The London Lounge

Gentlemen

Some may doubt that this area of the forum is the correct place for this post, perhaps indicating that the "elegant living" section may be a more suited repository for my missive. I however argue that a fine handmade badger hair brush, although not custom made, is in fact true to this forums raison d'etre, to wit, the discussion of fine handmade products.

The art of grooming goes hand in hand I believe with the desire to strive for elegance in whatever pursuit one is currently engaged. Who among us woulld team a finely crafted bespoke suit with unkempt hair and 2 days of beard stubble? To do so would be to sully the work of the artisan that had produced the suit for us.

I admit to having been rash in my youth and fallen foul of both electric razors (I was but a "teenager" at the time) and also havily marketed gels and foams that dried my skin like sandpaper. I did however realise my folly a number of years ago having joined my father for a shave at Trumpers (if you are ever in London I can highly recommend it).

I now champion the art of shaving properly, nothing prepares the beard better than a fine badger hair brush and a good lathering of traditional solid soap. Modern convenience seems to dictate that speed is the holy grail, however I say that spending a few minutes extra on this "chore" turns it into a pleasure that then gives an entire day of feeling well prepared to face the world.

Get to the point I hear you ask? Well as you ask so politely, I shall. Having erroneously misplaced my Edwin Jagger shaving brush, I have recently purchased my first brush made by "Rooney", the oldest (apparantly) still surviving brushmakers. It is a thing of beauty that whilst it seems costly for such an item, should (and will) last me for tens of years as I shall care for it properly.

My aim with this post is both to educate - (if you haven't tried shaving with a brush, please do so, your face will thank you for it) and also to ask if members of the LL have a favoured manufacturer of burshes?

Kind regards

Rupert

I stand corrected by the good Mr Alden who has indeed moved my post into it's correct abode! Apologies for it's misplacement Mr Alden, and many thanks for graciously transferring it to it's present location.

As a newcomer (and one who is still besetting oneself with the groundrules), do I take it that the Bespoke forum accomodates topics that only relate to matters of the cloth (so to speak), and that all other elements of elegant living should be posted in the forum of the same name?

I won't digress any further from this topic of fine badger brushes, but I just desired to clarify my own understanding of the Forum etiquette so that I don't cause any offence or commit any further faux pas.

The Lounge once had a seperate topic for grooming, although its rare usage brought about its consolidatiion within this topic.

I second your opinion regarding the proper shaving routine. My current brush came to me via Trumper's although I do believe their brushes are made by Vulfix.

I use a rather hefty, natural horn handle badger brush that my beloved gifted me while in Germany a couple decades ago. Can't place the manufacturer, regrettably. My shaving routine includes a sterling shaving cup I inherited, altogether making for a daily aesthetical exercise.

My brush comes from Taylor of Old Bond Street whereas my father's comes from Trumpers. They seem of equal quality. I can add that I find it best to hand my brush upside down to dry.

Trumpers can have your initials or crest carved on the base of the brush..the surface it stands on. How can I justify buying another brush when I have 6 already..gah !!!

I absolutely agree with Marden. Brushes must be hung upside down to dry to allow the bristles to drain any excess water etcetera properly.

Charles - many thanks for the tip regarding Trumpers, I may well partake of their engraving service myself!

http://www.manufactum.com/group/187899/ ... 866.0.html

This is mine; it is fabulous.

Paul

posted twice

hello.

i am happy to have found this site. hopefully i can add a little on a topic i know something about.

first, a shaving brush stand is a preference rather than a necessity. this is open for debate however it's not really much of a conversation due to capillary action.

-rinse all cream or soap out of brush
-thoroughly shake it out in shower area (so as not to splatter water everywhere)
-gently brush a towel
-leave out in the open to air dry
-NEVER STORE IN A CLOSED CABINET OR DRAWER

the water that's left in the hairs of the brush stays where it is and slowly evaporates.
gravity takes a back seat at this point so whether the brush is upside down or rightside up makes little difference.

now as far as brushes go i can recommend the following:

rooney: finest in style 3 size 1 or style 1 size 1
kent: bk4
plisson: high mountain white or european white in size 10 or 12
vulfix: 2233 or 2234

simpsons: tulip size 2
however i would hold off on simpsons for now as they are going through some quality control issues which hopefully will be solved soon.

good day.

I bought my first brush in the 70's when I was in my 20's. It was the heyday of the moustache in the US. I always admired my fathers shave routine which he sadly abandoned years ago. I'm sure the brush was an inexpensive model that was made/marketted by Chicago Professional Shaving Products. I still use it!

first, a shaving brush stand is a preference rather than a necessity... due to capillary action

I was interested to read this because, as you can see, my trusty brush cannot but stand upright. It is about 12 years old and, although it has been used sparingly, it is still in great shape. From memory, it was quite expensive, so I like to think the quality was there from the beginning.



I, too, was led to believe the logical thing was to hang the brush upside down when not in use and had been meaning to rig up a hook (or something) for this purpose. Won't bother now (who said procrastination was a bad thing?!) I have fortuitously followed 1894's recommendation of other habits of highly successful brushes, and this has obviously kept me in good stead.
The actual razor became redundant soon after purchase thanks to that annoying practice of updating the shape and configuration of blades which then don't fit existing handles. But don't get get me started on that one!

now as far as brushes go i can recommend the following:

rooney: finest in style 3 size 1 or style 1 size 1
kent: bk4
plisson: high mountain white or european white in size 10 or 12
vulfix: 2233 or 2234

simpsons: tulip size 2
however i would hold off on simpsons for now as they are going through some quality control issues which hopefully will be solved soon.

Where can one see these brushes in London?

Well the Plisson high mountain white is readily available in Paris, and in fact is one of my souvenirs from Freedom -- it's very nice.

You should also check the Shavemac brand from Germany. The last brush I had from Taylor's of Old Bond Street lost its bristles faster than my head. I have had the shavemac brush for several years now, and it has lost zero. Very high-quality bristles.

They also do monogramming. I learned from my father a trick to personalize these types of effects with your initials and the year you received it. Sort of makes for easier returns in the event of product defects.