J3 brush. The tips are uniformly white and there is no single prickly hair in there. The tips are treated, of course (I don’t believe there is such a thing as a natural artisan two-band badger knot) but they are not gelled at all and they don’t clump or get crusty when the knot dries. The tips just feel soft and uniform.

Since you’re comparing to your SV brushes or Zenith Manchurians, and not other, similar, current artisan style knots, you would feel a very substantial increase in hair density and backbone and you would have zero scritch or prickle. Also the Wald 27mm knot will feel a bit bigger, bigger than the SV particularly. Of course you might well prefer the much more pliable, lower density, lower backbone of your current brushes, and you might prefer a little scritch. You can’t really know unless you try. It will certainly feel different.

It also just has a very definite overall feeling of quality. It feels more expensive, which it is, of course.

 

[Elliot]

For those in a similar boat as I was, Jannik has uploaded pics of all the colorways: Colorways - https://waldshaving.com/pages/colorways

 

[Mr. Shavington]

For those in a similar boat as I was, Jannik has uploaded pics of all the colorways: Colorways - https://waldshaving.com/pages/colorways

At last! That was sorely needed and he certainly has all the photos. Thanks for posting this link.