It all started out innocently enough. In early 2013 I returned to wet shaving after a 40 years of crappy razors and slimy shaving cream. (yes, that makes me almost 60). I started out with an inexpensive badger brush. It was OK. I didn't really know any better. Looking back on it I can tell you that the brush lathered poorly and scritched terribly. For Father's Day last year my kids got me a wonderful Merkur Silvertip brush and I was a happy man until I realized that the Merkur was so luxuriously soft that it did a poor job at lathering the harder creams/croaps/ and soaps. Following the advice of so many on this board, I turned to Rudy Vey to create the perfect brush. Well, one thing led to another, and before I knew it the search for the perfect brush had turned into a treasure trove of brushes. I am a happy man. My work is done.
Here are some closer shots:
These were my first two purchases. I was interested in brushes made from natural materials. On the left is an elongated Persian Jar made from resin infused Australian Gray Box Burl wood. The handle is 68mm and the knot is a 24mm TGN 2 band set with a 52mm loft. It is surprisingly light. I use it as my travel brush. On the right is a black horn brush in an Emperor shape. The handle is 62mm. The 24mm TGN 2 band is set at 54mm. It is a wonderful all purpose brush.
With this beast I wanted to pay homage to the traditional barber shop brushes of yesteryear. The handle on this candy apple yellow brush is 90mm. The 56mm loft (24mm knot) makes the total length of this brush 146mm. It is great fun to use but it devours creams.
The final 2 brushes are both set with 28mm knots TGN 2 Band knots. On the left is a 54mm Tulip in White Zebra with the knot set at 56mm. On the right is a 50mm Chubby in MoonJava with the knot set at a low 52mm loft. Both of these are great brushes. Very comfortable in the hand even though they are quite large. The MoonJava is wonderfully scrubby, as you would expect, with the 2 band knot set at such a short loft.
I want to send a special thanks to Rudy for making this journey so much fun.
Cheers
Here are some closer shots:
These were my first two purchases. I was interested in brushes made from natural materials. On the left is an elongated Persian Jar made from resin infused Australian Gray Box Burl wood. The handle is 68mm and the knot is a 24mm TGN 2 band set with a 52mm loft. It is surprisingly light. I use it as my travel brush. On the right is a black horn brush in an Emperor shape. The handle is 62mm. The 24mm TGN 2 band is set at 54mm. It is a wonderful all purpose brush.
With this beast I wanted to pay homage to the traditional barber shop brushes of yesteryear. The handle on this candy apple yellow brush is 90mm. The 56mm loft (24mm knot) makes the total length of this brush 146mm. It is great fun to use but it devours creams.
The final 2 brushes are both set with 28mm knots TGN 2 Band knots. On the left is a 54mm Tulip in White Zebra with the knot set at 56mm. On the right is a 50mm Chubby in MoonJava with the knot set at a low 52mm loft. Both of these are great brushes. Very comfortable in the hand even though they are quite large. The MoonJava is wonderfully scrubby, as you would expect, with the 2 band knot set at such a short loft.
I want to send a special thanks to Rudy for making this journey so much fun.
Cheers