Thinking about a Savile Row

I have been thinking about going all out and buying a really nice badger brush. From reading reviews and watching videos I have been thinking about a Savile Row 3324 or 3326.

I mainly use a Semogue boar hair brush which I really like. I only use soaps and afraid that the 3326's 60mm loft will not have enough backbone for me.

Any thoughts on which brush I should consider?

You can't go wrong with the '24. It will handle soaps beautifully.

Will the 24mm have enough backbone for a "massaging face lather"?

Do you have one? I just want to make sure I have enough backbone for my hard soaps.

I picked up a 3124 recently, my second SR after selling my first, because I wanted to give the brand another run. The first one I got was a 3326 and it got the boot because my Thater 4125/2 outperformed it by a little bit. I recently gave away the Thater and decided to try the SR again. I'll be totally honest... I think Thater absolutely KILLS Savile Row at almost the same price range. I would just go get a 4125/2, personally, but YMMV of course. I ended up picking up another 4512/2 in 2 Band that actually just arrived today and now I'm enjoying breaking it in. The 3 Band I had before was slightly softer than my 2 Band but they both feel better than the Savile Row to me.

Just my opinion, anyway. The SR is a quality brush, but for similar money I think the Thater edges it out by a little bit. Here's a review I did on them both a while back when I had my 3 Band and my 3326:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...Silvertip-vs-Savile-Row-3326-Finest-Silvertip

Oh, and either brush will tackle ANY soap you throw at them. They have good backbone without being TOO dense and quite soft tips regardless of which you choose.

It depends what you want in a brush. I own a Savile Row 3326 and while it does present a bit of backbone when splayed, it is generally a big pillow soft brush of light to medium density. I would say it is more suited to bowl lathering than face lathering. If you want something better for face lathering I would seriously recommend you buy a Shavemac 2-band silvertip (NOT D01) brush. If you want a bulb I'd recommend a 26mm knot set at 52-54mm loft. For a fan in the same size knot diameter id go at least 2mm shorter in loft like a 26mm fan knot set at 48-50mm loft.

MrMOJORISIN,

What's the difference between Shavemac 2-band silvertip and D01?

I have a handful of Shavemac silvertip two bands, a Thater, and one Savile Row 3324. Honestly? The only thing I use the Savile Row for is creams. I feel like I can load and load and load all day with the Savile Row to finally get the brush where I want it soap wise because it doesn't have near enough backbone for me. For creams however, I just dab some on my face and use the 3324 pillowy softness there so it works out. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten another Shavemac or Thater instead of the Savile Row.

I dont use any hard soaps but in my opinion, I would not want to use the Savile Row on them. Ive seen videos of guys using them on hard soaps so I know they work, but I dunno, I just think the Savile Row is too floppy for that. It is not going to give your face a massage either. The best thing about the Savile Row is how soft it is.

Space_Cadet said:

MrMOJORISIN,

What's the difference between Shavemac 2-band silvertip and D01?

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Although I have not tried a D01 knot, I believe they are one of the most densely packed knots available. They are either 2-band or 3-band depending on which you specify but from most reports they can be quite scritchy (prickly) on the face and are a bit of a acquired taste. Very exfoliating apparently. The 2-band silvertip on the other hand are not as densely packed but still somewhere between medium and high density and have extremely soft white tips while maintaining good backbone. I own many sought after brushes with excellent grades of badger hair and for the money and ease of ordering (and customization), the Shavemac 2-band silvertip hair is almost unbeatable.

MrMOJORISIN said:

Although I have not tried a D01 knot, I believe they are one of the most densely packed knots available. They are either 2-band or 3-band depending on which you specify but from most reports they can be quite scritchy (prickly) on the face and are a bit of a acquired taste. Very exfoliating apparently. The 2-band silvertip on the other hand are not as densely packed but still somewhere between medium and high density and have extremely soft white tips while maintaining good backbone. I own many sought after brushes with excellent grades of badger hair and for the money and ease of ordering (and customization), the Shavemac 2-band silvertip hair is almost unbeatable.

