I ordered the Vie-Long 4212 and 04312 horse hair brushes off of Amazon for $7.14 and $9.49, respectively, along with a stand and a tub of Taylor of Old Bond Street Almond Shaving Cream. I like my Cremo-rebrand brush, but the handle is too short for my hands and I prefer to have a back-up or two. I plan to give away the Cremo once the other brushes arrive. But here's the question I have. Other than the color of the bristles (the 4212 has darker hairs), what is the real difference between the two? The handles look the same, metal and finished wood, so I'm a bit curious.
4212 Hair mix: 25% mane hair; 75% tail hair Overall Length - 114 mm Handle Length - 55 mm Loft - 59 mm Knot - 20 mm Weight 80gr. approx. 4312 Hair mix: 25% mane hair; 75% tail hair Overall Length - 114 mm Handle Length - 55 mm Loft - 59 mm Knot - 20 mm Weight 80gr. approx.
The difference is the knots. The handle is the same. The 4212 is the black horse knot and I think the mix of tail and mane is different.
I see. That should make comparing the two a neat little adventure. I'm going through a D.R. Harris Marlborough puck that someone sent me. I had to melt it in the microwave to get it to fit in my Old Spice mug, but so far with my Cremo-rebrand Vie-Long it shows hardly any sign of wearing down despite my using it for every shave. A good, long-lasting puck indeed, ha ha! But I've been pleased with the results given by the horse hair so far.
The soap survived the microwave ok? I understand that brand to be tallow based. I’ve grated Arlington in the past based on what I’ve read.
I find horse brushes rock. I recently put a chinese horse knot into a older handle. It is almost defunked. I gave a horse brush like the 4312 to @Bird Lives. He loves it. Have fun.
I believe one is black hair and the other brown. So if the knots and handles are the same size the difference is in the hair color.
This is from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RSILS44/?tag=thshde-20 Frequently bought together + Total price: $16.63 Add both to CartAdd both to List One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details Buy the selected items together This item:Vie-Long 4212 Handmade Barber Shaving Brush with Extra Black Horse Hair by Vie-Long $7.14 Vie-Long 04312 Professional Horse Hair Shaving Brush, Metal/Wooden Handle $9.49
I bet even with same tail & mane mixture, the difference in the horses probably matters in the feel of the brush.
I 100% agree with this. You can buy two of the EXACT same brush, and they will/can have a completely different face feel.
I agree. The same with boar. I have two omega 98 knots. They both are great....but feel different in use.
Yep. Mind you, it had been broken up in order to get all of it to fit into the mic, and I added a bit of water to it when I pulled it out to cool it off and restore it somewhat, but it lathers just fine and I find it's lost none of its effectiveness.
Alright, tonight's shave was performed with the black-hair brush and Taylor of Old Bond Street almond shave cream. The bristles really do a good job of holding in the lather, such that I didn't need to add more product, only a few drops of water whenever the lather began to evaporate. Niiiice!