Phantom Aerolite 26mm Spectral Synth Hybrid Brush | Retro Shave Tech!

Not only is this brush a loose homage or reimagining to a mysterious brush from the past, it's also an homage to Summer itself! Remember the color of chlorinated pools in the 80's? This is pretty much that. But, inside that imaginary pool is a swirling, whirling phantom. I kid you knot...ahem, not. (sorry.) Inside each handle is a genuine phantom. Well, at least that's what I see, you be the judge.

New Knot!

With this release we are also introducing our latest, NEW hybrid knot, The Spectral Synth! Fans of our knots, especially the Roswell Grey (Peregrino/Starcraft Knot), will immediately recognize the similarity in feel and performance. In fact, the only real difference is the color and The Size!  

If It Ain't Broke

I mean, why stray away from a knot design that really seemed to check off all the boxes when it came to a high quality knot that made soooo many rethink their take on synthetics? But we'll come back to that, now for a little, and I mean little, extremely vague history of the handle we did our best to reimagine! 

The Itsy-bitsy Erskine B-200 

Such an obscure little brush the B-200 is, and good luck finding one! If you do, good luck working with the size of it! This baby was tiny, but the shape held soooo much potential if you ask me. It was clear we needed to revive this one. Historically, it was a butterscotch number with a knot of about 15mm in diameter. To be a daily driver would be laughable by todays standards. Heck, even using this as a travel brush would be difficult...but that shape, it just called to me!

 

So Fran and I began to reinterpret it (yet again) as a jazz musician may add a little color and swing to their rendition of My Favorite Things (or any other standard at that). We also thought it might be interesting to stick with our seasonal theme like the Amber Aerolite.  As you've read at the top, those summer thoughts greatly influenced the design. Granted, a Chlorine themed handled brush can & will be used all year round but for the sake of the launch date we were aiming for, it seemed more than fitting, no? (I predict many a SOTD photo with a pool in the background.)

Ergonomic?

I think that feature is what really draws me to this handle. I mean, Erskine were really ahead of their time whether they were aware of the benefits of their geometry or knot...um, not. (sorry, again.) Meaning; the octagonal shape collar and base really make for that perfect, locked in grip for the slipperiest and soapiest conditions! It also just feels really substantial in hand, not bulky but robust! But let's get back to the elusive Erskine shall we? 

Erskine Brushes?

Yet another classic, vintage shave product with a history thinner than a whisker. Aside from a few 75 year old ads, there's not much out there in regards to the Erskine Company. 

What We Know

Erskine brushes bear the name of the company founder James Lowe Erskine (b. 1861, d. 1937).  The James Lowe Erskine Company was located in Brooklyn, NY and made brushes from 1888 to at least 1957. [Old School Shaving Brushes]

I have also seen some dates on a certain shave forum, but no real history, no real story. Again, it's so sad how much history we have lost...but i'm sure someone out there can put some pieces back into place for us! But I digress.

The 26mm Spectral Synth Hybrid Knot

You'd be amazed at how fast synthetic fibers are evolving. With the market and demand for synthetic knots growing, the competition in quality & development will send your head a spinning! This is also due to the fact that a lot of big shave giants, like Art of Shaving, are also making the switch to offering only synthetics...this is huge and forcing manufacturers to out do each other every other month! 

Fans (pun intended), of our modern synthetic knots are going to love our latest Fan/Bulb Hybrid, Spectral Hybrid Knot! Not only is The Spectral simply EPIC mounted on that moody, blue resin-type handle, but the performance is exceptional. 

The Spectral features super soft tips, almost gel like when wet and a killer fiber density, providing you with some great backbone and more wispy/silky than scritchy/scratchy face lathers. The Spectral Knot is sure to impress even the hardiest traditionalist out there still clinging to their badger, boar and horse hair counterparts. Again, if you love our brushes, you are pretty much guaranteed to LOVE the Spectral! This is especially true if you're in the market for a larger knot!

Aesthetics 

Before any of our brushes are released they must pass a simple test, aside from quality control and performance, it needs to move me. It has to appeal to something deep inside me that I really can't describe in words, that I should not need to describe in words. It must evoke this same feeling in our customers too...or what's the point? Quality, Value and Style! (That's really what it's all about!)

So with that my friends, it gives me GREAT PLEASURE to introduce you all to our latest, EPIC, Retro (& then some), 26mm Phantom Aerolite Shave Brush!!!! 

Approx. Specs:

Complete Length: 126 mm

Width at Widest point: 42 mm

Width and Shortest point: 29mm

Weight: 3.88 Oz (110 grams)

Knot: 26 mm

Loft Ht: 55 mm

Handle Material: Acrylic 

BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free and lead-free