New Silvertip Badger Shaving Brushes by Wet Shaving Products. The Stubby has been retired and replaced by the Prince. A new handle inspired by the Kent BK4 is being used in the new Monarch models. Made from faux ivory acrylic resin, it’s pretty nice. Also added is a budget or gift brush made out of black badger & hand selected wood.

But the most exciting new development is the new hair being used. The badger brush hair grades have changed. The old hair has been bumped down to Best Badger. In it’s place is the new silvertip hair. Of the same hair grade as top end European brands. Ranking at the very top is the brand new Super Silvertip hair. Added are two grades of 2-band badger hair: Super Badger and Finest.

Of course this post wouldn’t be complete without a description of how each brush performs.

Black Badger in Wooden Handle

The black badger brush is a great beginner’s brush. The tips are a little scratchy, but for the most part this brush has soft tips. For best results, use with paintbrush strokes, not circular strokes. Bowl lathering is probably best. At only $23, this is a great Christmas gift! Plus, it comes with the gift box!

Prince in Silvertip

The Stubby was not a perfect brush by any means. Although it got great reviews and performed exceptionally well, it had its issues. Most notably a noticeable glue bump that led to the bifucation into two models, normal and extra firm. The glue bump brought down a near perfect brush to just a good brush. In addition, the first generation had logos that wiped off too easily. Finally, no box. Not really an issue, but we weren’t happy.

The Prince has fixed all of that and more. Gone is the annoying glue bump. The logo is bullet proof. The new boxes look and feel thick, and sturdy. They also look pretty good if I may say so. But that’s not all. A higher grade of hair is being used as well as more hair (about 15% more dense).

The new hair is pretty amazing. The old hair was pretty awesome and comparable to some top brands. This hair is truly top tier. Luxuriously soft and densely packed. A great brush for face and bowl lathering.

All of these small incremental improvements combine to make a true competitor to the top brands. And at a fraction of the price! MSRP – $60

Prince in Finest

New for Fall 2012, the Prince in Finest is one of two new models featuring two band badger hair. Not to be confused with Frank Shaving, TGN, or other Chinese brand Finest, this stuff is truly quality hair. Set at a fairly low loft of 46mm, this brush is perfect for the die hard face latherer looking for the softest of tips with plenty of backbone. Just the tiniest step down in terms of quality, this Finest badger hair is some pretty amazing stuff.

In terms of face feel, the Finest is pretty hard to distinguish from the Super Badger. It feels gel-like soft on the face without even the tiniest hint of scritch or scratch. When using circular strokes, you can really feel the backbone of each individual hair. You can really feel it exfoliate if you push down hard enough. Or, you can let the soft tips luxuriously build the lather on your face. A most excellent brush. MSRP – $60

Monarch in Super Badger

Ah, the Monarch line. Truly the crown jewels of this new generation of brushes from WSP. Aptly named, these brushes could possibly be the Kings among the brushes. We haven’t held anything back. From the dense faux ivory handles made from acrylic, to the absolute highest quality badger hair, these brushes are the best brushes money can buy. The super badger definitely does not disappoint.

Densely packed with some truly high quality badger hair, the Monarch in Super Badger feels amazing. Just the right amount of backbone combined with the most luxuriously soft tips means a fantastic shaving experience. While I’ve already stated that I am hard pressed to tell the difference between the Super Badger and Finest, the Super Badger is the slightest bit more… luxurious. Softness is so close that I cannot say one way or the other, but the Super Badger simply feels more luxurious than the Finest. Strong backbone, luxuriously soft tips, and just enough flex equals a fantastic brush.

At $74.99, this brush is a steal of a deal.

Monarch in Super Silvertip

Finally, we come to the true King amongst kings. The Monarch in Super Silvertip. If you’ve been keeping up with WSP news and reviews, you’ll know that this is some special hair. Special indeed. So luxuriously soft and yet with incredible resiliency, this is some truly amazing hair. It is so good, you aren’t going to be able to find this quality hair for less than $350.

So how does it feel? It feels like luxury. Like a cloud on my face with some incredible resiliency and backbone for silvertip hair. The resiliency of the individual hairs is like no other silvertip hair. It has an incredibly small bloom. It also stinks to high….. Get past that and you are rewarded with a truly amazing shaving experience. Luxury is the only word that comes to mind.

