Currently have two badger brushes. Both are 22mm. The silvertip has an ivory handle with a 47th loft. That brush is a year old. The black octagonal handle has a 57 mm loft and is week old.
When it comes to the brushes, have used VDH badger about a 25mm knot. Light handle and wasn't really a good brush, too floppy. These brushes give a excellent value for the money. The silvertip has good backbone and is very soft. It shed some during the break in period. Pure badger has a different feel and perhaps a bit more scritchiness. Larry is a wealth of information and gives excellent customer service. Soaps that have been used with the brushes are VDH, Kell's energy soap, and DR HARRIS Windsor.
I placed an order with Larry for a high mountain with a 52mm loft. Really excited to use a "real" badger and not the roadkill Escali thing .
There excellent Rustty. I have a few Silvertip Badger Brushes and I like them all. I have only dealt with WD for a short period of time, however, he always gets back to me in a timely fashion with outstanding information.
Have to say working with Larry is truly an amazing experience. His badger brush prices are hard to beat. Service can't be beat
I've been happy using my WD badgers. As mentioned, they are tough to beat for price vs performance. Soft, silky-tipped brushes with decent backbone. If I had to find fault with them is their tendency to 'hog' the lather—a seemingly common trait on some densely-packed badger knots. This isn't really a deal-breaker for me (more of an annoyance), but it does make switching out to boar and synthetics a refreshing change up.
Good point, I have noticed this with my Silvertip Badger Brushes. A little squeeze at the end of the knot and that hidden lather is right there. In my avatar I'm the one on the right, on the way to Hue up the Perfume River 1968. The man beside me is Dane Bing Brown. He was WIA a few days later.
I agree with all that's has been said above. Larry is a great guy to deal with, really good customer service. Listens to what you want and makes suggestions. My Whipped dog 24mm Silvertip is my second badger but my first silvertip. When I started using it I realized right away that I have been missing out a lot by not owning a silvertip. Price and quality was really good. I love my badger and will definitely buy stuff from him again =D
The silvertip is on the soft side, the lower loft prevents floppiness. From what Larry has told me that is a silvertip trait. The other knot is pure badger and a nice black color.
