V01
V01 V01
$ 140.00

This 26 mm Alternative Horn Paladin® Chief was one of the First Batch brushes we made in collaboration with Lee Sabini. We cut the workpieces with a table saw set up on our driveway in Overland Park, KS and turned the handles in the original Dark Holler Design Works shop in our basement. That work was carried out from August through September of 2014. We shipped the First Batch handles to Lee in mid-October. There were 84 in total, including 42 made from Alternative Ivory, 21 from Alternative Horn, and 21 from Butterscotch. Forty-two of those handles were Chiefs and 42 were PK-47s. Per Lee’s suggestion, all those handles were finished in barrels England. We were somewhat disappointed with the results when they came back to us, and so we reduced the price from $160 to $140. In a sense, they were the first Paladin Barely Seconds. That said, no one complained. All the First Batch handles were also labeled in England, presumably with the same pad-printer used for Rooney and Morris & Forndran handles.

The First Batch project was described and discussed in considerable detail in the Dark Holler Design Works preview thread on B&B. Below are links to some posts that might be of particular interest to prospective bidders.

#143: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/dark-holler-design-works-preview.420972/page-8#post-6749328

#166: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/dark-holler-design-works-preview.420972/page-9#post-6754133

#261: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/dark-holler-design-works-preview.420972/page-14#post-6917881

#281: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/dark-holler-design-works-preview.420972/page-15#post-6928565

#331: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/dark-holler-design-works-preview.420972/page-17#post-6935894

#362: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/dark-holler-design-works-preview.420972/page-19#post-6957387

#525: https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/dark-holler-design-works-preview.420972/page-27#post-7081253

The Paladin™ Chief handle-design reflects traditional influences that proximately include the Morris & Forndran L7 and several timeless Simpson models (notably including the venerable M7 and AS3), which themselves have antecedents in US-made Rubberset shaving brushes dating to the early 1900s. The basic shape has been around for a long time (probably because it was easy to produce on primitive lathes, looks good, and works quite well). Our design objectives for the Chief aimed to achieve subtle yet distinctive aesthetic and ergonomic refinements. This brush is especially well-suited to bowl-lathering, but it also works just fine for face-lathering. 

At present, we only offer knots containing what is commonly referred to as 2-band badger hair, the characteristics of which combine resilient (springy) shafts with soft tips. High quality knots of this type are prized for their overall performance. The resilience of 2-band hair confers optimal backbone without excessive density. As a result, 2-band knots typically deliver superior lather production and flow-through without sacrificing comfort in use. We offer these knots first and foremost because they are what we prefer to use ourselves. Please take care to note additional details regarding the various knots installed in listed brushes here. 

Material: Alternative Horn (polyester resin)
Socket diameter: 26 mm
Handle height: 59.5 mm ± 1 mm
Handle diameter: 36.9 mm ± 1 mm
Knot measurements: see accompanying front-side (top) photo.