PAA Peregrino Shave Brush

PAA Paragrino Shave Brush

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From the PAA Website:

“Ahh The Peregrino, the 5th installment of our EPIC, Retro Brush shave line…in this homage to the classic, vintage Ever-Ready 500E!

“Why Synthetics?

“You’d be amazed at how fast synthetic fibers are evolving…we came up with The Roswell (Grey) Hybrid Synth, something REALLY special. The feel is pretty much a combination of our Suave & Tribble knots.”

Specs (dimensions approximate):

• Complete Length: 131 mm
• Width at Widest point: 45 mm
• Width and Shortest point: 27mm
• Weight: 122 grams (4.3 ounces)
• Knot: 24mm
• Loft Ht: 56mm
• Handle Material: Acrylic
• BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free and lead-free

My Experience With The PAA Paragrino Shave Brush

This brush is a study in contrasts for me.  The brush’s fiber is described as a cross between PAA’s “Tribble” and “Suave” fibers.  The Tribble fiber is very similar to the Plisson-style fiber (sometimes referred to as “Plissoft”) and I think the Suave fiber is comparable to the Faux Horse synthetic fiber of other artisans.

Personally I don’t care for either of those fibers by themselves…but combined the resulting “Roswell” fiber feels just fantastic to me.  It’s almost like badger hair with a “gel tip” construction (where the very tip of the hair has a bit of a hook shape).  I find it very soft on the skin but still with enough backbone to give it a hint of scrubbing action while lathering.

A minor gripe: the brush’s handle is just a bit too big for my preference. While the ~75mm handle length is usually at the far end of what I can grasp for best control with my fingertips on the brush knot base, the brush’s wider-diameter-than-most handle doesn’t let me grab it like I can others.  [Update: PAA’s Amber Aerolite uses the same fiber with a slightly smaller handle.]

I mentioned the handle size issue to my wife and she suggested I let my father-in-law try it (I converted him to traditional wet shaving a few years ago)–he has arthritis in his hand which sometimes makes grabbing and holding things a challenge.  I let him borrow it for a week and he promptly “stole” it from me!  He says he can hold it very easily and loves the way the synthetic fibers feel on his face.

So I ended up purchasing another Peregrino for myself despite its size…and bear in mind I already have over 50 shaving brushes in my “den” (though only four–including the Peregrino–are in my regular rotation).  Luckily the PAA Peregrino shave brush is comparatively inexpensive (certainly an excellent value IMHO).

Another reason I like this brush is that it’s just a lather-making machine.  Some other synthetic brushes I’ve tried take a little more work to get a good, hydrated lather in my “hard” water.  Not the Peregrino: I’m able to get a good, voluminous lather quickly and without drama.

As I mentioned earlier it feels almost like a gel tip badger brush with just enough backbone for a bit of scrubbing when lathering.

Not only that but water stays deep inside the brush knot instead of draining out. The brush “percolates” lather very well during the course of the shave–lather and water continue to mix rather than separate in the brush’s “breach.”

When I’m finished I give the fibers a quick squeeze and wipe with a dry towel.  The brush finishes drying very quickly.

All-in-all the PAA Peregrino shave brush “punches way above its weight” for me.

Conclusion

Once relegated to specific circumstances, I think the “state of the art” of synthetic shave brush fibers have pretty much caught up to the performance of the best badger hair products.  And they’ve done it at a competitive price point, or better.  The PAA Paragrino shaving brush performs as-well-or-better for me than badger hair brushes costing much more.

Do you have a Peregrino brush?  What do you think of it?  Leave a comment below.