Thater 4125-3 Finest 2-band

[AgBill]

I hate you, Vlad.

[UngerWoo]

I have the same brush and love it. One of my top three, along with M&F Blonde Badger and Vie-Long LE Silvertip at Bullgoose. An awesome triumvirate.

[Vlad]

I hate you, Vlad.

[Techichi]

So soft, it's gonna kiss your face like your high school girlfriend.

Spoiler:

Stolen line from Face&Head

Boy you weren't kidding. Super soft. Now I also understand why the bigger knots are preferred with these brushes.

[MaxP]

Excellent post. And an excellent brush.
Congrats.

And thanks for sharing.

[Touchy]

Beautiful brush. I wish I liked them that big. How do you like the Plexi vs the resin handles in general? I've been looking at the Thater 22/50mm knots, but can't decide on the handle.

I have a 49125/0 which I found really small, Rooney 3/1 super being my first good brush. At first I didn't like the stiff bulb design or the size but this is now my #1 brush. Softest I own. I prefer big brushes ergonomically speaking but I love Thater the best. It lathers anything... I mean anything you throw at it! I'd be interested to try the fan-shaped as others have reviewed them most favorably. Don't know when I could afford one though....

[vocalistbob]

I just sold a few razors and used the proceeds to buy a Thater 4125/3 2-band. My Thater 4125/2 3-band was the softest brush I ever owned, so I am really looking forward to this one!

[vocalistbob]

Oh, and by the way, I do anything Vlad tells me to do - just ask him!

[azhawk0516]

I have a 24mm Thayer two band brush and it is truly an out standing brush. It is luxuriously soft with good back bone.

[njpaddy]

I have a 49125/0 which I found really small, Rooney 3/1 super being my first good brush. At first I didn't like the stiff bulb design or the size but this is now my #1 brush. Softest I own. I prefer big brushes ergonomically speaking but I love Thater the best. It lathers anything... I mean anything you throw at it! I'd be interested to try the fan-shaped as others have reviewed them most favorably. Don't know when I could afford one though....

Glad to hear touchy. My wife has a 49125/0 stashed away for my birthday, so I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to see and use it.

[Face&Head]

Vlad & Rick demanded I get a Thater 2-band bulb; clearly, resistance was futile. So I picked up a 4125-2 from Royal Shave. The knot is 28.5 X 53 (published specs are 26 X 55). As you can see, it does not have the radical bulb shape of my 49125-2 3-band. As with every Thater I've owned it is utterly scritch-free. I would say it has slightly less backbone than my 3-band but materially more than my 2-band fan. If, like me, you're a scritch hater who loves impossibly soft tips, I'm not sure there's a better 2-band brush. If Thater ever offers it with the plexi-handle I'll end up with two. I've only done a single face lather with it using MdC and it really is as good as Vlad said.

[German]

Thaeter 2 bands are great brushes. I have the smaller cousins 4125-0 and -1.

[Vlad]

Sexiest bloom ever.

[Bravado13]

Mark, can't say I'm surprised. :) It was probably the only member in your Thater family missing. Enjoy my friend .

[CoinToss]

@Vlad,

That Morris & Forndran in your first post is awfully handsome -- what model is that?

I went through a period of disliking Thater. I had a shedding brush, only to be replaced with another shedding brush. The response I got from Thater to was not the kind of customer service you would expect. To be fair, I was kind of a jackass in my email to them, and they replied in kind. Not really acceptable service, but understandable. But I digress.

I can't stay mad at them. Not when they produce such wonderful brushes (when they don't shed). I've been thinking about the 2-band for quite some time, and got to try it out several weeks ago in fan shape. I wanted more backbone, so I got the bulb shape 4215-3 from Royal Shave with the brush money from my recent BST thread (it's Sabbatical-neutral! ). The official measurements are 28mm knot, 55mm loft. I get 29mm/53-54mm...great! Yes, it could be lower. At 50-52 it would be scary good. But this brush gets high marks from me as it is.

Attachment 258367

Those with a passing familiarity with my SBAD know I love soft-tips. The Thater 3-band is universally acknowledged as soft-tipped, and the 2-band is no less so to my skin. Yes, different feel, but I could rub this knot on my face all day and not get brush burn. Interestingly, the bulb 2-band is not as bulb-shaped as the 3-band. Comparing it to the Plexi 4 and its cousin the 4215-2 (still available on the BST ), both getting a lot of extra backbone from the very bulby shape, the 2-band has about the same backbone. It almost appears as if Thater was going for the same "feel" when they designed their 2-bands.

The density is good, but not impressive. The hair is a similar kind of thin, soft-tipped 2-band hair like Blonde Badger. M&F is packed tighter, giving those brushes greater backbone. The hairs themselves feel stiffer, too. Indecently, M&F consistently sets the bar for every other brush I get--I just have to say it again, these are the best brushes in the world in my opinion.

Notice the bloom in the Thater 2-band compared to the Blonde Badger. (Tips are dry many hours after the shave, but inner knot is still damp)
Attachment 258365

2-band in the middle
Attachment 258366

The octagonal shape is great. I liked it in both of my other Thaters. I think it's just the most practical for me, and I like the cream color very much, especially with the black roots and cream tips of the hair. The new logo? I have no problem with it. I'm glad I have the old one, too, just for fun.

• Perfectly soft tips Attachment 258364
• Heritage (since 1913) Attachment 258364
• German craftsmanship Attachment 258364
• Handmade Attachment 258364

And today was also my first shave with a straight! (Thanks, Mike)

Attachment 258368

[vocalistbob]

I sold my Thater 4125/3 2-band bulb because I decided that I prefer fans - and larger handles. I turned around and bought a 4292/6 (28mm) and then a few weeks later added a 4292/5 (26mm). It's surprising how different the two Thaters are! The 28mm (29.5, actually) brush is amazing - it is the only competitor in my collection to my Rooney Heritage 2XL. The Rooney's tips are softer (surprise!) but the Thater has more backbone. The 4292/5 has classic Thater ultra-soft tips, but not nearly as much backbone as its big brother. As a matter of fact, the 4292/5 feels like a 3-band (it's not) in every way. It's a great brush, but I am disappointed because it wasn't what I was expecting based on my experience with the 4292/6.

[Vlad]

@Vlad,

That Morris & Forndran in your first post is awfully handsome -- what model is that?

I don't know of a model number, but I think this is the only shape I've seen in M&F horn handle.

[Bravado13]

So after a few months with this brush Vlad, where do she currently fall in line with your other 2 band Cubbies? What I especially like to know is if its the softest to band you own and since I imagine its fairly broken in at this point, if is still retained it's backbone?

[Vlad]

Fantastic brush from day 1, and I still love it. I have not noticed any change in the texture or backbone. I suppose it could be more densely packed, but that might just be the perception of high quality, like the way watches keep getting bigger. Thater's proportions, for their 2-band and 3-band, is right on. The 2-band bulb is in my opinion among the very finest out there, as a guy who loves perfectly soft tips and doesn't need the very stiffest brush.

That said, I do like my Simpson 2-band CH3 from time to time because of the exceptional backbone. I got lucky with mine, though, as other Simpson 2-bands have been very scrtchy.

So after a few months with this brush Vlad, where do she currently fall in line with your other 2 band Cubbies? What I especially like to know is if its the softest to band you own and since I imagine its fairly broken in at this point, if is still retained it's backbone?