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I need a victory brush!

Ladies and Gentlemen - I will complete the 2014 Shave Purchase Sabbatical with no exceptions and no buys for the year. :thumbup: This calls for a victory lap and spoils of war. Well, at least the spoils of war - which will be a brush of some sort.

What I've used so far:
  • Semogue 830 - my stock brush (boar)
  • EJ Pure - not really thrilled with it, sold it off (this was very early in my shaving path)
  • Omega 10275 as a travel brush
  • 23mm Muhle STF v2: Liked it, not sure why I got rid of it
  • RV "Persian Jar 2" clone w/TGN silvertip knot: My favorite brush, sheds a bit (have to get that fixed), but really a bowl lather brush; a bit floppy (which is fine for creams)
  • SOC Boar: Not a bad brush, just too long.
  • Omega 49: Same as the SOC.
  • Vie-Long beehive (horse hair): not for me. Too scritchy.

What I'm looking for:

  • Uses: all-around, more for soaps but can handle creams without too much fuss. This one will be a face-lathering brush that can handle bowl lathering.
  • Badger hair: leaning towards Best or Super grade. Silvertip is okay if it isn't floppy; it has to hold up to lathering on the puck with very hard water (and sometimes a heavy hand). Nothing too crazy-scritchy (the 830 is for that). No boar, no horse, no synthetic hair this time.
  • Knot size: I have small hands (size 7/small glove). The 830 is 23/55, and I'm not too certain I want to go much larger than that. I'd probably run in the 21-22mm knot size with a good loft, or maybe 24mm if it isn't floppy.
  • Overall sizing: The 830 is a good fit in the hand (105mm overall length). The PJ2 clone is nice too, but that really is for bowl lathering. The Omega 10275 is small; the 23mm Muhle was a nice size.
  • Price: Around $100 is fine, less is always good, don't want to go over $150 unless it's "the brush".
  • For this exercise, let's stick to commercial instead of custom-made. I could go Whipped Dog/TGN if nothing pulls.

I've looked at multiple Simpsons brushes (Duke 2/3, Classic CL1, Chubby 1 in Best), Semogue 730 HD, Da Vinci Uomo 290/293, and Saville Row 3822 or similar. But there are way too many brushes on the market, so this is where you come in.

Post your thoughts! And thanks in advance.
 
Simpson 57 is right in your sweet spot for price and attributes, Mike. What you describe happens to be mine as well. A little over, go with the Savile Row 3824. All in? Go with a Simpson two band Tulip 2.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen - I will complete the 2014 Shave Purchase Sabbatical with no exceptions and no buys for the year. :thumbup: This calls for a victory lap and spoils of war. Well, at least the spoils of war - which will be a brush of some sort.

What I've used so far:
  • Semogue 830 - my stock brush (boar)
  • EJ Pure - not really thrilled with it, sold it off (this was very early in my shaving path)
  • Omega 10275 as a travel brush
  • 23mm Muhle STF v2: Liked it, not sure why I got rid of it
  • RV "Persian Jar 2" clone w/TGN silvertip knot: My favorite brush, sheds a bit (have to get that fixed), but really a bowl lather brush; a bit floppy (which is fine for creams)
  • SOC Boar: Not a bad brush, just too long.
  • Omega 49: Same as the SOC.
  • Vie-Long beehive (horse hair): not for me. Too scritchy.

