Exceptional brush, absolutely love it, perfect.
I had heard a lot of very positive things about Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements brushes, and also for the price, that they are untouchable with regards to quality, performance and also their appearance. I really like how Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements have got their design ideas from vintage brushes from the past. The first thing I want to talk about is the handle. The size and shape are absolutely perfect and it feels excellent in the hand. It's on the large size, but this just makes it all the more easier to hold due to the contours of the handle and also the octagonal shape that is on the very bottom of the handle and also on the upper part of the handle as well. The colour is beautiful, and it certainly has an amber like appearance, it also looks beautiful as well when the light catches it. Even with soap running down the handle, the brush felt very secure in the hand and it never felt like at any point that it would slip out of my hand. Next thing I want to talk about is the Stygian knot. It has for me the absolute perfect amount of backbone, being not too much or not too little. It is incredible soft, and I would say the softest synthetic brush I have used. It is incredible densely packed and holds a ton of lather, but I hasten to add is happy to part with it, it certainly does not hog the lather like some natural hair knots can. If I had to compare the knot to perhaps something that a lot of people have either tried or owned. I would say it looks similar to a Tuxedo knot in colour, but for me the Stygian knot feels softer than the Tuxedo, and also seems a lot more densely packed than the Tuxedo knots that I have used. I've tried this brush with Wickham Soaps, Stirling Soaps, and also bowl lathered with TOBS, and the brush performs excellently with them all. After use the brush rinsed clean easily (like a good synthetic knot does) and despite it being very densely packed, around two hours later the brush felt dry. I think I may have seen the brush shed one fibre during the rinsing out on its first use, but this is perfectly normal for a new brush, but after the first use there have been no more. Along with this brush I purchased another Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements brush (Peregrino) and they have certainly ticked all the boxes and have become the brushes that I like the most in my collection, and also brushes that are at the top of my list of my top favourite brushes. In my opinion Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements brushes, that for the price, they cannot be beaten, and they have certainly ticked all the boxes for me and then some.
