Most of the Shavemac brushes I have seen in the past featured the distinctive European bulb-shaped bristle loft. While many wetshavers like this shape because of its compact nature, I personally prefer fan-shaped brushes because I enjoy the feeling they provide on my face during my shaves.  While exchanging e-mails with Bernd Blos at Shavemac, I learned that the company also produces fan-shaped brushes and I was immediately interested in giving one a try.  This article takes a closer look at the Shavemac Series 167 D01 Silvertip Badger Shaving Brush.

Recently I was offered a trade for a vintage Simpsons Chubby 3 Best Badger and I was excited about receiving the brush. It was originally purchased for around $325 about 10 years ago and was never part of a regular rotation. Because it is a Somerset shaving brush, it could still be valuable to collectors and could easily be priced over $200 on the used market.  I was very disappointed to receive the brush and discover that many bristles in the inner core of the loft were broken off.  When I made the dreaded phone call to the brush’s owner, he was very gracious. He said he had not given much thought to brush care and he did not know that the brush loft was not supposed to sink in after use. He is not alone; it is common to see online pictures of raggedy used shaving brushes. The goal of this article is to inspire wet shavers to use their brushes in ways that do not indent or invert the brush lofts.

My search for a smaller shaving brush to use with soaps finally led me to this little beauty.  I wanted something with a dense and stiff hair exclusively for using with hard soaps. After a little hunting around, I found this Simpsons brush at a price I could not refuse.  I purchased it from a gent who had only used it a half dozen or so times, and I was happy that it arrived in brand new condition.