*New *Forest The Brand

[zano2]

I can't comment on the quality of the New Forest brushes as I do not own one but, I can say that Peter/Fido was great to deal with.

I ordered a Tubby 2 from Peter yesterday and he was going to ship it on Friday when he got back from a trip. He was very upfront about what it was, answered all my questions and he didn't make any claims or comparison's to any other brushes or manufacturers. He only gave me answers to my questions.

This morning on the BST I saw a Rooney 1/2 and after some research on B&B, I decided that I wanted it and I bought it. Unfortunately, for me, SWMBO was none too pleased when she found out that I bought ANOTHER brush so, I sent an email to Peter explaining the situation and requested that he cancel my order. Within an hour or so the money was refunded without question and he included a nice message.

Again, I can't comment on the quality of the brushes but, Peter seems like a very stand-up guy to me.

BTW I now own a Simpson Colonel, Savile Row 3824 and a now Rooney 1/2
2 of the 3 came from the BST

 

[jwilock]

I can't comment on the quality of the New Forest brushes as I do not own one but, I can say that Peter/Fido was great to deal with.

I ordered a Tubby 2 from Peter yesterday and he was going to ship it on Friday when he got back from a trip. He was very upfront about what it was, answered all my questions and he didn't make any claims or comparison's to any other brushes or manufacturers. He only gave me answers to my questions.

This morning on the BST I saw a Rooney 1/2 and after some research on B&B, I decided that I wanted it and I bought it. Unfortunately, for me, SWMBO was none too pleased when she found out that I bought ANOTHER brush so, I sent an email to Peter explaining the situation and requested that he cancel my order. Within an hour or so the money was refunded without question and he included a nice message.

Again, I can't comment on the quality of the brushes but, Peter seems like a very stand-up guy to me.

BTW I now own a Simpson Colonel, Savile Row 3824 and a Rooney 1/2
2 of the 3 came from the BST

I'm sure everyone would appreciate your thoughts on how the NF compares to your others. Many people who have not actually used all of these brands offer up opinions on how they compare. It will be nice to hear from someone who has three of the major brands and how the NF compares to all of them.

 

[zano2]

I'm sure everyone would appreciate your thoughts on how the NF compares to your others. Many people who have not actually used all of these brands offer up opinions on how they compare. It will be nice to hear from someone who has three of the major brands and how the NF compares to all of them.

Well, that was my plan but, as noted, when I bought the Rooney today I decided to cancel the NF. Someone didn't read my entire post.

Based on the reviews i've read on the Rooney I'm thinking it was the right choice, no offense to NF of course.

 

[jwilock]

must have zoned on the "cancelled the order" part

 

[Natohog]

I have a CH2 in best, a Rooney Emilion and a New Forest 2201. They are all very different brushes to say the least. The NF 2201 is a great little brush, the two band hair has a scrubby feel to it, not prickly or scratchy. Dollar for dollar they are all worth every penny, but if you want more bang for your buck the New Forest is far superior in my opinion. I think if the size of the handle and knot were more similar to its siblings in my collection I may appreciate it as their equal. Peter/Fido was a pleasure to deal with when I purchased this brush.

[...] Worth the money, yes.

 

[Ozgun]

Again lots of needles arguements as a bb classic. Everybody knows they are not extreme brushes, or on par with really high end brushes. Its so absurd to compare them other brushes cost 5-10 times more expensive. You cant compare a honda to a mercedes. Question is the honda a good pereformer for the price and between its competitors..

Its just needed to be spoken if NFs are good performers for their price or not, and if there are better options for the same price at all. Thats it.

I do not care for the hype, their marketing policy, where their hairs come from, or where their knots made, their easily erasable logo or so. Performancewise- worth it or not. This should be spoken.

You know, Im a violin maker. In this world, people tends to choose instruments to buy from more experienced older makers, as they see them masters, or lets say more skilled artisans. Of course older makers sell their instruments 3-5 times more than new artists. This is acceptable as they deserved their name in the market with thousands hours of exhausting work, and their instruments are better made most of the time, BUT not always. Its not always an old masters(dont mix with legends like guarneri, stradivari or so, ) instrument is better than a younger ones. Sometimes younger ones give their passion and desire so much thus creating a better sounding instrument both in quality and soundwise. Even if they make less good instruments they still ask much lower prices for their effort. And it is the most important thing if they are good instruments for the price or not. Should everyone has to buy the most expensive instrument for a good sound, playability or not. There are tons of good insruments from younger makers which deserve their money, and there are some which dont deserve.

These brush arguements here on bb are just like that. No need to compare apples and oranges. But if a brush performs awesome for the price, I accept it as an awesome brush. Its not needed to be most expensive to be awesome. But if an awesome brush performs better than an awesomer brush which is always a low possibility its even better.

So gents, get to the point. Worth money or not. Thats all. Thank you.

 

[forcemajeure]

I've known Peter from other forums and was actively following his steps in creating this brush brand from the very beginning.

I own two NFs, one is a 2201 prototype (+20% hair in the knot) and a 2206 'Tigris Perla' (52mm high handle).
I have also owned a brand new 2221 but never let it touch water as I intended to sell (something which I managed to do very fast).
That brush was a bit floppy for me, I am predominantly a face latherer.

I have in excess of 30 shave brushes total, boars and badgers together, including Semogues, Omegas, Simpsons, a custom Shavemac, a Vie-Long 2B White, three Dovo silvertips, two Rooneys, etc. I have not yet experience with a TGN knot.