If you are at all interested in this brush, I behoove you to purchase one immediately as future shipments are in question. WSP will keep the $74.99 price tag for this shipment, but no word yet as to future pricing. Only 100 of each model was produced this run.

Shavemac needs no introduction. Their D01 hair is their premium silvertip hair. Described as being “powerful”, D01 hair has good backbone. Extremely densely packed with tier 1 silvertip hair, the D01 knot is an exemplar of Shavemac’s reputation for quality.

The brush has a lot of backbone due to the density and effective loft. Like all Shavemacs, this brush has a noticeable glue bump. Extreme density of the hairs made for a little bit of scritch as the brush was broken in, but once broken in, the brush became very soft. Not as soft as Shavemac’s silvertip, but it is a good hair.

The handle has some nice engraving in it. The persian jar shape is comfortable to hold. However, it is made out of resin instead of acrylic, so it feels a little less solid.

• 25mm knot
• 56mm loft
• 104mm total height
• 65 grams

New Forest brushes are made from Chinese made knots and British made handles. The marriage makes for some good looking brushes. The High Mountain Badger is described by Peter as coming from badgers from the high mountains of China. He makes some allusions to Plisson’s HMW. It should be noted at this point the hair is not the same.

Every once in a while Peter seems to come out with this better quality silvertip hair. It is significantly better than the regular silvertip he offers. This hair is certainly on par with the big names. The knot has a soft feel to the tips. I would describe it as good tier 1 silvertip hair. The handle is extremely well crafted and features a faux ivory pattern. The new design is aesthetically pleasing and fits well in the hand.

• 22mm knot
• 47mm loft
• 91mm total height
• 47 grams

Morris & Forndran is an old English company. Bought by Lee Sabini sometime after the turn of the century, production has now been moved to an undisclosed location. There are doubts held by some members of the shaving community as to true country of origin. Regardless, it is a well made brush. M&F and Rooney are essentially the same company with much crossover. Both are owned by Lee Sabini. The difference between the two companies seems to be that M&F is Mr. Sabini’s limited run editions.

The handle is an acrylic faux horn in the Rooney style 1 shape. It feels quite good in the hand and is pleasing to the eye. The hair is the well known Blonde Badger. This hair has many fans. This particular example is characterized by extremely good backbone in each individual hair with soft tips. The individual shafts are quite thick and imparts a lot of firmness. On the face, the brush feels soft with a bit of scritch. It does have a very noticeable amount of scritch, but it’s not a scratch. You can certainly use the brush every day if you wanted to.

• 55mm loft
• 24.5mm knot
• 103mm total height
• 70 grams

The Persian Jar brush by Simpson is a truly gorgeous looking brush. Featuring a very distinctive and aesthetically pleasing persian jar shape to the handle, the brush is beautiful and ergonomic if held in the right way. It does take some getting used to though. Lathe turned out of acrylic, the faux ivory handle is another fine creation by the people on the Isle of Man.

The badger hair in this brush is Simpson’s super badger grade. The same high quality hair as Vulfix Silvertip, this silvertip hair is tier 1 quality. Very soft on the face and truly luxurious. This brush is a fine example of the quality of this hair. Set in a short loft, it has good backbone to it and not too much bloom. Densely packed with high quality badger hair, this brush is a joy to use.

• 21mm knot
• 49mm loft
• 103mm total height
• 60 grams

Ah, Simpson. Every serious wet-shaver knows Simpson brushes. Still constructed in England on the Isle of Man, Simpson is the brush to beat. And what causes even more interest than Simpsons? Why, the elusive and obscenely expensive Manchurian hair offered by Simpson.

Specifications

• 24mm diameter knot at the base
• 51mm loft
• 102mm total height
• CNC Lathe turned acrylic resin handle 51mm tall

Initial Thoughts

I haven’t hidden the fact that Simpson is a luxury brand and represents very poor value for your dollar. However, they offer something you cannot find elsewhere. So far no other brush maker has replicated their Manchurian hair. While this particular brush and I have had a rocky start, we have come to terms. See this thread for my multi part review and break in experience.

Long story short: the brush required some extensive break in. Much like a good quality boar brush. However, it did soften up and conform to most other people’s descriptions of this hair.

