Rooney brushes

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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drP
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Rooney brushes

Post by drP »

A few days ago i received my Rooneys as ordered at TGS; these are:
-Style 1 large finest
-Style 2 silvertip
-Style 3 large super

The thing that struck me most in the first place was the fact that the
#2 and 3 had a big plug at the implant of the bristle loft in the handle; so they are not hand knotted; i had not expected this from such a reknown firm as R.A.. Rooneys but i should have known better because this phenomenon is reflected by their relatively low price.
The finest however does not have a knot and is therefore hand knotted i think, also reflected by it's very high price.

The hairs of this Rooney finest resemble those of Simpsons extra super/manchurian, Plisson HMW or upland silvertip if you want. Very creamy white at the tips and a little rough to feel compared to silvertip and super.

As for the quality: the super and silvertip models have very soft and flexible hairs; style 2 not so densely packed, style 3 comparable to
Vulfix #40 f.i. Style 3 large super is a big brush with a big bristle loft; worth it's relatively low price imo

As for the finest; if i compare this Rooney with my Chubby #3 extra super i would choose the last one; the bristle loft is packed more densely and the "silhouet"of the loft appeals more to me because the one of the Rooney is rather flat; but this is a very personal issue i realize

Overal i must say, i had expected more from these Rooneys; somehow i have the feeling that Simpsons stays a more "exclusive" brand despite the relaunch of Rooneys on the market; but then again, i'm a very spoiled shaving brush stock piler :wink:

I will place pictures of these Rooneys in the next few days.

Peter


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Blue As A Jewel
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Post by Blue As A Jewel »

Peter, have you yet had an opportunity to shave with them? I'd be interested in hearing your impressions there as well.
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie »

but then again, i'm a very spoiled shaving brush stock piler
Oh yes. No question about that! I take it #2 & #3 are both Rooney Supers though. Must be easy to get muddled when brushes are delivered by the crate. :wink:

I'm interested in the finest v extra comparison. Would you say this holds true of the chubby#3 super (that looks very extra like from the pics you previously posted) and the chubby (that doesn't) ? I was thinking back to a comment Gordon made re Simpsons quality control and value. A Simpsons Super costs around £10 less than a Rooney Finest - and both are highly priced to start with. But it seems the only way to be guaranteed upland silvertip with Simpsons is to purchase from CAR. With Rooney it seems at least you know what you're buying. To some extent - the plugs on the Super go some way to explaining the lower cost in comparison - but how does the hair and density compare with the non-upland Simpsons (such as that other chubby#3) you have?

Robbie
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Post by northadams »

Robbie, I do use and admire CAR's line but there are other ways to find out and enjoy any Firms' items. I wish our Dutch friend's review of the Rooney's were better but he does know what he is talking about.

Max
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Post by Blue As A Jewel »

drmoss_ca wrote:I too would like to hear about the finest grade brush in use. It sounds as if the others are a disappointment indeed. Still, you probably can't have too many brushes, and to a collector the more the merrier.

Chris
Chris, I think it may be easy to jump to the conclusion that the Super and Silvertip brushes may be a disappointment based on Peter's initial impression, in fact when I got mine, that is exactly what I thought (what a floppy mess). However, in use, I have found it is a whole different story - which I why I asked the question of him.

I think from the perspective of function and value - the finest Rooney's blow the socks off the majority of brushes out there. I don't currently own a Simpsons, however I am thinking of getting one. That being said, I still haven't found anyone that is absolutely nuts about theirs. Could it be that for the price paid, the expectation was simply too high? I don't know - but for 58 pounds, I'm ecstatic! :lol:
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Post by bernards66 »

Evening, Ravi's point is well taken, as the final proof is indeed in the pudding, as it were. How is the experiance of lathering with it? However, I can not deny that I am chagrined to learn that these brushes have obvious plugs in them, and therefore, are not, as Peter pointed out, fully hand knotted. As far as I'm personally concerned, that is unacceptable in a brush costing around $130 or so. Afterall, Vulfix Supers that are half that price, don't seem to have plugs. That Finest model sounds superb, and in that league, it might be my first choice, because; 1) the Plissons are even more expensive, 2) personally I prefer a flatter top or crown, 3) as Robbie pointed out, I don't entirely trust any Simpson Super I might order to be genuine top shelf upland silvertip, unless I got one of the Enchante Extras, and the Chubby handle is just too short for my taste. And all that's well and good, but I have no intention of spending $400 for any shave brush. My hope has always been that Rooney would provide some really top end brushes, at a more reasonable price then Plisson or Simpson, but I just don't see semi-machine made brushes as really 'top end'. That is not quite what I had in mind.
Regards,
Gordon
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drP
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Post by drP »

