Rooney Shaving Brushes – The Complete Review

Product Name

Reviewed by

Paul McCarthy

Review date

Summary

R A Rooney & Sons are one of the oldest shaving brush manufacturers in the world, and their super silvertip brushes are a wonderful nod to the past in terms of quality and style. Hailing from England, these top of the line shaving brushes are made from the highest quality materials and are great to use with both soaps and creams.

Rating

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Product Overview

Going back centuries, R A Rooney & Sons have consistently provided some of the finest and most applauded shaving brushes in the world.

With brushes ranging from pure to a grade beyond regular silvertip, most traditional wet shaving enthusiasts covet one of their brushes in their bathroom.

The company itself is pretty much a mystery as there is not much information about them online, and they don’t have a website of their own – all brushes are sold through different retailers.

While company background may be readily lacking, Rooney brushes are widely available on the market.

There are currently 35 variations of Rooney brushes being sold, including one synthetic brush, in all types of badger hair quality and sizes.

Well-known for their dense knot, denser than most traditional shaving brushes, Rooney brushes tend to create a a thick, easy lather due to their great water holding capacity.

While great for hard soap users, the brushes work just as well for soft soap and shaving cream users.

The shaving brushes are unique in style and craftsmanship, and when you hold one in your hands you know that a lot of thought and work has gone into designing these high-end and super high-quality brushes.

Most of the brush styles come in three sizes (small, medium and large) as well as in Pure, Best, Genuine Silvertip and Super Silvertip. Rooney, just like Simpsons, provide brushes with a higher grade silvertip badger hair.

There is a distinct difference between the regular silvertip and the super silvertip as the tip is longer and the bottom of the hair tends to be pure black.

The Super Silvertip brush also feels firmer than other types. These brushes are of extremely high density and hold water so well that they can lather a hard cake of soap in seconds.

Rooney shaving brushes have a reputation for being stiffer than most brushes, and often require a little time and use to become suppler.

While many enjoy the lathering ease, the stiffness of the brush may not be the best option for those with very sensitive skin.

The stiffness of the brush not only does a great job lathering, it also really helps pick up the hairs and even seems to massage and slightly exfoliate the skin.

While the craftsmanship of the brushes is quite beautiful as well as effective, the handles don’t fall by the wayside either.

Made from materials such as faux ivory and faux bone, all of the handles are hand-lathe turned for ultimate quality.

Rooney seem to have thought of everything in their designs as there lines of brushes were created with different men and different techniques in mind.

The “Stubby” comes with a short handle, while the Victorian comes with a longer, slimmer handle. There really seems to be a brush available for everyone.

Of course, such high quality always comes at a price, and Rooney brushes are definitely on the high end of the price scale.

Between $50 for a synthetic or lower quality badger hair, to well over $300 for a super silvertip brush, you really do get what you pay for. With good care, Rooney brush will last for years.​

Is It Effective?

Rooney shaving brushes are some of the best on the market, right up there with other high quality and traditional manufacturers such as Simpsons.

The dense knot of the brush really provides an excellent lather in seconds, without much practice. Not only are they easy to use, but you can be assured that any lather created will last out two or three passes with a razor.

The initial stiffness is not something to be afraid of as the brush tends to become supple with use, while still maintaining its density. A Rooney is definitely one to have on rotation, if not as your main brush.​

What Customers Think

Customers tend to love how beautifully crafted the brushes are and how well they actually work. Customers also seem to like how easy they are to use and the thickness of lather the brushes create. Even the lower end brushes get a huge thumbs up.

Personal Experience​

I personally tried the medium version of the Super Silvertip Heritage Beehive brush.

The handle was a good size for my hand and was easy to us with hard soap. It took literally no time to create a nice, thick lather.

While the initial stiffness of the brush may not be to everyone’s taste, I had no problem both bowl and face lathering. It did not irritate my slightly sensitive skin at all.​

In Conclusion…

Things we Liked

  • Beautiful line of brushes
  • Great selection of different styles and badger hair types
  • Handcrafted and high quality
  • Great density brushes
  • Super efficient, especially with lathering

Things we didn't Like

  • The higher end, Super Silvertip, brushes can be very expensive
  • Initial stiffness of the brush may be a little too much for sensitive skin
Sue
 

For the past 12 months, I have been testing and playing with all sorts of hair removal products for Hair Free Life. My goal is to provide the most accurate and up-to-date hair removal consumer information on the internet. When I'm not photographing, reviewing and researching hair removal products I play the drums in a samba band and am a volunteer for the Swindon Lions! Got any questions? Write to us below:

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