I've had three horse hair brushes come my way recently, one via a BST elsewhere and two directly from Gifts and Care. I've not used horse brushes before and thought I'd share my views on them after having used them a few times. The Brushes The brushes are (from L to R): Vie Long 13071 Wooden handle with died knot (50% mane / 50% tail). Vie Long 13065S-1 Butterscotch Edition Brown Horse with a Fan knot (35% mane / 65% tail). Epsilon Butterscotch White Horse with a Fan knot (50% mane / 50% tail). Specifications The knot specifications are slightly different to those listed on the Gifts and Care website. The actual specifications of the brushes are: 13071 (died knot with wooden handle) - handle 50mm, knot 24 x 55mm. 13065S-1 Butterscotch Edition with Amphora-style handle - handle 54mm, knot 25 x 49mm. Epsilon - handle 47mm, knot 29 x 50mm. Knot Density The density of the knots is interesting. As can be seen from the photo above the 13071 lacks density and the knot looks as if it has collapsed (from what I can gather this is normal behaviour for this style of knot). The two Butterscotch brushes, however, have more than sufficient levels of density. Lather Shots I thought that it would make sense to take some pictures of these brushes in action. I only ever bowl lather and thought that it would make sense to use a hard shaving soap that many people find difficult to lather (as this would provide a difficult test for the brushes), so I bloomed a puck of Musgo Real and used it with one of my Steve Woodhead scuttles. The 13071 performed pretty well when it came to the task of lathering and easily produced a nice, useable lather. The Epsilon performed excellently and whipped up more than enough lather with comparative ease. The 13065S-1 Butterscotch Edition brush was simply amazing. It devoured the soap and produced much more lather than the other two brushes. It produced much more lather than I could realistically use. It was simply awesome. Post-use Bloom As you can see there is a small amount of noticeable bloom on each brush. There's nowhere near as much bloom as would be expected with a comparable badger brush. Conclusion What surprised me most about these brushes is how well they have performed whilst being used over the past few days. I was expecting, based upon what I have read, to find each brush to have some noticeable scritch which would slowly ease off over time. The 13071 didn't disappoint in this respect - it feels very much like a pure badger knot and didn't impress me that much at all. I'm hoping that the tips will soften with use. It's a floppy brush and will work well in a bowl. I wouldn't want to even attempt to face lather with it though. I am pretty sensitive to scritch and have found a couple of Vie Long Silvertips and a number of 2-band Badgers to be too scritchy for me in the past. I was, therefore, really surprised when I couldn't detect any scritch from either of the two Butterscotch brushes. If I were describing badger brushes I would be using phrases such as 'a wall of badger' to describe these brushes. I'm not sure what the appropriate phrase would be to describe a horse hair brush, but both brushes certainly have very soft tips straight out of the box. Both the Butterscotch brushes have more than sufficient backbone and really have changed my thoughts about horse hair brushes. For me, the knot dimensions and hair type are spot-on and I would wholeheartedly recommend giving the Vie Long fan-shaped knots a try. Whilst they are relatively cheap brushes, they punch well above their weight and perform as well as, if not better than, many of much more expensive badger brushes I have in my collection.
That little Epsilon brush looks like a nice face latherer. But I've bought 4 brushes this year already so I'll just admire from afar.
The wooden handled one is tangled in the center. It needs a combing out. When you comb it, it will work even better.
Thanks mate. I've just completed a combing session with it and, whilst it lost a few hairs, it has improved the knot shape considerably and the knot already feels noticeably softer.
It's one of the ways horse hair is different. It can get matted and unusable if it isn't combed out once in a while. They are nice brushes that will last a long time with a bit of care.
I just started rinsing out my new Vie-Long 12705B today and holy crap does it smell... potent. I was so happy when I first opened the box and posted about it in the haul thread - NO FUNK! YAY! As soon as it got wet my toes started curling. I have never had a brush smell as much as this does
It's from the natural oils in the hair. Lather it with some dish soap or shampoo and let it sit for a few hours. Then, lather with a soap with a scent you like and let that sit overnight. It will get rid of the obvious smell.
Thanks for the test and review of the three horse hair brushes. You've probably done more for horse hair than anyone, thanks to your review. I am a big fan of horse hair, I have never had to comb out a brush, and I've never had a funky smell. The only negative I know, many come without back bone, so you have to buy based on reviews like yours or buy from a knowledgeable vendor.
Thank you - I'll let it stew over night. Just from the lather I made trying to clean it up, I am very impressed with the brush
You have to be very careful with horse not to mash/splay hard, and swirl. It will tie itself in knots that will roach the brush. (Guess how I know...) . From the picture you showed, you were close to not saving that one. (Guess how I know...) . Horse makes some really wonderful brushes, and they can be as soft as anything but a synth. They do take some care, and close watching over even what I think most would consider gentle use. Enjoy the one's you have, they are very nice.
Wow, thanks for that totally awesome and in-depth review! I have a Vie Long Epsilon, and agree completely with what you said about the brush. Some folks noted that horsehair knots get matted, but I never had that problem.
Great review! I just broke down yesterday and ordered a Vie Long Cachurro horse hair brush. We'll have to see.....
Nice review...thanks. I've been window shopping for a horse hair brush to add to my herd. This was helpful.
Just had an awesome shave with my Vie Long White. They really can/do hold their own with good three bands in terms of face feel. And what a $$$ value! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I have 6 Vie Longs I use regularly, all are remarkable brushes. The scritch will fade away after time. Just be careful when you splay a horse brush as they are inclined to tangle if you are too rough on them. I dearly love mine----that Epsilon is a real beauty!!!!!
I recently purchased a Vie Long horse hair brush. It too had that "wet horse" smell when wet. I soaked it for about 30 minutes in shampoo with conditioner. I did it twice allowing it to dry between soaks. It is fine now. I read that advice somewhere in some thread. Seems to work.
I've dealt with funky brushes before, but this one particular brush took 10 times the normal amount of work to neutralize the smell. Usually I just lather up 2-3 of times (at the most), leaving the brush to dry out in between, and it's good to go
