Birthday Brush

Today, I received my birthday gift from David's family. It is a Parker black badger shaving brush and stand. Thanks, Dave, Becca, Sarah, and Emily.

The picture above is to compare it to my Tweezerman.  They are comparable in weight and knot size, but the Parker has a higher loft by about 11-12 mm. My Tweezerman has served me well for 16 months now. I am looking forward to breaking in this new Parker brush, so the Tweezerman will get some rest. It will still be my travelling brush though.

This is the first lather with Van Der Hagen soap. Wow!

I did my first lather using Van Der Hagen soap. It did very well in my bowl. I lost 8-10 hairs. That is normal for the first lathering. I expect that will drop off dramatically on the next lathering. I am looking forward to using this brush. Thanks again, Kids, this was a thoughtful gift.

Look at that bloom.

December 10: update
This has been a good brush. I am using it every third shave and it is holding up well. However, the painted logo is disappearing slowly. Other than that, it has been a good brush. Thanks again, Dave.

January 17: update
I am using this Parker brush every other day now, alternating between it and my chrome handle brush. It is a very good brush. The printed Parker logo has completely disappeared, but other than that it is holding up very well.