Morris&Forndran

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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Sodapopjones
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Post by Sodapopjones »

Sweet a black handle!
Hi, my name is Aaron and I'm the poster boy for Omega.
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SirWhiskers
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Post by SirWhiskers »

Here's my M&F "collection" :)

Image


More photos HERE

M&F Black 1/1 style 2-band:
Knot 22.2mm
Loft 48mm
Handle H 42.5mm
Handle W 34mm

M&F Genuine Horn Silvertip 3-band:
Knot 24.8mm
Loft 52mm
Handle H 46.6mm
Handle W 37.6mm
Have a great shave!
My (anything but) Zen Den
brothers
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Post by brothers »

I like the black handles.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
Paul12644
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Post by Paul12644 »

Great looking brushes Tim. How do you like them compared to a Simpson Duke 3? :twisted:
rsp1202
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Post by rsp1202 »

Picking up on an old thread (that I never read), anyone still using M&F Blonde Badgers, now that time has passed? Is the bloom still on the rose? I don't see many of them listed here -- but there's lots of action elsewhere on the 'Net re: a new custom Blonde Badger job featuring my handle of handles, an original-style Emperor. I can only say from looking at the prototype photos that it's gorgeous, especially with the knot provided. Just wondering if M&F is still in high regard here.
Ron
fisherc
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Post by fisherc »

I have two and prefer them above all others (Plisson, Simpsons, etc). I regularly rotate M&F's beehive and Polo 8 "copy" both in blonde badger.

Chris
bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Ron, Just in case you might not know; Chris has tried damn near everything so his opinion must be taken seriously! FWIW, I would have gotten one of these blond badger numbers if funds had been more available. I do have a proto-type Rooney that has bristle that I suspect is similiar and it is a superb brush.
Regards,
Gordon
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

I tried getting one several months ago by writing to mr sabini but as of yet i havent received a response. If i do get a brush one day, i'll be sure to report back haha

clive
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Sam
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Post by Sam »

My only brush now is a beehive blond badger
rsp1202
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Post by rsp1202 »

Thanks, all. I have now read everything ever written about the M&F blond badgers and the Sabini way of doing things. He's now in the process of putting together a slew of the Emperor-style w/BB knot, so hopefully it will remain available as part of his catalog after this latest rush. There's one other brush to get before an M&F, but once that's done I will pursue this dream-brush build to completion. (I have to say I've been re-tempted by a bunch of recent Rooney 1/2 Medium-style clones sold by T&H and M&F, but the Emperor comes first.)
Ron
vtmax
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Post by vtmax »

The M&F 2XL's are among my favorites. Perfect knot size and wonderful handles.

Max
Rufus
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Post by Rufus »

I probably missed it in the 17 pages of this thread, but how does one order one of these brushes? Now that my appetite is whetted I have to go to the next level.
Bryan
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SharpSpine
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Re: Morris&Forndran

Post by SharpSpine »

A couple days ago I finally took delivery of my first Morris & Forndran shave brush. I wanted to share each step of my ordering process so people may know what to expect when ordering from Mr. Lee Sabini.

With the help of Ravi (Agravic) I was finally able to get in touch with Lee. Several months ago I sent quite a few emails which all went unanswered. However, I noticed the steady stream of new M&F's making their way to Ravi so I messages him some questions & he pointed me the right way.

I sent my first email to Lee on Aprill 22nd. We had about 3-4 emails back & forth pretty quickly. We decided on handle style & material as well as knot type & dimensions and finally proce. Things went quiet for a few days while I got my funds ready. Then on the 26th I confirmed payment details & paid. Lee confirmed payment & said that my brush would ship on Wednesday (May 1st).

Then things went silent, as if I was on the dark side of the moon. I waited & waited all with a shipped date of May 1st in my mind. On May 9th i sent an email inquiring about travking info which went unasnwered so I continued to practice patience. As time went by I started thinking it should be here by now. I've received a brush from China quicker than this. I sent my next email inquiring as to the fate of my brush on May 24th. Lee replied quickly this time informing me only that my brush was shipped & he had a tracking # for me the next day (25th).

Of course all I ever got with the tracking # from USPS was "Pre-Shipment info" until yesterday when it hit Nashville. So I went to my PO as they opened this morning to get my first M&F, a Butterscotch L7 Blonde Badger 24/50.

Packaging was a simple padded envelope. The brush was well wrapped in extra bubble wrap.

Please note the shipped date...
Image
Yep, that's why I was waiting so long. It didn't ship on May 1st, but 3 weeks later on the 22nd. So shipping from England to Middle Tennessee took only 9 days. So shipping just over a week. Getting it shipped 3 weeks longer than expected. I have no problem waiting but I would have appreciated more accurate info so that I don't think my brush is lost in the post.

After all the waiting here she is...

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I can't wait to do some test lathers & have her maiden voyage.

