Perhaps they are using exclusive items to get increased local foot traffic into their store. L.A. is the second largest city in the U.S.
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I really don't agree with not selling brushes online, but yeah, I guess if that's what they want to do.
They do seem to have a couple of idiosyncranies.
It makes sense to me. They are selling used brushes, in the price range up to and above $400. I can't imagine the drama that some people would create buying online etc. I tried calling them about getting one shipped, but never received a call back and I found mine minutes later on ebay. Keep looking, they come up, they also go quick so it's a challenge.
I wouldn't be surprised if those that are continually popping up on ebay are theirs. If Lee Sabini is the sole source, and if they are carrying his brushes, seems to me there is a connection between them and the bay sales. I don't care how big a city LA is, the number of people who walk in looking to pay $300.00 to $450.00 for a shaving brush isn't a multitude. IMHO.
Very true. But the brushes I've seen of recent on the bay are new, and old Towne is selling used brushes. They source them from clients, and I don't believe they sell any that are brand new, from lee. I could be wrong, but that's what the website suggests. I love mine, and I think I got a very good deal, considering mine is huge and was the same price as the smaller ones on the bay.
I've never owned one but have used them. Excellent brushes, Rooney too.
Funny thing about knot size. Seems, as with most things in this sport, YMMV is the rule rather than the exception. I remember speaking with Lynn a couple of years ago and he said, IIRC, that 26mm was about as large as he liked in a knot. That Chubby 3 Manchurian I had was 28 and too much of a good thing for me, but mainaman loves his.
Oddly enough I have found that 23-25 is my sweet spot.
And + 1 on please let us know if it is scritchy ! I've held off on the M&F brushes because it ain't like I need to spend the $ for yet another brush, and if it ain't scritchy it is a waste of my time and money. When it is too scritchy for everyone else it is just right for me. :)
Hey good morning guys. Thanks for the interest. I'm not really a big brush guy. I've now settled on 3 brushes, and one is my not so good first brush that I never use. I sold my my thater around the time I bought this M&F. I had a simpson manchurian that I also sold. I would say the gel tips and scritchiness fall somewhere between the thater and simpson manchurian. I'm not an expert at determining brush characteristics, so I hope this helps some. I've been away for an internship all summer and did not bring the M&F, so I'll use it again soon and get back to you with a revisited analysis of this brush.
I own a few old M&F, they are fine brushes, but I own over 75 brushes, so I have a lot to compare to. I wouldn't pay those prices for a used brush, and that's actually pretty high. I have seen them on forums BST sections for much less.
I'll suggest to shop around, they are out there.
I'm sure they are but I'm done buying brushes hoping they are scritchy. If an M&F is between a Thater and a Simpson Manchurian it isn't even nearly scritchy enough for me. AFAIC Thater ruined the scritchy brush market.
RobinK introduced them to the USA and SRD began selling them. I went through 4 of them hoping for scritch with shorter lofts, larger knots. Soft as butter. Everyone raved about the great backbone and soft tips ......... which is a valid compliment to the Thater, but all the brush makers jumped on the bandwagon of backbone with soft tips.
A used Rooney Finest, or a Somerset made Simpson Super is about the only hope for scritchy nowadays ........ IME. :(
There are many brands and artisans out there that offer well balanced brushes. I mostly use Shavemac two band Silvertip knots and have Rudy Vey make my handles.
I have never been a fan of Simpson Manchurian, I had own probably fifteen of them and always end up selling them. I think Simpson Best, is the best Simpson offering IMO.
Thater? Love them. If I had to pick one brush only, a Thater would be my choice. The ones I own are consistent from one to the other.
Rooney and Somerset Simpsons? My friend you are talking about an era that will never return IMO.
The tips are very soft. It needs more product for building lather. I'm not one of those guys that counts how many shaves I can squeeze out of a tub of soap, so I don't care if it uses more. From the exposed part of the handle to the tips it's 50mm, so I'd guess it's around 55mm to the bottom of the knot. It's the finest brush I've used and will likely keep it until I'm in the grave haha.
I've tried most of them as well - Plisson is in a league of its own for backbone and literally angels wings tips - like silk on the face.
In terms of firmness and scritch - the only knot that comes close, that's close, is the Shavemac D01.
The M&F has left all the others behind IMO.
And Prodigy - think I'll be posting some pics of the brand new, unused, M&F brush I just scored - 31mm knot with a 55mm loft - a true monster - on the other side of my superb M&F L7.
I have an old Simpsons Polo 10 super badger from that era...beautiful knot, very soft, but no scritch factor.
I also like the Thater brushes...they all have unique qualities about them, and a major part of the fun for me is being able to change up my experience. Even love a good Semago boar once in awhile...it's all ymmv
So this one is on the way - couldn't resist going to the other spectrum from my 21mm L7 M&F to this monster.
Seller says it's a Heritage knot, although the handle says, "Finest", either way, it's brand new, never used, and has a 31mm knot with a 55mm loft - I am hoping the "scritch" is very strong in this one.
Morris and Forndran Polo 3 Heritage Badger in a Finest Handle...whatever that means....;)
Attachment 242743
Attachment 242744
I sometimes wonder if there is anything in this sport that doesn't fall under YMMV ? Lee Sabini (Rooney & Morris & Frondran) said he couldn't access the hair for those wonderfully scritchy Rooney FInests and came out with the Heritage line. I had more than a few of them over the years, still have two. They all had good backbone but none had scritch.
