Grooming Co Synthetic Brush

Draco Noir

Gone but not forgotten...
In Memoriam
Joined
Jan 31, 2015
Location
Hawthorn
I'm sure many of you will have read about these new brushes already. Made in Brazil by an outfit called "The Grooming Company", they apparently use the same knot as the latest Plisson synthetics.

grooming_co_zpszbphtrqn.jpg

The difference however lies in the knot being seated more deeply in the handle. This is supposed to result in a brush which retains all the best attributes of a Plisson synthetic, but offers noticeably more backbone.

I received one about a week ago and have had a chance to give it a good workout. Are the claims about the brush correct? Yes indeed. Although it's difficult to see that the knot is more deeply seated, touching and using the brush confirms immediately that there is a bit more backbone on offer. Not massively more, but the improvement is obvious when you compare the brush with a Plisson.

As with everything to do with wet shaving YMMV, but for me the extra backbone makes for a much more versatile brush. Face latherers would be likely to appreciate this brush a lot - it takes a litlle more pressure to get it to splay on the face but the ability to lay down a very hydrated, cushioning and and almost bubble free lather is very impressive. For bowl lathering the story is much the same - the extra backbone makes the whole process a bit quicker and easier, while still getting that amazing lather that so many of us like. Tripled milled soap is handled easily.

The only criticism I have compared to a Plisson is that the Grooming Co brush appears not to have a metal ferrule on the knot where it emerged from the handle. Other than that I'm completely satisfied with it.

Going rate for the brush in the USA seems to be US$55. I bought from Straight Razor Place and wasn't charged for shipping to Aus. I don't know if this was a mistake, but it was certainly appreciated.
 
Thanks for this review @Draco Noir - I'm interested by this brush. A few people have said that the glue bump is quite pronounced and noticeable. Is this the case with yours?
 
@khun_diddy - no, that's not the case with my brush. The glue bump isn't noticeable at all. From what I've read, that may be one of the issues with the very early batches. It seems that most, if not all of the QC teething issues have been addressed by now.
 
Thanks for the great review - and indeed @filobiblic is right, this brush has been on my radar for a while. But from what I have read, it addresses only 1 of the 2 issues I have with the Plisson: the high loft. My question would be about the handle: is it really as small as people say? Maybe @Draco Noir could post a picture of the 2 next to each other?

I must also admit that for the price I would be very much more tempted to contact Mr Rudy Vey for a custom job - I don't think it would be much more...

In any way I have 2 brushes coming in, so a new synth will have to wait for a while.
 
@alfredus my Plisson has one of their "jazzy" handles so a photo of mine together probably won't tell you very much. I just ran the verniers over the Grooming Co brush : the loft measures 53mm and the handle height 43mm. Hopefully that will help you a bit...

What brushes are you waiting on? Hopefully you'll treat us to a review :)
 
@alfredus my Plisson has one of their "jazzy" handles so a photo of mine together probably won't tell you very much. I just ran the verniers over the Grooming Co brush : the loft measures 53mm and the handle height 43mm. Hopefully that will help you a bit...

What brushes are you waiting on? Hopefully you'll treat us to a review :)
As I feared very small - especially for my large hands :cry:

I am waiting for a replacement of my Vie-Long white Horse brush - my handle cracked and I desperately need a horse in my stable. I truly miss this brush and realise more and more how great it is - soft, yet still backbone, produces great lather and a ton of it, light ex-foliation...actually don't see any negatives.

And I am also waiting for a Semogue 610 - don't know why, but decided to give Semogue a last chance (after a disappointing SOC and 2000) - actually it is @stillshunter fault for saying his 1305 is softer than his Thater!

Looking at breaking in times for both and my short trip to Europe, I fear reviews wont come before June/July though
 
PM me when you decide you don't want your 610 anymore. I love my 620 but would like a tad more loft.
 
PM me when you decide you don't want your 610 anymore. I love my 620 but would like a tad more loft.
Will definitely do - but unless it gets floppy like my other (larger) Semogues, I will try to break it in fully - even if I only do it by hand lathering...

So don't expect a PM in the next month + it has not even left Portugal yet, there seems to be an issues at the factory :(
 
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