Brush Chronicles #9: Shavemac 177 Silvertip

[Optometrist]

Hello everyone, and welcome to the next installment of the Brush Chronicles- the Shavemac 177.
Before we proceed, I would like to express my wholehearted thanks to David for asking me to participate in this chronicle. As a relative newcomer to traditional wet shaving, and B&B, I will do my upmost to make it both interesting and informative.

The Shavemac 177 is available from:www.shavemac.com/documents/home.html.

I purchased mine towards the end of last year, and the 177 is both beautifully made and luxurious to use. The brush I have is a 23mm knot Silvertip. The handle is 50mm in height, the loft is 54mm, and is "bulb" shaped. It is available in both smaller and larger knot sizes, ranging from 18mm up to 30mm. Prices range from 61 Euros to 125 Euros (US$86 to US$175) and engraving to personalise the brush is also available for a further 9 Euros. A nice touch, I think!
As a predominant soap user, I was a little sceptical before ordering, as to the backbone of the brush, with a loft of over 50mm. My fears were totally allayed. Even the hardest triple-milled soaps create no problem for this Shavemac, MWF being the obvious example. Furthermore, when you use a brush, and even in the initial stages, there is absolutely no hair loss, you know you are holding a quality brush. I can honestly say that to-date, my brush has not lost a single hair-unbelievable!
Being a face latherer, I prefer my brushes to be extremely soft, and the Shavemac 177 doesn't disappoint here either.

Over the next 2 weeks or so, I shall be putting the Shavemac 177 through its paces with various soaps, starting today with the Italian soft soap, Cella, Crema Sapone Extra Extra Purissima(my number 1 soap). Later soaps will include the likes of D.R. Harris, Floris, La Toja Manantiales, MdC and MWF.

I want this chronicle to be fun and enjoyed by all. Feel free to contribute in any way you wish, either by simple text, or preferably, your experiences of the Shavemac 177 with photos. Please, please, please, don't hold back on this one, gentlemen(and of course, ladies too!)


So here goes the first shave

Cella, Crema Sapone Extra Extra Purissima

Standard practice for me now with all soaps, both soft and hard tripled-milled, is to start with a "wet" brush, by holding it under hot running water for approx 15 to 20 secs. Let's call this, for what we all now know, "Marco's method". I then invert the brush, bristles down, to let excess water run out. The brush is then taken to the soap, making approx one minute of swirls on the soap surface.

I use approx 1-2cm of soft Italian soap in a largish container at a time. This container has been used several times and the thickness is down to around 5mm, but no problem!

15 seconds of swirling and a watery lather is starting to form

30 second on, a richer, creamier lather is forming

45 seconds in and it's getting better.

And after one minute, the lather is ready to transfer to the face, and build further if necessary.

Cella is an extremely easy soap to lather and definitely prefers soaps with soft tips and good backbone. Like Marco, I tend to use my Semogue SOC in preference, but the 177 lathers up Cella like a dream.

The thread has begun guys. Let's get the responses appearing!! Remember, the aim is to have fun!!!

[djh]

Thanks David for getting this thread underway and for agreeing to help out by leading the Brush Chronicles. A great introduction post- I am sure that it will draw plenty of our Shavemac owners and lovers into action. I am committed to using a different brush tomorrow morning but I will certainly be weighing in with some of my thoughts on these fantastic German brushes in the coming days.
Gentlemen (and ladies, of course)........ Start your Shavemacs!

[franz]

Very nice, gents. I'm looking forward to this.

[PozzSka]

Aother brush chronicles of a brush I don't own...you guys are killing me! Haha

[Blue-EyedSon]

I'm looking forward to this edition of the brush chronicles. I'm especially interested in reading any comparisons between the various grades of hair in the Shavemac brushes (e.g. finest and D01 three-band) as well as comparisons to other grades of hair in other brushes, such as Simpson. I've sent Bernd an e-mail and I'm awaiting a reply. At the moment, I'm leaning towards a D01 three-band and a finest, but we'll see what happens. Perhaps by the time this edition of the brush chronicles is winding down, I'll hear back from him. But at least by that time, I should have a pretty good idea of what I want.

