Liojuny Shave Brushes

Who are these guys?? Mayhaps Frank Shaving under another corporate name? I'm really tempted to buy one of their brushes (oh hell, for the price I just bought it); they are about 1/2-2/3 the cost of FS....and they look nice. Any opinions??

That's a real good question, now isn't it? The two companies are definitely connected somehow. Their logos are similar, and they both sell on eBay and drop ship from China.

For that matter, it's a little unclear to me exactly what Frank Shaving is. I've corresponded with Ian Tang, who co-ordinates the eBay sales and custom orders, but I don't think he is "Frank." For one, emails sent to the address on the official Frank Shaving website don't go to Ian. Also, he might even be involved in the actual making of the brushes, because he really seems to know the craft.

All that said, "Frank" seems to make a decent midrange brush. I have three of them, and while they're not up with the very top manufacturers, they do present a good bang for the buck. I've never used a Liojuny Shaving brush, but my best guess would be that they are either FS seconds, or maybe even the exact same brushes directed towards a cheaper market segment.

My LJ Silver tip Alaska white handle is a great brush. A little stiffer than my Kent BK8 but the same kinda dimensions. For the money a great brush.

I don't believe these are made by the same company as Frank's. The company used to be called LiJun and changed their name and logo last year. I have owned a LiJun branded finest brush which was actually less dense than a similar Frank's brush (of which I have owned several) but the tips were gel-like in face feel. It was a remarkable brush, especially at $15 delivered. I currently own a Liojuny 28mm knot which I have installed in an Omega 48 handle set at a low loft to limit splay and increase the perceptive density high. This brush does not have the gel-like tips, but is still very soft with great backbone. Overall I feel the handles are on par with Frank's and the knots are in the same ballpark. The pricing seems to be the major advantage that Liojuny has and at their price point I would have no problem recommending them.

My Liojuny/Omega custom (28mm knot, 31mm actual measurement set at 52mm loft):

I always thought the Alaska had a nice shape, but I don't know anything about them. Do the handles seem to be turned or are they molded?

bassopotamus said:

I always thought the Alaska had a nice shape, but I don't know anything about them. Do the handles seem to be turned or are they molded?

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You know I'm not sure. Its pretty weighty when compared to a cheap Omega or ssemogue boar. Saying that it feels the same as my Duke 2. The silver tip I have is a 26mm at at 52mm so a pretty good all rounder. I asked about the white handle and hand a respose in a few hours with the price inc postage expalined. TO my door it was around £20 which aint bad. Delivery time to the UK was around 9 days.

StuMcB said:

You know I'm not sure. Its pretty weighty when compared to a cheap Omega or ssemogue boar. Saying that it feels the same as my Duke 2. The silver tip I have is a 26mm at at 52mm so a pretty good all rounder. I asked about the white handle and hand a respose in a few hours with the price inc postage expalined. TO my door it was around £20 which aint bad. Delivery time to the UK was around 9 days.

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Yeah, I was specifically thinking of the light, cheap feeling, molded omega handles. Thanks

I recently got a Liojuny Hawaii Finest and it's a nice brush. First impression was that the handle has a nice weighty feel to it, and the finest hair is very soft. One con is that there was a strong gasoline like smell, probably from the glue? Compared to my Simpson Colonel, the Liojuny is just as soft but it's a bit more floppy. For a larger brush though, it has decent backbone and is densely packed.

I have both their Silvertip (24mm) and Finest (24mm) iterations - Overall, I would say that they are the best value for starter brushes. They are versatile and perform well in both face and bowl lathering situations. The loft (I *believe* 54mm) is a little higher than ideal for face-lathering (IMO) so there is a small tendency to splay. However, the medium density really helps by keeping hair in contact with your face.

The handle is very solid with a medium amount of heft. I do not see any glue lines so it appears to be either turned or extremely well-polished 1-piece injection molded.

It is worth mentioning again, I really do think that they are the best value brushes even more so than Whipped Dog or VB's house brand. Are they perfect? Nope...but for $15-$20 these brushes are hitting 2 or 3 notches above others in their price point.

