So I have a badger brush, that isn't top shelf and I don't use much, and a boar which I like and use 99% of the time, but I recently saw some pictures of Vie Long horse brushes that caught my eye. The ones that I thought looked particularity striking were the 13062, 13066 and 13070. On doing a little research into horse hair brushes it seemed like the standard knots are too tall and people recommended cutting them down. Is that really true? Does anyone have any thoughts on any of the above brushes, good or bad, or any other horse hair one. Lastly, does anyone have a good, reasonably priced source for these? It seems like mostly European sites had them and the prices were pretty high. If I can get one for a reasonable price I'd like to try one but the prices that I saw were too high for that.
There is really only one that is taller than average, 60 mm. The others are a typical size including the ones you mentioned. Horse hair acts more like human hair when wet though so it absorbs water and becomes stretchy. It can also tangle if you press too hard when stirring lather. I usually comb mine out a bit while damp to prevent that.
I have a Vie Long 12705 and a 13061 and enjoy both equally. I have no issues with hair length and find them to be fine brushes. You will have to define "too high" as I paid under $40.00 each for mine and that was reasonable to me.
I too have a Vie Long 12705 It's advertised as 35% mane, and 65% tail hair. Loft is given in the specifications @ 60mm, but mine measures 61-62. Knot diameter is given as 23mm, and mine measures 23-24. I got it from Maggard's. ($18.00) This was at the higher end of "reasonably priced" for me. http://www.maggardrazors.com/product/vie-long-12705-peleon-horse-hair-shaving-brush-red-handle/ I treat this brush completely contrary to the advice given by the chap in the above video, and I've not had the knotting problem that others have reported. I treat this brush the same way that I treat my boar brushes. I press down on the brush firmly when loading soap, and I like a bit of "scrub" when I'm lathering up, so I press on it firmly when I'm applying the lather too. This is just normal use as far as I'm concerned. Lightly painting on your lather doesn't allow soap to do to your whiskers what it is intended to do, so I scrub. I've about 40 shaves with this brush now, and I've not had one bit of trouble with it. It is different however. It seems to entrain air into soaps quickly. Soaps that load and apply with a thick, sticky consistency using a boar brush will be much more "fluffy" when applied with this brush. You may want to keep that in mind. Overall, I like the horse brush, but I don't think I'll invest in another. I really like what I get from a good boar brush, and I can't see myself giving up on them any time soon. Best of luck in your search for the horse, and Happy Shaving!!
I think that as a "give it a try item" $10-15 would be as much as I'd want to pay. I guess I'll keep an eye out on the classifieds and for sales to see what pops up.
I have a Vie-Long 12705 and it's my only horse hair brush. It's a nice brush which I like which I find gives a comfortable shave. The 12705 is not too expensive ($18) and allows you to try a horse hair brush for not a huge expense. I find you have to use a lighter touch with it and more of a painting motion rather than circular when applying lather.
Amazon has them too with free shipping. You might look there. I think $18 is pretty good since even most synthetics are around $25.
I have a few Vie-Longs(12705 I found the handle overly bulky, Professional Barber heavy with an overly long loft,12601 my favorite of the group). I like Vie-Long handles much more than their knots. My favorite horse(?) hair brush is the bestshave #6. While there is dispute of exactly what type of hair is used, for me at least it's a fantastic lathering brush, with a price that can't be beat!! I've used it daily for at least 3 years now with no signs of it wearing out, loosing hair or the knot becoming unglued from the handle.
I have the V-L 13061M brush. I love it. I don't baby it and have never had any issues with tangling or knotting. I was my main brush until I received a TGN synthetic knot. I face and bowl lather with the V-L. I bought it as a part of a den clearance with a razor, some blades, some aftershave and the brush for a total of $35.
I have a Vie Long 12705B white hair fan knot. It's half mane and half tail. It's an excellent brush, not flop and its soft. A great value. I treat like all my boar and badger brushes and so far no problems.
This is good to know. Honestly, i was having doubts when i saw the recommendations of not pressing too much and not using rotation motions. But when i received my Vie-Long 12705B (regular, not fan, white hair, 50/50), i just used like i do with my boar. I don't have to press as hard, as it's having less backbone, but i spread the hairs, and face lather, using the same rotating motions like i do with boar. I don't see what could go wrong, i did not saw hairs clumping up when they dry or something like it.
