Frank Shaving Finest Pure Badger.

[antdad]

Given the history I have with the Frank Shaving publicist I was really hoping to dislike this brush but a brush is a brush and for around £12
delivered it was still worth a try. Well the truth is it ain't bad at all.

The saving grace for this brush is that it uses a fairly firm hair type (not prickly) that can pick up soap and generate lather quite easily otherwise with a knot diameter of 20/21 mm and a high loft of 55mm it's characteristics are fairly predictable. It's not floppy but it's not particularly dense either so it doesn't have the satisfactory face feel that denser brushes provide, the handle is small but has a nice solid feel, it has a finish you'd associate with being moulded in silicon, flawless but a little too smooth and shiny which may change with use. This brush doesn't wow in any department but I didn't expect it to, the New Forest 2201 is superior in every way except price so if you have a limited budget for your first badger or looking for a travel brush then it would fit the bill. If the NF2201 is made available again I'd still opt for that every time.

If the manufacturer could shorten the loft this could be a rather good brush, at the moment it's ordinary but it is certainly worth £12 and would make a good starter brush 5.5/10

 

[Fido]

I'll post comments as soon as mine arrives. It's worth noting that the obvious key to most shaving brush prices is the method and place of production. I obtained confirmation that Frank Shaving brush handles are made from moulds. And we know they are made in China. So the cost of the handles are likely to be measured in pennies rather than pounds unlike individually lathe turned handles. That doesn't mean to say that brushes with moulded handles cannot perform perfectly with good quality hair. It just helps to keep pricing in perspective.

 

[antdad]

I have no problem with solid resin moulded handles per se but it means that the brush lofts cannot be tailored and are solely dependent on the knots they use. That's why I suspect the lofts on FS brushes are and will remain relatively high.

 

[Naked Ape]

Better than the Vulfix 404 mix for the price, Tony?

 

[antdad]

I was thinking about that and I can't really decide my heart says the 404 my head the Frank, very different brushes. Personally if I never used the Frank again I wouldn't care as it offers me no pleasure, the 404 mix still has a place because it is unique and even if the knot dies you still have a decent quality handle you could re-knot, the Frank is efficient but has no such quality.

I suppose I've answered the question.

 

[Fido]

This is my "Finest Pure" out of the box. For £6.49 plus £4.54 shipping.

And after several latherings:

antdad's comments are spot on. The loft on mine is 54 mm. Frank Shaving make six grades - silvertip, best, finest, pure, mixed and black. So they rank finest as third. My brush, like antdad's is listed on Ebay as "Finest Pure" The hair doesn't match the quality of anything else I have in "Finest" It feels to me like a fair quality pure badger. But it's not as prickly as some pure badger brushes I have used. Although on the soft side the brush performs well with the Tabac I tested it with. Paint it on and it's as good as most much higher priced brushes. You can face lather with it using scrubby or circular motions. But it will not be as satisfying as using a denser brush with a shorter loft. But you can say that about many high priced brushes. All in all a well made brush. The price is low because it's a cheap grade of badger hair, made with a moulded handle and being sold by a Chinese entrepreneur on Ebay willing to accept a low profit margin. At the price, even with postage, it's great value. As to the 404, that's a completely different brush. Most people should be able to compare them by buying both at the prices they sell for.

Since writing the above, Ian Tang confirmed that the brush is Frank Shaving Finest Grade - their third level of quality after silvertip and best. He will revise his listings and drop use of the word 'pure' to avoid misunderstandings. The fact remains that the simple word "Finest" really doesn't stand a test of comparison. Rooney use the term to describe the rare hair used to make their most expensive brush. TGN use the term to describe their two band knots. Frank's "Finest" is not in the same class as either Rooney's or TGN's. I would describe it as quite a good type of pure badger hair, not as prickly as some. In that sense it sits fairly between "Best" and "Pure" of Frank's grades.