(This post was last modified: 08-26-2016, 03:33 AM by Hobbyist.)
Below is my review of the Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip shaving brush with ivory WD handle. This is my first WD badger shaving brush but I have enjoyed a couple of his synthetic brushes for over a year.
I bough the 24mm Silvertip and paid the extra $5 to have it drilled deeper for a 52mm loft. The total price shipped was $37.00. I measured the brush with my digital caliper and came up with 101mm total length, 51mm loft, and 26mm effective knot size measured at base of knot. I wanted a 51 to 52mm loft and hoped the effective size would be a couple mm larger so this turned out perfect. Also worth noting, there is absolutely no noticeable glue bump. That has been the normal with Whipped Dog in my experience, and one of the reasons I went with it. Larry knows how to set a knot. Setting it deeper helps of course, but my WD synthetics were normal 10mm drill and they had no noticeable glue bump either.
I cleaned the brush several times with the included oxi clean laundry soap and some shampoo to get rid of the badger smell. Between cleaning and lathering I only noticed two hairs shed. I suspect a few more may fall out over the next few uses but so far it's doing better than some of my previous brushes. After the brush dried I loaded up some PAA Enigma Machine and went into a face lather. The first thing I noticed was how wonderfully soft it felt on my face and that there was absolutely no scritch. These are the two most important characteristics in a brush. The brush splayed incredibly easy and provided a tiny bit more backbone than the Thater 26mm Silvertip. It's not broken in yet so the backbone could decrease after several more uses, but even if it does it will still be fine for me. I splayed the brush and used circular motions mostly to lather, followed by paintbrush stroked to dial it in. The lather turned out perfect with a nice white sheen and yogurt-like texture.
The brush is not stiff at all and doesn't feel like it will require much breaking in if any. I cleaned it 5 times and palm lathered it for several minutes which bloomed it nicely. I didn't have to use much pressure at all to splay it either. Thus, after one use I feel safe recommending this brush to anyone looking for a high quality Silvertip at a great price. The only other Silvertip I have owned to compare it to is the Thater 4125/2. I had used several best and pure badgers prior to the Thater but decided to go straight to Thater for my fist one since I was after softness. I have also owned a Envy White. The Envy had amazing backbone, too much for me, but the tips aren't even in the same league as this Whipped Dog. The Thater may be softer but it's so close I can't justify the extra $80.
Pic below is pre-bloom and pre-wash. It's just how I received it.
I bough the 24mm Silvertip and paid the extra $5 to have it drilled deeper for a 52mm loft. The total price shipped was $37.00. I measured the brush with my digital caliper and came up with 101mm total length, 51mm loft, and 26mm effective knot size measured at base of knot. I wanted a 51 to 52mm loft and hoped the effective size would be a couple mm larger so this turned out perfect. Also worth noting, there is absolutely no noticeable glue bump. That has been the normal with Whipped Dog in my experience, and one of the reasons I went with it. Larry knows how to set a knot. Setting it deeper helps of course, but my WD synthetics were normal 10mm drill and they had no noticeable glue bump either.
I cleaned the brush several times with the included oxi clean laundry soap and some shampoo to get rid of the badger smell. Between cleaning and lathering I only noticed two hairs shed. I suspect a few more may fall out over the next few uses but so far it's doing better than some of my previous brushes. After the brush dried I loaded up some PAA Enigma Machine and went into a face lather. The first thing I noticed was how wonderfully soft it felt on my face and that there was absolutely no scritch. These are the two most important characteristics in a brush. The brush splayed incredibly easy and provided a tiny bit more backbone than the Thater 26mm Silvertip. It's not broken in yet so the backbone could decrease after several more uses, but even if it does it will still be fine for me. I splayed the brush and used circular motions mostly to lather, followed by paintbrush stroked to dial it in. The lather turned out perfect with a nice white sheen and yogurt-like texture.
The brush is not stiff at all and doesn't feel like it will require much breaking in if any. I cleaned it 5 times and palm lathered it for several minutes which bloomed it nicely. I didn't have to use much pressure at all to splay it either. Thus, after one use I feel safe recommending this brush to anyone looking for a high quality Silvertip at a great price. The only other Silvertip I have owned to compare it to is the Thater 4125/2. I had used several best and pure badgers prior to the Thater but decided to go straight to Thater for my fist one since I was after softness. I have also owned a Envy White. The Envy had amazing backbone, too much for me, but the tips aren't even in the same league as this Whipped Dog. The Thater may be softer but it's so close I can't justify the extra $80.
Pic below is pre-bloom and pre-wash. It's just how I received it.