Will try with a few more soaps....Kent/Mitchells can be quite difficult...and it is not fair to base an opinion on that one alone.
1. B&B finest horn 2. Vulfix 2234 3. Taylor of Old Bond Street Mini p373 4. ? 5. ? I have a Col. Conk boar and a Truefitt & Hill pure badger. They aren't too bad, but are not in the rotation anymore, either.
Plisson HMW Alexandre (Plisson) HMW Assorted no name HMW brushes with lucite bases (Plisson) Joris Euro White (Plisson) You'll notice a theme here.
Welcome HMW. er..um. ACS !! Late, as usual Mine are as follows: Rooney Super Small 3 in Horn Simpsons Super Chubby1 B&B Finest Ebony Omega Elegant 6212 in Silvertip (well, actually Lovie's now ) TBA
Since my April 3rd post, I have since given my EJ Chatsworth to a friend and added the Simpson Duke 2, C&E Super Badger and the C&E BBB to my collection. So here is my new top 5: 1. Simpson Duke 2 2. EJ Medium Silvertip Imitation Light Horn 3. Savile Row 3226 4. EJ B&B Finest Silvertip in Faux Ebony 5. C&E BBB 5. Trumpers Pure Badger 5. C&E Super Badger (I find this brush a little too floppy)
Can't believe I missed this thread. I've only used about 5 or so brushes, but here are mine: 1. SR 3124 2. SMF 1 brush The above two are neck-in-neck for top spot. I seem to flip these two in my mind all the time. 3. Plisson EW #12 4. B&B Finest Ebony 5 C&E Best Badger Brush (the old standby.. I need to pick one up. Shouldn't have traded my original one)
It's changed Crabtree & Evelyn Edwin Jagger Made Small Best Badger Brush Kent BK4 Small Ivory Silver Tip Badger Shaving Brush Omega Boar Bristle and Chrome Handle Shave Brush Rooney 22mm Style 2 Small Ivory Super Silvertip Badger Shave Brush Shavemac 23mm Handmade Nickel Ivory Pure Badger Shave Brush Honorable Mention Edwin Jagger Limited Edition Finest Silvertip Badger Faux Ebony Shave Brush
No particular order of ranking, just my observations on the brushes I own: Shavemaster V200: Great solid brush with a heavy solid wood handle, nice fan shape and very densly packed knot. I only use this brush for Method Shaving so it kind of stands on it's own. Others have had great success using this with regular soaps and creams. Simpsons Harvard 6 Best: Big luxury type brush. Plenty of density and firmness behind it work later up on both creams and soaps. This one really excels on creams more as soap containers are usually too small to comfortably work this brush in. Will turn the most stubborn of creams in to big mounds of lather every time. Simpsons Chubby 2 Best: Brush perfection. Nice big knot size does and soft tips. The best/super grading system with Simpsons is always questionable, I couldn't imagine this one being any better. The tips are nice and soft on the face and brush is firm enough to get a nice scrubbing action for those of us who like to lather on the face. Simpsons Duke 2 Best: Ultimate soap brush. Tight and compact, short loft. Works perfectly inside soap containers and whips up lather very fast. Anyone who uses soaps should own one of these. Simpsons Persian Jar 1 Super: Small brush, big lather. Very versitile. Good balance, not too stiff, not too floppy. This brush works great on soaps and creams alike. The handle is very small but surprisingly not uncomfortable to hold at all. Holds a gererous amount of lather and hits your face like a soft cushion. Expensive for such a small brush, but no regrets in obtaining this one. Simpsons Case Pure: Small but effective. Very good for what it's designed for, portable travel brush. The pure grade hair is unlike any other pure I've ever used. Not scratchy at all. Despite the small size, it lathers very well. I usually take soap in a travel container when I'm on the road and this is the brush for the job. The pure grade is also very inexpensive, even for being a Simpsons.
I was gonna say .... He's in a rut. But. Not until my package ships Would somebody throw him a Rooney for gosh sake?
I can't really narrow it down to five. However, I'd like to mention two in my collection-- 1)Shavemac 436 w/pre-Jul 05 silvertip hair (reference the doctors' opinions on this hair) 2) Saint Charles Shave shaving brush (ebony or ivory -- I have both); I like this one better than the vaunted C&E BBB [BTW -- no longer sold by SCS]
Ok.. Here goes.. 1. Muehle Super (Black octagon handle) 2. Muehle Super (Granite lookalike handle) 3. Muehle Pure (Black square handle) 4. Merkur Futur Silvertip 5. Muehle Mother of Pearl SilverTip I have a Wilkinson Boar as well but Ill never use it anymore so I cant rate it as a fav..
What do you look for in a brush? So, what do you look for in a brush? What's your preference? I'm not talking about brand, I'm talking about characteristics. For example, I prefer the following: Knot Size = 21mm-23mm Base length is low priority but I'll say medium to long. Base material can add a lot to the cost so, I prefer basic faux ebony or faux ivory. I like a little skritchiness so I prefer best or super badger over silvertip for everyday use. I prefer silvertip for high end creams and luxury shaves. It's OK if it's floppy.
Rooney's Finest Style 3/Size 1 Plisson HMW (three-banded) horn handle (No. 12) ShaveMac SMF I Kent BK4 Simpson Tulip No. 1 (three-banded) in Super - my travel brush I've tried to get brushes that will complement each other in function, looks and feel. The only one I want to add to my stable (right now anyway) is another Plisson HMW, but this one two-banded. My favorite is the Plisson followed very closely by the Rooney
Good to see you here jfrancisco! I have sold all of my inexpensive brushes and started rebuilding. All I have is a Rooney Style 3 Size 1 (Small) - Faux Horn - "Super". I am siting here waiting for my BK4 to arrive and reading all I can of your advice and experiences.........for my next purchase! Breaking news! The BK4 arrived this afternoon just in time for Father's Day.
