du212: that shoulderless Taylor is a strikingly handsome razor, sir.
Jeltz: you are doing very well with the honing, so please give yourself a pat on the back. It sounds as if you are within an ace of producing an edge which will satisfy you, and there's no "suppose" about it, that was a good result.
BlacknTan: what's the penknife, if you don't mind me asking?
My intention was to submit an extra Manly SOTD photo today, but my wife has put her foot down and gone out, taking the camera with her. I didn't put up a fight: I know my place. Text mode again today:
Saturday
New Forest silvertip
Buddel 5/8 French point in amboyna
Tabac soap and aftershave
The new brush arrived in the post this morning, and promptly got the breaking in and deodorising treatment by knocking up a bowlful of Taylor's sandalwood cream. Entirely unnecessary, as it turned out, although it did shed a couple of short 'n' curlies in the process. On first inspection, I understood the point of Fido's "labels" thread: it did look very similar to the 2201 brush, but not any more. "Bloom" is the delightfully poetic expression which is used for the way silvertip brushes open out and relax with use - well this one looks like a blooming tom cat that's just had a fright. Already. I really am going to love this one.
Other people have covered the performance angle and I concur with what has been said: it holds a lot of water and not too much should be shaken out, and it produces, releases and at the same time retains more lather than one could reasonably expect for such a modest sized brush. It's far stiffer than a BK4 (which remains my benchmark for softness of tips, though), and gets stuck into the soap as well as any best badger or boar I've come across.
So there you go, a rave review, all on the basis of one shave. I don't like to be negative, so my reviews tend to be enthusiastic, but generally there's some criticism to leaven the upbeat tone. Not in this case: in a year's time, unless it disintegrates, I fully expect to be saying that this is the best brush I own.
Now, Fido, would you mind giving it a rest for a while, please? You're eating into the cut throat razor fund.
