Yaqi 24mm Aqua Badger Brush First Use Review

[Boar Fighter]

Hi BF,
I'm constantly reminded of this thread whenever I'm getting a brush.
Choosing your first shaving brush

If I had taken the advice given I am pretty sure I would have not bought the 49 or 10104 and gotten a 11126 and a 51 instead which I might be happier with.

I do think that a 24 badger is pretty big especially if it's a fan knot. Although, I have just gotten a couple of 24 yaqi badgers, I'm really going to stick to the advice and moving forwards only get knots that aren't too big. Badgers<= 22mm, boars <=24mm and for syns <=24 too.

If there is one exception it would be the Aqua high mountain Silvertip as I may want the feeling of a soft cloud when I shave with straights lol.

You'll be the first to know what I think about the 2 yaqi badgers I've gotten hopefully by tmr lol.

There isn't an absolute rule about sizes. It's a matter of personal preference. For example, 20mm boar, for my taste is too small. The height of the loft also has big influence on how big the brush feels. A high loft 24mm badger will feel much bigger than a 50mm badger of the same size. At the end, you have to do some trial and error on your own and see what you prefer.

Unless the person who asks says otherwise or wants to bowl lather exclusively, i always recommend 24x55mm Omegas instead of the 49 or other big knots.

For me, the ideal dimensions for facelathering are: Boars 22-24mm, Badgers 21-23mm (i have one 25.5mm silvertip which is at the limit of what i can call normal), synthetics: 22-24mm (i also have a 21mm synthetic, which is fine, but i prefer slightly bigger knots for ideal results).

I am awaiting your reviews of your badgers.

 

[naughtilus]

I'd only add that you can go slightly bigger with two-band/manchurian vs silvertip. The 25mm Simpson Polo 8 in Best feels as big as the Zenith 27.5mm Manchurian.

 

[MaDsHaVeR]

And the Ferrari tux brush.

I love mine

 

[Rotiv]

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[naughtilus]

Yaqi Aqua good for paint strokes. Two band Moka good for face lathering.

 

[mawashi]

There isn't an absolute rule about sizes. It's a matter of personal preference. For example, 20mm boar, for my taste is too small. The height of the loft also has big influence on how big the brush feels. A high loft 24mm badger will feel much bigger than a 50mm badger of the same size. At the end, you have to do some trial and error on your own and see what you prefer.

Unless the person who asks says otherwise or wants to bowl lather exclusively, i always recommend 24x55mm Omegas instead of the 49 or other big knots.

For me, the ideal dimensions for facelathering are: Boars 22-24mm, Badgers 21-23mm (i have one 25.5mm silvertip which is at the limit of what i can call normal), synthetics: 22-24mm (i also have a 21mm synthetic, which is fine, but i prefer slightly bigger knots for ideal results).

I am awaiting your reviews of your badgers.

Absolutely BF, the sizes you've mention are spot on. I'm not holding my breath on this first shipment as its been 4 days and the post office can't confirm where the parcel is... Sigh.

I'd only add that you can go slightly bigger with two-band/manchurian vs silvertip. The 25mm Simpson Polo 8 in Best feels as big as the Zenith 27.5mm Manchurian.

That's something I'll have to see for myself as I have very specific needs in mind and I'm not looking for something that big.

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That's a great looking setup. The Bismarks were just out of my price range though.

Yaqi Aqua good for paint strokes. Two band Moka good for face lathering.

I'll have to try both the Silvertip and 2 band myself to understand the differences. But thanks for the info naughtilus.

 

[timah083]

I’ve got this brush on the way. Will be my first badger brush. Hopefully as a face latherer it’ll do the trick. Plenty of others to fall back on if it doesn’t though!


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[mawashi]

I’ve got this brush on the way. Will be my first badger brush. Hopefully as a face latherer it’ll do the trick. Plenty of others to fall back on if it doesn’t though!


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Congrads and I do believe it would be a face lathering dream!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have a couple of Yaqi two bands including the blue brush on the right above. Both my Yaqi brushes are really nice.

I've mostly heard in earlier reviews that the High Mountain lacked backbone, but you're got me thinking about it again. And, of course, the beautiful mocha brush is very appealing too.

Not that I need any brushes. Maybe I can wait for a big Yaqi sale.

I like very large knots for my face lathering. Like this huge MS brush (eBay vendor).

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[mawashi]

View attachment 981838

I have a couple of Yaqi two bands including the blue brush on the right above. Both my Yaqi brushes are really nice.

I've mostly heard in earlier reviews that the High Mountain lacked backbone, but you're got me thinking about it again. And, of course, the beautiful mocha brush is very appealing too.

Not that I need any brushes. Maybe I can wait for a big Yaqi sale.

View attachment 981839

I like very large knots for my face lathering. Like this huge MS brush (eBay vendor).

