Thater 4125/0 finest 2-band silvertip - very nice

For years, my go-to brush has been a pre-Vulfix Simpson PJ2 Super that I bought when I first started shaving with double-edge razors years ago, before I ever used a straight.

Then over time I got bored, and read wonderful things about the Polo 8 Super, the Chubby 2 Super, etc. So over time I bought them and tried them. I even splurged and bought a Plisson size 14 in HMW. All very nice brushes, particularly the Plisson, but not quite a fit for me. So I kept coming back to the Simpson PJ2 Super. I like smaller knots, and soft tips. But I still wasn't 100% happy.

I read that the Thater 2-bands have very soft tips, but good density and backbone. And they are relatively cheap compared to Simpson. I'd never tried a Thater. So I took a shot on the Thater 4125/0 finest 2-band silvertip, bulb shaped. When I first got it, it had soft tips, but seemed to be as stiff as a Rooney, and I thought I made another mistake. I have very sensitive skin, and will get a red rash quickly if I use a stiff brush for face lathering. But after a brief break-in, it really bloomed. Still good backbone, but not stiff, with even softer tips than the PJ2, and better fullness. Like the PJ2, a lather machine. Like the PJ2, equally solid at face lathering or bowl lathering, soaps or creams, an all-around performer.

The only downside with the Thater 4125/0 for me is the short handle. It's very ergonomic, but it does get lather on it no matter what I do, bowl or face latering. But it's worth it for the ultra-dense, ultra-soft bristles on the Thater. Zero scritch.

My 2 cents. Now I really like Thater, especially for the price. To me, softer tips than even Plisson HMW, at a fraction of the price. Better density than the PJ2 while still keeping the softness, and at a lower price. I still like my PJ2, but the Thater has become my main brush.

The Thater 4125/2 in silvertip I purchased when I started wet shaving 7 years ago has held up superbly as my only shaving brush -- with the exception of a no-name boar brush I picked up the same year at a shave meet that I have used only about a dozen times since. I estimate the Thater has shed no more than a half-dozen hairs so no issues there.

As for me, I love the short, ergonomic handle and don't have too much of a problem getting lather on the brush, or if I do, it's easy enough to rinse the handle off. But, I would probably get a longer handled brush just to have variety were I to buy another shave brush.

I have plenty of razors, several strops, a good array of hones...yet I pretty much shave with this one Thater brush. :hmmm:

Thater makes a very nice brush. Of course all the big brands do. I have some of each and a Plisson HMW size 14 too. The Plisson is different than all of them. I have a Simpson Langness Manchurian which has the thickest fill of any brush I've ever seen including the chubby 3 which is bigger and broader but for hair per square inch the langness beats it.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Thater makes a very nice brush. Of course all the big brands do. I have some of each and a Plisson HMW size 14 too. The Plisson is different than all of them. I have a Simpson Langness Manchurian which has the thickest fill of any brush I've ever seen including the chubby 3 which is bigger and broader but for hair per square inch the langness beats it.

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Very true.

Truth be told, I think a lot of the cachet of the Plisson brushes is just their exclusivity and classic French heritage, not any inherent qualities they have, nice as they are. Napoleon, Charles DeGalle, all that stuff. It's just cool, I confess. They aren't really any better than any other brush, but a Plisson is a Plisson, and there it is. And my Plisson 14 HMW is in horn, and the horn is just awesome and beautiful. I wish more brush makers offered horn as a option, it's a great brush handle material. It's the only horn brush I own. All you could want from a classic European shaving brush, a grail.

That said, as nice as the Plisson is (and it *is* nice, no joke...), the Thater is still the top actual shave *performer* of any of my brushes I own. I like it that much. And I have a few quality brushes.

I only use one brush at home, and that is my fan shapped Thater two band. It will last me a long time, but I might buy another, just in case.

Gentlemen,

You can never go wrong with the Thater. I have had a series of the Thater brushes, with my favorites, the 4125 series ranging from 24mm two and three-bands all the way up to 30mm. My current Thater is a special edition two-band with a 24mm knot set to a 50mm loft. The tips are like kisses from angels.