Some pictures of Rooneys, Simpsons and the Plisson #20 HMW

Image

From left to right: Style 2 Silvertip, Style 1 finest and Stlye 3 Super

Image

Pol0 12 silvertip and Style 3 large Super

Image

Chubby extra super, Rooney finest and Chubby super


Image

Same brushes, but now seen from above.



Image

Three top shelf upland silvertip beauties: Rooney finest, Simpsons extra super and Plisson HMW; these three brushes are the absolute top in shaving brush nirwana (but i consider my Polo #14 extra super as even more "top" :wink: )


Image

Same three brushes, seen from above

Image

Added is the Shavemac #220 in super/silvertip badger; my most favourite brush for daily use.
You can see even more pictures in the gallery.

BTW: indeed the proof of the pudding is in the eating...i haven't used my Rooneys yet, but will in the next days; then i'll report about them in this thread.

Peter
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Austin
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Post by Austin »

Peter, wow. These are very handsome brushes.
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Post by Blue As A Jewel »

Peter, absolutely beautiful brushes - my gosh! Very much look forward to hearing more.
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Post by Mindflux »

what do you guys mean by 'plugs'?
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Post by fisherc »

Not to "hijack" this thread but per Peter's recommendation I too bought the shavemac #220 brush and it is fantastic !!! I cannot say enough about the performance/value of this brush. It's stiffer and fuller than the SMF forum brush but not as stiff as the XXL shavemac's.

Chris
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Post by drP »

Flux: a plug is what you can feel if you push your fingers in the brush right above the implant of the loft in the handle; if a brush is hand knotted the bristles are not glued into this plug but bound together with a "rope" and glued right into the handle; this is far more time consuming, ergo: much more expensive because of high West-European hour wages.

Chris: i'm pleased to hear that you aren't disappointed with your Shavemac; i keep on saying this again and again: Shavemacs cannot be beaten for their price/quality ratio by any other brush in my collection.
I tend to use them more and more; right now i have 6 of them and i love their shaving qualities and beautiful round dome shaped bristle loft, as well as their tightness, vastness and "resistance"; they are what a shaving brush ought to be imo!!

Peter
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Post by Sam »

peter, i love my smf brush. i was considering a rooney, and selling my kent, but wow, you got me considering getting the shavemac.

sam
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Post by drP »

Sam,

Of course you will be better of with a Shavemac; but remember this: i too have the SMF Shavemac, but this brush is by no means representative for the Shavemacs in general; it's a floppy mop imo and not a "brush" if you know what i mean; so if you're going to order a new Shavemac you ought to realize this!!

Peter
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Post by growler »

what's a #220? Is it an L or XL model?
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Post by Dave T »

Is the hair in the 220 knotted or a plug?

Dave T
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Post by drP »

# 220 is an XL model; it's not hand knotted but "plugged", hence the relatively low price; but this not affect the shaving performance of the brush at all.

this thread is evolving into a shavemac thread...sigh... :( :)

Peter
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Post by fisherc »

Peter et al:

The #220 is an XL as stated. However, Bernd has informed me that he is now 100% handmaking these brushes and hence the recent increase in pricing of about 50%. The #220 I have does not have the "plug" you describe and is similar in feel to my Simpsons PJ3 in terms of the way the knot has been manufactured.

Chris
JackieMartling

Post by JackieMartling »

Chris, you have a PM.
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Post by Blue As A Jewel »

drP wrote:# 220 is an XL model; it's not hand knotted but "plugged", hence the relatively low price; but this not affect the shaving performance of the brush at all.

this thread is evolving into a shavemac thread...sigh... :( :)

Peter
Well get it back on track by shaving with the Rooney tomorrow and posting your impressions :lol: :lol:
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