When I acquired the NFs, they seemed like a very good buy. I was really happy with the performance and the price paid. Afterwards I started buying more expensive brushes, like the Simpson Duke 3 in Best and the Chubby 2 (custom hair and lofts) as well as the 57. The Shavemac followed shortly later.

NFs are good brushes, but the question "Worth money or not" simply cannot be answered. It can't, for the same reason some of us here have just 2-3 reasonably priced shave soaps in their rotation while others own ten times more, including some very expensive brands.

In the beginning, I thought the 2201 was a fantastic brush. That's still the case perhaps, as back in the early stages of this venture the asked prices were even more competitive.
However, having shaved with the Duke 3 but also with the Semogue SOC badger brush, I felt they were better than my 2206 and hence postponed indefinitely my intention to buy a NF 'Tubby'. For my speculative judgment, the latest NF 'Tubby' will most likely not make me happier now or perhaps as even as happy as the SOC badger. But that is just personal preference and nothing more. I may still buy the 'Tubby' few months down the line, but as an addition to the collection and not as a 'main workhorse'.

I bought the Shavemac few months back and paid $240 delivered for it. Not many people would do that.
- Is it worth the money? For me, yes. It literally destroys soap pucks and at the same time has some of the softest tips I've ever experienced.
- Does it lather better than a NF? Yes, but not as 7 times as good.
- Do I care about that? No.
- Is it then worth the money for few others? For some yes, for others certainly not, I just can't say.

Some shave with the $52 SMN shave cream and wear a Rolex. For them it's worth it. Others use the humble Palmolive stick or Williams puck as they believe it's a waste of money spending $52 on something that is just an upscale version of Proraso. Those same people wear a Seiko or Omega as it's good on them and comes usually much cheaper than the Rolex.

So to the point. Worth money or not. To me personally, my SOC badger (for example) is considerably better in performance but also in value than (for example) my NF 2206 because it not much more expensive, it has very soft hair and a lovely handle and because it has much better backbone. If that tells people something more about worth it or not, then I would be glad to have been of help by sharing some feedback. Thank you.

 

[ouch]

History.

 

[Ozgun]

Thanks forcemajeure.

 

[jwilock]

I have a CH2 in best, a Rooney Emilion and a New Forest 2201. They are all very different brushes to say the least. The NF 2201 is a great little brush, the two band hair has a scrubby feel to it, not prickly or scratchy. Dollar for dollar they are all worth every penny, but if you want more bang for your buck the New Forest is far superior in my opinion. I think if the size of the handle and knot were more similar to its siblings in my collection I may appreciate it as their equal. Peter/Fido was a pleasure to deal with when I purchased this brush.

[...] Worth the money, yes.

Have you seen his new Tubby models in 2-band Super? Might be the answer to your wishes.

 

[Natohog]

Yes, I saw and read about his Tubby line. I decided to get a M&F since I already have one NF brush.

 

[Crag]

I have neither tried a Plisson nor his "High Mountain" brush, but I'm a bit skeptical that he can sell a brush using the same quality hair for a tenth of the price.

True, both hair may be coming from China, but I can certainly tell the difference between my Eagle and my Shea Moisture.

Why are people so upset that I'm calling this brush exactly what it is, a cheap Chinese brush?

I know your quote and this Post is old, but your comment here makes ZERO sense in the world of commodity trading. In China the price of a handmade badger 2-band brush that Rooney sells for $200 is about $14.80 US. The hair is the same, the handle is the same, the name is in Chinese. Please tell me you are smarter than you sound above...Why do you think that China is the NUMBER one source for goods in the world? Plisson sells Chinese Hair, Rooney sells Chinese Hair, Simpson's sells Chinese Hair. Almost all Badger hair Bristle comes from China...99.999% of it. If only all brushes were as Cheap as the Chinese Brushes....

 

[beginish]

I know your quote and this Post is old, but your comment here makes ZERO sense in the world of commodity trading. In China the price of a handmade badger 2-band brush that Rooney sells for $200 is about $14.80 US. The hair is the same, the handle is the same, the name is in Chinese. Please tell me you are smarter than you sound above...Why do you think that China is the NUMBER one source for goods in the world? Plisson sells Chinese Hair, Rooney sells Chinese Hair, Simpson's sells Chinese Hair. Almost all Badger hair Bristle comes from China...99.999% of it. If only all brushes were as Cheap as the Chinese Brushes....

With all due respect, Matt, there is more to the brush than just the hair. The prices reflect a lot of things, handle material, whether it is injection molded vs lathe turned,whether the knot is hand made vs prefab mass produced knots, etc. Yes, you also pay for the name and Heritage behind the traditional makers. The first generation of NF brushes were much more like Franks than Simpsons, and clearly, the owner wants to differentiate his brushes from those, hence the switch to lathe turned handles and giving models names that coincidentally rhyme with Chubby and Stubby. Oh, and I think the price went up a bit as well. The current crop of Chinese-made brushes certainly has their fans, though it is interesting to note that their prices are going up as well.

 

[jwilock]

For some reason this forum is extremely negative towards these brushes, even by some people who seem to have never tried one. If you want other opinions you can check out other shaving forums where these brushes are highly regarded.

 

[Gruder]

For some reason...

Suffice it to say that the reason is a very good one (feel free to believe or ignore the experiences of others -- your call as always). The bumping of this thread after several months seems to have led to argumentative posts counter to B&B's good nature. Thread closed.