I had heard of these a little while back, and thought they looked like nice brushes. I had enough experience with the QED soaps to know that Charles produced a quality product. These seem to have been a bit of a close-kept secret - not really, the QED website just sucks, and I have learned to always ask is he has other things in stock. Recently I found myself craving a softer, more luxurious brush for creams to compliment my Rooney 1/2 in Super that I picked specifically for my soaps. Not having a lot of money to spend, I was drawn to these. First off, the specs. Handle height: 50mm Hair loft: 56mm Knot size: 20mm Below you can see it stacked up against my Rooney 1/2 super. As you can see, both the handle and the hair are taller than the Rooney. This isn't so surprising, since I ordered the Rooney with a shorter loft to make it especially good at picking up soap. The balance of the handle feels fine in my hand. While the Rooney handle feels a bit denser, the QED handle is no slouch, and does not feel cheap or too light. I bought a Vulfix 660 from Lee at Lee's Razors, and while it was a great brush, the handle did feel a bit cheap. This QED Select handle feels like quality, and durable. The one issue with the handle is the stenciling. While it won't come off as quickly as the sticker on a Simpsons, this lettering isn't going to last long. On the back, some of the "S" on "Silvertip" was missing already when I received it, and since I have had it, the "Select" on the front has begun to rub off. Soon it may be a non-descript brush. Oh well, I don't need the name for bragging rights. Still, if I ever wanted to sell it, would the person take my word that it is a QED Select? The packaging is a stiff cardboard box, similar to the packaging for a Rooney or a Simpsons. Nothing flashy like a Kent. The handle feels nice in my hand. I'd say that I have medium-sized hands. The base on this brush juts out a bit more than others in this style of handle, and I really like it. It makes it that much easier to grip. So now to the bristles. As you can see in this next picture, the QED is on the left, and my Rooney is on the right. The QED brush is not as dense as the Rooney, but then it doesn't claim to be. Still, this is a dense brush. The hair is also not as stiff as the Rooney super. It tends to splay a bit more against your face, so if you want a brush that pushes back, get a Rooney, not a QED Select. I wouldn't call it floppy, though. This is not a brush for those who want a serious scrubbing effect. This is one for people who want their face caressed as they apply lather. When you rub it against your face, the nice and soft silvertip badger hair massages your face more than it scrubs. It feels very nice. I have used it about 10 times, and so far I have noticed it losing a grand total of 3 hairs. Also, while it has that same new badger funky smell, this one seems to have not had it as bad as others, and after 10 shaves it is now mostly gone. That is the quickest I have ever seen (or smelled) the badger funk dissipate. The brush holds lather well, but is not a lather hog, like my Rooney can be. I easily get enough lather for the 3-4 passes I regularly do. It holds a decent amount of water, but again, not as much as the more dense Rooney. Most importantly, this brush lathers like a dream. I bought it primarily for creams, and it was a great purchase. Thus far I have tried it with: GFT Violet, GFT Almond, Indian Palmolive, Euro Palmolive, and Musgo Real. It has produced rich, slick lather very quickly with each of these! However, I know there are those who like an all-in-one brush, and sometimes when you travel you don't want to take multiple brushes. So I tried this brush out with soaps as well. I used it with my QED Special 218 soap, and with my triple-milled, tallow-based Ralph Lauren Safari soap. The result? Great lather with both, and easy to generate. This brush, despite being very soft and not as dense as my Rooney, very easily picked up enough soap from the puck to easily generate lather on my face. Almost as quickly as with a cream. The price really can't be beat. Before shipping, Charles sells this brush for $55. It was only $12 more than the same brush with best grade hair. Charles has made these EXTREMELY affordable for the quality of brush you get. The only downside is that he seems to sell through his stock quickly. I lucked out with this order. He initially said he was out of silvertip brushes, but finally found this one hiding. You have to contact him on availability. I believe it is going to be a constant part of his inventory, though, so if he is out, he'll let you know when he is expecting more. If you want a VERY nice brush, but don't have a ton of money to spend, I think it is a no-brainer - get yourself a QED Select brush. Charles said there wasn't a dramatic difference in the softness of the hair between his best and silvertip grades, so if you want an even better deal, get the best. Regardless, you will be very pleased. Prices and pictures for the line of QED Select brushes can be found at this link. Please go here to discuss this review.
