What's new

Zenith Manchurian Brushes - Sizes

For myself I wouldn't buy the 508 because the effective loft is so short at 43mm. I'm not fond of brushes with so little loft to mix the shaving lather. That isn't to say you couldn't like it, more that it is my personal preference to not go down that low. I believe the 505 has the same problem of being too low. In terms of the size making it unusable, no it wouldn't make it unusable. For myself I've been on a large kick for quite a few years. It's funny as when I started I thought they were too large for me. I find my preferences can come in waves. I still have smaller brushes to reach for when I want those. I will say the brushes I have that are 31mm and larger have a longer loft. If you set the loft too low it just makes it harder than I care for when trying to mix lather. It can be done, yes, but my preferences don't call for such a low loft. It has a decent glue plug in it. Having it set that low will definitely increase the density. I like the 508 handle better, and I would buy one of those if I could get it in a larger loft and without a glue plug. I tend to like 3-band Silvertip better and that was my preference when I had some Zenith brushes. I had the 505 style handle in silvertip, and a manchurian in olive wood. The quality on both was good.

I don't have experience with the 508, but I imagine it should be good. That is interesting a mix of silvertip and manchurian, but not unheard of. Shavemac's Finest was a combination of their pure and silvertip, and that was an excellent grade of hair. The difference on the 506 and 507 is more from the handle, but the effective loft for the 506 is a bit shorter than the effective loft for the 507. If I had to choose from one of the two I would take the 507 for a slightly higher effective loft in the knot. They're just too short for my tastes, however. It's the glue plug that throws it off for me. I'd be okay with the lofts as they were, but that glue plug just makes it to where I don't enjoy using them. I can't really say which one to get.
@kooshman7 - thank you so much for taking time out to write such a detailed reply. So which Zenith Manchurian will you select, if you had to buy one?
 

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
I have the copper handled Manchurian, not sure about the model number. Very nice brush, knot size at exit from handle is a tad shy of 27 mm, and the loft is 51.5 mm. The brush as a good back bone. Not as strong as a Shavemac D01 two-band or the Simpson Manchurian, but then the three brushes are all in a different size, so direct comparison is not possible.
Handle does not keep the high shine copper look, but tarnished nicely to an aged copper look
Zenith Manchurian.jpg
 
@kooshman7 - thank you so much for taking time out to write such a detailed reply. So which Zenith Manchurian will you select, if you had to buy one?

I would simply choose not to really, but in the spirit of if I really, really, really had to choose even despite my reservations it would be the Zenith shaving brush manchurian badger 508bc mb you linked. I missed that when looking at the post on my phone. It looks better balanced to the eye. I know they have the glue bump which puts me off, but that one looks decent from what is pictured.

The copper brush Rudy Vey linked I like too all nice and polished, but I can't do copper untarnished. I have some copper bowls I planned to use as a lather bowl and a cup for soaking my brush, but after even mild use and it starting to tarnish I couldn't bear to do it any longer. lol Drove me nuts enough I had to polish it up and then put some renaissance wax on it.
 
I would simply choose not to really, but in the spirit of if I really, really, really had to choose even despite my reservations it would be the Zenith shaving brush manchurian badger 508bc mb you linked. I missed that when looking at the post on my phone. It looks better balanced to the eye. I know they have the glue bump which puts me off, but that one looks decent from what is pictured.

The copper brush Rudy Vey linked I like too all nice and polished, but I can't do copper untarnished. I have some copper bowls I planned to use as a lather bowl and a cup for soaking my brush, but after even mild use and it starting to tarnish I couldn't bear to do it any longer. lol Drove me nuts enough I had to polish it up and then put some renaissance wax on it.
My heart is all set on the 508 as well. I dont know how practical it will be, but its mystical to the eyes :). @Rudy Vey , as always, thanks so much for sharing the picture and your feedback on the performance of the brush :)
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
The Zenith M23 with the 506 copper handle was my first badger brush. I still love that thing. I find, for me, it rivals my SV 2.0 brushes. It was the first badger I used in the "nothing but badgers for January" thread. It has those soft tips but offers that little bit of delicious scrub I like. It's hard to make recommendations, not knowing someone's likes and dislikes. We can only try to communicate what we like and why.

