Sunday, December 19, 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


We think it's bad here in the UK. Well it's cold in China. Production of my new brushes has been delayed because it's difficult for badger hair to dry in extreme cold. And in North West China they are having their coldest spell for 60 years. The New Forest High Mountain brush should still be ready for an early January launch.

Friday, December 10, 2010

New Forest High Mountain 2221

I'm really looking forward to delivery of my New Forest High Mountain 2221 brushes. I have used this sample quite a lot now. The new brush will have a slightly flatter head than this. These photos show something of how well the brush looks after regular use - and the whiteness of the brush tips.



Tuesday, December 7, 2010

A new fan shape

I have been testing fan shape brushes. I was supplied with my manufacturer's standard shape. It was very good, but I preferred to have a slightly flatter shape. With lofts below 50 mm the normal fan shape tends to be similar to some bulb shapes. So a new fan shaper has been made. Here's a rather fuzzy photo I have been sent to illustrate the look of the new fan shape. This will be the brush head used in my New Forest High Mountain brush, due out in January. It's not completely flat but just enough to make a difference.

Just a little insight into the challenges of brush specification!

Brush head shapes





Thursday, December 2, 2010

Christmas is coming

A big thank you to all my customers. When I started this venture I had no idea how it would go. The past few months have been a real eye opener about the commitment needed to run any small business from home. And this is tiny! There has been some hassle along the way but this has been wholly offset by the enthusiastic response from buyers. I cannot believe the amount of emails I now get, nearly all friendly and supportive. I have no idea how long I'll keep going. I will certainly bring out several new brushes next year and continue with some small numbers of locally made brushes. Then I'll assess future direction.
I'm going to take a little break now from posting here. The next major event will be the launch of the New Forest High Mountain Badger 2221 early in January - if all goes well!

Have a great Christmas season.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

New Forest Brushes - Special offers

New Forest 2211 Sample
SOLD!!!
More offers soon.



This is a sample used for just two test latherings. 22 m knot, 49 mm loft, handle height 50 mm. Half the price of the New Forest 2211 at £17.50 including worldwide delivery.

Email NFB@padh.co.uk to check availability.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

New Forest Brushes -Looking ahead

I have had a fantastic reaction to my first two brushes. I have just posted details on some shaving forums and my blog. Feedback has done the rest. I'm not doing any other marketing.
My next brush, the New Forest High Mountain Badger 2221 completes the first phase of my venture. It will be released in January. At £45 shipped worldwide, it will be simply the best value high quality brush money can buy. To match this quality hair with a Plisson High Mountain White of the same knot size would cost over £200. The hair is more expensive because of it's rarity but as far as I'm concerned I'm not interested in a policy of charging what the market might bear. I'm continuing to provide top quality brushes to enthusiasts at a price that many more can afford. Here's the prototype I have been using:

New Forest High Mountain Badger 2221



Two new developments will now proceed. I have bought a batch of two band and Finest Silvertip knots. And a small stock of imitation ivory, alpalina and imitation ebony. This will enable me to experiment with some new handle shapes for a few brushes I will have made in the New Forest.

And in the spring of 2011, I will be introducing a small number of new brushes in a 24 mm knot size using this handle shape:


I plan to keep New Forest brushes as a small manageable one man business. I have declined offers from on line retailers to sell my brushes. That would push up my prices and increase the scale of activity beyond my comfort zone. I have no wish to be a threat to other brands and brush makers. I hope I can encourage enthusiasts to enjoy the fun of collecting more brushes. In that way, everyone benefits!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

New Forest Brushes - High quality, low prices.

The idea of establishing New Forest Brushes emerged from the research I did for Fido's Shaving Brush Blog. I knew from the wide variety of shaving brushes  I tried what worked for me. I thought it would be fun to specify my own brand of brushes, to have them made by an established manufacturer and to sell direct to enthusiasts without involving retailers. As a one man business with no significant overheads or the need to add a sales tax because of low turnover I knew I could sell at an attractive price. And make a fair profit for the effort involved.

I plan to use only the three highest quality badger hair grades in the making of New Forest shaving brushes

Super Badger two band

This hair is redressed and resorted long best badger hair. Short or twisted hairs are removed, leaving the hair softer and giving the brush a lighter appearance, almost white at the tips. The brushes are firm at the base, yet incredibly soft at the tips. Nearly half the hair is wasted in the production process.

Finest Silvertip

This is redressed and resorted silvertip. Short or twisted hairs are removed, leaving the brush feeling softer and given a lighter appearance. It also gives the brush better lathering and water retention capability.

High Mountain

This is long finest silvertip hair from the back of a rare breed of long haired badgers found only in remote high mountain areas. The hair is in limited supply and therefore the most expensive. The hair is redressed and resorted and nearly half the hair is wasted in the production process.

My first brush, the New Forest 2201 was a Superior Badger two band.

My latest brush, the New Forest Finest Silvertip 2211 is described below.

