Thread: VDH/Whippeddog Franken-Luxury Silvertip

Sorry, I'll remember to make more citations when making a post about something I was excited about.

I've been straight shaving for 15 years and have used many brushes. Horse hair, badger, boar, synthetic. Rooney, Vulfix, Simpson, Vie-Long. I didn't know I needed to site an exact comparison. I will stand with my blanket statement. I have brushes that were $5, and I have brushes that were $400. I simply made a statement that in my opinion, this brush out performs any $100 brush. If therein lies my error, sorry, any $100 brush that I OWN.

Originally Posted by Arbroath

... I purchased from Larry Andreassen at whippeddog.com The price was a ridiculously low $16 shipped, and it arrived 2-3 days after ordering. Top notch service.

The knot is perfect in my opinion. It has just enough backbone while still being able to whip up a generous lather. VERY soft luxurious tips, like many other high end brushes. I would recommend this knot for soap and cream users as it seems very universal.

For any shavers on a budget, this setup can be had for less than $20. I guarantee you will not find anything comparable in that price range, or even 5 times the price. ...
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It's good to see that you found a vendor and product that you like but keep an open mind, and don't be surprised if your thoughts change down the road when you try new things

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

So true,and badger hair is badger hair,you can buy TGNs finest,make a brush out of a piece of PVC tubing for a handle,be done for 20 bux

i would love to see a picture of a brush with a pvc handle. it really sounds like a good idea to save a few bucks and time.

My point is that when I say "This (insert item name here) is awesome!" what I'm really saying is "I think this is awesome in comparison to my past experience and it meets or exceeds my expectations." Most of us have experienced cheap stuff that is merely usable at best. When we say something is awesome it's safe to assume that we mean it's better than that. Saying we really like stuff we got from other forum members isn't so much a review as a way of saying "thank you for a great product that I am pleased with."

Detailed reviews are indeed good. Another good indication of product quality are the number of general recommendations they get. General recommendations are another form of positive feedback. I haven't been a member of the forum long but I know I've seen over a dozen recommendations for Larry's badger knots some from people that own other name brand brushes that cost more. Enough that they persuaded me to try one rather than buy a cheap badger brush that people give ho hum opinions for. In the case of badger brushes there are some that are less expensive than Larry's knots. When people on a tight budget are willing to spend a few extra dollars on one and they say it is awesome that leads me to believe they like something about his knots other than just the price. After some digging around through the various threads you start getting a mental picture of which products have a bigger following and sometimes why. Some people love more expensive brands and some people love Larry's. Nothing wrong with that.

I have sensitive skin so I don't like scratchy stuff against my skin. The knot I got from him does feel much better than I expected so I wasn't disappointed. I still have no personal experience about what a more expensive brush feels like but I'm happy with the one I have. It works well enough to please me, the price is good and it's comfortable to use. That's as detailed as I can get.

Lori

In the end any review or recommendation has to be evaluated based on the facts presented. If those facts are lacking the recommendation should be given appropriate weight. If someone wants to buy an item based on a statement with nothing to back it up..well..it's their misfortune.