Hi,
I haven't had much time to peak in here lately let alone make a post. Sometimes life gets in the way of relaxing fun.
But I have added a bit of kit to my shaving collection. I picked up a Lord L6 razor, and Vie-Long 12705 'Peleon' brush and a Spokar Boar/Horse brush.
I got Lord L6 mostly as a travel razor. My faithful old Gillette Slim has a lot of sentimental value for me. It is the razor I learned to shave with. And a perusal of a popular auction site for replacement prices caused my wallet to run in fear.
Around the 'Net, the Lord L6 is often recommended as an inexpensive beginners razor, (well under $20US delivered), offering a mild shave with an easy to learn head shape. It's a time tested 3 piece design. With a die cast Zamak, (zinc alloy), head and lathe turned aluminum handle. No frills or fancy plating here, just decent design and workman like quality. The head is an easy to get the feel of shape that can really help a beginner get that correct angle. But I personally don't find it to be as mild as some claim. I find it to be just a bit aggressive. Not show stopper aggressive. I don't get any burn from it, but more than I'm used to. My trusty old Gillette doesn't get to this level until I set it at 7 or 8. Still for a razor this inexpensive it's just fine. And I won't get upset if I leave it behind somewhere.
The first new brush I got was the small Spokar boar/horse hair mix. And I think I have mentioned it here before. This was also purchased with an eye for travel. Again the cost is incredibly inexpensive, under $10US delivered. Spokar is a Czech company that has been in business for over 100 years.
It's a pretty small brush, being only 73mm overall with a 44mm loft and a 19mm knot. It was stiff and skritchy when I first got it, thanks to the boar bristle. A couple of soaks in conditioner and some daily use really helped. The boar bristles are now nicely split and the horse hair is just plain nice. Using a light touch with just the tips of the brush gives a soft and supple feeling with a hint of firmness. A little more pressure and I can get a very pleasant scrubbiness out of it. It is firm enough to leave the hardest puck of soap whimpering from the beating if you want it to.
The only thing preventing this brush to be my first and last stop is the size. It's just a bit too small for my very large hands to comfortably use to make lather with every day. And it's pretty much a bowl use brush. Due to it's small size it simply can't hold enough water to effectively face lather or hold enough lather for more than 2 passes. Still it has charms I do like. I want to order another.
The latest brush is a Vie-Long 12705 Peleon horse hair. I know everyone lusts for badger, but not me. I want something different and this fits nicely. The brush is 103mm overall, with a 57mm loft and 23mm knot. The mix of hair is 35% mane and 65% tail hair. The mane hair gives a feeling of softness and the tail hair gives firmness.
I have only used it three times so far. But I'm hooked on horse hair. I have been using my Franken-soap mix of Williams and VHD Deluxe for break-in. This mix has become my daily shave soap. It's dirt cheap, ( Williams @ .89 and the VDH @ $1.59), and has been giving me an adequate shave. But this brush was an eye opener for me. It took this lather to a whole 'nother level. What was an OK lather is now thick, rich, creamy and downright tasty. And the feel of the hair is superbly soft and supple with just the perfect level of firmness. It holds enough water and soap to make lather for 3 shaves easy. I now need to cut back on my soap usage. I'm going to break out the new puck of Haslinger Sage I have tonight. I also really like the squarish handle shape. It is large enough to feel comfortable while working the lather up. The only problem I have with it is I now want to buy the V-L 13800 to go with it. I'm gonna need some Floid too I suppose.
If you are in the market for a new brush, look into a horse hair. I think you will be surprised.
dalee
I haven't had much time to peak in here lately let alone make a post. Sometimes life gets in the way of relaxing fun.
But I have added a bit of kit to my shaving collection. I picked up a Lord L6 razor, and Vie-Long 12705 'Peleon' brush and a Spokar Boar/Horse brush.
I got Lord L6 mostly as a travel razor. My faithful old Gillette Slim has a lot of sentimental value for me. It is the razor I learned to shave with. And a perusal of a popular auction site for replacement prices caused my wallet to run in fear.
Around the 'Net, the Lord L6 is often recommended as an inexpensive beginners razor, (well under $20US delivered), offering a mild shave with an easy to learn head shape. It's a time tested 3 piece design. With a die cast Zamak, (zinc alloy), head and lathe turned aluminum handle. No frills or fancy plating here, just decent design and workman like quality. The head is an easy to get the feel of shape that can really help a beginner get that correct angle. But I personally don't find it to be as mild as some claim. I find it to be just a bit aggressive. Not show stopper aggressive. I don't get any burn from it, but more than I'm used to. My trusty old Gillette doesn't get to this level until I set it at 7 or 8. Still for a razor this inexpensive it's just fine. And I won't get upset if I leave it behind somewhere.
The first new brush I got was the small Spokar boar/horse hair mix. And I think I have mentioned it here before. This was also purchased with an eye for travel. Again the cost is incredibly inexpensive, under $10US delivered. Spokar is a Czech company that has been in business for over 100 years.
It's a pretty small brush, being only 73mm overall with a 44mm loft and a 19mm knot. It was stiff and skritchy when I first got it, thanks to the boar bristle. A couple of soaks in conditioner and some daily use really helped. The boar bristles are now nicely split and the horse hair is just plain nice. Using a light touch with just the tips of the brush gives a soft and supple feeling with a hint of firmness. A little more pressure and I can get a very pleasant scrubbiness out of it. It is firm enough to leave the hardest puck of soap whimpering from the beating if you want it to.
The only thing preventing this brush to be my first and last stop is the size. It's just a bit too small for my very large hands to comfortably use to make lather with every day. And it's pretty much a bowl use brush. Due to it's small size it simply can't hold enough water to effectively face lather or hold enough lather for more than 2 passes. Still it has charms I do like. I want to order another.
The latest brush is a Vie-Long 12705 Peleon horse hair. I know everyone lusts for badger, but not me. I want something different and this fits nicely. The brush is 103mm overall, with a 57mm loft and 23mm knot. The mix of hair is 35% mane and 65% tail hair. The mane hair gives a feeling of softness and the tail hair gives firmness.
I have only used it three times so far. But I'm hooked on horse hair. I have been using my Franken-soap mix of Williams and VHD Deluxe for break-in. This mix has become my daily shave soap. It's dirt cheap, ( Williams @ .89 and the VDH @ $1.59), and has been giving me an adequate shave. But this brush was an eye opener for me. It took this lather to a whole 'nother level. What was an OK lather is now thick, rich, creamy and downright tasty. And the feel of the hair is superbly soft and supple with just the perfect level of firmness. It holds enough water and soap to make lather for 3 shaves easy. I now need to cut back on my soap usage. I'm going to break out the new puck of Haslinger Sage I have tonight. I also really like the squarish handle shape. It is large enough to feel comfortable while working the lather up. The only problem I have with it is I now want to buy the V-L 13800 to go with it. I'm gonna need some Floid too I suppose.
If you are in the market for a new brush, look into a horse hair. I think you will be surprised.dalee
