What are you looking for in a brush, Bill? I'd recommend the Savile Row in a heartbeat, but there are other nice ones. If you like soft & luxurious but not weak, Savile Row is the way to go. And you can pick the knot-size that is right for you. But if you want real scrubbing action, there are others more suitable for the task.
If you're a soap user I highly recommend the Simpsons Duke 2 in Best Badger. It's not the cheapest brush out there but the perfect balance of soft tips, firm and dense knot, and not too big in overall size.
OK, so I take it you're not entirely thrilled with this brush. Let's start there. Big - so let's say a 22mm-23mm is more to your taste. I forget what size your brush was. One of the guys can pipe in. Your's is silvertip badger. You might want a finest or best badger or one grade down from silvertip to reduce the floppiness of the brush. A densely packed brush will also cut down on floppiness. Hmmm...A Kent BK4 comes to mind as a decent choice. You'll find a number of guys on here have one in their brush stable.
It's not my intention to divert the direction of this thread. I can see I messed up. :signs108 I was just hoping that when everyone lists their top 5, that they turn their choices into a hyperlink if they have the time so I know where I can get one if it strikes my fancy. I appreciate the suggestions so far, but I still don't know where to get them. I went to the QED site, but could not find a model 3822. The only thing available is the ivory white, as well. I don't want white. I really tried not to be a slug about my request and did a bit of work by searching google, but could only find sites that charge almost as much for import taxes as they do for the brush. Ain't happenin'. I don't mind subsidizing beauracuracies a little bit, but not by 80% of the original cost. I like the looks of this brush from Crabtree I also like the blue one Rich got. Where can I get that one? I saw this one and thought it was pretty cool... $69 export tax... am I reading that right? If so...:taunt005
The awfulness of Charles site is the stuff of legend. Much of what he has to offer is simply not listed. If you click on the other fabulous toiletries link near the bottom of the qed homepage you will find a small selection of the SR silvertips, however many models are not on his site. Also, if you want one in ebony instead of faux ivory then you will definitely have to e-mail Charles, as they are special order items. The good news is that when you do contact Charles his response time can be measured in nanoseconds, no matter what the time, day or night. Another choice for brushes would be Lee at leesrazors.com. He should be able to get you a good price on the Simpson's brush of your choice without having to worry about unreasonable import charges. I've never dealt with Lee personally, but a search on any forum will reveal a huge number of satisfied customers. My personal recommendation would be a Plisson HMW 10 or 12. In North America they are available from Atkinsons of Vancouver, who offer a discount for members of The Other Place (aka Badger and Blade.) Regards, Alex
This is the brush except I upgraded it. This one would do fine for you. http://www.shavemac.com/index.php?lang=en&area=men&sel=2&cat=2&product=22357&prod_id=3
My fave 5 are : Shavemac 501 finest, Simpson PJ2 super, Kent BK4, Rooney Style 2, small super, and B&B finest horn. Vintageblades has a nice selection and Jim is a pleasure to do business with. Regards, Bradley
Bill, that EJ on TESC's site is $69 (that's less the EU's VAT, or value added tax). So you pay a little more on shipping, and yeah, the exchange rate stinks, but as opposed to $80 with the VAT, we get a break over here! And TESC is great to deal with. I've ordered from them twice.
I'm down to two brushes, A Rooney super, style 3, small and a Kent BK-4. I am so happy, I am never going to buy another brush............:rofl (Only because I'm investing in Merkur at the moment.)
Based on one of the suggestions above for Shavemac, I put my own brush together and came up with this one... The truly amazing part is that it got here in a day and a half. From Germany... how'd they do that? I can't even get something from across town in that short span of time. The bonus is that I really like the quality that is in this brush and it works great. As soon as my soaps eliminate the badger odor mites, it will even be better. I have to confess... I also bought the Edwin Jagger brush... it's not here yet...