What I'm looking for:

  • Uses: all-around, more for soaps but can handle creams without too much fuss. This one will be a face-lathering brush that can handle bowl lathering.
  • Badger hair: leaning towards Best or Super grade. Silvertip is okay if it isn't floppy; it has to hold up to lathering on the puck with very hard water (and sometimes a heavy hand). Nothing too crazy-scritchy (the 830 is for that). No boar, no horse, no synthetic hair this time.
  • Knot size: I have small hands (size 7/small glove). The 830 is 23/55, and I'm not too certain I want to go much larger than that. I'd probably run in the 21-22mm knot size with a good loft, or maybe 24mm if it isn't floppy.
  • Overall sizing: The 830 is a good fit in the hand (105mm overall length). The PJ2 clone is nice too, but that really is for bowl lathering. The Omega 10275 is small; the 23mm Muhle was a nice size.
  • Price: Around $100 is fine, less is always good, don't want to go over $150 unless it's "the brush".
  • For this exercise, let's stick to commercial instead of custom-made. I could go Whipped Dog/TGN if nothing pulls.

I've looked at multiple Simpsons brushes (Duke 2/3, Classic CL1, Chubby 1 in Best), Semogue 730 HD, Da Vinci Uomo 290/293, and Saville Row 3822 or similar. But there are way too many brushes on the market, so this is where you come in.

Post your thoughts! And thanks in advance.



I'll be doing the same thing. I have no idea what to get, so I'll be watching this thread!!
 
My current favorite is the saville row 3824. Although I have a few high end brushes I do not have experience with m&f, wiborg an Rooney. From what I have the 3824 really stands out.

Good luck. There are a lot of excellent options out there.
 
I can't help on the brush recommendation. I use and love cheap boars (Semogue 620 and 1305).

I will congratulate you on your shaving gear chastity for 2014. That's an amazing feat of self control.

Now you truly are master of your shaving domain.

 
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Thanks everyone. Keep them coming - I've got a week before I can pull the trigger.

Funny that the SR 3824 seems to be sold out everywhere, along with the other 24mm SR brushes... wonder why. :lol:

Simpson 57 is right in your sweet spot for price and attributes, Mike. What you describe happens to be mine as well. A little over, go with the Savile Row 3824. All in? Go with a Simpson two band Tulip 2.

I kept overlooking the 57, but now that you mention it I went through the forum and found your review. That might go to the top of the list. Any significant differences between the 57 and the SR 3824 that I need to be aware of?

I can't help on the brush recommendation. I use and love cheap boars (Semogue 620 and 1305).

I will congratulate you on your shaving gear chastity for 2014. That's an amazing feat of self control.

Now you truly are master of your shaving domain.


Self-restraint gets thrown out the window January 1, if you look at my "buy" list. :lol:

I wouldn't complain about using the two boars you have; they're probably two of the most highly recommended ones here.
 
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You know, I haven't had an urge to purchase anything all year, but I'm now I'm in the same boat as you; I'm really interested in getting another brush to "celebrate" making it through 2014. I've been looking heavily at Thaters and Shavemacs. I alread have a Shavemac D01 3-band and it's awesome, so was leaning more towards a finest or 2-band, but there's just something about those Thaters. I've never owned one, but I did get to use one once and it was great. As far as your question regarding the Shavemac, I can highly recommend them (at least the D01 3-band).
 
I already have a Shavemac D01 3-band and it's awesome, so was leaning more towards a finest or 2-band, but there's just something about those Thaters. As far as your question regarding the Shavemac, I can highly recommend them (at least the D01 3-band).

What Shavemac do you have? The 90 looks really tempting. The standard for that brush is 23/54, which may do really well for everything.
 
There is a big difference between the 3824 and 57. The 3824 is dense, but with a higher loft in a bulb shaped knot and incredibly soft tips. It truly is silvertip. The 57 is in a hybrid fan, lower loft and scrubby tips. Lathering with the 3824 is akin to rubbing a cloud on your face. The 57 works your whiskers much more. Two very different lathering experiences, but both are excellent IMO.
 
Victory brush finally arrived: a Shavemac 90 in 3-band D01 silvertip. I am definitely excited about trying this out.
 
Go onto the sHavemac Website " Bernd " drop him an email a great guy too deal with. I own various styles with different knots and grade of badger the fit & finish is top notch, his 2band D01 knots are outstanding.............. Good luck


Charles U.K
 
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