Review: RazoRock Chubby Extra Silvertip Badger Brush
Italian Barber refers to their RazoRock Chubby Extra Silvertip Badger Brush as “One of the best face lathering brushes, if not THE BEST, south of $150, on the market”. In this review, I will examine the brush’s specifications, components of the brush, and its individual characteristics. I will also seek to determine if the brush will earn a firm place within my personal shave den.
Let’s start with specifications of the brush (according to the website):
- 100% artisan made in Italy
- Weight- 84 grams
- Knot Diameter- 28mm
- Loft Height- 51mm
- Handle Height- 50mm
Knot:
This 3-band silvertip badger hair displays a typical pattern in its appearance, which consists of light-dark-light sections of hair well known amongst silvertip badger hair. The knot takes the shape of what I would refer to as a hybrid fan/bulb knot.
It has very soft tips with fine/thin hair, while still containing some tip presence/scrub (with absolutely no “scritch”), making it a real pleasure to apply to the skin. It also manages to achieve adequate backbone, which I partially attribute to the knots above average density, described by the website as being “extra stuffed” with badger hair. These traits lend itself to a luxurious and very rewarding face lathering experience. The knot splays/opens with relative ease while still providing enough pushback to avoid being floppy. The knot performs well in both circular splaying motions and painting strokes. While I admit, I prefer to face lather with this brush, due to its excellent face feel; however, I found this brush to yield a great lather while bowl lathering as well.
Quick Breakdown:
- Tip Softness: 4/5
- Backbone: 3.5/5
- Density: 4/5
- Flow Through: 3.5/5
- Face Feel: 4/5
Handle:
The “505” handle, as it is called on the website, is offered in both black and ivory colors. The handles are resin based (“lathe turned, by hand, in Italy”) and feel very sturdy in the hand. To be honest, I was a little surprised by the quality of this handle; it really is well built and appears very durable. The 505 design, while a bit simplistic in appearance, is very ergonomic; its shape enables it to fit perfectly in my hand. The handle is well designed with an indented ring present around the top portion of the handle, which allows me to achieve a very comfortable and secure grip/finger placement.
Also, quite a nice touch is the RazoRock logo laser etched into the bottom of the handle, as indicated on their website.
Cost:
The RazoRock Chubby Extra Silvertip Badger Brush has a lot of positive qualities. Certainly, one of the brush’s best features remains its price point. Listed at $79.99 on the website, it is quite a tremendous value for a silvertip offering of this quality. It would be challenging to find a better silvertip brush at this price point!
Final Thoughts:
This is a brush that will earn a firm place within my shave den. Quite simply, it is a pleasure to face lather with, as it suits my personal preferences in a brush. Its very soft, splays easily, has enough backbone, and has a sturdy, well designed, and practical handle that is essential for wet shaving. Its cost is a major strength and certainly makes this an attractive option for both the “budget minded” shaver or for those wanting to experience a high-quality badger brush, perhaps for the first time, but without having to break the bank, as they say. I also could see this brush being preferred by anyone with significant “real estate” to shave, which includes head shavers or women wet shavers as well; due to the brush’s large 28mm knot, it’s capable of producing a large splay, which is beneficial for those seeking to “cover a lot of ground” with their brush. Overall, this is a brush I can easily recommend.
COSN