Wald A1 Synthetic Brush
- Thread starter Mr. Shavington
- Start date
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- #942
Mr. Shavington
Knows Hot Turkish Toilets
I managed to get one of the Wald J4 badgers and it shipped today. Jannik sent me a picture of the brush. I went for the Stratos shape (as with my J3 badgers) and chose the gold/ivory colourway that he did recently for a couple of the A1s. I think it came out great. 
Sweet JesusI managed to get one of the Wald J4 badgers and it shipped today. Jannik sent me a picture of the brush. I went for the Stratos shape (as with my J3 badgers) and chose the gold/ivory colourway that he did recently for a couple of the A1s. I think it came out great.
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Beauty - Congrats!!
I managed to get one of the Wald J4 badgers and it shipped today. Jannik sent me a picture of the brush. I went for the Stratos shape (as with my J3 badgers) and chose the gold/ivory colourway that he did recently for a couple of the A1s. I think it came out great.
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That's a beauty and probably the first Wald I've seen that has appealed to me aesthetically.
I managed to get one of the Wald J4 badgers and it shipped today. Jannik sent me a picture of the brush. I went for the Stratos shape (as with my J3 badgers) and chose the gold/ivory colourway that he did recently for a couple of the A1s. I think it came out great.
View attachment 1835825That is a gorgeous brush — congratulations!
Is a beauty !I managed to get one of the Wald J4 badgers and it shipped today. Jannik sent me a picture of the brush. I went for the Stratos shape (as with my J3 badgers) and chose the gold/ivory colourway that he did recently for a couple of the A1s. I think it came out great.
View attachment 1835825
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
The Wald Mini is a surgical lather machine. I never thought I’d use it as much as I do.
Great brush indeed, the backbone is stronger than the Calyx, I don't know which one I like better. Lovely the Calyx configuration for my taste
Both brushed are winners
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the brush. I've never tried the Calyx, but the look of it has been growing on me. I love my A1 Nimbus; it's my desert island brush.
Fourth use and I think I have marked it
simply excellent !
After 30 shaves with the Delphi, I feel ready to give a review.
Some details:
The Delphi is one of the “standard” offerings. The handle has what I would consider to be a modified keyhole shape with deeply cut vertical ridges running top to bottom around the handle. The knot is a 24mm Wald A1 synthetic fiber tied in a fan shape.
The brush is comparable in size to the regular sized Nimbus and Stratos handles.
Start with some personal dislikes:
1. Knot size: the A1 knots always feel smaller than listed size and this is no exception. I would say that this knot feels to be similar to what a 19-20mm badger knot feels like on the face. This isn’t bad, but I personally prefer the feel of the larger diameter A1 knots.
2. Handle: the bottom portion of the handle is a little too narrow in circumference for me. When I’m gripping the top bulbous portion with my fingers, the bottom of the handle isn’t being firmly seated in the palm of my hand, which psychologically makes it feel less stable, though I never in practice had any issues with the brush slipping or actually being unstable. Again this one is all in my head.
Some personal likes:
1. Knot material and shape: This is the same amazing A1 fiber that you get in the big A1 handles, for less cost. The fan shape here is very comfortable, splaying easily, loading quickly, and giving at the end of the day a comparable shave to my other Walds. Also the knot “broke in” within 10 shaves.
2. Water “regulation” : The water retention is similar to the regular A1 fan shape (holds a lot of water with just a single dip of the tips). But because it is smaller, it holds less volume than the regular making it harder to pick up too much water into the knot inadvertently.
3. Colorway: This will be entirely personal, but I like the pastel colors that have been used for this handle so far. I would also like to try the Calyx but am honestly waiting to see if it will be offered in something colorful in the future first.
4. Handle: the keyhole shape is very comfortable and easy to hold. The deep cut vertical grooves are phenomenal for getting a good grip on the handle. They also let excess lather run down the brush without interfering with the grip too much (like lather slots for your brush).
5. Aesthetic: The brush has a unique profile due to the deep cut vertical grooves that makes it instantly recognizable. I enjoy this look, while understanding that it won’t be for everyone.
