It's here ! It's here!
I thought I would post a few pictures to give people an idea about the brush. Hopefully any of you fence-sitters will be persuaded!
Here is how it looked when the box was first opened, before any water has hit it:
And out of the box to get a better idea of the grain:
Without getting sappy, my first impression of the brush was one of humbleness. It is a beautiful work of art, and I was warmed by the work that went into it and the forum it represents. The handle is indeed the perfect size and heft, and the wood is gorgeous. Looking at Joel's pictures, I got the impression that the laquer coating was thicker than it actually is and the wood perfectly smooth. The reality is a bit different, and I think it is begging to be used, not looked at.
I got a good picture of the insert:
The bristles feel very different than my Savile Row. Much more densely packed, and more rigidity in the mddle. Very soft, though. I can see how this would be a great brush for hard soap compared to my very squishy SR212. As mentioned in another thread, you can feel the knot above the top of the handle a bit. Not sure this matters at all, but it is different from my Savile Row. Here is a comparison to the SR212, again, before any water has touched the SMF brush:
And looking down into the bristles:
The SMF brush is VERY dense, much more so than the SR.
At this point, I rinsed out the brush with warm water. It was somewhat stinky, so it got a treatment with Johnson's baby shampoo. I also tried lathering up a few items, but in all honesty had some trouble. This brush holds a ridiculous amount of water, I would judge at 2X my Savile Row. I was getting very thin lather with the QED Sandalwood soap I was playing around with. Things seemed better with Taylor's Lavender, but again, it is going to take some adjustment.
I wanted to make this point again: for me, this brush was not plug and play. The amount of water it holds, quality of bristles, etc. will take some learning. I do believe after a few days it will be the best lathering brush out there, though.
Here are pictures after getting wet and flicked dry again:
I really don't see how this brush could have come out any better. Kudos to Joel and Bernd for pulling this together.
Enjoy!
-Scotto
My SMF Brush - a Pictorial Journey
My SMF Brush - a Pictorial Journey
Last edited by Scotto on Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Scotto,
Kudos to you for that fine pictorial. Great descriptions, and I totally agree with the fact that it will be the best lathering brush. My Shavemac #181 is very similar, but even so, this puppy does hold the water.
Great job!
Randy
Kudos to you for that fine pictorial. Great descriptions, and I totally agree with the fact that it will be the best lathering brush. My Shavemac #181 is very similar, but even so, this puppy does hold the water.
Great job!
Randy
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." J. B. Books
- Coche_y_bondhu
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