Thread: The Sweetest of the Sweeties

Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen,

I have wet shaved long enough to know that the expensive or the famous are not necessarily the sweetest for the individual shaver. Puma, Wade & Butcher or vintage Revisor, all legendary razors, might not shave any better than, say, a little old Top Flight.

In truth, I had a Top Flight once that was as sweet a shaver as the biggest names in my modest razor lineup.

I believe the same in shaving brushes. A Plisson High Mountain, Simpson Manchurian or Wiborg, among other great names, might not necessarily be any sweeter than a no name silvertip — for the individual shaver.

I mention only silvertip brushes, because they and other badger grades in the same general category are the only ones I can use because of my ultra sensitive skin.

The boar bristle brush is no fun for me. You can have the horsehair. I enjoy an occasional synthetic. I abhor the "pure" grade badger, and the Simpson "best" badger irritates my skin. I have never had a Rooney I liked all that much. Or a Kent. Or a shavemac DO1. Lathering with the Morris & Forndrant is like slow dancing with a porcupine.

And that's how it is — for me, anyway. Which brings me to the sweetest of the sweeties in my shaving brush experience: the shavemac 167 silvertip with the 25mm knot and 56mm loft.

This is an unpretentious brush with medium density and backbone, soft and comfortable tips. I've had the shavemac 167 silvertip in 24mm knot and 26, both fine brushes, but neither is as sweet as the 25mm knot — for me. The brush hugs the face with just enough backbone, density and splay to make it a joy to use.

If I were to proclaim a brush as close to perfect as possible, for me, it is this brush. I love it. No other brush comes close to it in overall comfort and sweetness.

And you, gentlemen? Do you have the one brush — it might be hard to choose, but try — that you can call the sweetest of the sweeties for you?

In the meantime, here is my shavemac 167 silvertip in the 25mm knot — the sweetest of my sweeties.

Looks very classy indeed. May you use it in good health.

This is probably the description I've been striving to "capture" about what I feel about shaving with a straight, and what I try to create for myself.

This is beautifully put, and I couldn't agree more (cut and pasted from RobinK's OP):

"Many shaving aficionados tend to see their shaves as time-capsules of perfection, a bubble in which they can withdraw for a brief while, indulging the delights of perfection: a razor that culminates both form and function, carrying a flawless edge, wielded with cultivated skill. Unequivocally, the peripherals must strive for the same perfection: the strop, the brush, the shaving soap,... the aficionado constructs his bubble with care and it's to be expected that he occasionally upgrades a part of the equipment with something better. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a quest for perfection."