First Shavemac

**Deftim13** · 03-25-2009, 12:27 PM

Looking into purchasing my first Shavemac and found that Vintageblades has them on sale. Not sure which to pick and wanted some opinions. I face lather and bowl lather on and off depending on my mood. I prefer a stiffer brush. Looking at either the Shavemac 220 with a 28mm, 429 with a 23mm or 22579 with a 25mm. I know all of them are different knot sizes but with the 429 being only 65 bucks I could by two for the price of the others. Let me know what you guys think would be the best buy out of the three. This is my one time to buy a brush and this will need to last me awhile.

**TorzJohnson** · 03-25-2009, 03:37 PM

I have a 429 and believe me, you would be hard pressed to find a better brush. The Finest hair is really very nice, performs beautifully and it only looks a little less silvery than the more expensive silvertip models you're considering. $65 for that brush is a steal, normally they're around $80.

**domino** · 03-25-2009, 04:32 PM

Jim:

Can you elaborate a little bit more on the performance of the 429? 60 mm seems excessively long. Does it have good backbone? Do you face lather or bowl lather? Prefer creams or soaps? Thanks

**TorzJohnson** · 03-26-2009, 07:09 PM

Kevin, the 429 I have is not at all floppy, but that could be because of the natural variations when the brush is made - mine measures 56mm by my calipers rather than 60mm. Also the high quality hair and dense construction contribute to a firm feel.

Below is a picture of the 429 with some other brushes for comparison. You'll note that the 429 has a visibly longer loft than the than the other brushes, (whose loft dimensions range from a flat 50mm to a few mm more), but it is not a whole lot longer. All of the brushes in that picture are quite firm.

The one pictured at Vintage Blades looks to have a longer loft than mine as well. If you order from Jim at Vintage Blades I don't think you'd have any trouble asking him to pick a firm brush for you.

Also, in answer to your other questions, I face lather exclusively, and use creams slightly more than soaps - but the 429 works equally well for either.

**andrew98** · 03-26-2009, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by TorzJohnson

I have a 429 and believe me, you would be hard pressed to find a better brush. The Finest hair is really very nice, performs beautifully and it only looks a little less silvery than the more expensive silvertip models you're considering. $65 for that brush is a steal, normally they're around $80.

+1 on the 429. You'll love it. Very versatile brush, especially, as stated above, if you ask Jim to choose one with a slightly shorter loft/firmer feel, if possible (brush variations). For the money, you can't beat Shavemac's finest. It's extremely soft on the face, and IMO, it's the best hair value out there. It's not worth the financial leap to Silvertip. Diminishing returns past Finest... until you get to D01 (with a 45 to 50mm loft).

-Andy

**RGB480** · 03-26-2009, 11:45 PM

I just purchased one of those Shavemac 429s that are on sale at Vintage Blades. I shaved with it yesterday for the first time, and I really like it. I also have one of the recently discounted Shavemac D01 brushes in 19mm, fan. I love the D01, and I wanted a second good brush, and wanted a bulb shape, with a little more loft for bowl lathering, and just a different feel than the D01 brush. This is exactly what I wanted, and at a great price. Before I got the D01, I was going to buy a Rooney, for a firmer brush for soaps and face lathering, but the D01 is excellent at this, and very soft at the same time. I still wanted a 2nd good brush to sit next to the D01. After reading a lot of these discussions, and after using the D01 everyday since I received it, I decided on the 429. It was a great purchase. I think my Vulfix 2233 is now going to be strictly a travel brush.

In regard to the original question, while this isn't as firm or dense or short lofted as my D01, I still think it would be great for an all around brush including face lathering. It does still have some backbone and isn't floppy compared to my Vulfix. It has a lot more give then the short loft D01, but I wouldn't call it floppy. I think I paid $59 for the Vulfix... the 429 is twice the brush.

**TimmyBoston** · 03-26-2009, 11:51 PM

Having used many sizes, I prefer the smaller models, but they all are great brushes of great quality.

**domino** · 03-29-2009, 10:49 AM

Jim:

Thanks for the clarification and the great photo. I often wondered about shavemac's description of their brushes. The length of the loft always seemed excessive, unless you ordered a custom.

**ari95** · 03-29-2009, 11:19 AM

Don't worry about the 60mm loft. Remember that this is a light bulb shaped loft so it performs like a more compact brush. Mine is not floppy, and its very soft. If I could only keep one brush I think this would be it.

**domino** · 03-29-2009, 12:09 PM

I was under he impression that the longer loft would not have a good backbone and is a lather hog.Does the lather channel well over 55mm?

**Cuttingboard** · 03-29-2009, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by RGB480

I just purchased one of those Shavemac 429s that are on sale at Vintage Blades. I shaved with it yesterday for the first time, and I really like it. I also have one of the recently discounted Shavemac D01 brushes in 19mm, fan. I love the D01, and I wanted a second good brush, and wanted a bulb shape, with a little more loft for bowl lathering, and just a different feel than the D01 brush. This is exactly what I wanted, and at a great price. Before I got the D01, I was going to buy a Rooney, for a firmer brush for soaps and face lathering, but the D01 is excellent at this, and very soft at the same time. I still wanted a 2nd good brush to sit next to the D01. After reading a lot of these discussions, and after using the D01 everyday since I received it, I decided on the 429. It was a great purchase. I think my Vulfix 2233 is now going to be strictly a travel brush.

In regard to the original question, while this isn't as firm or dense or short lofted as my D01, I still think it would be great for an all around brush including face lathering. It does still have some backbone and isn't floppy compared to my Vulfix. It has a lot more give then the short loft D01, but I wouldn't call it floppy. I think I paid $59 for the Vulfix... the 429 is twice the brush.

I'm in the same position as you were, I took advantage of the D01 offer and now I'm looking for a second brush. Although, I would like to try a fan shave but I think the 429 may fit the bill perfectly.