Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary SE | BSB-Ti w/HMW Extra Dense
Above The Tie S1 w/Triad Rolling Hex 316 Stainless Handle | Astra Superior Platinum (3)
Finally, the BSB-Ti arrived yesterday, and I was able to use it today. I've coveted vintage Rubberset 400s for quite some time, but a realistic opportunity just never coalesced. I think the BSB will fill that void.
I opted for the fan-shaped high mountain white badger knot set at a 52mm loft with standard 25mm diameter. I may be wrong, but I think this is the first fan-shaped knot I've used, and there is much more backbone than what I was anticipating. I would venture to say the backbone is comparable to that of my Semogue 1250 boar. After soaking, but prior to loading, I worked the brush on my cheek just to get a feel for it. The tips are surprisingly soft and even have a slick feel when saturated. I proceeded to load it. I wasn't gentle, as I see no point in it. In figuring out the knot, I did a bit more face-scrubbing than my usual. The scrubbing in conjunction with the impressive backbone of this knot should have resulted in some brush burn, but the soft tips mitigated that quite well. The end result was a very comfortable lathering experience. This is with first use, mind you. I am completely satisfied with the knot as is, but I know full well it will improve beyond this with a few more uses. I should also note for what it's worth, I detected very little badger funk.
The weight of the titanium handle has incredible balance and is quite comfortable in my hand. Overall, the brush weighed in at 133.0 grams dry, out of the box. The weight provides stability allowing it to sit on end with the knot fully loaded with lather. With the exception of my Omega PRO48, I usually palm my brushes and support the base of the knot with my finger tips. This may or may not aide in preventing some broken hairs, but I do it nonetheless. This handle is too long for me to do that, and I suspect that's by design. There were no lost hairs.
If you saw my mail call pictures, you will notice the knot has bloomed quite well after only one use. I'm told there's no special care needed for the titanium handle. A simple rinse and dry is what you see in the photo. No polishing needed. The handle is one piece. The o-ring is cosmetic, and the artisan includes extra o-rings. In addition to the black one installed, he included 1 each of red, purple, blue, green, and orange. He also included 3 black because I told him I preferred black. It's my understanding he typically ships it with a purple one installed due to his homage to the flower of the Solanum dulcamara vine (his username is "Dr Dulcamara"). He recommends using a wooden toothpick to facilitate swapping of the o-rings as it's not likely to scratch the metal in the process.
It shipped in a durable plastic flat-sided carton that's height-adjustable and serves as a travel container complete with vent holes (again, see the mail call pics for more). The lettering is done in an industrial style stenciling. Clearly "industrial" is what he was going for, and it pairs quite well with the overall design of the brush.
The BSB-Ti is clearly a work of art from the flawless finish to the engraved (not laser-etched), "BSB Spain" on the bottom. Yet its function is what determines its tenure in my rotation, and I suspect this brush will see years of action.