Rooney Style 1, 2, 3.....

Hi...I'm guessing this has been visited before...and if so please point me to the right thread....but I am wondering the difference between a R.A. Rooney Style 1, 2, 3 in large, medium, and small brushes?

I ask this because my first brush was the Rooney Style 1 in Medium. According to the view I have on the sight I purchased my Rooney the Style 1, 2, 3 appear to differ in handle shapes. What is the advantage and disadvantage to one over the other? I gather the other is the size of the knot and lengths of bristles. When I use my brush for 'shaving cream'...once loaded with luxurious lather...it is so big that it appears to look like a wet mop on the side of my face. I am not able to rotate the brush in circles around my face as I have read to do. It covers the whole side of my face! It's not a bad thing for me, but I was wondering if there was a better alternative or shorter bristles that allowed me to actually rotate the brush in circles? Don't get me wrong I do like the Rooney line...but was wondering if I decide to purchase another brush what others might suggest?

I find it hard to believe that a Rooney S1 in medium would be floppy because the Rooney line of brushes have some of the best backbone and highly recommended for soaps. Have you tried any other brush? I can only think of SR 3118 or SR 3318 if you want to give something other than a Rooney a try.

I don't mean to say it is 'floppy.' On the contrary it does stand up, but I just meant it is huge! Maybe I am putting too much pressure on my face with it.

The size 2's or mediums have a 24mm knot size and the size ones or smalls have 22mm knot. Most guys around here seem to prefer the small size regardless of which style they use/prefer. There are some guys though who do have the medium size, so it's really just a matter of preference. I don't remember seeing many guys w/ large Rooneys.

I'm a "small brush guy" and I have a style 3 size 1 that I use often. I wouldn't call it a small brush though, feels more like a "big small brush" or a "small medium brush."

As far as styles go, the style 1 has the shortest loft, style 2 is the longest and style 3 is right in the middle.

I have the three sizes in the style 1 and they are all very effective for me. I would suspect that it is a matter of working with the brush and finding the right amount of pressure to use while lathering. My preference for a small, medium, or large brush varies depending on my mood. It took some time, trial and error for me to get used to and appreciate a larger brush so hang in there and keep experimenting. You'll get the hang of it.

RenegadeRN said:

I don't mean to say it is 'floppy.' On the contrary it does stand up, but I just meant it is huge! Maybe I am putting too much pressure on my face with it.

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Not much pressure is needed to build lather on the face or in a bowl. In fact a lot of pressure will irritate your face. As Jimmy said just keep trying and you will find what works for you.

I have a 3,1 in Finest and it's a wonderful brush for face lathering, not at all uncontrollable on the face, can do nice circles without smearing lather in the nose and ears. Knot is 22mm.

I have a 2,1 in Best, which is the same as the 3,1 in knot size and loft (50mm). It's very much like the 3,1 for face lathering...tight control...but is softer. They both excell at bowl lathering. Both shapes are excellent in the hand.

I think the 1 series are a bit short for bowl lathering, at least the 1, 1.

IMO, lofts over 52-54mm tend to spread more on the face and are a bit uncontrollable. The longer the loft, the more so. I don't think this splaying is due to knot size, rather to bristle length. I have a Simpson Chubby 2 with a 27mm knot, but a 50mm loft and it doesn't splay at all, just feels "powerful" on the face.

Hope that helps.

Best regards,

Jay

I have a Rooney 3,3 and a Rooney 3,1. While I like the larger handle of the 3,3, the brush itself is large for my face. The Rooney 3,1 has the perfect brush for me for face lathering soaps. The 3,1 brush on a 3,3 handle would be perfect for me.

They both do a superb job and I enjoy using both, with a slight preference fro the 3,1.

Maybe that's why they have a 3,2?

My BAD may be rearing its ugly head!

I have a 3/2 in super and love it, not floppy at all. I chose it because I like the longer handle and the 24 mm knot is fine with me although I wouldn't mind having the same size brush handle with a 22 mm knot.

I have a 1/3, its my biggest brush and the only reason I got it was because a fellow member gave me a great deal. Its a whiz with soaps and creams and, while a little large for face-lathering does a great job of it.

I'm not a fan of big brushes generally, and I think the 22mm "small" Rooneys will work for most folks - right in what I think is the sweet spot for brush size.

The Rooneys (while I just own the one, I have seen/handles all of the models/sizes) are IMHO very good, well built brushes and the silvertip or supersilvertip grades represent excellent value for the money. While all of the different styles will work with creams and soaps, I see the #1 as optimized for soaps/face-lathering, the #3 as a good all purpose brush and the #2 as a good brush for soaps.

While I know that a good brush will work with any decent soap or cream, my preference is to use shorter lofts for soaps.

My Rooney has a very dense knot as well.

The small Rooneys in silvertip or supersilvertip are great values in my opinion as well.

I'm with you on the medium being a bit large, may want to give a small a try. Regards.

J

Having sold a good many of this particular brush (perhaps this one), I can say that they can vary depending on the grade of brush purchased and the brush loft. If you look at the Rooney brush specifications on my site, you will notice that the loft has been reduced on some brushes. This has been done to address the stated concern of some user about perceived "floppiness", particularly in some of the larger brushes. Also, it wasn’t clear if the original post concerned a “Super” or another grade of Rooney.

VintageBlades said:

Having sold a good many of this particular brush (perhaps this one), I can say that they can vary depending on the grade of brush purchased and the brush loft. If you look at the Rooney brush specifications on my site, you will notice that the loft has been reduced on some brushes. This has been done to address the stated concern of some user about perceived "floppiness", particularly in some of the larger brushes. Also, it wasn’t clear if the original post concerned a “Super” or another grade of Rooney.

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Jim, Thanks for the update on the changes in the loft of the Rooney brushes. I wondered why you had different info compared to others on the net. Now I know who is the most informed and perhaps the best to buy from.

Thank you for the info, Jim. My Rooney 3,3 may need to find it's way to the Home of Floppy Brushes Then I could try out a 3,2.

But then again, maybe not. The occasional splay of a big, floppy brush filled with lather is akin to sticking your face into a birthday cake. Something that isn't often recommended but, if done correctly, can be a great deal of fun.

It should be pointed out though, as stated on my site, brush loft is the one specification that can vary slightly from lot to lot or even brush to brush. After all, these brushes are handmade.

Of course there are those among our membership who are, shall we say, a bit focused on brush loft. It is because of those individuals that I had to purchase a Mitutoyo digital caliper that can give them measurements in hundredths of millimeters. Because as you know, it's that last few hundredths that made the real difference.