Softness/Feel

In the beginning, the brush was very scratchy. Not very pleasant on the face at all. It took the equivalent of about 20 latherings to soften the hairs. There is no evidence of curling or splitting, but whatever happened, the brush is much softer on the face now. It can surely be used every day without issue. In short, the hair is quite scrubby, but most of it is very soft on the face. It has a lot of backbone too.

Trying to describe the nuances of the hair, the knot definitely has quite a bit of backbone. The hairs are quite thick. Perhaps even wiry. This backbone gives the brush that scrub it is famous for. The backbone of this brush is very similar to black badger or the lowest grade of finest (2 band) hair. Except it is not the same hair because the tips are longer and whiter. A truly unique hair only Simpsons seems able to source so far.

The tips are exceptionally soft when using paint brush (back & forth) strokes. Just like all good quality hair. The difference becomes truly noticeable when using circular strokes to build the lather. At that point the backbone really kicks in and you can feel the scrub. There is a bunch of scritch throughout the knot. You can really feel it. It feels just like a light scrubbing face wash. 90% of the hairs feel very soft, like good quality 2 band hair. Not gel-like by any means, but soft, like good quality best badger hair.

I wouldn’t say the feel is luxurious by any stretch. However, it is truly unique and provides a good scrubbing sensation many people like. This author likes the sensation, but prefers the luxury of High Mountain White badger hair.

Density/Flow

This brush is well packed with Manchurian grade hair. It is about medium or medium high in density. The thicker hairs mean the density of the brush isn’t going to be super packed like a Chubby in Super. However, this also means good flow through. No lather hog here. In addition, this brush is a real hard soap killer. It will load up really well with hard soaps.

Construction

The handle is extremely well made. Just like all Simpson handles. The tulip shape is also one of my favorites from that company. The knot is also of good quality. The tips are quite white, even though the middle black band is on the short side for 2 band hair.

There is, however, a noticeable glue bump in this brush. Most likely because the hairs used are short and Simpson cannot make the knot long enough to sink the glue bump all the way into the handle.

Final Thoughts

Another stunning example from Simpson. Visually, this brush hits all the high notes. Construction is top notch. It’s a joy to use. This is the perfect brush for those who like their brush to feel scrubby without the scratch of black badger.

As of the date of this writing, Simpson is the only source of the fabled and ultra rare Manchurian hair. Wherever it comes from and whatever it is, it is very rare indeed.

The mystical Rooney. Founded a long time ago, did business as London Brush Works, had some letter asking for badger hair from China circulated around the internet, and sold to Lee Sabini recently. Well, the brand name was anyway. No one knows where their factory is except Lee Sabini. But enough of the intrigue. Regardless of where their brushes are made, they are made well and are priced at a much more affordable point than Vulfix/Simpson.

If they are made in China, they must be made in the Foxcon of Chinese brush factories. Actually it would just go to show that more & better stuff is made in China than we think.

Specs

• 92 mm height
• 47 mm loft 49 mm actual
• 28 mm knot
• 65 grams

Initial Thoughts

Upon first receiving this brush my thought was “this looks good.” And I was not disappointed. The handle, be it injection molded or lathe turned, is well shaped and easy to hold. The tips are extremely white for a 2 band brush. They might be bleached, this author does not know. Regardless, they are very white.

The handle is fairly large. It fits quite nicely in my hand. The 28mm knot is a good size. I like this brush.

Softness

These hairs have been described as gel-like. My first few outings with this brush blew my mind. I have not tried anything quite like it. Well, this author has since experienced the same quality hair from Wet Shaving Products, but that is a different matter. Anyway, this hair is amazing. The tips are just really really soft. Not as soft as Shavemac’s silvertip, but that hair has been well treated. I couldn’t find obvious signs of bleaching with this hair.

This is a very well constructed brush. Wherever it is made, it is a fine example of top quality craftsmanship. The hairs are super soft when wet. The knot is well packed, but not overstuffed. It’s really everything you could want in a 2 band brush. Everything, except the price. Extremely expensive at $189.99 and sold exclusively through Vintage Blades, that’s a tough cookie to swallow.

If you are on the fence, this author’s recommendation is to wait a month to see if anything new comes out. That said, it’s also out of stock.