Another note, a little patience is needed as these do ship from China. It took about 2 weeks (give-or-take) to receive each brush.

I like my Liojuny, but think they are a notch below Frank Shaving (of course Frank's cost more also). The glue bump doesn't bother me, but it is noticeable.
For a few bucks more, Shaveabuck has some more handle options with a little more style. He lists them as 20 mm knot with a 60 mm loft, but the ones I purchased had a 50 -52 mm loft. Of the three, one was a shedder though, but I love the handles.
You really can't go wrong with any of the above, see what catches your eye, and give one a shot.
Enjoy your shave!

glad i came on this thread, i have been looking at these brushes, they do look the part but looks mean nothing if they are garbage, from what people on here that have them they seem good value, the higher priced ones, are they like a chubby brush.

tacchini said:

glad i came on this thread, i have been looking at these brushes, they do look the part but looks mean nothing if they are garbage, from what people on here that have them they seem good value, the higher priced ones, are they like a chubby brush.

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No - The Chubby's are on a completely different density level. Although categorized as having a 24mm knot, both my Liojuny silvertip and finest brushes have an actual base slightly bigger than my 24mm TGN Finest F2 knot. The density between all three is fairly comparable...a good amount but definitely not Chubby-like. Also, the tips of the Liojuny Finest are soft but the TGN Finest is just a tad softer. However when wet, the feel is also comparable.

They're definitely not garbage. Expect a decent brush at a very good price. I've since moved on to higher end brushes, but I have a soft spot in my heart for my Frank Shaving brushes. The knots on mine are very, very dense. They have good decent, albeit mass-produced handles, and the hair on all of them is very soft and luxurious. I also have three, and one of them also sheds a bit, but not in an alarming way. Maybe 1-2 hairs a week.

I recently bought a Liojuny "Austin" 24mm finest badger brush. I like the handle a lot, and the brush works really well for me. The glue bump is high (like 10mm above the handle), which I don't like, but I'm getting used to it. Overall, it seems to be worth the $20 (out-the-door) price.

I should note, I'm new to DE shaving, and my only other badger brush is an Escali pure badger, and that's no where near as nice as the Liojuny.

Escali....Tweezerman....smh

For anyone considering these two brushes, please remove them from your wishlist and/or shopping cart and close the Amazon page. Spend the same amount of money (or slightly more) for a brush from Liojuny or Whipped Dog.

Atalk said:

Escali....Tweezerman....smh

For anyone considering these two brushes, please remove them from your wishlist and/or shopping cart and close the Amazon page. Spend the same amount of money (or slightly more) for a brush from Liojuny or Whipped Dog.

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True true. Wish I had found B&B before I placed that order.

thanks for the advice on these brushes,i think i will give them a go,silvertip or pure,decisions decisions.

Here a pic of my LJ Alaska pre blood straight out of the box. No gasoline smells or much badger funk. Lathers well dries hard but becomes soft on brushing over with the hand. A tiny winy bt more back bone then a Kent BK8 but with out the Kent family history (Love my Kents). Specs 26/52 silver tip.

chamm said:

That's a real good question, now isn't it? The two companies are definitely connected somehow. Their logos are similar, and they both sell on eBay and drop ship from China.

For that matter, it's a little unclear to me exactly what Frank Shaving is. I've corresponded with Ian Tang, who co-ordinates the eBay sales and custom orders, but I don't think he is "Frank." For one, emails sent to the address on the official Frank Shaving website don't go to Ian. Also, he might even be involved in the actual making of the brushes, because he really seems to know the craft.

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The email address of Frank Shaving and Ian Tangs are not the same
Also in the payment there is no "Frank" or similar name in the pay pal,even the "Ian Tang" !
In FS site you can see brushes that in ebay shop don't exist
Ian Tang does not sell "defective brushes" as other sellers do
Some claim that they are "official distributors" of FS company.

As for the topic: I have 2 Linjun brushes (that was the old name) and don't match with Ian Tang brushes.