I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of these two Yaqi brushes, both 22mm with 50mm loft. For the soap, I decided to treat myself, and again returned to one of Grooming Dept’s wonderful shaving soaps, this one the Mallard formula Corretto, whose fragrance is as pleasing as the lather I get.
I loaded both brushes and used both for the first lathering, one on the left side, one on the right. Then I used one for the second pass and one for the third.
Despite the two knots having the same dimensions, the feel and performance of the two brushes was very different, which shows me what a difference the fiber makes. The orange-handled Cashmere brush was pleasing and the knot felt full and soft on my face. The amber-handled Cola brush’s knot felt inadequate and almost stingy. I don’t know much about the fibers, but I know what I like. The Cola is not fully adequate, IMO, though of course you can get a shave with it.
The soap was, as it has been, totally wonderful, and the RazoRock stainless Mamba did a superb job (though of course the prep — Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-Shave and a good amount of time spent working in a lather from an exceptional shaving soap — did help a lot).
I ended which a good splash of Speick EDT, which I converted to an aftershave by adding to it a couple of squirts of Grooming Dept Hydrating Gel.
I’m ready for the day, and the sun has just now come strongly out. Still cold, though. 40ºF.