Thread: The Three Delights

Gentlemen,

This week I received three new brushes that are a joy to use. From left to right: Saville Row, Simpson Persian Jar 2 and shavemac.

Saville Row: This is the 3824 in 24 mm silvertip. It's my first Saville Row. I don't care for brushes with heavy backbone. This one, however, has the right amount of backbone, medium, I suppose, and it is silky soft without being mush. The tips are soft, too. Of course, in my experience, no brush has the silky tips of the Thater silvertips. This one is close. The brush is well made and comfortable to hold. It works well with soaps and creams. On its maiden voyage it lost two hairs, which is expected.

Simpson Persian Jar 2 in super badger: This one is a 22 mm and a sweet brush. Through the years I've had a running battle with Simpson brushes for being scratchy. I've gone through several models and sold all. Granted, all mine have been in best badger. I don't like pure badgers in any brand of brush, so that is a non-issue. But these best badgers from Simpson are not for me. I should note that the Simpson brushes are well made and many quite handsome. But this "scritch" in them drives me away. Until now. The Persian Jar 2 super has medium backbone and soft tips. Again, not as soft as the tips on the Thater. Yet soft enough not to drive me away from these beautiful brushes. On its maiden voyage, however, the brush lost five hairs. I am keeping my fingers crossed for no more hair loss. The brush does well with both soaps and creams.

shavemac 177 in 23 mm silvertip: Sweet, indeed. I have the shavemac 167 and love it, too. The 177 has medium backbone, just right for me, excellent flow through, and the brush does well with soaps and creams. It might have lost one hair on its maiden voyage. Here, too, the tips don't carry the silk as that on the Thater brushes, but we're quite close. The brush is a joy to use, and I catch myself extending my lathering time as much as possible just to have the brushe's silk across my Hollywood face.

I have trimmed my brush parade to 4 Thater silvertips, 1 Saville Row silvertip, 1 Rooney 3/1 super silverip, 2 shavemac silvertips, the 167 and the 177, and 1 Simpson Persian Jar 2 super badger. I think I'll stop here — for a while, anyway. I don't care for boar, synthetic or horse hair brushes. I have had a variety of all and seen them out the door. My extra sensitive skin can only handle brushes with silky tips, which is not a bad sin to commit.

Any thoughts on your brushes, gentlemen?

At one time if it wasn't scrtichy I didn't have any use for it. I've learned to appreciate soft , non scritchy tips over the past few years and even prefer that characteristic on some days. I bought 3 Thater 2 band brushes with short lofts in hopes of finding some scrtich but to no avail. I like them for what they are though, great back bone and those Thater soft tips.

I have 2 Somerset Simpsons left, regretablly I sold a few. The two I fortunately saved are a Persian Jar 3 Super and a Polo 8 Super. Thankfully they are both scritchy. A couple of Rooney finests (scritchy) and Plisson HMW, also sritchy. A shavemac pure that I got for $50 shipped out of the classifieds, delightfully scritchy. A few other badgers and a few boars that are cool. I think I'm done with the SBAD but I had it bad for awhile.

Obie, I have to warn you the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Badgers has taken note of this extravagance on your part.

X-Pec a visit.

My dear spendur:

I know I have sinned. But as the poet John Donne put it:

In best understandings, sin began, /Angels sinned first, then Devils, and then Man.

I expect I am in good company.

Can I at least come and visit them on the holidays ???

I have been eyeing shavemac 177 for a while. I keep being undecided silvertip vs finest. I also have been eyeing thater.

I have a kent bk8 enroute and will see if that brush is a keeper or a catch and release.

Originally Posted by jmsodpc

I have been eyeing shavemac 177 for a while. I keep being undecided silvertip vs finest. I also have been eyeing thater.

I have a kent bk8 enroute and will see if that brush is a keeper or a catch and release.

JM, you can never go wrong with the Thater silvertip. I love those brushes. I do like the shavemac 167 myself; it's a sweet brush. As for the Kent, I have the BK12 on the way. It is a monster of a brush, but these days I prefer big brushes. All good stuff.

believe it or not, my favourite brush is one of my least expensive, TI pure badger.

Originally Posted by Badgister

believe it or not, my favourite brush is one of my least expensive, TI pure badger.

Interesting, one of my favorite brushes, still, is the basic Badger brush from Classic Edge here in Canada, lots of backbone and the best brush I have had so far in the "scritchy" factor, all around just a great performer for $30.00. I was so worried awhile ago that they may stop making them or change the "recipe" I ordered two to store away!

Originally Posted by Badgister

believe it or not, my favourite brush is one of my least expensive, TI pure badger.

I can certainly believe it. For many years and to this date, my go to brush is a Van Der Hagen Boar. I think I bought the only one ever made that didn't shed hair. Badgers? We don't need no steenking badgers! Wait I can't say that anymore I've got a couple cheap badgers in my rotation but still seem to reach for the boar most often of all. Just something about that coarse, scrub brush feel of the boar brush that I like