My next brush, the New Forest High Mountain 2221 is being tested and will be released in the new year.

Thanks for visiting.

Fido

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

New Forest Finest Silvertip 2211 - SOLD OUT


 New Forest Finest Silvertip 2211

This brush is now sold out.

New and bloomed!





And the knot after regular use:



This is a brush for the shaving enthusiast who wants a top quality brush capable of producing great lather from creams and hard soaps. And of a size and with sufficient backbone to make it suitable for face lathering in comfort while providing an exfoliating massage.
The handle is 50 mm high and the brush has a knot of 22 mm with a loft of 48 mm. When dry, the tips feel quite "scritchy"  yet exceptionally soft when wet.
The brush has a new logo which will still be durable after a long period of regular use.
Finest Silvertip is re-dressed, resorted silvertip. Any short or twisted hairs are removed, leaving the brush feeling softer and giving a lighter appearance. This also gives the brush better lathering and water holding capability.
This is a high quality brush that compares favourably with those of other famous brands. Take a look at how the appearance of a well used New Forest 2211 compares with some other brushes I use regularly. The NF 2211 at £35 compares well on price with the others which range from £65 to £190 plus shipping!



Left to right: Simpsons Tulip T1 Super, Rooney 3/1 Silvertip, Plisson HMW, NF 2211, Savile Row Finest Silvertip 3824, Edwin Jagger Silvertip.



The brush is lathe turned and individually hand made. There will be small variations in each brush and the actual loft height may vary. If you would like the loft to be slightly higher or lower please indicate when ordering and I will try to meet your requirements.

Specification (approx.)

Handle 50 mm
Loft      48 mm
Knot      22 mm

Price inc. worldwide shipping  £35

Why so low?

I deal direct with my manufacturer, sell direct, don't have to add VAT, have negligible overheads and seek only a fair return for my effort.

Return unused within 7 days of receipt for a full refund if not entirely satisfied.


To purchase:

Paypal (with shipping address) £35 to NFB@padh.co.uk

The brush will be shipped within 24 hours First Class UK and Air Mail elsewhere.

Packaging - to keep costs low and to avoid waste I use simple but secure packaging - no gift box is included.

Reviews


Apart from me, no one had tested my latest brush, so although confident that the brush would be well received, I have been relieved to read some early very positive reviews.

This is typical (from a member of The Shaving Room forum:

"The new brush arrived in the post this morning, and promptly got the breaking in and deodorising treatment by knocking up a bowlful of Taylor's sandalwood cream. Entirely unnecessary, as it turned out, although it did shed a couple of short 'n' curlies in the process. On first inspection, I understood the point of Fido's "labels" thread: it did look very similar to the 2201 brush, but not any more. "Bloom" is the delightfully poetic expression which is used for the way silvertip brushes open out and relax with use - well this one looks like a blooming tom cat that's just had a fright. Already. I really am going to love this one.

Other people have covered the performance angle and I concur with what has been said: it holds a lot of water and not too much should be shaken out, and it produces, releases and at the same time retains more lather than one could reasonably expect for such a modest sized brush. It's far stiffer than a BK4 (which remains my benchmark for softness of tips, though), and gets stuck into the soap as well as any best badger or boar I've come across.

So there you go, a rave review, all on the basis of one shave. I don't like to be negative, so my reviews tend to be enthusiastic, but generally there's some criticism to leaven the upbeat tone. Not in this case: in a year's time, unless it disintegrates, I fully expect to be saying that this is the best brush I own.

Now, Fido, would you mind giving it a rest for a while, please? You're eating into the cut throat razor fund."

And some more here:

New Forest Silvertip

New New Forest

New Forest 2211 Brush





Tuesday, October 5, 2010

New Forest 2201 (2 band)



In my latest shipment I had just 10 new New Forest 2201 2 band brushes. These were to compensate for some problems I identified with some of my early brushes. Two have been sold already. The other eight are available at a price of £30 inc worldwide shipping. If interested email NFB@padh.co.uk to check availability and payment details.

BRUSHES ALL RESERVED! WILL POST AGAIN IF ANY ARE NOT TAKEN UP.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Progress

At long last, my New Forest Finest Silvertip brushes have been shipped. As long as there are no customs problems they should be here within 2 weeks. Details will be posted here about the brush and how to order.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Brush logo

After trying other inks that didn't significantly improve the durability of the logo my manufacturer of New Forest Brushes is trying something else. A higher quality ink is to be applied which requires the handles to be placed in an oven at an appropriate temperature. He calls the device a logo roaster. I'm determined that this problem should be resolved. There's not much point to a logo that does not last long. I have had no complaints about the logo on my New Forest 2201 but I know the printing does wear off - too easily for my liking. I now expect my new brushes to be ready early next month.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

New Forest 2202

My latest New Forest Finest Silvertip is going to be delayed due to continuing problems in finding an ink that will improve the durability of the logo. Although I have no complaints about the logo on my first brush, the 2201, it does come off too easily for my liking. I know this is a problem with other brush logos but I want to get mine right. So I have agreed to a further delay in the search for better ink. I'm surprised that the manufacturer doesn't have other clients as fussy!