But thinking about it, I had a lot of brushes and wanted to thin the herd quite a bit. So I sold all but a couple of my Finests and some Somerset Simpsons. Scritchy all. Well if I had it to do over ........ but that is not the point.
I told these guys that they were scritchy brushes, and AFAIC they were. But after they received them, and had them awhile, I asked if they thought they were scritchy, and to a man they said not that much, or not at all. This puzzled me. BTW, I didn't get any complaints, they were all happy with the brushes.
Giving it some thought I figured out that me being a guy who can only do two passes, whether straight razor, or DE, or I get irritation, I must have some sensitive skin. So what feels regular to many guys feels scritchy to me.
Good luck with that Polo Andrew ......... :gl:
Hey Jimmy - it was this one or a Manchurian Simpsons that I was looking at - again, massive YMMV.
The more reading I've done on all these brushes the conclusion I've come to is that there is no conclusion - one man's scritchy is another soft tips, and the brushes vary so much from brush to brush, year to year, that it seems to be a crap shoot in terms of what you get.
The M&F L7 I have I can say, and think it would be a very few people that would say otherwise, is definitely hardcore on the scritch factor. It has backbone as if there a steel rod in it, and the tips really scrub the face.
Now I've been reading about some M&F's being equivalent to Manchurian knots, but then what year? One year they've got scrub, next year they don't. Then there is this whole "gel tip" that I've been reading about with the M&F"s, WTF is that???? haha I was just wrapping my head around "scritch" and now I've got to do, "gel tip".
So it's like honing, the only real test is in the shave, and the only test with this will be in the lathering....figured to get a new one was lucky, the knot diameter and the loft actually match up perfectly with an old post of pixel's I came across, where he grumbled, "If you got a 31mm knot, loft has to be 55mm"...so if Bill said it, should be at the very least interesting.;)
So my new brand new Morris & Forndran brush finally showed up.
Massive brush, the knot is spectacular, rock solid backbone, and can feel this one will be very scritchy. Can't wait to try this out tonight.
Here's a shot of the M&F Polo 3 standing beside a Simpson's Polo 8 Super Badger, and a Morris & Forndran L7.
Attachment 243886
I tip my hat to JimmyHAD, you just can't pin these brushes down, label to label, Blonde, Finest, Heritage, you just don't know what you're going to get.
This brush has the silkiest tips, huge backbone, and touches your face like a Plisson High Mountain White on steroids....which means it ain't for me.
Lee Sabini is like a Unicorn, talked about frequently but never seen...would love to get one with the scritch of that M&F L7 I have.
So I used it the once, going to let it dry thoroughly, then wrap it up and put it away.
:mad:
Andrew now that ain't right to put it away, could be it would fit someone else's face, it's a beauty!. But it's not like you don't have some fine brushes to make do. Tc
I think the biggest issue is the lack of standards. One outfit says super and another finest and another silvertip and another Manchurian and you really don't have any standard reference point.
I can tell you I have about 4 Simpson manchurians which I bought over a four year period and they are exactly the same as far as back bone and softness of the tips. The Thaters I have are about the same as the Simpson manchurians. The Classic two banders I have are also exactly the same from different outfits and bought over several years. It's all pretty consistent.
So I don't think the hair changes from company to company and year to year it's just you don't know what you are getting because of the lack of standards.
This is yet another issue that I read somewhere was blamed on global warming. The difference in the coat that badgers in China are developing currently against what they had in the past. The only thing I know about badger hair is that I don't know anything, and must depend on the various manufacturers to name the same thing as the best hair since sliced bread.
All I know is that I'm so very, very sad......
Waited out the auction, waited out the two weeks for delivery, the expectation of having a Morris & Forndran 31mm bulldog steel wool to lather up some MdC Fougere, and it was like brushing soft silky wings on my face, that smelled like Fern....what a complete' buzz kill that was...disappointment level well beyond critical.:rant:
Sorry to read your experience. I own a couple of what I like to call legacy M&F brushes, meaning when quality was paramount. I heard Lee wasn't really into it anymore, but I don't know about that, I never had a problem with him.
My stable of Morris & Forndrans from Lee... All superior for my usage.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...pszeaqil1t.jpg
[QUOTE=Druid;1662364]My stable of Morris & Forndrans from Lee... All superior for my usage.
Do you find them all 'scritchy', or some are, some aren't ? Inquiring minds want to know.
[QUOTE=JimmyHAD;1662494]I'm not really sure what "scritchy" is... but all the knots have the same attributes. A lot of backbone .. If I press down on the knot with my palm, it takes a bit or pressure for the hairs to collapse. If I push the knot straight into my cheek, it is a bit prickly. But, when face lathering it feels soft. The best way I can describe it.
[QUOTE=Druid;1662520]I would say 'prickly' is synonymous with what I refer to as 'scritchy'. I can only tell if a knot is prickly if it is wet and soapy and against my face/neck. Dry most feel prickly. Anyway, I've got an M&F coming today or tomorrow so more will be revealed.
My M&F in 32mm knot showed up today. Very soft tips with good backbone , I think it will work well for me.
So almost exactly a year later, you received another MF Polo style handle, but in a bigger knot and different color. Me likey.