I have the Vie Long Butterscotch horse as well... or.. I had! Same issues with the birds nest, but most aggravating of them all - it gave me a rash/irritated skin after each use :-( So I took the knot out and installed a #6 boar instead. Love that handle!
At least the Turkish #6 is available and at a fair price. I have both Vie-Longs and bestshave's and there is no comparison, the bestshave #6 is affordable and actually works well without any kind of birdnesting. The one thing Vie-Long excels in is their handles, they make very nice looking and varied handles. I've used my #6 for many years and have absolutely no complaints, although I would like to put a bestshave #6 knot in one of those Vie-Long butterscotch handles.
I let the brush soaked 30 sec in hot water,look how it came out ! The only "pressure" on this brush was his own weight,if a knot can stand the weight of a handle can you imagine latter while swirling the results? After the few seconds that i start swirling Face lather results If i wanted a brush just for painting moves i could buy a cheap chinese brush for 4 euro Even a Lijun brush has much better backbone and no "bird nest effect,i am done with this brush I am not an expert,i have tested about 120 brushes-this one is not for me.
My reaction was on the same lines, to be honest. I find that I've been misinformed about Vie-Long 12705B, 50/50 ratio. They actually specify on the box that you should use circular motions, without applying "excessive" pressure. I don't think i have applied "excessive pressure", the nest formed very fast though, after around 20 uses. I was really hoping there was a problem with mine, as it's much cheaper, but i'm sorry to see there are the same problems on more expensive brushes too. On a funnier note, i saw an boar brush on an website, it was the kind of brush you get it from your convenience store. $2, poorly made. Instructions were stating on the website "do not soak in warm water".
In turskish shaving forum the admin says for a same brush that is a Boar. In B&B a tuskish shaver admit it and said clearly that is a Boar,read my previous posts. There are comments in bestashave.net preview that is a Boar. Where are the proofs that this turkish brush is Horse? Where is the DNA tests for this brush? Where are the scientist testimony to convince the shavers that the bristles are from a White Horse? Show them to me because i haven't manage to find neither one. I have 12 Boars in my cabinet and i have tested about 16. I have 4 turkish Boars,all look the same between each other in comparison.
Update: I have tested 5 brands of turkish Boar brushes Take a look at the pictures,of course doesn't like at all like the Vie-Long Horse brush of the first post. High loft but it's modified,i couldn't set the loft lower.
Apart from our discussion on the genus of the hair of my Horse/boar brushes have you been able to get any satisfaction from the manufacture of your Horse hair brush? Regardless of the bristles I would be disappointed with that outcome. I hope you can resolve the issue to a point you are satisfied. Steve
My thought was to contact to the seller,Mr Juan of GiftsandCare is an excellent guy but i hesitate because: I have to pay for the shipping to the store,i have to wait till the store send the brush to the factory I have to pay for the brush to come in Greece and is there any guarantee that the new brush will be soft as the previous ? Maybe Blond Horse brushes are soft for example as the knots from WD Maybe "that's the way it is" so i have to compromise and change my style while lathering (which i don't want) I like the handle so perhaps in the future i will put a Boar brush knot although a Black badger knot will look perfect.
I have tried to "bring round" this brush but i failed These are the last photos of that Horse knot,he goes for a replace by another (not Horse).
From the brush sticky: Horse. Horse hair brushes have been used for hundreds of years, but are a recent introduction to American shavers. Made from the hairs of the mane and tail, horse hair brushes are popular in Turkey and other Muslim countries. Horse hair brushes have a small but devoted following. Horse hair holds the water on the outside of the brush unlike badger or boar brushes. Most horse hair brushes have a hollow center. That is to say, the bristles are arranged on the outer rim of the brush. Horse hair brushes are soft like badger brushes but have a stiffness similar to boar brushes. One of the drawbacks to a horsehair brush is that if you decide not to purchase one that is made in the traditional manner (with a hollow center) be careful, if the knot is not packed tightly or densely enough, the hair has a tendency to tangle and knot up in the center. This is easy enough to watch out for and correct. The knots can be untangled by thrusting an ice pick through the base of the knot and carefully working it up towards the tip several times. Edgerunner, from Badger & Blade had this to say about horse brushes and their tendency to tangle in the centers: "Horse hair is used for making painting brushes. By nature, the hair is brittle, not very resilient and doesn't tolerate circular motion and mashing. Actually, when mashed, they feel prickly. I call it threshold of prickliness. If you start feeling your horse brush too scritchy, it's a sign you push it too much. Usually, the knots are made with higher lofts to prevent bristles from breaking and to bend better. They release lather very easily by slapping, painting, and [by using a] wiping motion. That's what these brushes are made for. The biggest fault of the manufacturer is they don't provide a warning note or something about this 'property' of the brush." If you want to face lather with a horse hair brush, buy one with a loft between 45-47mm. These do not have the tangling issues that the higher lofted brushes have. The only manufacturers of horse hair brushes that I know of that sell their brushes in the United States are Vie-Long and Frank’s. $20-$60 Note: The bargain brush, known only as "#6," manufactured in Turkey, is almost certainly a boar brush, not horsehair as is often claimed. Edit: People should know what they are getting into when they buy horsehair brushes. I've owned two, and I can say that I'm not a fan. They don't suit my lathering style.
