Rooney Heritage Stubby

I haven't used enough brushes to feel qualified to write a full blown review of this brush but if you want one it would be identical to the Alibaba review http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...=rooney+review.

I prefer a slightly stiffer brush (I use mostly soap) but have always equated stiffness with the rough, prickly feeling of a boar brush. In my quest for comfort I settled on a Vulfix...which had a nice feel but only had enough backbone for two passes before it turned into a limp mop that was only good for painting on lather.

I recently splurged and bought my first "expensive" brush - a Rooney Heritage Stubby #2 medium. While not top of the line it has proven to be a dream come true. VERY stiff yet soft (no doubt due to it's extremely dense knot) on the face, lathers well, holds heat, doesn't turn into a limp paint brush no matter how many times you lather up, and it's knot size is perfect for getting the lather where you want without filling your ears and nostrils.

My first experience with the Stubby went something like this...

I gave it the sniff test and while it had a hint of badger smell I decided to dispense with the shampoo treatment. BIG mistake...the first bowl of lather actually turned yellow and smelled like a badger had taken a leak in it! A little shampoo and all was well. I then did a dozen swirls in a tub of Mama Bears soap (Sensual if you must know the fragrance) and proceded to whip up a VERY nice batch of lather in my scuttle. What I noticed is that it seemed to take slightly more water and a little more stirring than with my old brush but still managed to make an almost uberlather with no other additives. The lather up was amazing...so stiff yet so soft. Like a kid with a new toy I couldn't help myself...I lathered, put on a hot towel, did 3 passes, lathered and hot towel again, and I still had some lather left over. Amazing! Compared to my old brushes it seemed to have picked up almost twice as much soap off the puck.

If you are looking for a brush that's stiff yet very soft on the face I can highly recommend this one...and I suspect that would also be the case for any of the Heritage lineup.

Did I mention how stiff yet how soft on the face it is? :rock:

Great review! I'm always on the lookout for a stiff, but soft brush. I have teh 1/1 in Finest and it's awsome with soaps, but a little too short lofted and dense for creams. What "grade" badger is the Alibaba?

Jordan

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Originally Posted by jnich67

Great review! I'm always on the lookout for a stiff, but soft brush. I have teh 1/1 in Finest and it's awsome with soaps, but a little too short lofted and dense for creams. What "grade" badger is the Alibaba?

Jordan

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You can find a good description of the Rooney grades at VintageBladesLLC::...

All the brushes in the Heritage line are a special grade of super and are probably somewhere between super and finest. Another aspect of the Heritage line is a fairly short loft compared to other brands which coupled with their very dense knot leads to a fairly stiff brush.

Since my initial post I've tried it on cream (Proraso) and it did seem to take a little more "stirring" to whip up a nice lather but worked well...and that may just be my getting used to the exact water/cream ratio required for this particular brush.

I prefer the denseness and stiffness as softer brushes I've used seem to soak up the later rather than distribute it on my face and after a couple passes they end up being a limp sticky mop. Not so with the Rooney which retains it's stiffness...and although it's not as soft as others I've used it has a VERY soft feel compared to anthing I've used that is as stiff.

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Originally Posted by AusTexShaver

All the brushes in the Heritage line are a special grade of super and are probably somewhere between super and finest. Another aspect of the Heritage line is a fairly short loft compared to other brands which coupled with their very dense knot leads to a fairly stiff brush.

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I forgot to mention that Rooney also makes a natural bone handle brush that uses the same grade knot as the Heritage line and has a slightly longer loft. I considered these as maybe being a little better for cream but I couldn't justify the extra $75. If money was no object this is the model I would have purchased.