@Themaverickmonk , I wish you nothing but success in your shaving journey. It's so fun, determining what we just love and then using them in our shaves. For me, it's been a process, with a few mistakes along the way. Thankfully, those early missteps have been few and not too costly. I did just have two sales recently and sold 10 razors and 6 brushes. None of those were mistakes. I decided to thin the herd a bit to finance a new, relatively expensive razor. It was hard letting many of them go and I might end up regretting it, but the journey continues.
 
The Zenith M23 with the 506 copper handle was my first badger brush. I still love that thing. I find, for me, it rivals my SV 2.0 brushes. It was the first badger I used in the "nothing but badgers for January" thread. It has those soft tips but offers that little bit of delicious scrub I like. It's hard to make recommendations, not knowing someone's likes and dislikes. We can only try to communicate what we like and why.

@Themaverickmonk , I wish you nothing but success in your shaving journey. It's so fun, determining what we just love and then using them in our shaves. For me, it's been a process, with a few mistakes along the way. Thankfully, those early missteps have been few and not too costly. I did just have two sales recently and sold 10 razors and 6 brushes. None of those were mistakes. I decided to thin the herd a bit to finance a new, relatively expensive razor. It was hard letting many of them go and I might end up regretting it, but the journey continues.

@Phoenixkh , thank you so much for the explanations. Again, missed on your brush sales because of geography- and we are taught about globalization :). To give you an idea, I have the yaqi 2 band and silvertip, a T&H super and an epsilon 26/49 super in fan. Epsilon is my most recent acquisition, and our brothers from another mother (shavenook) helped me a lot on making hte decision. That Epsilon is fabulous and its the only brush I have been using for almost a month now. With hard soaps, creams, croaps, anything, it just blows my mind. Its amazingly dense and feels so very soft on the face. I feel no need to mash it on my face. The lather is thick and creamy and the bloom. Baby she is as sexy as hell. I bought it from G&C, link below. Got an amazing deal during black Friday

https://www.giftsandcare.com/en/black-fr...926mm.html

Now, I really don't need any other brush, but I was really hoping I could get a bigger knot of this same thing. That is my goldilocks. Its something about this brush that I cant just get over with.

Coming back to the Zenith's, I have been reading a lot about Manchurians and brushes from SV and Simpsons cost a bomb. Chinese brush makes, unfortunately, its very hard to import to India. Again, there is something about European shaving stuff that attracts me, maybe their legacy. So I decided to pull the plug on Zenith Manchurian, with a desire for a bigger knot - I am not into small knots. For small knots, I prefer my Semogue boars (830,620,610) and Semogue Mistura.

I understand that Zenith Manchurians will be quite different to the Epsilon super in terms of face feel. So therefore I want to focus on the handle type (I find the chubby, Zenith 508 style very comfortable, even Zenith 505 style is good. The 506 style feels small on my very large hands and 507...ummm i don't know, the knot maybe if it was bigger). So this is where I am. Also another way to look is that I am trying to find Simpsons style, density and quality without paying for the brand name. My Epsilon is amazing(cost me around Euro 38), and I hope I will find another gem in Zenith.

Zenith 508 is where the heart is, but then as @kooshman7 said, there maybe some challenges due to the short knot. However, like him, I am still inclined to take a chance with it, unless someone from this group can convincingly make a point about 505.

I hope it helps. Appreciate all you guys on the time you are spending on helping me decide the brush
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
@Phoenixkh , thank you so much for the explanations. Again, missed on your brush sales because of geography- and we are taught about globalization :). To give you an idea, I have the yaqi 2 band and silvertip, a T&H super and an epsilon 26/49 super in fan. Epsilon is my most recent acquisition, and our brothers from another mother (shavenook) helped me a lot on making hte decision. That Epsilon is fabulous and its the only brush I have been using for almost a month now. With hard soaps, creams, croaps, anything, it just blows my mind. Its amazingly dense and feels so very soft on the face. I feel no need to mash it on my face. The lather is thick and creamy and the bloom. Baby she is as sexy as hell. I bought it from G&C, link below. Got an amazing deal during black Friday

https://www.giftsandcare.com/en/black-fr...926mm.html

Now, I really don't need any other brush, but I was really hoping I could get a bigger knot of this same thing. That is my goldilocks. Its something about this brush that I cant just get over with.

