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Maker of Rooney?

Gentlemen,

Am new to the forum, thank you for your help here.
I am a 60 yo , retired, old soldier. I enjoy this part of my life, shaving.
I am looking to get a couple more brushes.
I am an old fly fisherman, and was deeply disappointed that Hardy rods are no longer "Made in England."

My question to you all. Is Rooney still made in England. I got mixed information regarding them.
I see Simpson is another maker. I know Kent still made in England.
It is my understanding, that Simpson, is no longer British made?

It is my preferance to buy British, or USA goods, or Italian.
Thank you all so much gentlemen


Nice day

Jimmy
 
Rooney and Simpson brushes are still being made in England. I've purchased three things from Simpson and they were mailed from England and my payment was made in British pounds. If I'm correct, Simpson has moved their factory to the Isle of Man.

I believe that Lee Sabini still has a hand in the operations at Rooney. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. I know that he makes Morris & Forndran brushes. I've purchased three M&F brushes and all three have been mailed from England and payment was made in pounds.
 
Simpson is now owned by Vulfix, but I believe they are still made in the UK.
There have been some reports that Rooney has been less than forthcoming about the origin of some products.

To be sure though, nearly all of the knots originate in northern China. The only thing produced in the UK, US, or anywhere else is going to be the handle and the final assembly of the knot.
 
Hi Jimmy- welcome to B&B. Rooney brushes are still made in England and stamped so on the handle. Simpsons are also made in the UK on the Isle of Man though they are now owned by Progress/Vulfix. Both are held in high regard around here. If you want a brush made in Italy then Omega is for you.
 
Gentlemen

Thank you all very much. I did find vague data to say Rooney is still in England, and Kent as well.
I appreciate this very much, and so fast on a weekend.
Thank you

Jimmy
 
I you prefer US/European brushes, you might consider Semogue brushes. They are extremely good quality and made in Portugal.
 
Hi Jimmy, welcome to B&B and thank you for your service. As others have said, there are plenty of fine brushes still from the UK. If you have a preference for a certain type or "feel" for your new brushes, just ask and you will have plenty of responses. There is no shortage of opinions around here! If you are looking for a Rooney you might consider purchasing one of Truefitt & Hill's top of the line silvertip brushes. They are made by Rooney and are said to packed with extra hair. They are available from their Chicago store and offer a B&B discount and include a few extra goodies. I just purchased a T&H Rooney Classic silvertip in medium from the Chicago store and I am very pleased. They were very pleasant to deal with on the phone and the shipment was very prompt. The brush is outstanding. Some of their other brushes are made by other manufacturers.

Regards,

Doug
 
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Welcome to B&B, Jimmy! As a retired soldier, think you need a veteran tag alongside your avatar. Don't remember what I did to get mine, but perhaps someone will pop in that knows or do a search. Again, welcome!
 
They are made by Rooney and are said to packed with extra hair

I've heard the "packed with extra hair" claim too, but having conversed with one or two people in the business, I'm extremely skeptical about it.

But that doesn't mean they're not great brushes - they are!
 
It is my preferance to buy British, or USA goods, or Italian

Hi Jimmy, and welcome.

What "Made in England" actually means these days can vary - it can mean the handles are turned in England and the imported hair (just about all commercial badger hair these days comes from China) is graded in England and the knots made in England, or it can mean that handles and knots are imported ready-made from China and glued together in England.

But in terms of genuine "Made in England" reputation, Rooney, Kent and Simpson are certainly up there (even if Simpson brushes are made in the Isle of Man, which technically isn't part of England).

If you're interested in small independent UK makers, there's also New Forest Brushes and Rod Neep that might be worth considering - New Forest gets their knots from China and the handles are locally turned, while Rod Neep turns some beautiful handles himself (not sure of the origin of his knots, but they seem to be well liked).
 
If you are looking for a Rooney you might consider purchasing one of Truefitt & Hill's top of the line silvertip brushes. They are made by Rooney and are said to packed with extra hair. They are available from their Chicago store and offer a B&B discount and include a few extra goodies. I just purchased a T&H Rooney Classic silvertip in medium from the Chicago store and I am very pleased.

+1
Great, great brushes. Most under rated one's around.
 
I've heard the "packed with extra hair" claim too, but having conversed with one or two people in the business, I'm extremely skeptical about it.

But that doesn't mean they're not great brushes - they are!

My T&H is incredibly dense, incredibly soft. More so than my Rooney Emillion was.
 
Gentlemen,

Thank you all very much. I know made in England does not carry much weight . I found that out when Hardy, outsourced.
I appreciate the compassion as far as my service.

My dear friends, I am thankful to you all for your tax dollar, that paid my service time.
For me 28 years , the most wonderful time of my life.
Again thank you gentlemen.

John Parker, you test my eyes with you avatar.
They are either navy sub or sea? VS air?
Or airforce? Wings?

I know about Trufitt and Hill being made by Rooney, thank you for that.

Gentlemen, have a nice day
Jimmy
 
My T&H is incredibly dense, incredibly soft. More so than my Rooney Emillion was.

Are they supposedly identical models otherwise, though? There may well have been some specific models made for T&H that were specified to be more dense. But there's a common claim that, for example, the T&H version of the 3/1 is denser than the plain Rooney 3/1, and it's that that a number of people dispute.
 
Are they supposedly identical models otherwise, though? There may well have been some specific models made for T&H that were specified to be more dense. But there's a common claim that, for example, the T&H version of the 3/1 is denser than the plain Rooney 3/1, and it's that that a number of people dispute.

I cannot comment to that because I've never had a Rooney 3/1 in my hands.
My T&H is their version of a 3/2. The only Rooney's I've had are the Heritage 1xl, Heritage 2xl, and the Heritage Emillion. My T&H branded one is denser than the Emillion and pretty close to the XL's. It's a phenomenal brush in every aspect. It's been my favorite brush for several months, ahead of many heavy hitters, until I recently got a PJ3 in Super which is very similar itself.
 
I cannot comment to that because I've never had a Rooney 3/1 in my hands.
My T&H is their version of a 3/2. The only Rooney's I've had are the Heritage 1xl, Heritage 2xl, and the Heritage Emillion. My T&H branded one is denser than the Emillion and pretty close to the XL's. It's a phenomenal brush in every aspect. It's been my favorite brush for several months, ahead of many heavy hitters, until I recently got a PJ3 in Super which is very similar itself.

That is interesting, and adds more to an intriguing story, thanks.
 
Hi Jimmy, welcome to B&B and thank you for your service. As others have said, there are plenty of fine brushes still from the UK. If you have a preference for a certain type or "feel" for your new brushes, just ask and you will have plenty of responses. There is no shortage of opinions around here! If you are looking for a Rooney you might consider purchasing one of Truefitt & Hill's top of the line silvertip brushes. They are made by Rooney and are said to packed with extra hair. They are available from their Chicago store and offer a B&B discount and include a few extra goodies. I just purchased a T&H Rooney Classic silvertip in medium from the Chicago store and I am very pleased. They were very pleasant to deal with

on the phone and the shipment was very prompt. The brush is outstanding. Some of their other brushes are made by other manufacturers.

Regards,

Doug

Can someone remind me what the B&B discount code is for t&H? Thanks!
 
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