Upgrading from Paladin - is it worth?

Hey all, just getting some opinions and thoughts regarding the title.

As of now, I am a proud owner of a Paladin brush, my daily driver. I intend to get another brush to let it rest between shaves.

As there is a handful of Paladin on the website ready to be purchased, but yet at the same time I am interested to try something more custom like Declaration Grooming, Wald Shaving- just to name a few. Those are about twice the price of a single Paladin.

Is the law of diminishing return really worth the extras?

Also, seems like Varlet is not taking orders, that would be my end-game brush(Tons of email, no reply). If I could get a Varlet, I would.

I think being able to let your brush rest & dry between shaves is a good idea regardless. What kind of brush you want to alternate with probably depends on what you’re looking for, do you want different characteristics? More/less backbone, more/less gel tips, bigger/smaller knot, etc… you could also get something like a Declaration knot in a non-DG handle and it would be a lot cheaper than a full DG brush. That just depends on if you really want one of Scott’s handes.

And, being perfectly honest here, getting Quinn to do a custom stone handle sans tag at bottom then sending to Scott at Declaration Grooming for a B15 would yield best brush money can buy at moment and for fair price even if resale value uncertain. The combo of Quinn handle with DG knot THAT special

You might also want to consider a fully customized brush from Allen @longshaving. I just received my first brush from him and must say that the knot that Allen tied for this brush is among my top five knots. His prices are very competitive. His customer service is among the best in this business

A few other users have already provided great replies. I will comment particularly to the question:

“Is the law of diminishing return really worth the extras?”

To this point, it depends on what you value. You’re paying for someones additional time to make a fully customized brush from scratch in small batches.

The raw materials of the knot remain the same, so the additional cost you’re paying for is not really for performance (in my opinion) but rather the artistic value & labour of a skilled craftsman.

It’s up to you to determine whether that is worth double or triple the cost of other brushes, and there is no “correct” answer, again in my opinion. As the saying goes “Beauty (and value) is in the eye of the beholder”.

Really, you are the only one that can decided that. I personally find the quality of the hair to typically be better. I have my preferences for what I like. Declaration can hit in that, but rarely, I have had nothing from Wald but from what I've seen the knots don't quite what I want personally. Paladin has knots I like too, but not as many. In terms of polish, finish, and the likes for that you really can't get much better. I have some Varlets and I like those, but they were before the price increases. That's not to say I wouldn't buy again in the future though. I have over 150 brushes easy, and just the cost alone of a brush will not make a brush objectively better. The only thing that makes a brush objectively better is that it has what you like in it. That can be a hard problem to solve if you don't have experience with the wide range of products. I disagree vehemently with those that say there isn't a difference between the higher cost knots vs a cheap knot you could pick up from the various places. It's an extremely rare cheap knot that doesn't have the gel feeling I don't quite like. That part I am adverse to, and I do have brushes that have gelling that I like, but I can't take a steady diet of them. It's too easy to have it veer into a point of not being right for me. Even the ones I like I don't use heavily. Paladin isn't low tier by any means. The knots tend towards gel which I don't like overall, but there are knots without that. Even barring that minor thing I don't like, the sum value of Paladin as a whole is greater than that one minor aspect. I have Paladins I've yet to try after years that I am sure I will love when I do use them. Not sure why I haven't used them yet, I just haven't for some reason, and that isn't anything specific to them. I have too many I have yet to use.

I hope that was helpful. As a brief summary, I would say going over 300 isn't necessary for a great quality brush, and that's with a large knot (30mm). It is by no means necessary to approach that much either. I have a Key Hole 4 I purchased used for 40 bucks that looked new when I got it and it performs great. Sales for new items can come up for steals and they are great. There are differences in the various makers grades, and even within the same grades, and while I love those difference I know I'm a mad hatter that those differences even matter to me. You really have to love brushes to appreciate the minute differences, and to be honest for me they are small. 10%. Rooney 2-band heritage and 3-band heritage and Finest are my only outliers. The density is more than typical, but the Finest hair in particular has very few approximates, and takes a special batch to even get within range of being a contender, but fails to get there.

At the same time I can't say the much more expensive ones are much better because it's not necessarily true. In the end the point is to create lather with the brush, but you can go to any sort of extreme you want to with brushes. You can have exotic materials, more expensive grades of hair, a heavy brush, a light brush, a short loft brush, a long loft brush, and so many other options. I like my brushes for what they bring to the table individually. Sometimes I want a short stubby brush that is small, sometimes I want it like that but large, then another time I want large and with a good loft but still retaining density, and other time I just want soft, soft, soft. You could go and look at Plisson badger brushes and know you will find ones much more expensive than options you have listed, and though I have those brushes too, I can't say they are worth the price new. If you find them at a good price used, then I could be a bit more recommending.

