The 3 best makers...?

shavingrace · 05-26-2006, 04:20 PM

Savile Row 3128 (made by Shavemac): This is a luxurious, beautifully made brush tightly packed with "Silvertip" bristles. The handle is gorgeous, and I love the bristles' bulb shape. The brush is luxuriously soft but not floppy in the least. Charles at QED knows as much about wet shaving as any expert around, and his unique specs have produced a line of SR Silvertips which is just breathtaking. This 3128 is big, strong and decadent; no one needs a bigger brush than this...and yet some lunatics among us--you know who you are--have actually ordered the 3132, which is roughly the size of a small planet. This is the finest large brush I have ever used.

Superior Brushes 25mm Super: Custom made by Matt Wood, who is a terrific guy to deal with, this gorgeous 25mm Super is modeled on the famous SMF with which Ron has turned my life into a festival of envy. The quality of Matt's magnificent work has to be seen to be fully appreciated; the bristles are dense, and the handle is a masterpiece--heavy, perfectly polished, completely handmade...a thing of beauty. I have used this work of art once, and it is truly first-rate in every way. And these guys are right here in America! In addition, know that their prices cannot be beaten. I am simply blown away by Superior Brushes....

Simpsons CH1 Super "Chubby": This is a wonderful little brush with a gargantuan knot for its size (I believe it is a full 26mm). Simpsons still makes the silkiest-feeling faux ivory handle around, and their Super Badger bristles are at once very white, quite stiff along the shafts, and still soft and luxurious at the tips. If you like a brush with a definite scrubbing action that is nonetheless soft against the face--a seeming contradiction in terms--look no further. I love this brush.

A few lousy pictures, for your amusement:

**roughrider** · 05-26-2006, 04:30 PM

How much was the superior brush?

**Scotto** · 05-26-2006, 04:36 PM

Nice pics. Of course, we don't really know if Shavemac is making Charles' SR silvertips, but regardless they are awesome brushes.

shavingrace · 05-26-2006, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by roughrider

How much was the superior brush?

A very modest $105.00, and that includes shipping! Matt Wood is the most realistic maker out there. And even Joel, who is now involved in his Brush War, was impressed with the Superior brush he received for the test. This company is just first-rate; after all, we are talking about two full-time firemen in Clovis, New Mexico, for goodness sakes! I'm really impressed.

Regards,

Phil

shavingrace · 05-26-2006, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Scotto

Nice pics. Of course, we don't really know if Shavemac is making Charles' SR silvertips, but regardless they are awesome brushes.

Oh, we know, my brother...we know!

**Scotto** · 05-26-2006, 04:39 PM

I'm with you - if it quacks like duck, etc. Just clarifying for people who might not be familiar with the situation; Charles hasn't said who makes them. I just adore mine, though.

shavingrace · 05-26-2006, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by Scotto

I'm with you - if it quacks like duck, etc. Just clarifying for people who might not be familiar with the situation; Charles hasn't said who makes them. I just adore mine, though.

We feel the same way about these fantastic brushes: I adore mine, as well. And Charles, who is both cagey and honest--another seeming contradiction in terms--is a guy from whom I will always order; he's just a terrific resource, and his taste is excellent. For pure value, the Savile Row Silvertips are absolute worldbeaters. But everyone now has to start looking over their shoulder for Matt Wood at Superior Brushes. I mean to say, when a gent can buy a fully customized product made from outstanding materials for $105...! Superior shares the value and quality prize with SR, in my opinion. However, there is no clear winner, because styles make fights, as we know. If you like a slightly stiffer bristle combined with a truly unique handle shape of your own design, then Superior is a sterling choice; if a softer, more flexible bristle is more to your liking, then SR Silvertips are the ones. I love them both. This is a golden age for outstanding shaving brushes, S!

**joel** · 05-26-2006, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by shavingrace

A very modest $105.00, and that includes shipping! Matt Wood is the most realistic maker out there. And even Joel, who is now involved in his Brush War, was impressed with the Superior brush he received for the test. This company is just first-rate; after all, we are talking about two full-time firemen in Clovis, New Mexico, for goodness sakes! I'm really impressed.

