Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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rexcarolus
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Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rexcarolus »

Hello everyone,

I am really fortunate to have just added this brush to my arsenal. The previous owner definitely cherished it. It is far from being recent, I think.
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I will post more photos and impressions.
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M6Classic
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Location: Not as near Colonial Drug as when they were at Harvard Square, but near enough.

Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by M6Classic »

Very nice brush, indeed! It is a European White. High Mountain White brushes had a black collar in the plexi handle into which the knot was set. This brush has a white collar, which is what Plisson used...and still uses...to set European White knots. What is the knot calibre?

By the way, they are still available on the Plisson site and through a few dealers...I know Colonial Drug has them...but not in HMW and in no case inexpensive. I think the last genuine, vintage HMW was set in a plexiglass handle in about 1985. Cathie at Colonial Dug has mentiuoned that it is possible that Plisson is still hording some vintage HMW hair in its vaults and may be persuaded to make a limited run of HMW plexi brushes. We'll see, but wouldn't that be marvelous?

http://www.rasageplisson.com/epages/161 ... P955129.20

Buzz
JRTASTER
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by JRTASTER »

Whatever it is, it is certainly stunning.
This from a guy who always treasures performance over "beauty."
Hope it works as well as it looks.
Congratulations!
Enjoying wet shaving, again.
jr/John
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M6Classic
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Location: Not as near Colonial Drug as when they were at Harvard Square, but near enough.

Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by M6Classic »

JRTASTER wrote:Whatever it is, it is certainly stunning.
This from a guy who always treasures performance over "beauty."
Hope it works as well as it looks.
Congratulations!
The Plisson plexiglass handle brushes may be the finest series of brushes ever made. In practice there is very little difference between the High Mountain and European (Pure) White brushes, the HMW brushes are preferred mostly for aesthetic reasons, they have the most brilliant natural white tips ever seen. My first Plisson HMW plexi, a #24, was going strong when I retired it after 35 years use as my one and only brush. When Plisson discontinued the line, I bought the last NOS #24 HMW brush I could find (as well as the last #20 HMW for my son) and I expect it to outlive me by decades. I am sorry though, unless you have used one of these magical brushes it is very hard to understand their fine properties. Its all about the mystique, really. It is also impossible to justify their prices on the secondary market...nothing is that magical.

Buzz
rexcarolus
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rexcarolus »

Thanks for the replies--especially Buzz, as I know this brush is in your wheelhouse. I bought it as a size 12, but I have yet to take my calipers to it. It is certainly a nicely sized brush. I will check tomorrow with the calipers.

Regarding the hair, it reminds me a lot of an antique celluloid handled Rubberset 1500 I have. It seems they knew about superb hair, too, back in the day, however the Rubberset has far less of it and a much less satisfying knot shape (the dreaded triangle). In use the Plisson holds a tremendous amount of water, blooms rather large and has the softest tips I have experienced--truly "cloud" like. It has backbone as well, which is the special thing. Not the backbone of a Rooney finest, but nice body and backbone.

I used the Cristal to face lather Mike's Naturals this morning with a little Castle Forbes lavender cream spread on top of the soap cake. Despite the good density of the Plisson, the lather building was very fast. This surprised me.
rexcarolus
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rexcarolus »

The brush measures almost 24mm at the knot base and about 55mm loft height, making it a bit bigger than the current Plisson size chart for a size 12. What a lovely brush! I will use it again in the morning and take some comparison pics.
rexcarolus
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rexcarolus »

No time to shave this morning, but here is a good comparison picture. This is a full sized brush.
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Very white natural tips, yellowed a bit only from age, I think.
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fallingwickets
Clive the Thumb
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by fallingwickets »

thanks for the thread, gents
de gustibus non est disputandum
rsp1202
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rsp1202 »

Plexi handles don't look particularly comfortable, but according to Buzz they're okay. They always seem to be matched to big-blooming knots, which I'm not crazy about -- but someday I'm going to get one because they have panache, and I wouldn't mind lathering once in a while with a cloud.
Ron
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M6Classic
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Location: Not as near Colonial Drug as when they were at Harvard Square, but near enough.

Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by M6Classic »

rsp1202 wrote:Plexi handles don't look particularly comfortable, but according to Buzz they're okay. They always seem to be matched to big-blooming knots, which I'm not crazy about -- but someday I'm going to get one because they have panache, and I wouldn't mind lathering once in a while with a cloud.
Oh my, no! According to Buzz the plexiglass handles are an absolute marvel! I happen to like enormous knots,,,mine is a 32mm calibre...but the plexiglass handle brushes are available as small as a Plisson #10 which would have...like...a 19 or 20 mm knot.

Buzz
rsp1202
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rsp1202 »

I may never be able to pop for a Plisson or a Kent P8, but Shavemac has a customizable version that can be set up in a number of ways. A 24mm knot/50mm loft Silvertip would fall within my comfort zone.
Ron
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stanmog
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by stanmog »

The knot on the Euro White Plexiglass size 12 Plisson that I purchased at Cambridge (Colonial Drug) several years ago (SKU P955369.12) measures 23 x 58 mm.

Regards,
Stan
Last edited by stanmog on Wed Nov 20, 2013 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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M6Classic
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Location: Not as near Colonial Drug as when they were at Harvard Square, but near enough.

Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by M6Classic »

rsp1202 wrote:I may never be able to pop for a Plisson or a Kent P8, but Shavemac has a customizable version that can be set up in a number of ways. A 24mm knot/50mm loft Silvertip would fall within my comfort zone.
Don't buy a Plisson brush unless you are prepared to invest in the mystique. If you never use a Plisson other brushes like a BK or good Simpson will seem simply wonderful. They are. That said, the Plisson horn brushes I saw a few weeks ago at Colonial Drug bode very well, indeed, for revival of the marque and the mystique.

Buzz
EL Alamein
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by EL Alamein »

Beautiful brush.

Chris
rsp1202
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rsp1202 »

I blame Gary for pointing out the plexi handle he got from Shavemac when they rebuilt his Rooney (?) I had little considered one before that.
http://www.shavemac.com/products/Shavin ... adger.html
That one is off the shelf, but I got clued in that you can build one virtually from scratch with your own specs:
http://www.shavemac.com/products/Expert ... ELECT.html
And you're not even limited to what's on that page, either. I keep putting this on the back burner . . . until someone reminds me this stuff is out there.

But, yes, the Plissons ARE different and their plexi with EW or HMW would be my first choice if money was no object. All you Plisson owners are fortunate guys.
Ron
bernards66
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by bernards66 »

We are indeed ( at least I think so ). I'm fortunate enough to have two, one of which I won on a dare, and I doubt I'll have the money any time soon for another....sigh.
Regards,
Gordon
rexcarolus
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rexcarolus »

Thanks for all the kind comments! There is no question that this brush has a unique feel. I have used it three times now and have noticed that the lower hair shafts seem to have a fair amount of "texture"--they aren't as smooth or "quill-like" as most 2 band hair yet the tips are very smooth. The texture may partly explain why the brush holds so much water and takes longer to rinse out. The knot has a lot of "body" and really feels substantial on the face. I have only one brush that subjectively feels "larger" in my collection, the PL14 (Somerset) Best. The Plisson really punches above its weight class, even bigger than some 26-28mm X 52mm brushes I have.
rexcarolus
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Re: Grail Brush: Vintage Plisson Cristal EW/HMW

Post by rexcarolus »

Please see a couple of more pictures to show the immediate post shave bloom. Knot shaken out and dried and fanned on a bath towel.
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