[SirWhiskers]

Happy to see the German brushes are starting to get some attention and appreciation. Too much Simpson hype if you ask me.

[German]

Happy to see the German brushes are starting to get some attention and appreciation. Too much Simpson hype if you ask me.

+1 Thaeter and Shavemac brushes are top notch and do not show the same amount of quality defects as Simpsons...

[4myshave]

I'm looking forward to this edition of the brush chronicles. I'm especially interested in reading any comparisons between the various grades of hair in the Shavemac brushes (e.g. finest and D01 three-band) as well as comparisons to other grades of hair in other brushes, such as Simpson. I've sent Bernd an e-mail and I'm awaiting a reply. At the moment, I'm leaning towards a D01 three-band and a finest, but we'll see what happens. Perhaps by the time this edition of the brush chronicles is winding down, I'll hear back from him. But at least by that time, I should have a pretty good idea of what I want.

I have a D01 3 band, SB1-944 (24 mm (which is actually 25.5 mm) with a 56 mm loft, bulb shape, which I ordered directly from Shavemac and a D01 2 band, SB1-167-2B, 22 x 44, fan shape, which I purchased on the BST. I think both are fabulous brushes, and in my opinion, Shavemac ranks among the top. I also have some Simpson brushes (Chubby 1, 2 band; Emperor 2, 2 band; Duke 2; Case; Wee Scot). My Shavemac brushes meet or exceed manufacturer specs, whereas the Simpson brushes have been inconsistent. Simpson attributes this to hand made variations, which, for me resulted in disappointing purchases. With Shavemac you will get what you order, so you won't be disappointed or let down.

I use the D 01 3 band for creams, building lather in a Georgetown G5 scuttle, and it's fantastic - soft tips and great back bone. Some comments I've seen attribute the back bone to the density of the brush, rather than the actual hair. Regardless, it's soft on your face, stands up very well. The D01 2 band is used for face lathering from a variety of soaps, soft soaps and creams. It's my favourite among the E2 and D2, which I use in a regular rotation.

I have found that most brushes require some break in time, and that their performance improves over a 30 day period. The more and the longer I use the brush the better it gets.

I noted that Optometrist's 177 didn't lose any hair. My D01 3-band lost hair initially and still looses one occasionally. It almost seems that Shavemac didn't clean the brush before it was sent. The D01 2 band hasn't lost and long hair but has lost many small pieces, most in the 2 - 5 mm range. This may be due to the alcohol shock treatment it got before it was sent. This has dropped off after proper cleaning and combing, but I have found the hair issue on both Shavemacs mildly annoying. Nonetheless, I still think they are terrific brushes and am considering the purchase of a smaller D01 3 band (20 or 22 mm) in fan shape.

[andrewinman]

I had a Shavemac DO1 awhile back and sent it back due to hair loss...I got a 177 instead which hasn't a single hair in like a year's use. Maybe the DO1 brushes have too much hair causing them to lose some? I dunno just a thought...

[SirWhiskers]

I had a Shavemac DO1 awhile back and sent it back due to hair loss...I got a 177 instead which hasn't a single hair in like a year's use. Maybe the DO1 brushes have too much hair causing them to lose some? I dunno just a thought...

You just happened to get a dud, which happens even with the best brands. I've had 3 D01s and no hair loss issues. I also had many other Shavemacs, some will lose an odd hair once every few weeks but nothing to worry about.

[mdunn]

tis a favourite of mine, for sure. i prefer a shorter loft, but still a great fun brush

[Marco]

Excellent post indeed, David! And I have to agree on all your observations regarding the Shavemac 177 and its stunning properties. Also, beautiful shots and fantastic looking lather!

P.S. I think I already heard about "Marco's method"....

[jsj_297]

Shavemacs are top notch in my book....cant wait to see this thread develop!

[nathanb]

I have a Shavemac D01 three band brush that is from a group buy back in 2009. It is a winner. It is a 21mm set at a 50mm loft. I am not crazy about the handle but the brush is a great performer. It has lathered anything I throw at it with no problems.

