Review: BrushCraft Shave Brush

(2022) If there is one thing we have lusted after all these years, it’s been to own a Pennsylvania-made shave brush, particularly by turner Chris Trimble of BrushCraft out of Lancaster, PA. After the first lather was whipped up, the satisfaction of swirling around the stubble added to the enjoyment that is wet shaving.

Shave brushes are a lost art where the user would use it as a tool. The brush’s first job was to whip up a lather from shave soap in a vessel. Taking the shave soap to the face the brush started the task to apply the soap evenly and thickly. The final role of the brush is to exfoliate while directing the facial hair rather straight up to make the ensuing straight razor swipe more effective. For those we have convinced to ditch the cartridge razor and shave can, the lathering experience is part of the enjoyment.

BrushCraft made a small batch run for Long Rifle Soap Company’s 2021 holiday season.

Chris Trimble has been making shave brushes for a while on his Etsy platform. Recently, Long Rifle Soap Company, one of our favorite shave soap makers, commissioned several pieces. We happened to snatch up the cedar handle with a faux tuxedo brush. Its short stature and light weight made it immediately comfortable to hold through the various tasks. With the brush resting on the side of the scuttle, the BrushCraft logo looks back. Per BrushCraft’s social media, a laser etching machine made the logo possible.

Whipping a lather from tallow soap is part of the wet shaving enjoyment. We haven’t posted much in the wet shave category lately because of the discipline’s sustainability. For months we have shaved our way through multiple tubs of shave soap, creating next to no waste in the process. Each soap used creates a relaxing scent; the brush’s role adds to the relaxation. To use the right brush makes it feel kingly.

Throughout the brush’s use two things became apparent. The brush’s ergonomic contours were well-researched. This isn’t some quick attempt at making a wooden brush. Also, the lightness of the whole thing is apparent when whipping laps in the lather bowl. The grip and quickness produced a pillowy lather, thus maintaining the warmth from the process. The satisfaction of having thick, warm, clinging lather was directly a result from this quality Pennsylvania brush.

This BrushCraft shave brush features a tuxedo knot that performs quite closely to badger fur.

Brushes come with various bristles. Some are badger fur, regarded by many to be the best for the whole process but isn’t really sustainable from an environmental standpoint. There are synthetic knots (brushes) that vary in quality, but BrushCraft delivers with a tuxedo knot, a brush that replicates badger quality while striving for sustainability. If we’re honest we had to check several times to make sure the bristles weren’t badger fur because of how well it performed. 

Several of the brushes are still available via Long Rifle Soap Company’s online shop. With such a limited run this year, it makes a great gift for the person looking to make the shaving experience sustainable as well as relaxing. Lancaster-based BrushCraft creates quality shave brushes, and we can’t begin to relay just how exciting it is to have one of these brushes on the shave shelf. Wet shaving advertises as sustainable but it’s more than that- it’s heirloom quality. BrushCraft may have turned a brush for immediate use, but this one will hopefully stay in service for many generations.