Zenith Horse Brush Review

No tangling issues for me. But keep in mind that I lather with very light pressure.

That’s good to keep in mind. In a sense, that’s just more praise for the brush, if you are being careful with it and it’s still performing so well for you.

Perhaps I got lucky with my Epsilon chubby like models with the hair being really good. I wouldn't put it past it. Other models I tried I wasn't totally convinced by the hair, but when Epsilon introduced the horse hair models I picked up one in brown and white and really have no problems with scritch. This is just how it works for me, and it well could be different for others. I just happened to use my brown horse hair brush recently and was quite happy with it. My recommendation is trying the Epsilon Chubby models. It's funny as looking at the horse hair brush by the OP it looks like the type that had harsher tips like the Vie-long barber brush. I've never had tangling issues, and really hadn't seen tangling issues discussed by others until later on.It could be because I prioritize painting motions. Of course I use some circular motions to lather the lather fuel of choice, but from that point it's paint strokes.

I've never had tangling issues, and really hadn't seen tangling issues discussed by others until later on.

With the Epsilon chubby that I had, there were never any tangling issues, either. I had the dark hairs, which as I recall is the ratio with more backbone and scrubbiness. Been wanting to try one with the lighter-colored hairs.

Update: Enabling has occurred. Order has been placed. Eagerly anticipating this one.

Some first impressions after receiving the Zenith, but not yet using it. The handle is actually slightly smaller than I expected, but the ergonomics are great. Perfect for someone with medium-sized hands. For someone with large hands, I would probably recommend one of the aluminum or copper models.

I washed the knot with dish detergent, then with a clarifying shampoo. The knot feels a little flimsy when wet, but part of that impression is probably due to all the super high density knots that have become so prevalent in the last year or two.

When dry, there was really no smell, but once the knot was wet, there was the smell of horse and of something “industrial” — perhaps a dye that is used to even out the color of the hairs. The water coming out of the knot was not entirely clear, so it really is a good idea to give these a proper wash before use.

I let the brush dry and then got it wet once more, this time to load it with a shaving soap. Though the knot was slightly floppy when loading from a bowl, the brush ended up creating an excellent lather. I let this lather sit in the knot for a couple of hours before another rinse. Still some dirty water exiting at first, but only a little.

I’ll post again once I’ve had a chance to put the brush to actual use. Looking forward to it!

Some first impressions after receiving the Zenith, but not yet using it. The handle is actually slightly smaller than I expected, but the ergonomics are great. Perfect for someone with medium-sized hands. For someone with large hands, I would probably recommend one of the aluminum or copper models.

I washed the knot with dish detergent, then with a clarifying shampoo. The knot feels a little flimsy when wet, but part of that impression is probably due to all the super high density knots that have become so prevalent in the last year or two.

When dry, there was really no smell, but once the knot was wet, there was the smell of horse and of something “industrial” — perhaps a dye that is used to even out the color of the hairs. The water coming out of the knot was not entirely clear, so it really is a good idea to give these a proper wash before use.

I let the brush dry and then got it wet once more, this time to load it with a shaving soap. Though the knot was slightly floppy when loading from a bowl, the brush ended up creating an excellent lather. I let this lather sit in the knot for a couple of hours before another rinse. Still some dirty water exiting at first, but only a little.

I’ll post again once I’ve had a chance to put the brush to actual use. Looking forward to it!

Nice! Which one did you end up ordering?
I forgot to mention how good of a job it does creating lather.

Nice! Which one did you end up ordering?
I forgot to mention how good of a job it does creating lather.

I got the 507 L handle in blue. One shave so far with it, and it was one of the best first impressions a brush has made. Badgers take a little time to break in, boars can take a long time, and even synthetics tend to loosen up a bit after some use. This one was just ready to go (after the previously mentioned two cleansing washes and a test lather).

The knot feels a bit sparse after all the Super-High Density knots of the day, and the hairs were just slightly prickly, but in general, it was a soft and pleasant knot that excelled at lather creation, and like you mentioned, releasing the lather. Looking forward to using this more, and will try to return with further impressions after some time.

Thanks for bringing up these brushes! I think it’s very important to consider humane sources for natural hair shaving brush knots.

Nice! Which one did you end up ordering?
I forgot to mention how good of a job it does creating lather.

I got the 507 L handle in blue. One shave so far with it, and it was one of the best first impressions a brush has made. Badgers take a little time to break in, boars can take a long time, and even synthetics tend to loosen up a bit after some use. This one was just ready to go (after the previously mentioned two cleansing washes and a test lather).

The knot feels a bit sparse after all the Super-High Density knots of the day, and the hairs were just slightly prickly, but in general, it was a soft and pleasant knot that excelled at lather creation, and like you mentioned, releasing the lather. Looking forward to using this more, and will try to return with further impressions after some time.

Thanks for bringing up these brushes! I think it’s very important to consider humane sources for natural hair shaving brush knots.

I'm glad you like it! Bob mentioned that the hairs do split like boar hair does, but that it takes much longer. I can only assume these brushes will get much over time.

Honestly, I’d be happy with this brush even if it stays the way it is now. But it’ll be interesting to see if the hairs really start splitting at some point, and how much the face-feel will change as a result.

Honestly, I’d be happy with this brush even if it stays the way it is now. But it’ll be interesting to see if the hairs really start splitting at some point, and how much the face-feel will change as a result.

I feel the same way

Quick update, my brush has completely lost that scritch it had in the beginning. The tips now are so soft that I get ZERO feedback when face lathering. It feels a lot like a cashmere knot from AP Shave Co. And it's still the lather creating monster its always been.

I also ended up buying a traditional horse brush from Zenith as well. I'll provide a comparison between this current extra soft and my new traditional at some point.