Regards,

Phil

Just for clarification because my name was mentioned - the comments I made were BEFORE having used the brush. I do not want to say much without using it a few more times, but after having used it, I am not as impressed SO FAR.

**rustyblade** · 05-26-2006, 06:10 PM

Just to clarify... Charles says (on his site) that the SR brushes are hand made in England. A bit of mis-advertizing, but it doesn't matter... And is Saville Row only sold by QED? They are made specifically for him right?

**McNutt** · 05-26-2006, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by joel

Just for clarification because my name was mentioned - the comments I made were BEFORE having used the brush. I do not want to say much without using it a few more times, but after having used it, I am not as impressed SO FAR.

I'm dying to read your review, Joel.

**guenron** · 05-26-2006, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by rustyblade

Just to clarify... Charles says (on his site) that the SR brushes are hand made in England. A bit of mis-advertizing, but it doesn't matter... And is Saville Row only sold by QED? They are made specifically for him right?

Richard,
So this, as you call it, bit of mis-advertising does not get too far... Did you ever think that different models of Savile Row brushes may be sourced from different houses? It appears that your assertion clarifies the fact that you do not know who is making the brushes.
SR brushes are sold by at least two other firms that I am aware of, Sesto-Senso and The Gift Box.

shavingrace · 05-27-2006, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by guenron

Richard,
So this, as you call it, bit of mis-advertising does not get too far... Did you ever think that different models of Savile Row brushes may be sourced from different houses? It appears that your assertion clarifies the fact that you do not know who is making the brushes.
SR brushes are sold by at least two other firms that I am aware of, Sesto-Senso and The Gift Box.

Truer words were never spoken! Some Savile Row models are most certainly made in England, while the Silvertip line is made to QED's own high standards by Shavemac, in Germany, though Charles will not admit the fact (but look at the handles on the 3100 series: Shavemac sells that identical shape; and the bulb-shaped badger knot is a Shavemac trademark that no other house convincingly duplicates--the less said the better...). Charles is particularly honest about the the products he sells. It is his right to be proprietary about where he manufactures the Silvertip line. And besides, SR Silvertips speak for themselves!

Regards,

Phil

**rustyblade** · 05-27-2006, 07:09 AM

Well, Randy over at SMF pointed out something interesting about the Kent T Series Brushes and the brushes at sesto-senso.

shavingrace · 05-27-2006, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by joel

Just for clarification because my name was mentioned - the comments I made were BEFORE having used the brush. I do not want to say much without using it a few more times, but after having used it, I am not as impressed SO FAR.

I have now used the Superior Super 25mm custom-handled brush twice: it is outstanding! Now far be it from me to argue with Joel, who is both knowledgeable and loaded with superior product, but my brush is different from the one he received. First, mine has a handle that fits beautifully in the hand; second, I specified a very upright and rounded bristle knot. Matt Wood visibly shortened the length of the bristle loft above the handle, as my lousy pictures clearly show. My brush is not in the least floppy, and though it is not in the same scrubbing range as the still stiffer Simpsons CH 1 "Chubby", it is slightly stiffer than my superb SR 3128. Quite simply, this is the best brush you can buy for the money. Period.

shavingrace · 05-27-2006, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by rustyblade

Well, Randy over at SMF pointed out something interesting about the Kent T Series Brushes and the brushes at sesto-senso.

The Savile Row brushes are likely not made by Kent. (Ask the company itself; there is a Kent spokesman on-site who should be willing to respond to you on that score.) Savile Row's basic Super line used to be supplied by Vulfix, but the handle styles shown in your clever comparison are quite similar to one another--ah, the transparent world of high-end shaving equipment....

**rtaylor61** · 05-27-2006, 08:07 AM

I asked Steve (our Kent resident member) about Kent making brushes for Savile Row. He said no, not now, not ever.

Randy

shavingrace · 05-27-2006, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by rtaylor61

I asked Steve (our Kent resident member) about Kent making brushes for Savile Row. He said no, not now, not ever.

Randy

Thanks for asking the question, RT. The basic Savile Row "Made in England" line has for some time been manufactured by Vulfix; and from what you have now confirmed, nothing much has changed. (Charles's high-end Silvertips are another matter altogether---they are made by Shavemac, as we all know....)