I just purchased 2 Zenith Manchurian badger brushes on Ebay for under $80 each. The brushes are 2 band and have firm spines with soft tips. They work very well with soap or cream, face lather or bowl. These brushes really soak up water and produce fantastic lather. I am really impressed that these brushes can hold their own with any expensive brand name badgers I own.
ZENITH MANCHURIAN BADGER BRUSHES
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I've got the M1 and the M15. I love mine. Fantastic brushes.
Congratulations! 
I have one, and your assessment is spot on. A tremendous value.
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
At under $100, Zenith Manchurians are among the best values in badger shaving brushes at the mid-range price level. They aren't Simpsons Manchurians or Paladin two band badgers, but the difference isn't as great as one would expect considering the difference in price.
Space_Cadet
I don't have a funny description.
+1. Exactly.
I love my 506 AK Gold Manchu
@Chan Eil Whiskers has posted about these knots a lot. I think he's on a mistura kick right now, but he'll surely have some thoughts on these still.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Recently I've been almost entirely using a smallish rotation, in no particular order.
- Zenith copper handled Manchurian
- Zenith wooden handled Manchurian
- Maggard 26 mm 70/30 in an old Thater handle
- Semogue SOC Mistura
- Chubby 2 in Best
- Chubby 2 in Silvertip Badger (two band)
- RV Shavemac 26 mm D01 2 Band
- RV Shavemac 25 mm 2 Band (not D01)
Brush #6 is very soft but also has adequate scrub and backbone (for most people). I'm not sure I'm going to end up keeping it. It is a great knot, but I'm not sure it's a great knot for me; I like more backbone and a ton of scrub. I prefer the CH2 in Best although it admittedly has a little bit of bad scritch (not much at all but some). The CH2 in Silvertip Badger never heard of scritch.
The Mixed Midget is a lather monster, but loaded with bad scritch. It isn't going to get much use anymore. It's on my naughty list, but it's interesting.
The 70/30? Well, the jury is still out. It has not yet totally broken in (after about a hundred uses), but it has delicious scrub and is a lather monster. Problem is twofold: Scritch and hair/bristle loss (the latter is apparently greatly improved recently).
The Mistura is another animal entirely. Mine had virtually no scritch brand new and was a great knot right out of the box. It's improved since then. It would be a very hard to beat brush.
These are the Shavemac D01 two band and the Shavemac two band (not D01). Both are famous knots. As they say, the D01 is a knot which won't be for everyone. I liked it a lot from the beginning, but it was certainly as everyone says - loaded with character.
My copper Manchurian arrived new.
The copper Manchurian had a backbone which was a dino transplant. It arrived with several tons of scrub; I was warned it would remove layers of skin used other than lightly. Over time it's retained most of its backbone, and its scrub, but its tips have become very very soft.
My wooden handled Manchurian was a gift. The previous two owners had broken it in before I got it. I have no idea what it was like new, but it's perhaps less soft and more scrubby than the copper now. Or, maybe not. In any event, it's got delicious scrub and is plenty soft. It doesn't have the backbone of the copper Manchurian in much the same way the Shavemac 2 band (non DO1) doesn't have the backbone of the Shavemac DO1.
In terms of price these brushes rank like this.
- Chubby 2 in Silvertip Badger
- RV D01
- RV 2 band
- Chubby 2 in Best
- Zenith copper Manchurian
- Zenith wood Manchurian
- SOC Mistura
- 70/30 (but the handle was free)
Brushes 5, 6, and 7 (from the price list) hit way above their price point.
All these brushes with the exception of perhaps the CH2 in Silvertip Badger, and perhaps the 70/30 are keepers for me.
I'm not really able to rank the other six knots relative to one another. Six of these brushes are good enough for me to say to myself when I use them the magic words, "This is my best brush!" Included in those six brushes are the Zenith Manchurians.
Brushes seem to change over time (like you didn't know that, right?). Mostly I've liked the copper Manchurian more than the wooden Manchurian. At the moment I like the wooden Manchurian better because of its blend of scrub and backbone and because it's a little less soft.
To be fair, I have boars and a horse and a few other badgers about which I might say the same thing but I've not been using them lately.
Anyone who likes a lot of backbone and scrub and is willing to let the knot break in would love the Zenith Manchurians in my opinion.
I think it important to mention that there's nothing at all wrong with the Stirling finest knots, and the Yaqi two bands, and the Maseto knots (two band and silvertip). I should also mention that I generally like two bands and Manchurians more than three band silvertips. My Zenith silvertip is a good knot but I like the Manchurians a lot more. Someone in love with softness would probably prefer the Zenith silvertip and the Simpson Chubby 2 in Silvertip Badger (two band).
Happy shaves,
Jim
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I don't have the size your interested in but have a few Maggard's SHD, Oumo " Silky" in Manchurian and HMW, plus a Zenith Manchurian. Density of all the knots is excellent but that's where comparisons end. The Zenith Manchurian is quite a bit different than the SHD knots I have and I don't mean that in a bad way. Its a great knot which begs the question, I wonder what the Zenith best quality knot is like.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
@oscar11, I don't understand what you're wondering. I think of the Manchurian as Zenith's best quality knot. Maybe I'm missing something (and if so I want to know).
Happy shaves,
Jim
Zenith has also a Silvertip grade but I haven’t read anything about it here.
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
Zenith silvertip is a dense, soft, plush knot. Like Simpson's Super it is densely packed, thereby avoiding floppiness. I like it. They also offer a Best grade, but I've never tried it.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I agree with Owen.
I have a Zenith silvertip. I like it fine for a silvertip, but I prefer two bands and Manchurians to
silvertips for the most part.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
What's that splash like? I've long wanted to try it, but have never found any for sale (except in places across the pond which won't send it across the waters).
Happy shaves,
Jim
It’s sold as tobacco and rinfrescante - I can’t detect tobacco nor menthol. It’s a powdery barbershop scent a bit less refined as Italian Floid. Current design looks like this:
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
Amber, orange and vanilla. Like a creamsicle dipped in talcum powder. The tobacco is like cigarette smoke, but very subtle. Italian Barber carried it last time I bought it.
@Chan Eil Whiskers , I have the Zenith Manchurian and like it very much. My only question is about the quality of the best grade knot. I suspect it's going to be excellent. I'll have to wait a few days because I have one in the mail.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Thanks. Sounds like an interesting scent. How long does the scent persist?
If any US vendor sells it now I can't find it.
Happy shaves,
Jim