Final take-aways:
I like this brush, and if it were my only Wald, I would use it often as a top tier synthetic.
Some details:
The Delphi is one of the “standard” offerings. The handle has what I would consider to be a modified keyhole shape with deeply cut vertical ridges running top to bottom around the handle. The knot is a 24mm Wald A1 synthetic fiber tied in a fan shape.
The brush is comparable in size to the regular sized Nimbus and Stratos handles.
Start with some personal dislikes:
1. Knot size: the A1 knots always feel smaller than listed size and this is no exception. I would say that this knot feels to be similar to what a 19-20mm badger knot feels like on the face. This isn’t bad, but I personally prefer the feel of the larger diameter A1 knots.
2. Handle: the bottom portion of the handle is a little too narrow in circumference for me. When I’m gripping the top bulbous portion with my fingers, the bottom of the handle isn’t being firmly seated in the palm of my hand, which psychologically makes it feel less stable, though I never in practice had any issues with the brush slipping or actually being unstable. Again this one is all in my head.
Some personal likes:
1. Knot material and shape: This is the same amazing A1 fiber that you get in the big A1 handles, for less cost. The fan shape here is very comfortable, splaying easily, loading quickly, and giving at the end of the day a comparable shave to my other Walds. Also the knot “broke in” within 10 shaves.
2. Water “regulation” : The water retention is similar to the regular A1 fan shape (holds a lot of water with just a single dip of the tips). But because it is smaller, it holds less volume than the regular making it harder to pick up too much water into the knot inadvertently.
3. Colorway: This will be entirely personal, but I like the pastel colors that have been used for this handle so far. I would also like to try the Calyx but am honestly waiting to see if it will be offered in something colorful in the future first.
4. Handle: the keyhole shape is very comfortable and easy to hold. The deep cut vertical grooves are phenomenal for getting a good grip on the handle. They also let excess lather run down the brush without interfering with the grip too much (like lather slots for your brush).
5. Aesthetic: The brush has a unique profile due to the deep cut vertical grooves that makes it instantly recognizable. I enjoy this look, while understanding that it won’t be for everyone.
Final take-aways:
I like this brush, and if it were my only Wald, I would use it often as a top tier synthetic.
- Thread starter
- #954
Mr. Shavington
Knows Hot Turkish Toilets
I find I’m using my Wald Delphi a lot. It has actually been the only synthetic I’ve used for some months now. I just dig the look and feel of it, and the knot size. For some reason I seem to prefer using it over my A1s - maybe it’s the smaller knot size, or maybe it’s that the handle doesn’t feel quite so precious and it’s more conducive to constant use.
First post here on badger and blade and what better place than this thread. After reading through this thread I had to pick up an A1 from all the hype I had been looking through. It arrived yesterday, and it lives up to all the hype. Such a fantastic brush, easily the softest tips of anything synthetic I've tried. Well worth the step up in price personally IMO.
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Welcome to B&B! Excellent choice with the brush. I've been using my A1 fan exclusively. I see no reason to use anything else at this point, it suits my needs perfectly
Thanks! Yeah I don't see myself reaching for my other synthetics for the foreseeable future...I think the A1 has ruined other synthetics for me already with just one shave
Have either of you owned a Plisson blond fiber brush either L’Occitane or Plisson? For me that has been perfect. Only problem is it’s no longer being made, but I should still have many years on my current brush.Thanks! Yeah I don't see myself reaching for my other synthetics for the foreseeable future...I think the A1 has ruined other synthetics for me already with just one shave
I also really like the traditional shaped handle that is made of wood which offers grip and is lightweight compared to a resin handle.
I have not yet warmed to the shapes of the handles of the Wald brushes.
What shaving cream is in this photo?
Fourth use and I think I have marked it
I used to own the L'Occitane branded Plisson synthetic. While the tips were very soft, it irritated my skin when splayed during regular use. Also, the knot came unglued from the handle pretty early on. So it was a dud for me, unfortunately
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