Meanwhile, I have been working on a locally made New Forest brush with my craftsman. I intend to have a few made to assess the demand and reaction. This is a prototype. It is made from tambootie, an African hardwood. It has the same two band hair used in my Superior Badger 2201. The handle height is 51 mm, loft 51 mm and knot width is 22 mm. A good backbone will make it a superb all round brush for use with soaps and creams.



One of the delights about having your own blog is that you cannot break any rules or conventions about listing items for sale. If anyone reading this blog is interested I'll deliver this specific brush anywhere for £35. A genuine, hand made in the New Forest, England, shaving brush. It's the first New Forest 2202 - the reference I will use for tambootie handle brushes of this size.

Update:

I had five of these brushes made. They all sold after people contacted me after seeing the above. I'll be assessing feedback before making any more. If I do, I will update this post.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

NFB news

I still plan to launch my New Forest Finest Silvertip 2211 in September. It will have a slightly different logo with more durable ink - an issue I was concerned about with my first brush. I will also be testing samples of a short lofted fan shape two band as well as a high mountain badger grade brush.
I plan also to produce a small number of wooden handled two band and Finest Sivertip brushes in the coming months. I'll post some pics here soon.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

SOLD OUT!!!

My New Forest Superior Badger 2201 described here is now sold out.

I may restock, but my next brush will be the New Forest Finest Silvertip 2211, which will be on sale in September. It will be listed in a new blog and on some shaving forums and Ebay.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

About New Forest Brushes

During my research for Fido's Shaving Brush Blog I learnt a lot about shaving brushes. I collected and tested brushes across price ranges and makes. I discovered how they are made and who makes them. And all about prices, and the costs of production. And a lot about who buys them.
I had been thinking for some time about setting up a small business. But it had to be something I would enjoy. For some inexplicable reason, I love shaving brushes. They are delightful objects to look at. And many are a pleasure to use. The best ones are very expensive. And that's where New Forest Brushes comes in. I aim to offer a very limited number of good quality popular sized brushes at a price that the enthusiast can afford and irresistible to the collector who wants examples of different brands of shaving brushes.

I will build the business step by step and review as I proceed. Initially I will launch a brush, aim to sell out, then take a break before launching the next one. In this way, I can assess and react to feedback. My first brush is described below.

In the pipeline I have plans to introduce a Finest Silvertip, a shorter lofted fan shape two band, and possibly, a high mountain badger grade.

New Forest 2201 Two band Superior Badger


NOW SOLD OUT

The first New Forest brush
Unused


Used sample to show 'bloom'


It has a superb two band badger knot of 22 mm, and it's the first New Forest brush. So it's the 2201.The loft of about 50 mm makes it an excellent all round brush that will handle both soaps and creams and your preferred method of lathering. The head is made of redressed and resorted long best badger hair. This hair is a bit stiffer than silvertip but has soft tips. The length of the hair enables brushes to be made with only black and white bands showing above the handle. So it is commonly known as two band. Short or twisted hairs are removed, leaving the hair feeling soft and giving the brush a light appearance. The brush is firm at the base with good backbone but not stiff like some shorter lofted two bands, yet delightfully soft at the tips. The knot is hand made and the handle is lathe turned and hand polished.This is a fine example of the increasingly popular two band brush. At £25 it is simply the best value high quality brush you can buy. And just £2.00 for worldwide delivery. It's the brush you just have to try.

Approximate dimensions. (As each brush is hand made there may be small variations)

Knot 22mm
Loft 50mm
Handle 50mm
Height 100mm


New Forest 2201 Reviews

Some early comments on shaving forums:

"Fido,

Just got one of your twin band brushes and I have to say it is fantastic.

This one of the best brushes I have owned. No it isn’t a Rooney “Finest”. But it is damn close.

Fantastic quality for a stupidly low price.

Anybody who needs a good soap brush at a bargain basement price....you just found it"

" It is a very good face latherer and an all round brilliant brush for the price."


This 2201 is absolutely the best bang for the buck...get one!"


" This is a sweet brush, very nicely done and a steal for the money one pays for it."


" Superb little brush with genuinely strong backbone and soft tips."


And a review on The Shaving Room Forum:


New Forest 2201

And Badger and Blade

New Forest 2201

These threads contain some really constructive feedback which I will assess fully before introducing new brushes. Indeed when I have sold out my stocks of the 2201 I will consider modifying my specification in the light of comments made. New Forest Brushes will listen to customers! And learn fast.



How to buy

Just paypal £27 to NFB@padh.co.uk

Quote New Forest 2201 and provide a shipping address.

It will be sent promptly, no fancy packaging, just a great brush. Lather it up a couple of times and it will soften up and be ready for use.

If you have any concerns about the brush, let me know. Return it unused within 7 days of receipt and I'll give a full refund of your original payment.