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Totally agree with this. The Shavemac silvertip two bands I own are my very favorite brushes. They seem to have the right balance of backbone with very soft tips. With the description you provided of what you seek, I would definitely recommend a Shavemac as opposed to a Savile Row.

SCshaver said:

Totally agree with this. The Shavemac silvertip two bands I own are my very favorite brushes. They seem to have the right balance of backbone with very soft tips. With the description you provided of what you seek, I would definitely recommend a Shavemac as opposed to a Savile Row.

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Absolutely. Many people, myself included, love to chase the the rare and hard to get brushes with hopes of owning something extraordinary but when I look at small collection of brushes, the Shavemac is hard to beat. If you know what you want, the custom brush order will allow you to create the perfect brush and in my opinion the current 2-band silvertip hair is some of the best available.

So it seems like I should go with a 2 band shavemac from what I am reading.

What can be customized on the brush? I see bulb or fan shape annd font style. Is there more?

Living in the US it looks like shipping is going to be a bit pricey, about $20 for shipping. Although, if its that good then I will go for it.

Size of knot and loft height.

Read this

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...iguring-a-Shavemac-2-Band-Silvertip-24mm-knot

I have owned both a D01 3 Band and a 2 Band Silvertip from Shavemac. Just for the record, I didn't feel that the D01 was overly exfoliating. I actually feel that the 2 Band Silvertip still has more backbone than a D01 3 Band, although that may vary from knot to knot somewhat. Softness at the tips was quite similar in my experience. I believe a D01 in 2 Band might be too stiff for my taste, but that's an option I have not yet tried.

Compared to the Thater options, the Thater brushes will have softer tips by a little bit compared to the Shavemac options. If you want REALLY good softness at the tips, go Thater. That said, you don't get a whole lot of control over the loft on a Thater. You can customize a Shavemac, so if you get their 2 Band silvertip you can set the loft lower than the Thater's if you like.

For me, based on the current recommendations, I would either do a Thater (2 or 3 Band, either way it's a winner) or pick up the Shavemac 2 Band and customize it to your liking. I don't feel that the Shavemac 3 Band hair stands up to the Thater's 3 Band, but their 2 Band competes nicely with Thater's 2 Band IMHO. Thater's still has SLIGHTLY softer tips to the hair, but the Shavemac can be had in whatever dimensions you want.

So if I go with a 2-band Shavemac, which size knot and loft should I get? I am thinking a 24-26 knot size with about a 50-52 loft?

24x48 Fan would be my recommendation. If you ever get a Thater, make it a bulb. I like the 3 Band more than the 2. Honestly, you could get a Shavemac 2 Band and a Thater 3 Band and they would be very different brushes. The Shavemac has great backbone and mild scrub while the Thater feels like a cloud.

So I was going to get a bulb, now I dont know. I looked into it and it seems that fans are better for soaps and face lathering? I read bulbs can be scratchy on the face due to the longer hairs in the center. Also, I read that buls are better for painying the lather and fans are good for circular motion and i usually use circular motions.

Do I seem to have it correct, therefore being I should get a fan shaped knot?

A bulb is great, also. 26x52 would be good for that, just will cost more. I was recommending the fan with the 24mm knot mostly for price based on the size. I actually had a 24mm bulb Shavemac 2 Band Silvertip and the bulb just made it feel small in that size. If you like a bulb, which I do as well, I would jump to a larger knot so that it doesn't feel too small.

My Shavemac is a 28mm bulb set at 54mm loft which makes it fairly scrubby (zero scitch though) and concentrated given the density and resilience of the hair. If you want something in between that and a fan I'd recommend you get a 26mm bulb knot set at 54mm loft. I think that would allow the bulb to splay a bit more and relax the backbone slightly compared to the brush I have.

I wouldn't say that fans or bulbs are better for face lathering based on those characteristics alone. The density and backbone and loft are more of a factor and only through trying a few different combinations will you find your ideal brush.

Email Bernd at the contact email provided on the shavemac weibsite and tell him what you want in a brush. He may recommend something to your tastes. Be patient as he may take a few days to reply but he is very good to work with.