Coming back to the Zenith's, I have been reading a lot about Manchurians and brushes from SV and Simpsons cost a bomb. Chinese brush makes, unfortunately, its very hard to import to India. Again, there is something about European shaving stuff that attracts me, maybe their legacy. So I decided to pull the plug on Zenith Manchurian, with a desire for a bigger knot - I am not into small knots. For small knots, I prefer my Semogue boars (830,620,610) and Semogue Mistura.

I understand that Zenith Manchurians will be quite different to the Epsilon super in terms of face feel. So therefore I want to focus on the handle type (I find the chubby, Zenith 508 style very comfortable, even Zenith 505 style is good. The 506 style feels small on my very large hands and 507...ummm i don't know, the knot maybe if it was bigger). So this is where I am. Also another way to look is that I am trying to find Simpsons style, density and quality without paying for the brand name. My Epsilon is amazing(cost me around Euro 38), and I hope I will find another gem in Zenith.

Zenith 508 is where the heart is, but then as @kooshman7 said, there maybe some challenges due to the short knot. However, like him, I am still inclined to take a chance with it, unless someone from this group can convincingly make a point about 505.

I hope it helps. Appreciate all you guys on the time you are spending on helping me decide the brush
The 506 handles are smaller, agreed. I have medium size hands so that could be a factor as you indicated. This stuff is so personal, but you are doing the right thing: asking lots of questions to determine, the best you can. We can lower the risks but until all of our gear and soaps, etc. are put into use, we are always guessing.

I gravitate to the larger knots as well: at least 26mm. The only reason I sold my wonderful 24mm SOC Mistura brushes was the size. Unless you come across one of their special editions @28mm, that's the largest knot they make. I used my 24mm SOC Misturas for a month straight the last time we were in Bali. They were the only two brushes I brought with me. When I returned home and used my Zenith or SV Manchurians I could really tell the difference.

I'm going to be talking to Dr. Michael @ TheGentleShave about 28 and 31mm brushes before he places his next order with Zenith in 4 weeks or so, to see what handles are available in those sizes. I love the Amethyst and Giada handles @Mr. Shavington got a while back. I'd love a 28mm in both of those. I'll have to wait and see what Zenith offers him.
 
The 506 handles are smaller, agreed. I have medium size hands so that could be a factor as you indicated. This stuff is so personal, but you are doing the right thing: asking lots of questions to determine, the best you can. We can lower the risks but until all of our gear and soaps, etc. are put into use, we are always guessing.

I gravitate to the larger knots as well: at least 26mm. The only reason I sold my wonderful 24mm SOC Mistura brushes was the size. Unless you come across one of their special editions @28mm, that's the largest knot they make. I used my 24mm SOC Misturas for a month straight the last time we were in Bali. They were the only two brushes I brought with me. When I returned home and used my Zenith or SV Manchurians I could really tell the difference.

I'm going to be talking to Dr. Michael @ TheGentleShave about 28 and 31mm brushes before he places his next order with Zenith in 4 weeks or so, to see what handles are available in those sizes. I love the Amethyst and Giada handles @Mr. Shavington got a while back. I'd love a 28mm in both of those. I'll have to wait and see what Zenith offers him.
To muddy the waters further and show a couple more potential options, I just ordered two more Zenith 502s in two other handle colours - Turquoise and “Onde” (I think it means ‘waves’). I suspect I will still prefer the Jade and Amethyst over the Turquoise (as I prefer them over the Amber and Malachite), but I think the Onde colour might be very interesting. I feel like the Onde handle reminds me of the sort of carpet designs people had in the 1970s, which for some reason I kind of dig.

Crazier than all of that, I got mixed badger/horse knots for both. It’ll be interesting for sure when I receive them.

Here are the pics from the vendor website….

