Review Custom Nathan Clark with Envy White knot brush

alfredus

Auctioneer-in-Chief + organises many group buys
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Nov 14, 2014
Location
Adelaide
It has been quiet some time, since I last wrote one of these, so please bear with me. I am certainly no expert when it comes to brushes, although I have experienced now a few different ones.

My former and loaned badger brushes include an Edwin Jagger Medium in Best, a Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip, a Whipped Dog 24mm High Mountain, a Chubby 1 in Super and a Chubby 2 in Best.

My current line-up include 2 Paladin's (both with Lee Sabini knots - 26mm), a Rudy Vey custom handle with a Shavemac 2-band Silvertip (30mm) and an Epsilon 2-band knot (28mm) that has just been set into a new custom handle by Doug Korn.

Some dimensions of the brush:
Knot (out of the handle): 28mm
Loft: 56mm
Handle Height: 65mm
Handle Base Diameter: 35mm

Price: 120US$ delivered in the US

Website (his Etsy store and also the easiest way to contact him):
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/EnvyShave

Pictures of the new brush:

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After the first bloom:

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First things first: Nathan was a true pleasure to deal with. The brush was a birthday present from my wife and it was ordered rather late. I was also aware, that Nathan was working on a large group buy and was preparing for the Big Shave West at the same time. Yet he was more than happy to please all my whims, poured a new resin for me (because I wanted these colours) and turned, polished and finished this beautiful handle in record time.

The handle looks even more beautiful in person and my poor pictures can do it no justice. It also fits beautifully in my hand and is very comfortable, both during the loading and the lathering process. The coin-logo at the bottom was a very pleasant surprise, when I received the brush. I looks really great and adds for me another positive dimension to the brush.

Some SOTD pictures:

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The knot is something I have never experienced with any brush – badger or other hair. It has a ton of backbone, yet the tips are cloud-like soft. It was certainly a very interesting experience at first. Too much pressure on the brush can result in a large amount of scrub.

However I have been using the brush now for ~1 month, the knot has loosened a bit and my technique has adapted. So I really enjoy the knot now. It massages my face very pleasantly, while still having a soft face feel.

The brush has certainly no issues loading all my soaps – the backbone results in a short loading time and it is capable of producing more than enough luxurious lather for ~6 passes. It is also definitely not a lather hog.

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All in all a beautiful and unique brush, that is certainly a keeper for me. I would recommend the knot to all, who want a large backbone and scrub from a brush. The handle making abilities of Nathan are of the highest standard and he is a joy to deal with. I would recommend him to anybody, who is contemplating a custom brush handle.
 
Straight to the top of the class huh? You have some top shelf brushes so it's a tough gig for any brush to stand out.
 
Straight to the top of the class huh? You have some top shelf brushes so it's a tough gig for any brush to stand out.

Top of the class is a big word - but variety can be a very nice thing and this brush definitely spices things up :D
 
Thanks for the write up and sharing your thoughts, I am planning to grab an Envy white knot in the future to be added into my collection.
 
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