The Varlet

Have an acquaintance on here having purchased the Beehive, found it so incompatible with his ergonomic preferences, sold it almost immediately. He may or may not chime in. Will alert him to the enquiry

I had a varlet mega beehive - it was a beautifully made brush with a very nice knot - not everyone can make beehives, and Aldo is particularly talented - but I did not find it an ergonomic brush - that said, I prefer brushes with longer handles, like the DG Jefferson, Paladin Samurai - the Varlet Ranger and Gaslamp are more comfortable to use - for me.

Hope that's helpful!

On the other hand I know someone who has a beehive and says it’s his absolute fave handle.

Moral of the story is to not put much stock in one or 2 peoples opinions.

I have lots of higher end brushes and a few each of Aldos SD and XD knots. While I think Aldo does a great job with both knot styles, the performance you get on his SD knots is freaking amazing, and is what I will be putting in my beehive when my turn is up.

Moral of the story is to not put much stock in one or 2 peoples opinions.

Especially mine

another question:  could anyone that have used the Varlet Beehive comment about its ergonomic/comfort?  I just made the order request for beehive 29mm normal knot (carbon) but i could change to the ranger if the beehive is not comfortable to use during the shave.

I liked the original shape of the Varlet beehive from 2015 more than the current one but if I had to order another Varlet, I would go for the ergonomics of the handle alone of the Ranger.

is the beehive that worse in comfort? (in looks alone i definitely prefer the beehive) but if its something close (I.E, range = 10 comfort and Beehive 8.5) I would still get the beehive.  But if the beehive is a 5 and range 10,  then I would pick a ranger.

Moral of the story is to not put much stock in one or 2 peoples opinions.

Especially mine

Mine too lol. Just look for trends versus one or 2 peoples opinions.

I had a varlet mega beehive - it was a beautifully made brush with a very nice knot - not everyone can make beehives, and Aldo is particularly talented - but I did not find it an ergonomic brush - that said, I prefer brushes with longer handles, like the DG Jefferson, Paladin Samurai - the Varlet Ranger and Gaslamp are more comfortable to use - for me.

Hope that's helpful!

Thanks for your input, Ian!

Have an acquaintance on here having purchased the Beehive, found it so incompatible with his ergonomic preferences, sold it almost immediately.  He may or may not chime in. Will alert him to the enquiry

many thanks for this,  now this post really concerns me, since we are talking of a $500 brush.  This leans me a bit more to the range,  i need something safe since I wont be able to sell it since this will be one my wife's 10 year anniversary gifts)

Have an acquaintance on here having purchased the Beehive, found it so incompatible with his ergonomic preferences, sold it almost immediately.  He may or may not chime in. Will alert him to the enquiry

many thanks for this,  now this post really concerns me, since we are talking of a $500 brush.  This leans me a bit more to the range,  i need something safe since I wont be able to sell it since this will be one my wife's 10 year anniversary gifts)

Ranger is great. Mega is great. Gaslamp is great. Although I know people that dislike all of these too so

Cauldron looks the safest from an ergonomic perspective. Very clean and simple with no ridges that some may find uncomfortable

another question:  could anyone that have used the Varlet Beehive comment about its ergonomic/comfort?  I just made the order request for beehive 29mm normal knot (carbon) but i could change to the ranger if the beehive is not comfortable to use during the shave.

I liked the original shape of the Varlet beehive from 2015 more than the current one but if I had to order another Varlet, I would go for the ergonomics of the handle alone of the Ranger.

is the beehive that worse in comfort? (in looks alone i definitely prefer the beehive) but if its something close (I.E, range = 10 comfort and Beehive 8.5) I would still get the beehive.  But if the beehive is a 5 and range 10,  then I would pick a ranger.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt but I would say for my large hands, long fingers, the beehive to me is about a 5 or 6 to hold. It's just odd to hold the thumb over the wide bottom and the golf ball above. The negative space is too deep that you end up wanting to hold the bottom. If you are getting a something bigger than a 25mm, you should be fine as you get more material anyway which is easier on the hand.