Thread: The Sweetest of the Sweeties

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.

My face is not as sensitive as Obie's so a great many brush types work well for me. That said my favourite badger brush is a custom made Shavemac with their 26mm 2 band silvertip set to a 50mm loft in a large tall handle they made for me. It has bloomed a bit since this phot was taken new out of the box. Soft tips and good backbone.

Bob

Chubby 3 Manchurian for me

I recently got a new favorites brush. I am told it is an LS two band, but I forget the loft. It is full of backbone, there is absolutely no flop in this brush. I face lather 90% of the time and this little brush is perfect. Before that my favorite was a two brush tie. One a custom by Pixelfixed and the other a custom by walleyeman. I still love the other two a lot and they still get face time, but 1/2 mt shaves now go to my new favorite brush. Over time my tastes may change but not today.

I used my favorite brush this morning. A Vulfix 377 in Silvertip which is a higher grade than their super badger. This brush is a little light on backbone but not what I would call floppy. It has a large, comfortable handle that balances well and tips, oh the cushy softness of the tips. I have some very fine and certainly more expensive brushes but this is the one.

I own a few brushes, but the one I have been using on a daily basis for years is a 26mm Thäter two band fan. The knot was produced along with the SRD Limited Edition brushes. Bart reviewed the same brush, and his review is, well, what a review should look like. Summary:

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.

In that light, I have tried to describe this Thäter brush as accurately as possible, even if it took lyrical language to do so for some of its properties.

If you are looking for a brush that's build to perfection and combines outstanding beard preparation with a ravishing lathering experience, and if you can live with the knowledge that price curves are always steep at the highest end of any product line, then I can warmly recommend the fan-shaped 2 band badger by Thäter.

So, here is a perfect setup. 8/8 razor, 26mm Thäter, and Meißner Tremonia for the win.

I'd have to second the Simpson Chubby 3 Manchurian. There are other brushes with nicer handles but as to the business end and overall that's the one.

YMMV. I had the Simpson Manchurian Chubby 3 and it was too much of a good thing for me. Too much knot, loft, and regrettably not scritchy. Same with a Manchurian Polo 10. I guess I confess to being a bigamist when it comes to brushes. No monogamy for me.



On the upper right is an older Plisson HMW 14 that has a loft that would ordinarily be too tall for me, but the brush is so delightfully scritchy that I will die with it. To the left of the HMW is a Shavemac Pure I bought from a forum member in the classifieds for $50.00 shipped from Japan to the USA. Scritchy to beat the band. I never cease to wonder why he let it go.

On the second shelf are two of the Simpson Supers made in Somerset, before the Vulfix acquisition. The Persian Jar came to me out of the classifieds years ago and is wonderfully scritchy. The Polo 8 is nearly my perfect brush. Short loft, medium knot, perfect combination of scritch and backbone. Finally on the bottom row .... the M-1 Manchurian was acquired in a trade, along with some cash, for the aforementioned Manchurian Chubby. I was hoping the brush would have the scritch of the Manchurians made in Somerset, but no luck.

It is however a favorite. Something about the handle, and it was custom made by Vulfix/Simpson for the original owner with a larger (25mm) knot than the standard M-1. I really enjoy using it in spite of the soft Thater like tips. The last brush standing is a Rooney from the last days of Jim owning Vintage Blades. A Heritage, it is a good brush, little of no scritch. I keep it because of the long handle, but it is not really part of the harem the way that others are. Just left it in the photo because I didn't think of taking it off before I shot the photo. BTW, all of these brushes have great backbone.

Originally Posted by RobinK

I own a few brushes, but the one I have been using on a daily basis for years is a 26mm Thäter two band fan. The knot was produced along with the SRD Limited Edition brushes. Bart reviewed the same brush, and his review is, well, what a review should look like. Summary:



So, here is a perfect setup. 8/8 razor, 26mm Thäter, and Meißner Tremonia for the win.

Thanks for sharing Bart's review. I have the same brush, and it really hits the sweet spot for me. The size 2 Thater two-band fan shaped brush is just the perfect size and it lathers magnificently.

Okay, here's a photo of three great brushes for me. I could live with any of these for the rest of my days, but since we're talking about that one brush, it would easily be the one on the left.

Years back, a collaboration of the folks at Simpsons, a well known shave vendor, and an enthusiast created, to my way of thinking, the greatest brush ever... The Simpsons Colonel X2L in legendary Simpsons Two Band Super Badger, called "The Ehsan." A 23mm knot, set at 49mm loft, this brush has done everything I have asked of it. Plenty of dig for hard soaps, yet it handles soft creams with aplomb, and soft tips. Pure heaven to use this brush ... Not too big, not too small, just perfection!

In a pinch, the other two in the photo can also fill in quite well!