The Wilkinson Sword Shaming Brush

C

Cloobster

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51
I've always believed that the most secure career in the world is working for any Company that makes traffic cones. There are millions of the things and more keep appearing on our streets by the day.

However, another similarly secure career path must be working for the Company that makes Wilkinson Sword shaving brushes.

I'm old enough to confess that I started shaving in the late 70's. I can't be certain if they were on Supermarket shelves at that point but if not they must have been soon after because, I personally can't remember a time they didn't exist. I've searched in earnest to find out when they were first introduced but either I'm too stupid to drive internet properly or, dare I say it, the internet simply does not know.

Like owning a Fleetwood Mac album or donning a mullet hairdo it the 80's, hardly anyone admits to having one but the fact that WS have been churning them out in (slightly) different iterations over a 50-odd year period, certainly suggests that every living creature on the planet must have at least one... even if you don't have a hair on your body. I also don't think it's unreasonable to assume that if all the shaving brush manufacturers in the world pooled forces, they won't have sold as many brushes as WS.

With that in mind, like confessing to alcoholism at an AA meeting, I have a number of Wilkie brushes. Either gifts or purchases that have become a sort of accidental collection which I'm sure will have enormous monetary and legacy value in 1000 years.

So, are you also prepared to be brave enough to admit to the shame of being a Wilkinson Sword brush owner?1000001471.jpg
 
That's a great collection!

I've inadvertently colleced three - two pure bristle like on the left-most style, one with a metal collar and one with a plastic collar; also, a synthetic like the fourth one along. To be frank, the synthetic is not at all bad ... it just wants a thicker knot.

I see a distinct similarity between these and some brushes from NOM.

image.jpg


Maybe they're the folks behind these ... errrrr ... classics?
 
I'm intrigued to see a badger amongst them, although it looks like it's been clipped - and poorly at that. I have one bristle WS - I seem to recall a debate as to what bristle actually meant at times: bristle as in nylon, or bristle as in natural bristle i.e. boar ...
 
There was a major forum debate about this some years back as Wilkinson Sword responded to a forum member stating that their brushes were synthetic. Others of course insisted they were boar. Comparing the WS brush that I have used in the past to an Omega boar brush I have in my rotation I would say the WS was almost certainly boar.
The newest iterations, branded Barber's Style or Essentials are of course now synthetic.
 
This looks interesting.

1708259085563.png

Vintage Wilkinson Sword Brush

All I can gather from what I can read is this is a Wilkinson Sword brush. Sterilzed. Badger Hair. Made in England. 2 is on the bottom of the base. This was lathed, the marks are clearly visible. There were stickers or labels on the ferrule portion of the brush handle, one with a rectangular...
www.theshavingroom.co.uk www.theshavingroom.co.uk

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The first DE shaving brush I bought back in 2008 (I think) Along with the infamous plastic Wilkinson Sword Classic DE Razor & a tub of Wilkinson Sword Shaving Soap (The blue one) used the shaving soap, took me years, as I quickly converted to shaving cream & only used the soap intermittently. I threw away the razor a couple of years ago, frankly, I was never going to use it again, but I still have the brush, though I rarely use it these days.
 
My first shaving brush was an Erasmic boar brush bought in around 2003. I started shaving with an DE razor in 1991. At the same time as buying Erasmic boar I picked up tubes of Ingrams and Jordanian Erasmic shaving creams. My next brush was the ubiquitous Wilkinson Sword bristle brush.
 
Cloobster said:
I've always believed that the most secure career in the world is working for any Company that makes traffic cones. There are millions of the things and more keep appearing on our streets by the day.

However, another similarly secure career path must be working for the Company that makes Wilkinson Sword shaving brushes.

I'm old enough to confess that I started shaving in the late 70's. I can't be certain if they were on Supermarket shelves at that point but if not they must have been soon after because, I personally can't remember a time they didn't exist. I've searched in earnest to find out when they were first introduced but either I'm too stupid to drive internet properly or, dare I say it, the internet simply does not know.

Like owning a Fleetwood Mac album or donning a mullet hairdo it the 80's, hardly anyone admits to having one but the fact that WS have been churning them out in (slightly) different iterations over a 50-odd year period, certainly suggests that every living creature on the planet must have at least one... even if you don't have a hair on your body. I also don't think it's unreasonable to assume that if all the shaving brush manufacturers in the world pooled forces, they won't have sold as many brushes as WS.

With that in mind, like confessing to alcoholism at an AA meeting, I have a number of Wilkie brushes. Either gifts or purchases that have become a sort of accidental collection which I'm sure will have enormous monetary and legacy value in 1000 years.

So, are you also prepared to be brave enough to admit to the shame of being a Wilkinson Sword brush owner?View attachment 117124
Click to expand...
I'm out and i'm proud!!
 
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