60B60F3F-0C81-4D66-9E46-D460CC7B1E45.jpeg


187CF22D-BFDB-4CA3-B3C1-645B6701963D.jpeg
 
Last edited:
First you post an unobtanium Wald in Vintage Blue, now this semi-obtanium Zenith in that turquoise! :mad3:
(pulls hair out, carefully with the horns there)
At least this one is a lot cheaper. If it helps I’m happy to leave them all to you in my will - I imagine I shall die from something pretty disgusting, though.

I dunno about unobtanium. Unless it’s a vendor exclusive model I would think it’s gettable by any Zenith seller. And if you talk to your vendor I guess they should be able to add what you want to their next Zenith order. Worth a try, anyway.

I really like this line of Zenith handles with the semi-precious stone theme. They are very nice quality resins and I think more sophisticated than the independent artisan brush makers produce. Boars in this line (and Zenith boars are great) go for about $40 or so; top of the line Manchurian Badger for about $90.

These particular brushes are from VanityStock.com, who are in Italy. They have all sorts of uncommon Zeniths on their site. They only normally ship within the EU, it seems, but if you are determined and hopelessly optimistic the site does say you can contact them for shipping to other, less civilised countries.
 
Last edited:

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
To muddy the waters further and show a couple more potential options, I just ordered two more Zenith 502s in two other handle colours - Turquoise and “Onde” (I think it means ‘waves’). I suspect I will still prefer the Jade and Amethyst over the Turquoise (as I prefer them over the Amber and Malachite), but I think the Onde colour might be very interesting. I feel like the Onde handle reminds me of the sort of carpet designs people had in the 1970s, which for some reason I kind of dig.

Crazier than all of that, I got mixed badger/horse knots for both. It’ll be interesting for sure when I receive them.

Here are the pics from the vendor website….

View attachment 1594888

View attachment 1594889
Those two are quite nice. I actually like my Zenith Malachite boar. It is an acquired taste. I ordered mine by accident. I love it: my wife, on the other hand, detests it. 🥲
 
Those two are quite nice. I actually like my Zenith Malachite boar. It is an acquired taste. I ordered mine by accident. I love it: my wife, on the other hand, detests it. 🥲
I like them all in this range, including the malachite, which is pleasingly matte. The jade and amethyst strike me as the closest to the polished stones and also the ones with the most depth.

I’ve seen one other design in the range, which is also on VanityStock. It’s called Murano - presumably after the famed Venetian glassware.

79AC4573-DC88-42C1-86D8-FA5F40C2F756.jpeg
 
my silvertips (mostly from Vanitystock, maybe one from Yourshaving but not entirely sure anymore)

For sizes, you can only look at the website of the brushmaker, e.g. a 507 is 51mm, 27mm diameter, Pennelli con ghiera oro | Palermo | Pennellificio Pandolfo - https://www.pennellificiopandolfo.com/tasso
That’s a stunning quality photo, @koenfucius. My Jade handle doesn’t have a white side like yours, it’s green all around, but I like both ways. The Turquoise looks really beautiful in your photo.

Does anyone have a Zenith 504 brush? It looks exactly like the Abbate Y La Mantia purple brush (which is superb) but also exactly like the Omega 11137 (which I’ve only seen in wood). Here’s a pic of my AYLM brush, on the left. It’s a really nice handle shape to hold and I have no idea whether Zenith or Omega made it for them. I’m guessing it’s Zenith because of the high quality plastic and the ease of breaking-in the bristles.

3D4BD71A-12D2-4E9C-8FD2-F15AD48BBE88.jpeg
 
my silvertips (mostly from Vanitystock, maybe one from Yourshaving but not entirely sure anymore)

For sizes, you can only look at the website of the brushmaker, e.g. a 507 is 51mm, 27mm diameter, Pennelli con ghiera oro | Palermo | Pennellificio Pandolfo - https://www.pennellificiopandolfo.com/tasso
great pics. The left two, are they the 502 model. What are the dimensions of the brushes? Again the dimensions of 502 on Vanitystock of the 502 are so different from Zenith official website. As per Zenith official website, 502 are 24.5mm knot, but on Vanitystock, its shown 27mm. So confusing!! :(


