My new Plisson is like no other brush.

[FONT=&amp] I just bought a pristine used Plisson #18 brush, which means it has a 26mm knot and 65mm loft. It has a genuine horn handle. It's beautiful-looking and beautifully made, but the logic behind Plisson’s design philosophy (and very high prices) is rather hard to understand. The coarse High Mountain White hair (HMW) combined with the extremely high loft creates a 2-band (at least, it looks like a 2-band) that doesn't feel like a 2-band; as a matter of fact, it borders on floppy despite the fact that the knot is very dense. The high density isn’t obvious at first because of the large bloom and the fact that those long hairs splay a lot when pressed against the skin.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]I was expecting it to be an ultra-soft, high loft brush, but when I lathered it up, it was scritchy/scratchy regardless of the amount of pressure I applied. Initially, the knot seems to be extremely soft, but oddly, it feels as though there are about a dozen wiry hairs embedded in the knot that are causing the very noticeable scritch. The 26mm knot, high loft, huge bloom and lack of backbone remind me a lot of a Kent BK8, but the soft knot with the embedded scritchiness reminds me of my original M & F/Rooney Finest; the only other brush where I have encountered the "embedded wire" sensation. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]This is a 2006 vintage brush that, according to the original owner, has been used very few times, so I guess there’s a chance that the scritch/scratch may subside a bit with further use. I wonder if the "embedded wire" sensation means they were using the same type of badger hair that Rooney was using in their vintage Finest brushes. I suspect that this is the case since I have never run into any other brushes, old or new, with the same trait. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]I think any discussion of Plisson brushes needs to address their very high prices and what makes these brushes worth $500 - $600? That’s a $100 - $200 premium over the price of Simpson’s most expensive Manchurian brush, the Chubby 3. Oh, and by the way, on their website, Simpson says that Manchurian hair is the same as HMW hair. I understand that Plisson’s labor costs are probably very high since they’re made in France and that horn handles are more expensive than resin-based handles, but my suspicion is that the biggest reason for their high prices is that the extremely long HMW hair is rare and very expensive; more so than the shorter hairs Simpson uses.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]I’d love to hear from Plisson veterans. Do you love them? If so, why? Is your Plisson scratchy/scratchy? Does the scritch soften up a bit after repeated use? Or do you think they are overpriced rip-offs?

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Good luck with this one...

Hmmm... huge, floppy, and scritchy. That's got to be disappointing. I guess this is the dream brush for those who like scritch.

When I was reading through the first part of your description, I immediately thought of my Kent BK8, and how much it splays compared to my other brushes. But, of course the Kent BK8 does not have any scritch whatsoever IMO. Yeah, I'm all about paying for high quality, but when it comes to shaving brushes, if the comfort is not there then whats the point of using the rare high priced hair? I guess I understand why they command the high price, but I can't justify spending it based on the fact that there are so many brushes that would be more enjoyable to use for far less money (BK8.... among others). It sure is a pretty brush though.

Ben

[FONT=&amp]my suspicion is that the biggest reason for their high prices is that the extremely long HMW hair is rare and very expensive[/FONT]

Click to expand...

Or that their profit margins are higher, and people are prepared to buy very expensive things just because they are very expensive - it's a market out there, and the only thing that ultimately decides a selling price is the amount someone is prepared to pay.

I am quite new to the high end shaving brushes world so I don't have lots of references like some of you here but I am waiting for a lightly used Plisson like this one to be delivered. A 2012 version as far as I know.
I hope it will live up to the hype around Plisson's name. Fingers crossed.
I do live in France, near Plisson's HQ in fact. I can tell you that labor cost in France is not that different than what it is for UK/Isle of Man based manufacturers. So the higher price tag must be either hype or what I believe, higher hair cost due to their length.

I have two Plissons, both purchased within the last year, both HMW, both size 12. One of them is 3-band, the other 2-band. I also find them to have a little scritch, but not in a bad way. The 3-band has noticeably softer tips than the 2-band, and I barely notice any scritch with the 3-band. I do not find them to be floppy at all. In fact, I am extremely impressed with the springiness and backbone of the hairs given their relatively taller loft. I am also very pleased with their flow, water retention, and ability to hold gobs of lather.

I also own several Simpsons Manchurian brushes (four at one point), and I do not see or feel a resemblance between the Manchurian hair and Plisson HMW. The closest I've encountered to HMW is the 2-band Vie-Long uses. In fact, I wholeheartedly recommend Vie-Long 2-band as a much more economical alternative to Plisson.

Here are the Plissons next to a Duke 3 Manchurian:

VERY VERY VERY nice brush. I have always been on the lookout for a HMW with that color horn handle. Your a lucky man for sure

A photo of Plisson 2-band HMW next to Vie-Long 2-band. Interestingly, Vie-Long doesn't consider 2-band their top grade of hair.

Good luck with the brush. Nice handle.

Plisson makes a fine badger brush but it is not the hair that makes it so expensive. It is the name and heritage that keeps the cost high as a luxury item. The HMW hair is more rare than standard silvertip but is not $500 rare. It is available and is wonderful hair. My Plisson (sold) was very soft with zero scritch, but lacked any real density and backbone which is why I had no need for it any longer. I do recommend a Plisson brush to anyone who doesn't mind spending the $$$ on a fine French shaving brush, they are an experience.

Wow, Bob, that sure looks beautiful!

I am still waiting for mine and wondering, how large of a bowl will I need for this brush ?

Any experience on this ?

Thx

I have a Plisson Plexi size 10 in European white 3 band. Its VERY well made (the plexiglass is perfect - you can tell it was made by hand), but you are paying for the name and 'mystique'. Of course, with that name and 'mystique' comes a high resale value, so everything is relative. Of all my brushes, the Plisson is the floppiest. Its the best brush I have for bowl lathering, thats for sure. It has 'just enough backbone' to not make you mad, but not enough to scrub with. It is a very luxurious feeling though. As far as scritch, I can feel just a hint of it (I think the European white 3 band is probably just a touch softer than your HMW two band). In reality the European white and HMW behave the same, but since yours is a two band, there might be more scritch. Its a very personal thing - I think there's the perfect amount of scritch and softness at the same time.