After beginning with the shave cloth I decided to make the jump to the Shavemaster. I robbed a liquor store to get the cash. Method shaving has driven me to a life of crime. But I digress. While the shave cloth did work sporadically for me, the Shavemaster is a huge step forward. I was, however, disheartened about the amount of hair this brush has/is shedding. It was expected from what I read on the forums and even the directions CAR sent with the brush mentioned some hair loss. It just seems each time it loses more hair. Granted, as those who own the V200 can attest, the V200 is densely packed. But there's still not an infinite amount of hair on the brush. How long did it take before your S100 or V2oo stopped shedding? I just picture myself holding a mesquite handle with 3 or 4bristles on it. That can't be good for building a good mix! I also didn't get the badger butt smell the first few times the brush was used. There was actually no unpleasant smell. Don't know why, but I feel sort of cheated for not getting the wet badger butt smell. Guess I'll have to visit the zoo. Also, on enchante.com there was a statement mentioning how well the S100 worked with soaps and creams other than Hydrolast products. Does anyone here use the V200 with soaps and creams? Does it work well with those also? I did buy some Kiss My Face cream and another brand at the hippy health food aisle at the grocery store. The KMF in lime and the other (the brand escapes me at the moment) in lavender. I tried each alone with the V200 and it didn't work as well as expected. Not a total loss though. On one of Mantic's wet shaving videos I saw him add a bit of cream after building the mix with some soap. Good enough for Mantic, good enough for me I suppose. So I gave it a shot. Performance wise I couldn't tell much of a difference, but I did enjoy the scent. The Hydrolast products work wonders, but as much as I enjoy them, they seem to be lacking in the scent department. I imagined CAR suddenly appearing behind me to scold me for bastardizing his method. It made me feel like when I was watching a dirty movie and thought, "If I died right now and went to Heaven and God asked me, 'So what were you doing when you died?' ". Telling CAR I bastardized his method has about as much appeal. Are there any specific creams or soaps that you have tried that work well with the V200? I'm always open to suggestions. Unless that suggestion is to not be long winded and make sense.
Not to worry. There plenty of hair in those brushes. Mine is at least 2 years old and it is far from looking like a mesquite branch. It is so densely pack there's enough hairs for 2 brushes. Put it any soap or cream it will work just fine making plenty of lather. Raf
The answer to V200 S100 question Hey, I did ask Mantic recently through email if the V200 brush was good for regular wet shaving. His reply was the V200 brush was designed for the shaver who usually method shaves and occasionally regular shaves. While the S100 was designed for the shaver who usually shaves regularly and occasionally method shaves.
Also, I think some of the KMF creams are brushless. This means they lather like S@#! I have an S100 which other than being a little floppy for my taste works good for creams. Not so good for shaving soaps interestingly enough. It needs to be stiffer and the amount of water it hod means I need a LOT of soap. I have a custom brush that is bigger than the V200, and it has an even bigger issue with soaps. Once you get a lather, it has enough for days, but getting it going due to the huge amount of water it holds is some effort. If you try some of the Trumpers creams or TBS, you may have better luck. Brad
My S100 brush never stopped shedding, and Charles and Jean refused to do anything about it. I ended up trading it away, and they lost my business forever. You're correct -- regardless of how "dense" some claim the enchante brushes are, they have a finite number of hairs in them (and FWIW, the S100 brush I had wasn't dense at all, more floppy like a Vulfix brush). Good luck, whatever you decide.