@Mr. Shavington @koenfucius @Phoenixkh - any idea on what to expect from silvertip/manchurian mix. Linked brush
 
Last edited:
great pics. The left two, are they the 502 model. What are the dimensions of the brushes? Again the dimensions of 502 on Vanitystock of the 502 are so different from Zenith official website. As per Zenith official website, 502 are 24.5mm knot, but on Vanitystock, its shown 27mm. So confusing!! :(


@Mr. Shavington @koenfucius @Phoenixkh - any idea on what to expect from silvertip/manchurian mix. Linked brush
Just heard back from Vanitystock on the silvertip/manchurian mix brush. Specifically this item

Zenith Pennello Da Barba Misto Puro Tasso Silvertip E Manchurian Art.508 Turchese SMB - https://vanitystock.com/shop/rasatura/pennelli-da-barba/zenith-pennello-da-barba-misto-puro-tasso-silvertip-e-manchurian-art-508-turchese-smb/

As per them, its a 27mm knot and they highly recommend this brush. Their message:

"Good morning dear customer, unfortunately we do not have shaving brushes with a knot diameter greater than 27 but from experience in sales I can confirm that the brush you indicated to me in the link is an excellent compromise, because the mix of the two types of silvertip tuft and manchurian makes the brush even more performing with any type of soap and it's a wonder how it mounts.
I hope I was helpful."

Well well well.... now i am completely lost as to which on should i chose, a manchurian or a mix (st and manchurian). I guess its a normal day in the life of a wetshaver :)
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I had no idea Zenith made a mixed bristle badger brush. Interesting indeed. My Zenith Manchuria has a tad more hmmmm "presence" than my SV 2.0 Manchurians... just a little bit more scrub. I wonder if their mixed knot would match even closer to the SVs' face feel.
 
Just heard back from Vanitystock on the silvertip/manchurian mix brush. Specifically this item

Zenith Pennello Da Barba Misto Puro Tasso Silvertip E Manchurian Art.508 Turchese SMB - https://vanitystock.com/shop/rasatura/pennelli-da-barba/zenith-pennello-da-barba-misto-puro-tasso-silvertip-e-manchurian-art-508-turchese-smb/

As per them, its a 27mm knot and they highly recommend this brush. Their message:

"Good morning dear customer, unfortunately we do not have shaving brushes with a knot diameter greater than 27 but from experience in sales I can confirm that the brush you indicated to me in the link is an excellent compromise, because the mix of the two types of silvertip tuft and manchurian makes the brush even more performing with any type of soap and it's a wonder how it mounts.
I hope I was helpful."

Well well well.... now i am completely lost as to which on should i chose, a manchurian or a mix (st and manchurian). I guess its a normal day in the life of a wetshaver :)
I just measured one of my 502s and it is definitely 27mm diameter at the top of the handle.

The mixed badger brushes on VanityStock are unique to them, I suspect. I’ve never seen this offered anywhere else. I assume it was their idea, they persuaded Zenith to make some, and they like them enough to keep ordering them. I would think the idea is that it combines the stronger backbone of the thicker 2-band Manchurian hair with the softer tips of the 3-band Silvertip hair, so you get a balanced blend of the two different characteristics.
 
I just measured one of my 502s and it is definitely 27mm diameter at the top of the handle.

The mixed badger brushes on VanityStock are unique to them, I suspect. I’ve never seen this offered anywhere else. I assume it was their idea, they persuaded Zenith to make some, and they like them enough to keep ordering them. I would think the idea is that it combines the stronger backbone of the thicker 2-band Manchurian hair with the softer tips of the 3-band Silvertip hair, so you get a balanced blend of the two different characteristics.
Yes, seems very exiciting:). And the handle colours are amazing. Spoilt for choice are we :)
 
Yes, seems very exiciting:). And the handle colours are amazing. Spoilt for choice are we :)
You will be the only person here who can claim to have a 2.5-band badger brush.

Softer tips but less backbone than a Manchurian. But more backbone but less soft tips than a Silvertip. In the middle.

Let us know what you get. The Giada (Jade) colour handle is my personal favourite. But I like green.
 
Top Bottom