Thread: Jack Black "Pure Performance" Shave Brush

I am not a huge fan of Badger brushes. I do like the fact that they will hold a lot of lather and water, but in general I do not care for the floppy, moppy, effect a lot of badger's have. I do prefer the less expensive badgers because the bristles are a bit stiffer. Currently, my Badger of choice is a Rooney "Super Badger" - which is one step down from their best silvertip. - otherwise, I prefer the scubbiness of what,.....? Synthetics, Boar hair, Boar and Badger Mix, etc., etc.

I search for different manufactures, looking for that great combination of the Boar and Badger. I check in at B&B and read their reviews on brushes every so often. Well, after reading this review on the Jack Black "Pure Performance Shave Brush" by "Onemanshow", I just had to check this baby out. Here is the review:

Jack Black 'Pure Performance' Shave Brush - Badger & Blade

Here is Jack Black's ad for this new brush (I guess it's new) I did order the brush for $85.00:

Men’s skin care, men’s grooming, shaving cream, gift sets-Jack Black

I received the brush three days ago. Shipping time was less than a week. It comes in a very sturdy hard plastic container, that can be used as a brush stand or as a travel brush container by just putting the lid on the opening. It has vent holes in the back of the container. The knot size is 25mm, handle is 50mm and the brush itself is 60mm, making it 110mm total. Very nice!

I have had three shaves with it. I really wanted to put this brush through a few different senarios in regard to making lather. My 1st shave was a combo Uberlather, using both a cream and triple milled soap mixed in a bowl. The lather was excellent and when applied to my face, it was a whole different feel. The brush was very stiff, and when I pressed it spread out and was delightful in regard to scrubbing, yet the tips were very soft at the same time. The 1st shave was quite different getting used to this brush, but excellent at the same time. The next morning I used a straight cream in a bowl with the same results, getting lots and lots of lather. Lathering and scrubbing was excellent! This morning I decided I'm going to give this brush the ultimate hard test: Tripple milled soap (Tabac) and I will lather only on my face. I wanted to know how much lather, if any, this brush would hold. I went through my normal face prep. While doing the prep, I put a layer of hot water on the Tabac soap. I swirled the brush over the top of the Tabac soap, loading the brush. I started swirling the brush on my face - the lather was great, as much or more than I have ever experienced. Incridable! With one application of soap from the soap dish, I was able to do four passes (I usually do three), but there was so-o-o-o much soap on the brush, I said, "why not"! and, I could have done a fifth. This has never happened to me. A synthetic brush producing this much lather........! To say the least, I am blown away by this brush. Here are some performance ratings with 10 being the best (Onemanshow @ B&B gave this brush all 10s):

PRICE: 9.5 Yea, I could give it a 10, it's worth every penny at $85.00 because it could be the last brush you ever buy. I am confident it will be the last brush I ever buy.

QUALITY: 10+ Very well made, The hande is a heavy plastic, I think. It could even be a metal for all I know. The hair shafts are beautiful, cream colored on the bottom with a dark color in the middle, and the tips are very soft and gray. Excellent!

DENIITY: 9.5 It is slightly less than my silvertip Shavemacs and my Rooney. We are comparing a natural animal hair to a synthetic shaft, which I do not believe this is a valed comparison. Who Knows?

STIFF AND SOFT: 10++ At B&B they have two categories, Stiff tips, and soft tips. I am combining these because these shafts are stiff at the base and the middle, and yet, very soft at the tip. I can't say enough good about this quality. This sells this brush for me!

ERGONOMIC: 9.5 It has a nice size handle, it is a bit heavy, which I rather like, and I think you will, too.

LATHERABILITY: 10++++ I can't say enough about this feature of this brush! Would WOW be appropriate here?

* I think it is probably obvious to you what I think of this brush. It surprises me that no one over at B&B has ever commented on Onemanshow's sterling review of this brush. it tells me that nobody has tried it, yet! - because if they did, a lot of people would have a lot to say about it. Maybe it's the Christmas season and shelling out $85.00 for a SYNTHETIC SHAVING BRUSH sounds kind of foolish right now.

If you don't like the floppiness of silvertip badger you should try the top grades like finest or super depending on the manufacturer. They are not floppy at all and give you a good scrubbing.

Thanks for the great review.

I'm not in the market for another brush, but this was a great read. Thank you Zepplin.

EDIT: Nothing to do with your fine review, Steve, but I really did not like the marketing talk on the Jack Black website: "Traditional badger hair has a hollow core-perfect for breeding bacteria. Our state-of-the-art brush has technologically advanced PureTech bristles with a solid hair shaft and an antimicrobial coating. So the brush dries properly to help prevent bacterial growth."
and: "Our 100% cruelty-free shave brush is (...)". I don't like aggressive marketing. No need to bash the competition. If the brush is as good as you reviewed it, it 'll sell itself.

Originally Posted by Bart

I'm not in the market for another brush, but this was a great read. Thank you Zepplin.

EDIT: Nothing to do with your fine review, Steve, but I really did not like the marketing talk on the Jack Black website: "Traditional badger hair has a hollow core-perfect for breeding bacteria. Our state-of-the-art brush has technologically advanced PureTech bristles with a solid hair shaft and an antimicrobial coating. So the brush dries properly to help prevent bacterial growth."
and: "Our 100% cruelty-free shave brush is (...)". I don't like aggressive marketing. No need to bash the competition. If the brush is as good as you reviewed it, it 'll sell itself.

Yes, I noticed that, and I ignored it immediately! I can do that with written advertisements. I do dislike computer advertising phone calls and email advertising messages, though. I feel if I go in to their den, I have to expect certain kinds of advertising. I just dislike them coming in to my den. I can see where some people would be attracted to some of the things said in that kind of advertising, i.e., "cruelty free", etc.. I guess everybody's just tryin' to make a buck.

Originally Posted by zepplin

Yes, I noticed that, and I ignored it immediately! I can do that with written advertisements. I do dislike computer advertising phone calls and email advertising messages, though. I feel if I go in to their den, I have to expect certain kinds of advertising. I just dislike them coming in to my den. I can see where some people would be attracted to some of the things said in that kind of advertising, i.e., "cruelty free", etc.. I guess everybody's just tryin' to make a buck.

A good point. I definitely don't like something like that in my den either. But let's hope they read this review, realize that their fine brush doesn't need such cräp, and this chases away as many buyers as it could possibly attract.

Sorry for the semi-off-topic.

Kind regards,
Bart.

Well.....I just opened the front door when the bell rang. It was a package from the Jack Black Co. This is my first brush and wow, what a nice looking piece. I am going to be putting it to use this evening. I will let you all know what I think. I almost wish that I had another brush to compare it to. This thing looks like it will be great. Thanks Zeplin for making me spend more money!

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