My natural bristle brushes, hog and badger, rarely see any use because the new synthetics are crazy good and you can buy 10 for the price of a mid-grade badger.
I agree totally. I am mostly a synthetics guy and they are fantastic. I do have boars and badger and my favorite of those is my Semogue Owners Club 2 band badger which IMO punches well above its price point.
You technically are correct. The Stirling brushes are Yaqi, so I guess you can skip the middle man if you choose. When Rod began selling them, Yaqi brushes weren’t available for retail sale. I have been collecting the line of Stirling branded brushes, so I guess as new ones continue to be released I’ll give them the few bucks. ***Edited to correct my auto correct.
Thanks,I have ordered muehle boar hair decent price,,34 mm is a big knot don't think I've noticed that one big in the uk,pretty sure they are there. Thanks appreciate the reply
Have looked at the semogue 830 I need to give one a try,have seen a mixture of badger and boar hair on one brush gets good reviews. Thank for the input.
Thank you for the kudos Jared. There are certainly "classier" brush collections out there.Mine is modest, but I have learned what makes a great brush great. Thanks again, I am humbled.
Your disagreement is duly noted. Since I have never tried the Yaqi 24mm, you may be correct. The real question is: Have you ever tried the Stirling?
Nope. That doesn't change the fact of my disagreement though, especially considering that a Stirling is a Yaqi. The only difference is you pay more for them to put, "Stirling" on it. Unless Stirling is going to pay me to advertise for them, I'll take a Yaqi, thanks.
There have been handles that I believe have not, or are not available on Ali Express. Or at least for a period of time. I could be wrong. I also put a lot of stock into Rod’s quality control. He sells a lot of them as seconds, at well reduced prices, over very small flaws. If you had ordered that brush directly from Yaqi, I doubt you would get that consideration, especially considering how many he sells as seconds. I’m willing to give a quality vendor a few extra dollars to get the best of the brushes, get them in three days, and know it’ll get replaced if it’s a shedder. But I’m also a guy who pays more at my local hardware store instead of Home Depot, and I buy my groceries at a locally owned store instead of Walmart. Stirling is the closest thing to a local economy as I have when it comes to shaving, so I support it.
the semogue 830 is a great brush and one of my first purchases after i started de.before that it was williams and wilkie brushes. i don t really have a favorite brush ,but have many favorite handles, i like synth ,badgers and boars. i don t think i would spend huge $$$ for a top end silvertip just so i have one...
Is this the fan tip with the butterscotch or marble handle? I have the bulb knot 26mm silvertip, and don’t feel weak in the knees for it. I didn’t know if there was a 24mm version of the same. I have the synthetic version, which is the Lil’ Brudder’s larger sibling, and find the size about perfect. I’d like an identical one in badger........and an ivory handle while dreaming.
I am referring to this 24mm brush. I don't feel "weak in the knees" either, but for $39, I still call this brush an exceptional value.
Ok thanks. I’ll keep it in mind for a future order. I really like my Stirling synthetics and boar. My 26mm badger is a lather hog, and the chemically treated tips feel soft once wet, but have an odd slickness that doesn’t lay down the lather. I really want to like it, and maybe just downsizing to the smaller knot would do the trick. Edited to add: I placed another small order to try the famous butterscotch brush while it’s in stock. Also a marble blem as a possible travel brush or gift. I’ll report back next week when they arrive.
For the shaving collection,now still feel focusing on the brush handle. What all brush has been changed in the past is only handle,different shape different material different color.But the knot is still synthetic,boar bristle. horse, badger different grades . Just the size of the knot has changed.so i advice you can focus brush handles for your collection.on Aliexpress some handles are being sold.can choose build up your brush yourself.
My butterscotch came today! Apparently smaller orders are shipped USPS and arrive in half the time. I shampooed it twice then let it dry. It has a dense knot that bloomed very nicely. Tonight’s shave was Stirling’s Coconut Lime. The brush will eat soap if given the chance, but it built a great lather it’s first time out, and I expect the performance only to improve as the brush breaks in more and I shift from my recent heavy use of synthetics. I’m much happier with the tips too. They’re softer when dry, yet not overly slick when wet. They have no problems releasing the lather. BTW it only shed one hair during the soap loading, and none during the two shampoos. The marble model looks equally impressive, with a handle that’s prettier than any of the photos. The knot is slightly less dense, but still more than enough to be a top performer. It’s still new in the paper, so I can’t give a fair comparison right now though. So to sum up; this is a VERY high value brush, and I have no doubt that it is the best badger value currently on the market. And the fact that my money went to Rod and Mandy makes the purchase that much better.