Happy shaves,

Jim

Hi Jim,

Having seen a vid (somewhere on the board) of a barber using his forefinger and thumb to massage the beginnings of lather with an omega 48 I think I'll do something similar with really soft brushes.

I'll start by adding a slice of soft soap like proraso or TFS into a wet badger and massage it a little first till I see lather start to from, then chin lather and add more soap/water when necessary. That way I don't have to rely completely on a stiffer backbone to work up a lather.

Slice of soap... Now I'm getting hungry for pizza lol.

Ah ha found the vid.

 

[naughtilus]

Yup. Soft and luxurious silvertip badger equates to no backbone and face lathering with the glue bump. Just how it is. That's why Simpson make their Best and Super knots dense and burried deep. But they still are ideally brushes for painting, not swirling. The thicker bristles of the two band lend themselves better to the role of a scrubbing brush instead of a painting brush.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Yup. Soft and luxurious silvertip badger equates to no backbone and face lathering with the glue bump. Just how it is. That's why Simpson make their Best and Super knots dense and burried deep. But they still are ideally brushes for painting, not swirling.

That one looks quite bad there. However i wonder how much force he puts to splay. My Boker/Fantasia silvertips are very soft, dense but not super dense and yet they don't lather with the glue bump. They are more like a bouncy springy pillow. Which at the same time is much softer than Simpson best.

I guess i will only know for sure only if i buy a Yaqi silvertip... But i think from videos that they are on the floppier side. I don't know... Their 2 bands are very good and get much better with use.

 

[naughtilus]

Absolutely BF, the sizes you've mention are spot on. I'm not holding my breath on this first shipment as its been 4 days and the post office can't confirm where the parcel is... Sigh.



That's something I'll have to see for myself as I have very specific needs in mind and I'm not looking for something that big.



That's a great looking setup. The Bismarks were just out of my price range though.



I'll have to try both the Silvertip and 2 band myself to understand the differences. But thanks for the info naughtilus.

You should buy both knots. Each is enjoyable in its own way.

 

[naughtilus]

That one looks quite bad there. However i wonder how much force he puts to splay. My Boker/Fantasia silvertips are very soft, dense but not super dense and yet they don't lather with the glue bump. They are more like a bouncy springy pillow. Which at the same time is much softer than Simpson best.

I guess i will only know for sure only if i buy a Yaqi silvertip... But i think from videos that they are on the floppier side. I don't know... Their 2 bands are very good and get much better with use.

If you are mindful I'm sure one can face lather by swirling even with the softest Plisson or Kent.

I really like how Keith explained the mechanics in that video.

 

[naughtilus]

BTW if you haven't noticed the handle, it's a bowl lathering brush. But some like long handles for the face, to avoid lather on their fingers.

 

[Boar Fighter]

BTW if you haven't noticed the handle, it's a bowl lathering brush. But some like long handles for the face, to avoid lather on their fingers.

To my great surprise, the Yaqi long handle like the "aqua", is very comfortable for face lathering in the synthetic i have it. I put the back end against my palm, fingers extended to the "white" part of the handle and it's very comfortable. No lather on fingers either, because i have it in the synthetic version, where the loft is somewhere between 55-57mm.

 

[naughtilus]

To my great surprise, the Yaqi long handle like the "aqua", is very comfortable for face lathering in the synthetic i have it. I put the back end against my palm, fingers extended to the "white" part of the handle and it's very comfortable. No lather on fingers either, because i have it in the synthetic version, where the loft is somewhere between 55-57mm.

I face lathered with the big barber handle on the Zenith, pressed against the palm like you said. It works brilliantly. And that Manchurian knot is just stellar performer for face lathering with swirling. Those thick bristles are heavy duty, no way twisting them with swirls will make them fail. I believe I've lucked out in that respect. My other brushes are better at painting, which I prefer due to habit. When I use the Zenith for painting it annoys me.

 

[Rotiv]

Absolutely BF, the sizes you've mention are spot on. I'm not holding my breath on this first shipment as its been 4 days and the post office can't confirm where the parcel is... Sigh.



That's something I'll have to see for myself as I have very specific needs in mind and I'm not looking for something that big.



That's a great looking setup. The Bismarks were just out of my price range though.



I'll have to try both the Silvertip and 2 band myself to understand the differences. But thanks for the info naughtilus.

I save money when I want a more expensive razor.


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[mawashi]

You should buy both knots. Each is enjoyable in its own way.

I'm real tempted to as I do prefer bulb knots but I only of Tony Zhang who sells knots.

However, first things first, try silver tips n 2 band then decide what type of handle I prefer before embarking on getting more brushes.

Mawashi

 

[naughtilus]

Interesting way to standardize brush evaluation. PR Index.