Thread: Thater 2 band vs 3

I have my own test for floppiness. I take the brush and put pressure from the hair straight down on the palm of my hand. Depending on how crushable the hair is I know immediately if it's going to be floppy and how floppy it will be. I don't have to use it or wet it.

I don't think I've ever encountered a floppy brush that was prickly. That's a quality you usually find with the stiffer hairs.

An example of how individual the appreciation of brushes is can be found all through this thread. For example, Stefan (mainaman) describes the current Simpson Chubby Manchurian ;

to be For me the best combo of backbone and tip softness comes with CH 3 Manchurian.

I had that brush, and a Simpson Manchurian Polo from the same time frame, that were way too stiff for me, and not scritchy enough.

I had so many Thaters come and go because I was trying to get a scritchy one, and no soap (pun intended). Same with the Shavemac with the D01 (or whatever it is) hair. I only tried one of them, and it was a 3 band as luck would have it, but no scritch. The Rooney Heritage line the same thing. I still have two of those, and they are good brushes, but no scritch.

I had some Somerset made Simpson Supers and some Rooney Finests from 'back in the day' and foolishly sold them. They were scritchy. I sold them because I had a bucket full of brushes and figured the availability of scritchy brushes would never end. That is what I get for figuring. Going back to the theme of individual likes/dislikes for brushes.

I sold 3 Rooney finests to 3 different people some years ago. I asked each one, after they had the brushes awhile whether they found them to be 'scritchy'. Two of the three said no, and the other fellow said 'a little bit.' Now these were scritchy to my face. So it isn't only that a brush has certain characteristics inherently, but what might be scritchy to one guy, might not be to another.

Funny thing is, in about 1973 I was in Hoffritz For Cutlery and bought my first shaving brush. I used that little brush, a badger @ $80.00, for over 30 years. My one and only brush. It worked. I never thought about whether it had backbone, was soft or scritchy ( it was soft but not floppy). I came to shaving forums in '07 and read all this stuff about the optimum brush, and suddenly my humble Hoffritz was not good enough, and the race was on ;



Sung to the tune of "House Of The Rising Sun" ........... Mother, tell your children, not to do what I have done. spend your money on shaving brushes when one is as good as a ton .......... All but a couple of those pictured are gone, in other shave dens now .........

Ain't that the truth. I could describe a brush one way give it to another person and they would describe it another way. That is the trouble with all reviews of brushes, soaps and creams, far too subject. You really just have to try serveral to find one that suits you.

I used a boar brush on and off for over 40 years before joining shave forums and being "educated" on why certain badger brushes are "best". I bought a few badger brushes till I found what I liked but in the end they lather up a soap or cream about as well as my old cheap badger brushes. They may feel different but both get the job done and done well.

Bob

Just purchased at 3 band Thater 4125/2 26 mm from SRD. Can't wait till it arrives

Don't know how the 3 band goes but I'd imagine it can't stray too far from the 2. Awesome brush! That brush holder SRD sells in Chrome for 14 bucks or so is a good for to it, opening is alittle tight, I squeeze the brush together to put it in, but after its in its snug.

Originally Posted by Bleacherbum76

Just purchased at 3 band Thater 4125/2 26 mm from SRD. Can't wait till it arrives

How did you get on with it ? An update would be great please ?

Is their such thing as a donkey hair shave brush? ( knot )