In the thread "Need help to find a brush like Semogue SOC two-banded badger but with even more backbone"
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ed-badger-but-with-even-more-backb?highlight=
I asked advice for a brush like the Semouge SOC two band badger, but even more so. The answers where almost all one and the same: Shavemac Two band badger D01. Of course I ordered it and promised to report back, hence this thread. I changed my initial order from 24mm with 48mm loft to one with 50mm loft. The SOC has the dimensions 24mm with a 53mm loft. I thought that 48mm perhaps would be going too far, and Shavemac had a ready brush with 24/50mm dimensions and a white handle (instead of the black I wanted). I took that as an indication of that the appropriate loft height should be 50mm.
Shavemac gives you a multitude of choises when it comes to combining your brush, but the nicest handles made out of wood or horn are only available with silvertip hair. I have no doubt whatsoever that I could have emailed and ordered one with two band hair anyhow. I decided not to since it would turn an already fairly expensive brush into something really expensive. I settled for what I judged to be the most ergonomic handle in the most discrete colour (black).
I used the Shavemac exclusively for about three weeks. I used it with hard soap and cream. I both face and bowl lathered with it. After three weeks I began to use both the SOC and the D01 to be able to compare them.
My conclusion is that the Shavemac is an excellent brush that performs well in every role. I could easily have this brush as my only brush and live with it happily ever after. It truly has a great backbone. Even so the tops are really soft. I have nothing negative to say about its performance at all. I´d say that it combines the very best of features from boar and badger brushes.
The question though is how it performs compared to the SOC. What I´ve written above could also be a description of the SOC brush. They are IMO very similar in performance. The SOC is not quite as pleasant on the face as the DO1, but I´m being very picky now, both are excellent. I have found that the SOC has a bit more backbone than the D01. At first it surprised me. Both knots are very densely packed, the D01 even more so. The hair quality is very much the same, but the SOC has 3mm higher loft so it should have less backbone. Then I remembered that the SOC knot has a glue bump that sticks out of the handle hidden behind the hair, the effect being that the actual loft height of the SOC might be less than that of the D01. The glue bump also gives the hair less opportunity to splay. I might be wrong, but I believe that that is the answer. The SOC is also bulb shaped versus the fan shape of my D01, which also may affect the performance.
I am happy that I have the Shavemac and I will continue to use it along with my SOC two band and my SOC SE 2012. All three are top of the line brushes IMHO. Even so I recommend anyone considering buying a D01 to first try the SOC two band. You get two SOC and some change for the price of one D01. That way you can make up your mind on whether you like this type of brush or not. If you do like it you´ve got yourself a really good brush and can go for another similar one. If you don´t like it you´ve not spent +160 Euro finding that out.
If the D01 is worth the extra money depends on your preferences and your budget. To me it´s definitely worth it, but it is my kind of brush and I plan to give it a lot of use for as long as the brush lasts. My guess is that it will last very long, but hopefully not longer than I do. It shed one hair the first shave, that´s all.
Finally I want to thank all you kind gentlemen that helped me find this excellent brush and quote ChampagneGary from the initial thread: SOC badger and it seems like the badger for those who like boars. I couldn´t have put it better.
Kind regards
Polarbeard
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ed-badger-but-with-even-more-backb?highlight=
I asked advice for a brush like the Semouge SOC two band badger, but even more so. The answers where almost all one and the same: Shavemac Two band badger D01. Of course I ordered it and promised to report back, hence this thread. I changed my initial order from 24mm with 48mm loft to one with 50mm loft. The SOC has the dimensions 24mm with a 53mm loft. I thought that 48mm perhaps would be going too far, and Shavemac had a ready brush with 24/50mm dimensions and a white handle (instead of the black I wanted). I took that as an indication of that the appropriate loft height should be 50mm.
Shavemac gives you a multitude of choises when it comes to combining your brush, but the nicest handles made out of wood or horn are only available with silvertip hair. I have no doubt whatsoever that I could have emailed and ordered one with two band hair anyhow. I decided not to since it would turn an already fairly expensive brush into something really expensive. I settled for what I judged to be the most ergonomic handle in the most discrete colour (black).
I used the Shavemac exclusively for about three weeks. I used it with hard soap and cream. I both face and bowl lathered with it. After three weeks I began to use both the SOC and the D01 to be able to compare them.
My conclusion is that the Shavemac is an excellent brush that performs well in every role. I could easily have this brush as my only brush and live with it happily ever after. It truly has a great backbone. Even so the tops are really soft. I have nothing negative to say about its performance at all. I´d say that it combines the very best of features from boar and badger brushes.
The question though is how it performs compared to the SOC. What I´ve written above could also be a description of the SOC brush. They are IMO very similar in performance. The SOC is not quite as pleasant on the face as the DO1, but I´m being very picky now, both are excellent. I have found that the SOC has a bit more backbone than the D01. At first it surprised me. Both knots are very densely packed, the D01 even more so. The hair quality is very much the same, but the SOC has 3mm higher loft so it should have less backbone. Then I remembered that the SOC knot has a glue bump that sticks out of the handle hidden behind the hair, the effect being that the actual loft height of the SOC might be less than that of the D01. The glue bump also gives the hair less opportunity to splay. I might be wrong, but I believe that that is the answer. The SOC is also bulb shaped versus the fan shape of my D01, which also may affect the performance.
I am happy that I have the Shavemac and I will continue to use it along with my SOC two band and my SOC SE 2012. All three are top of the line brushes IMHO. Even so I recommend anyone considering buying a D01 to first try the SOC two band. You get two SOC and some change for the price of one D01. That way you can make up your mind on whether you like this type of brush or not. If you do like it you´ve got yourself a really good brush and can go for another similar one. If you don´t like it you´ve not spent +160 Euro finding that out.
If the D01 is worth the extra money depends on your preferences and your budget. To me it´s definitely worth it, but it is my kind of brush and I plan to give it a lot of use for as long as the brush lasts. My guess is that it will last very long, but hopefully not longer than I do. It shed one hair the first shave, that´s all.
Finally I want to thank all you kind gentlemen that helped me find this excellent brush and quote ChampagneGary from the initial thread: SOC badger and it seems like the badger for those who like boars. I couldn´t have put it better.
Kind regards
Polarbeard
