Thread: Taylor of Old Bond St -- Which is your preferred scent?

I would definately not recommend taylors lemon and lime. It smells like the bathroom cleaner Cif(formerly called Jif!)
Every time I shave with it I think of toilets. Oh well I guess not every fragrance suits everybody.
I do like their sandalwood cream, but i think the trumpers is better(but twice the price) I also have mr taylor, which is ok.
Nick

Blade (Do you have a first name???),

No, I don't have that specific brush...but I've been looking at it. Shavemac brushes are densely packed. Their lightbulb shape lends them to being great with either soaps or creams. They are well balanced and a pure pleasure to use. Be prepared for a short break in period. After a couple of weeks, you'll feel the brush loosen up just a bit. Two of my Shavemac brushes have wooden handles (SMF I and SMF II) so they don't get much use. The other two get used at least once a week. Be prepared to "de-stink) the brush. New, wet badger hair does have an odor. But once you get past that...you'll wonder why you waited.

RT

A nice, silvertip shavemac is definitely next on my brush list. Everybody has such rave reviews about them, the prices seem very reasonable compared to some of the other companies.

Matt

RT,

Yah, I'm already wondering why I waited so long. I've got about 15 really nice razors, a great Dovo horse hide strop, the Norton 4/K, a variety of creams and soaps -- even a mirrored antique oak medicine cabinet to store most of this stuff... and yet I've had a crappy brush all this time! And to think, the brush is an instrument you use for every shave, yet I've been depriving myself of the luxurious badger hair. Well, maybe this delayed gratification will pay off. I like the fact I'm going to have an abundance of fresh new creams to "de-stink" my new brush with.

Around four or five months ago I was planning with Matt (shavethebadger) to have a custom super silvertip brush made (24mm knot) with a hippo ivory handle. He was even nice enough to send me three sample knots in the mail for me to try out, so I got a brief sense of what the badger hair was like, sans the handle; but as we're all aware, he pretty much vanished. I waited it out hoping he'd return, but since it's been around three months since his last appearance, I decided I couldn't wait any longer. Hopefully he returns some day.

You raise a point I was going to ask about, actually: the "lightbulb" shape of the Shavemac brush is different than the knots he sent me in the mail, which had that traditional lengthy flare to them. Do you the taper of the Shavemac is an advantage? I imagine any frayed hairs won't stick out as much with the Shavemac like they would on the other.

-Justin

Justin,

The lightbulb shape is more firm. The fan shape you will find with Simpson brushes and Rooney brushes are a bit more "floppy". Now, this is not a bad thing if the brush is densely packed. Most gents have a definite preference. I have over 20 brushes, and the Shavemac brushes are the only ones with the lightbulb shape. I dearly love them. But a nicely packed Rooney (I have a Style 2 small Super) is also a great brush. I shave with both a straight razor and a DE. For me, the best part of the shave is using the brush with a quality shaving cream or shaving soap. The razor is secondary. It takes time to learn what your preference will be. It also takes a bit of investment. During the past two years, I've learned that I prefer soaps to creams. The razors are a toss up. I enjoy using a straight and everything associated with it. But I also enjoy my DE razors. It just proves that variety is the spice of life.

RT

Hey Justin,

Wow, you scored the motherload. I will have to try the St James again tonight as it has been a while since I used it, but I do like the scent. I have the same brush you just ordered, I also got it from Jim about 1.5 months ago. I love the Shavemac 177 23mm Silvertip, it is my best brush. To me it is perfect, as it is a firm brush but has Very soft tips, the only other silvertip I have to compare it against is the B&B Finest but I like the Shavemac much more.

I think the lightbulb shape is great in that it helps firm up the brush and may prevent an overly large bloom. It's a great size and holds plenty of hot water if you pre-soak it. It also is very manuverable for it's size, holds plenty of lather and it's super soft to the skin. It has softer tips than the B&B finest that I have, and works equally well with soaps and creams. It also has retained it's shape very well so far with a nice tight bloom....a Great brush

It's also Very well made, mine has lost 1 hair so far, with quite a bit of use

I think you'll be very happy with it.

Originally Posted by rtaylor61

Justin,

The lightbulb shape is more firm. The fan shape you will find with Simpson brushes and Rooney brushes are a bit more "floppy". Now, this is not a bad thing if the brush is densely packed. Most gents have a definite preference. I have over 20 brushes, and the Shavemac brushes are the only ones with the lightbulb shape. I dearly love them. But a nicely packed Rooney (I have a Style 2 small Super) is also a great brush. I shave with both a straight razor and a DE. For me, the best part of the shave is using the brush with a quality shaving cream or shaving soap. The razor is secondary. It takes time to learn what your preference will be. It also takes a bit of investment. During the past two years, I've learned that I prefer soaps to creams. The razors are a toss up. I enjoy using a straight and everything associated with it. But I also enjoy my DE razors. It just proves that variety is the spice of life.

RT

Well said

Oh man, all this talk has me lusting for one of these brushes now. I will have to pick one of these up as soon as I can I guess.

Matt

Originally Posted by Kentriv

Oh man, all this talk has me lusting for one of these brushes now. I will have to pick one of these up as soon as I can I guess.

Matt

A wise plan, you won't be dissapointed. Free shipping at Vintage Blades through the end of the month

I love the St James collection. I bought the shaving cream and the after shave. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. I am almost out of it and will be getting more in a while.