Two New Rudy Vey beauties

[TRBeck]

Gents,

I have been absent a while with a newborn daughter and an upcoming move, and I likely won't be around as much as I have been in the past, at least for a little while until things settle down. Nonetheless, I thought I'd poke my head in here just to show off a couple of new brushes. I have been using a Savile Row 3122 exclusively for a while now, but these two have been in the works for months. However, owing to availability of handle materials, the holidays, and the wait to order knots from Germany, they have only now arrived in my den.

Rudy Vey turned the handles to spec, and his work is impeccable as usual. I'm really always happy with the handles Rudy makes, but in particular on these two I was a bit of a pain with the specificity of what I wanted. I got exactly what I had in mind, and I couldn't be more pleased.

The first is a Sambar stag antler handle, truly beautiful stuff, in my opinion prettier than horn. It also requires no special maintenance, oil, etc. The knot is a 24/48 Shavemac D01 3-band silvertip.



The second handle is turned from resin-stabilized Mesquite. I have wanted a wood handle that would last forever since I got into wetshaving. Resin-stabilized wood is a completely saturated material and will not absorb water. As such ,it is pretty much impervious to water/lather damage and will last a lifetime. Mesquite is pretty stuff, and Texas has lots of it, so I settled on this over some more exotic and highly figured stuff. The shape is a very curvaceous Persian Jar, exactly as I'd hoped, and the knot is a Shavemac Finest 24/47 (though it measures more like 25-26/47).



I will have to report back on the hair further after I use both, but so far my impressions of the two knots are very favorable, though they are quite different.

For those who are unaware, Rudy can order knots direct from Bernd, usually with quick turnaround (when it's not the holiday season). While Shavemac's customization options are nice, the opportunity to have Rudy do something truly one-of-a-kind is pretty tough to pass up. So, yet another recommendation of Rudy's work, and a couple of real beauties to ooh and aah over.

More on the Shavemac knots - which I expect will continue to impress - as time goes on and I get to know them. Plus some shots of the bloom, just for Buzz.

P.S. I do realize that I am posting pics of my brushes before I post promised pics of my daughter, over whom you would also certainly ooh and aah. I will post some at some point, but there are many to sort through.

[SharpSpine]

Congrats on the daughter Tim. Is this your first child? I will be meeting my daughter whenever she decides she's ready to enter the world, but it should be sometime in March. I can't wait, but in the meantime my 2yr old son keeps me quite busy and laughing most of the time.

Your brushes are beautiful and I will certainly keep an eye out for the pics you post of your little girl.

Congrats again on all accounts!

[greyhawk]

All I can say is, wow! Those are absolutely beautiful, both of them. Thanks for posting...that's taking brushes to a new level.

Many congratulations on the birth of your daughter. Having kids is among the great experiences of a lifetime. You'll hear this a lot, but treasure every moment, because it really goes fast. I remember my kids being born, seems like yesterday, and now my daughter is in college and my son is starting next year.

[ShadowsDad]

Absolutely beautiful!

[churchilllafemme]

Very, very nice brushes. Enjoy!

[Thalay Sagar]

Tim, simply beautiful.

[TRBeck]

Thanks, guys.

Brian, our daughter is our second child. We have a son who is 3 1/2 years old, and he is quite enamored of his baby sister. Good times in our household, though very uncertain with the upcoming move and other circumstances.

[TRBeck]

Quick follow-up on the brushes after a few uses.

The D01 is a really dense brush, comparable to my old 3-band Emillion and slightly moreso than a Duke 3. The thing holds an absolute truckload of water and lather, and I am dialing in the proper number of shakes to get it ready to load. It hogs lather a bit, but not like some of the other very dense brushes I have used. The tips are soft, though the backbone created by the density provides plenty of feedback on the skin. I really like the brush, and the weighty handle is a joy to hold and use.

The Finest, though, may be just as good for me. Much less dense, making it easier to generate and release lather, and the slightly increased backbone of a Finest over a Shavemac standard silvertip makes it a perfectly scrubby-soft brush. I am really impressed by this Finest hair. Supposedly something like 75/25 or 70/30 silvertip/pure, and the pure certainly adds some backbone but does not feel scritchy. There is the faintest hint of prickle at times, but I am told this will be nonexistent after 20 or so uses. Regardless, the brush is already very pleasant. The handle is perfectly ergonomic and gorgeous besides. It is heavier than standard wood handles, and it feels more or less like a resin handle in the hand, but with that lovely woodgrain appearance it is, for me, a cut above.

If I order more Shavemac knots down the road, I will probably go with the Finest hair. I am told the 2-band D01 is denser, firmer, and scritchier than the 3-band, so not my bag, really. The silvertip was just this side of too soft. And while I like the 3-band D01 a good deal, I'm not sure the premium price is commensurate with the quality of the experience. It is, to be sure, more luxurious than the Finest, but not necessarily better.

Obviously, these are still early impressions, and I will know more in time as the pure hair softens and the knot of the D01 breaks in, thus allowing for more flow-through. Nonetheless, I can say that I am very impressed with these brushes, as I have been with every Shavemac (and every Rudy Vey handle) I've used.

[greyhawk]

Excellent writeup, Tim. I have a 3-band D01 and have been wondering how it would compare to the finest and 2-band Shavemac knots, so this is very interesting. Thanks.

[Quarterstick]

Nice brushes. It will be many moons before I feel I have enough experience to justify custom brushes, but I look forward to that day. Heck, I look forward to the journey.

Good times in our household, though very uncertain with the upcoming move and other circumstances.

Try not to worry. I just went through this myself and it is not as bad as all that. Just try to be patient with your pace to get the new place in order. If you are anything like me, by the time you get your regular day wrapped up unpacking ends up pretty low on the priority list. Congratulations again!