Rooney 2/1 Super Silvertip

Rooney makes its Style 2 brushes in one size only, a Persian Jar-styled handle with a 22 mm knot of three band Super Silvertip hair set at a 50 mm loft. The knot is not particularly dense, so the combination of three band super and that loft delivers a brush that is very soft on the face, with a nice sized bloom and great flow through. In addition to the faux horn shown, the handle can also be found in imitation ivory or ebony. These particulars are fine, but how does it perform?

To test this, I bowl lathered a cream, in this case Coates Tea Tree, and Trumper Violet soap, vintage 2011. Unlike some of the more recent versions of the veggie reformulation, this one lathers pretty well.



With a handle like this, you would expect that it's good for bowl lathering, and this is indeed the case. From this small snurdle of Coates cream.....



The 2/1 delivered this:



A brush with the knot particulars of the 2/1 is often considered to be a poor candidate for hard soaps, but after a one minute loading time.....



The 2/1 more than delivered a bowlful of great lather:



In conclusion, Rooney makes great basic brushes, and the 2/1 is no exception. Most shavers are more familiar with the Style 1 and Style 3, but while the Style 2 tends to fly under the radar, it more than holds its own with all manner of soaps and creams. It is on the expensive side of entry level badger brushes, and a premium is paid for the Rooney name and Silvertip hair. I would not recommend this as an entry level badger for new users, but for someone looking to expand their brush collection or try a Rooney, this is a good place to start.