Generally its Boars that benefit from breaking in as the actual tips split and soften up as well as loosen up; badger doesn't really break in except exceptionally dense brushes which loosen up in a few days.
Is there anything specific I should do when my new X2 Commodore arrives? Anything to prevent shedding like my current one does? Thank you again Aaron!
Dan when you get a new brush its either a shedder or not a shedder, I mean unless you're mashing the hell out of the bristles and using it dry it shouldn't be shedding. If you get a new brush and its shedding more than 3 hairs per shave after a month of ownership, imo its a dud and should be replaced.
Unfortunately I'd have to disagree entirely. Our Simpson brushes are entirely handmade and go through several processes in their manufacturing procedure. Arguably the most important aspect of the brush is the formation of the knot, in our case hand tied, bundled, glued and set by trained artisans. Each knot may contain in excess of 20,000 badger hairs. As is the case with us humans, no two hairs mirror each other - they are 'all' different. Despite being sorted and graded there will be differing lengths in any particular batch. Not all the hairs in the setting process are picked up - they maybe short, they may have slipped through in the bundling or weighing process. It can take several months for these 'loose' or 'shorts' to find their way out - this is the nature of 'truly' hand made brushes. There are other telling signs when a brush starts to shed. It is often the case that mildew has formed around the base of the knot as a consequence of insufficient rinsing & drying (through decent ventilation). In this instance, the hairs break away from the glue as a mold forms. You can usually smell it through the normal product residue aromas. Shedding may not be just shedding ... Certainly not all brushes that lose hairs are duds - that is factually incorrect. Now we do make brushes that shed - it goes with the hand made process, particularly when we make hundreds of thousands of brushes per year. If it's a genuine shedder & it came from us directly or through an authorised stockist, we'll replace - without exception. Hope that helps a little? Mark MD - Simpsons / Vulfix. PS - HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL.
Thanks for the input Mark, I must have just been lucky with my 20+ purchases to only receive one bad knot out of the lot. I agree though that after several months of usage if something starts to shed, its probably the users fault, however.
I am happy that my new Commodore x2 is AMAZING. It's lost like 3 hairs and that's it. Able to get a REAL lather for once, holds water nicely, nice heft, a little small for my hands, but no problem! I give it 5/5 for sure! BTW, I rinse, shake dry, brush my bath towel to get any moisture I can, and hang it upside down on a Razor/Brush stand. So hopefully I won't be hurting it. Only time I could think is pre-shave, I let it soak in my sink of hot water totally submerged. Would you not recommend that?
I just read your incredible September 28 post today. A wealth of in formation that answered several questions - Thank you.
Nice one, but there is a difference between 2-band and 3-band: 2-band silvertips are stiffer as they have thicker hair. They are recommended for people who prefer a silvertip with more backbone.
More than id ever need to know but its great being able to understand a lot of whats being said. Thank you for your time writing this extensive dictionary!
Great write up...I'm shopping brushes and recently won a $75 gift card in a work raffle. They have some "art of shaving" brushes and in the write ups it said something about a partnership w/Gillette even. Anyway, what differances do you folks see from their "Pure", "Fine" and "travel" offerings? I'm leaning toward this one, but don't want to get ripped off....keep in mind it's a gift card so I don't have to put up all the money. Lets face it, $75 bucks at nordstroms gets you a pack of underwear! Thanks....
