| Re: Semogue badger brushes
Posted by Murray  on July 25, 2009, 6:12 pm, in reply to "Re: Semogue badger brushes"
Hi Andy -
The loft of the 2015 has the same basic dimensions of the Limited Edition, but it is in reality a smaller brush, more along the lines of my personal preference.
The wooden handle of the 2015 isn't very hefty, but it has a finish that appears to be completely impervious to water and it is slightly taller than the horn handle of the Limited Edition.
- Murray
--Previous Message--
: Hi Murray - many thanks for the detailed
: review. Though I really enjoy the Semogue
: limited edition, I agree that that there is
: little flow through due to the density of
: the knot. I do find with the Semogue that
: with the longer loft (57mm), I can make very
: good lather, even with the dense knot. But
: it is a very large brush, and takes up quite
: a bit of real estate when lathering my face.
: Still, it's my best brush in terms of
: overall quality, and I use it regularly.
: However, I did sell a Rooney 3/1 super
: because it was just too dense. I now have
: the Rooney 3/1 special in pure, and find the
: less dense knot preferable.
:
: It sounds like I'd really enjoy the 2015,
: and I will definitely consider that model
: when selecting my next brush. I've only
: heard good things about it so far. Then
: again, Gary did mention that there are more
: boars and pures arriving at the Shoebox...
:
:
:
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: Andy, in my estimation, the Semogue 2015
: (silvertip with wooden handle) and 730
: (silvertip with acrylic handle) are the best
: badger brushes in the Semogue line, and they
: are the best silvertip brushes I have found
: to date. I prefer them even to the Semogue
: Limited Edition brush with the horn handle.
:
: Perhaps I should explain what I look for in
: a brush.
:
: I want a brush that holds its shape with
: minimal distortion in the lathering process
: and that has good flow-through.
:
: A dense knot has poor flow-through, it
: hoards lather, and it is prone to excessive
: bloom. (The Rooney Heritage line has very
: dense knots, which some can work with and
: some can’t accept.)
:
: A loose knot has good flow-through, but it
: is often “floppy.” (This is a
: characteristic of Vulfix Super brushes, that
: are reported to lather creams in a bowl very
: effectively, but they don’t hold their shape
: well for face-lathering).
:
: I have generally been disappointed with
: silvertip brushes, finding them “mushy.”
: Pure badger brushes were a revelation,
: because they had backbone (without resorting
: to a dense knot), controlled bloom (because
: of the stiffer bristle), and good
: flow-through (again, because a dense knot
: was unnecessary).
:
: I had despaired of finding a silvertip brush
: with these desirable characteristics, until
: I bought a Semogue 2015. For me, this brush
: has the perfect size and density. Its fan
: shape loads more effectively from a cake of
: soap, it has good backbone and very well
: controlled bloom, it has excellent
: flow-through, and it has the soft tips of a
: silvertip brush.
:
: Many find bowl-lathering with a relatively
: “floppy” brush like a Vulfix Super to work
: very well for them. I use both swirling and
: compression motions to lather in a bowl. A
: knot like that of the Semogue 2015 requires
: only light compression to lather because of
: the good flow-through and because the fan
: shape provides a more effective surface for
: compression.
:
: A knot of higher density requires more
: aggressive compression to overcome the
: tendency to hoard lather. I have a new
: Rooney Heritage Stubby Medium brush in Pure
: Badger, which has been a disappointment
: because it is, in my mind, unjustifiably
: dense for a pure badger brush. I have to
: compress the daylights out of it to get it
: to yield the lather. The exaggerated
: compression, combined with the dense knot,
: results in bloom utterly unbecoming of a
: pure badger brush.
:
: The Semogue Limited Edition brush has a
: denser, more bulb-shaped loft than the 2015
: and 730. (You can get “HD” or high-density
: versions of the 2015 and 730, which
: presumably have similar density to the
: Limited Editions brush.) For me, these
: characteristics reduce its performance. The
: Limited Edition brush produces and holds a
: lot of lather, but it takes more work to
: accomplish it and the bloom is relatively
: uncontrolled (more like a Rooney Super,
: except that the Semogue silvertip is much
: softer on the face).
:
:
: I have both the 2015 with the wooden handle
: and the 730 in acrylic. The wooden handle
: has the advantage of being taller, and it is
: very comfortable to grip.
:
: The acrylic handle is shorter (the same
: height as an Omega 63171, a tiny bit taller
: than a Rooney Style 1/Small), but it is
: cylindrical in shape with some faceting
: around the top, making it more comfortable
: to grip than more shapely handles of the
: same size. The acrylic handle has more heft
: to it and it imparts a classier look.
:
: I like the heft and the classier look of the
: 730, but I think the 2015 is a little more
: comfortable to work with. (I’m glad I have
: them both!) A word of caution, however:
: The simple cylindrical shape of the handle
: that makes the 730 comfortable to hold while
: lathering does not have the typical indented
: pedestal shape at the bottom. So, when you
: shake the water out of this brush, grip it
: securely, or it will surprise you by flying
: out of your hand.
:
:
: The Semogue 2015 and 730 not only represent
: exceptional value, but I find them to be
: outstanding brushes.
:
: - Murray
:
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: I've really enjoyed the recent posts on the
: boards regarding Semogue boar brushes. I
: have the Semogue limited edition horn handle
: brush - and it is without question the best
: brush I own. I'm wondering - for those of
: you who have Semogue badger brushes - what
: do you think of the them? I'd be interested
: in your thoughts on both the wood handle and
: acrylic handle badger brushes.
:
:
:
:
:
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