I don't mean this post to be negative in any way. I just wanted to share my experience so others can see how long this process can take & why. Lee was always very kind and helpful in all of his emails.
Last edited by SharpSpine on Sun Jun 02, 2013 5:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
> Brian < Shave On & God Bless!!

Mongoose B1 + Hempel Spiral; Feather Pro
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SharpSpine
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Re:

Post by SharpSpine »

Rufus wrote:I probably missed it in the 17 pages of this thread, but how does one order one of these brushes? Now that my appetite is whetted I have to go to the next level.

You have PM!
> Brian < Shave On & God Bless!!

Mongoose B1 + Hempel Spiral; Feather Pro
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SharpSpine
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Re: Morris&Forndran

Post by SharpSpine »

First impressions now that I can really inspect it some. I'm about to test lather it so still no thoughts on performance or feel really just yet.

Handle: great weight to it and of course the wonderful ergonomics which the M7 profile provides. It's a bit smaller than I anticipated. My Scarlett Elite7 pictures with it above is a similar sized knot with a more substantial handle. So while this currently feels small in hand I am sure that I'll quickly get accustomed to it.

Knot: There is a small glue bump noticed. It is what it is. Not my favorite, but not a deal breaker either. This brush will have more scritch to it than my WSP knots just by all of the all black inclusions throughout the knot. I hope they don't bring too much prickle for my face.




Some prebloom shots before the test lathers, some of the lather produced, and a *7 family photo. Tonight's events feature the new BDF Mistero.

A splash of Butterscotch!
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PreBloom
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Latherliscious
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PostBloom
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My *7 Family (Elite7 XL, Lee7, Elite7)
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Well good morning prickly scritch. It's been awhile since we've hung out. This Blonde Badger knot certainly has some prickle & scritch to it. The knot itself isn't loaded with backbone as it splays nicely. However, if it had twice as many all black inclusions & less splay, then I'd be pretty sure that this hair is very similar to the Semogue 2-band badger hair. Fortunately I was shaving 2 days of growth so it wasn't too rough for me out of the gate. I am hoping that the tips soften a good bit more though. I'm so used to good backbone & zero prickle from my WSP knots that I'm not sure that I'll want to use this one often if it stays this prickly. The handle felt great in hand with superb balance and weight. I love the look of it & I certainly hope that I can love the knot as well as I use it a bit more. I see quite a few more test lathers in its near future.
> Brian < Shave On & God Bless!!

Mongoose B1 + Hempel Spiral; Feather Pro
rsp1202
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Re: Morris&Forndran

Post by rsp1202 »

Thanks for the travelogue, Brian. Patience was clearly rewarded. I've said it before and will say it once more: that old Emperor shape is most appealing. I watched a YouTube video of an L7 being lathered up and my two impressions are these: Wow; and the brush itself, in person so to speak, is smaller than the photos led me to believe -- but certainly large enough while looking quite comfortable to hold, to boot. I also didn't realize there are stockier versions like the Elite. I hope the bristles soften up for you because it's a real beauty otherwise.
Ron
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TRBeck
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Re: Morris&Forndran

Post by TRBeck »

There seems to be some variety in the softness of tips on these, even now. I got a 2-band recently that, while stiff and scrubby, was very soft-tipped. The combination was remarkable. OTOH, I do read reports like Brian's of scritchy tips pretty regularly. It seems to me that, while great badger brushes are still available, the variability in the particulars of a given "grade" of hair is much more significant than it was a few years ago. I include M&F, Rooney, Simpson, et al. Brush to brush variances are enormous.
Regards,
Tim

Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
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drmoss_ca
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Re: Morris&Forndran

Post by drmoss_ca »

I have three of the Apothecary Shoppe brushes that Lee Sabini made as try-outs before reviving Rooney. They are all very soft tipped, with creamy white tips and black firm shafts. Probably as close to the old time silvertip as one can get. He must have some damn good contacts for badger hair, as I've not seen that kind of quality from Somerset, IoM or anywhere else. Perhaps he has teams of drivers that pick up mature road-kill badgers in the UK!

Chris
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
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Nitrox
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Re: Morris&Forndran

Post by Nitrox »

drmoss_ca wrote:I have three of the Apothecary Shoppe brushes that Lee Sabini made as try-outs before reviving Rooney. They are all very soft tipped, with creamy white tips and black firm shafts. Probably as close to the old time silvertip as one can get. He must have some damn good contacts for badger hair, as I've not seen that kind of quality from Somerset, IoM or anywhere else. Perhaps he has teams of drivers that pick up mature road-kill badgers in the UK!

Chris
I can vouch for the quality of those Apothecary brushes. I have a few of them too, and they have probably the best hair of any brush out there.
Bruno

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shave every day and you'll always look keen."
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ZethLent
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Re: Morris&Forndran

Post by ZethLent »

If someone would be so kind as to send me the contact email to order a M&F, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.
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