Can someone who owns more than one type of Shavemac give us some sort of explanation on the differences between all of their higher grades (ie: D01, 177, etc.)?

Here is a picture of my Shavemac, though it is not a 177. Sorry that it is not the best quality, I don't have the photo skills that some on here possess.

[Optometrist]

It looks like the thread is off to a fine start. Excellent!
Unfortunately, this is the only shavemac I own at present, so can't comment on the various grades of hair in the range. But what I can repeat with certainty is that the quality control appears to be top notch. My brush, as I said, is over 6 months old now and I'm still expecting to find a hair shedding sooner or later. But it just doesn't seem to be happening. I am so impressed.

Anyhow, let's move on to today's shave with the Shavemac 177 Silvertip, which was with my all time favourite English soap, the D.R. Harris Arlington.
As with all my hard, triple-milled soaps, I begin by wetting the soap surface with hot water, using my forefinger, 5 or 6 times. Again, as with the soft soap, I prefer to use a wet brush, simply inverted to let excess water drain. The first photo shows a watery lather after 15 seconds of swirling. It looks messy.

After a further 15 seconds, still watery but a greater volume is forming. And more mess!

Another 15 seconds and more volume. Still airy but it's looking good.

And after another 15 seconds(1 minute total), I scoop up the lather from the puck with the brush and take to face in a swirling motion. Usually further building is required by dipping the tips in hot water 2 or 3 more times.

I always perfom a 3 pass shave, WTG, XTG, and ATG, followed by a 4th touch up. This method produces more than enough lather, usually with enough for 2 more passes if that was needed.
My belief is that this wet brush approach puts less strain on the hair compared to loading with a drier brush. It also allows easier loading with brushes of lesser backbone when using harder soaps. The downside is that it obviously gets messy, but I don't find this a problem.

[shm]

OK, here goes;

I am honoured to have been asked to chip in with comments about the Shavemac and I'll try to do my best.

My brush is a 177 and then not quite - The handle design is 177, the material is plastic, but instead of the normal cream colour it is in imitation horn.

Data for my brush:

Weight: 64.7 grams
Handle: Plastic, imitation horn
Hair: Silvertip D01
Knot size: 23.2 mm
Loft height: 53.4 mm
Handle height: 46.8 mm
Total height: 99.7 mm

I've only heard good things about Shavemac brushes, so I was very excited to get my hands on a D01.

The first impression however was slightly disappointing as the brush felt slightly prickly which I have never experienced before in a Silvertip. Should I compare it to some of my other brushes without knowing it was Silvertip, I would have guessed for soft best badger or finest badger. My SOC 2-band badger and New Forest 2-band badger both have softer tips than the Shavemac.

Now apart from this, I can only concur on David's assessment of quality control. The brush is very well made, no hair loss so far and the inscription is straight and aligned.
The specifications is pretty much as I prefer my brushes to be; dense 22-24 mm knot with a 50-54 mm loft as I find this size to give a brush a very good all-round performance.

I hope that being a part of the brush chronicles for this brush may give me a more positive view on this brush (tips-wise) and maybe a continuous use will soften it up a bit.

Anyway, enough "talking" - this is what it is all about







PS. I got carried away when I loaded the brush and picked up too much cream. Normally I don't have to work up lather for 2+ minutes, and I ended up with 2 days worth of lather.

[djh]

Welcome Soren and thanks to you again David- they are a couple of wonderful posts. It is great to see the brushes in action! I am going to join you both in the morning and shave with my Shavemac which is a D01 2-Band (22mm knot and 44mm loft), so although it comes from the same family my brush is very different to the 177.

[franz]

One of the things I like about these brushes is the custom engraving. Very elegant.

[shm]

I'm looking forward to hear about the 2-band.

great photo btw.

[Optometrist]

One of the things I like about these brushes is the custom engraving. Very elegant.

Francesco, I couldn't agree more. It doesn't in any way contribute to the brush's performance, however, it provides that little bit extra that has that "good" feeling about it.