Overall, I would recommend from Simpson and Shavemac quite easily. I like the selection and quality of all the brushes. I would say choose Shavemac Pure over Simpson Pure. The quality is more consistent in just that one, but both are excellent when done right. I don't get to see the brush then though, and I have more than what I need, so I like to look to eBay and BSTs for stuff I am interested in. I know I'll like what I'm buying seeing the knot, and get a much better value than buying new. It's all subjective though. There is some objectiveness in the grades of hairs and how they perform at certain parameters, but whether that is objectively better is up to the subjective evaluations of the user. You can find some users that you have commonality with for your preferences and that can be quite helpful. Honestly, I think you could go with a multitude of other options before ever approaching any of the options you mentioned and trying some more brush grades and being quite happy.

I've had 3 Paladins and really liked them all. I think they are well made brushes. If I liked 2 band brushes more, I probably would've kept all of them.

It’s funny you post after mine zac. Zac is one of those that has quite similar tastes to mine and has helped on numerous occasions when I’ve considered a brush. I’ve purchased from him in the past even. I still have that Duke 3 Manchurian in walnut I purchased from you!

I lean a bit more to not being bothered by 2-band and like it scrubbier while preferring 3 band. Not too scrotchy, but it doesn’t need be gel tip soft either. I haven’t met a 3-band gel tip I like to my recollection.

Just wanted to add a little of what I look, like, and why. I thought it might be useful. I recently added a used Savile Row 3332, a used Chubby 2 Manchurian in Blue Opal, and a Somerset Tulip 4 in 2-band. While I prefer 3-band overall, and would say the 3332 is the one I’m most pleased with, I’m not any less enthusiastic of the others. I’ve been on a large brush kick of late so the 3332 hits the spot for me better, and the higher loft of it was extremely appealing to me. It can be hard to get one just right. I prefer a touch longer for Savile Row, but not too short. Excellent softness to the knot and just right density that allows for efficient lathering. Synthetics can still win in terms of speed, but with a higher loft and the right density, it’s not far behind at all with no lather fling that is typical of most synthetics.

The Chubby 2 is something I know objectively I need as I have over 5 of these, but I couldn’t resist at the price, loved the Blue Opal material, and seeing the knot just seals it for me. It’s actually a touch on the smaller side for me which is comical as it’s a 28mm knot easy. It’s not small. It’s just as I said my preference has trended to using large brushes as of late. The batch of this Manchurian is very much to my liking and I need to go through some of my others again to compare.

The Tulip 4 I had held on for awhile and it is NOS. I’ve always liked the older Somerset handles curves that they have and the modern day stuff just isn’t quite what it was like before Vulfix took over. This is mo slight, however. All things have their pluses and minuses. I like the looks of the handles of Pre-Vulfix, aka Somerset, better, but at times I would like the just slightly increased heft of the handles you get now. I wouldn’t say the older knots are better than those made today, as per my recent Chubby 2 in Manchurian is spectacular, but there is definitely something special and different to the hair grades while David Carter had ownership and made the brushes. I know from previous experience with Somerset purchases I will be pleased with it.

The commonality with all of these is I know what I like, and have expectations of what they will be like. I can’t remember the last time I have been disappointed in a brush and have decided to sell. It’s been years. I will also say it is madness because I have more than I can reasonably use, and it is hard remembering everything I have sometimes. I guess that’s where my dilemma comes in. Yes, brushes can have differences, but honestly they are small. Those small differences can make or break it for you, however, and while one can rightly say it is not worth it for them, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it to the next person. I’m totally willing to give opinions on anything you might consider too if you want. There is a good chance I have the exact model if not at least brushes of the same hair grade and manufacturer.

I can’t say much more beyond what kooshman7 said in his extensive post. Brushes are so personal and over time with more experience with a variety of brushes to know what what you individually value. For example, I like many of the different resins or rod types Paladin uses but that wouldn’t be the reason I would purchase one. I would say more importantly, in my experience with Paladin, is that the handles are made with ergonomics in mind rather than a shape that was made purely for the aesthetic.

And again, kooshman7 is like me. We hold the quality of the hair itself and the quality of the craftsmanship in the knot to be a top priority. Luckily, we aren’t short on good choices in a variety of price ranges. aerolord Keep us updated as to what you decide to buy or try out. Cheers

Paladin are very nice as are M&F and Simpson’s I’m not sure DG are worth the extra I’ve got one is is not stand out to me