Rubberset

By the lettering I'd guess the 70's, but best to ask @bladeshark for the best information.

 

Thanks Enrico! '70's would be good too. Though '50's is when I was born.

 

IIRC Rubberset had stopped making brushes and sold all remaining stock by the late 1950s (1957-8) so it is at least that old.

 

Interesting time line, @jar is correct Rubberset stopped production in August 31 1957

http://oldschoolshavingbrushes.com/rubberset_timeline.html

 

Which leads me to the question...Why not here?

Today shaving brushes are made in quantity in England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China and likely other places yet some of my best and most enjoyable brushes were made in the US and Canada; but no more. My brushes from Opal and Baton and Century and Peerless and Made Rite and EverReady and Rubberset and Erskine and Plymouth and Simms that were made at least a half century ago still perform every bit as well and sometimes better than my new brushes from Kent and Semougue and Simpson and Omega and Vie-Long and Vulfix and Zenith and Thater and Art of Shaving.

It's not like there are no brush makers still in the US. Fuller and Harper and Torrington have been making brushes for over a century here. Gordon Brush stocks over 2000 different styles of brushes. There are boar bristle brush makers, badger brush makers, horsehair brush makers and synthetic brush makers in the US making just about every imaginable type of brush known to man...except shaving brushes.

True, there are lots of smaller brush makers, even some who make and give away their brushes but no large scale manufacturers any longer.

Why not?

If it can be economically practical to make shaving brushes in Italy and Spain and Germany and France and England, why not here as well?

​

 

Good question. More of a niche market here I guess. Maybe not so much in the rest of the world?

 

Good question, I wish we did.

 

So, my third shave with my newly acquired Rubberset 303. I'm really impressed with it. Didn't shed any this morning and whipped up a great lather on the Catie's Bubbles "Florentine Fern". It looks like a badger, but lathers like a boar. Nice backbone. Not doing bad for being around as old as me.

 

Salvaging an old (1905-era) Rubberset brush. The knot was beyond hope, but a new knot and some restoration work = new life! Click Here!

 

Some extraneous characters at the end of the link causing problems Kevin. BTW, I have some sow's ears I'll be sending your way . AMAZING work on that little Rubberset. I would have written it off I'm afraid, and you've turned it into one seriously sweet little brush. Good on ya.

 

Fixed! Thanks, Mike.
I didnt have high expectations on the old brush, but its now part of my regular rotation.

 

Anything I can do about the 'wild hairs' sticking out of the knot?

 

You could trim them but I think they add character and so leave them.

 

Maybe it's just having a bad hair day ... it's been a looong time since I had one of those.

I'd leave them alone ... they won't grow back.

 

Two votes for leaving 'em.
I'm really impressed that the knot is still so good.

 

Did you need to condition it? On some, that get really dried out, I've had to.

 

I washed it with Johnson's Baby Shampoo and gently took a toothbrush to it.

 

Three votes. Nice brush.

 

I guess there will be no trimming!

 

So far this week I've shaved with the Rubberset 303 three times. The brush for its age is awesome! Lathers like a boar and feels like a badger.
I'm hooked. If I can find another, I'll be buyin' it.