Hi folks. This was a bit of a long week for me personally and this blog ended up really large, so I’m planning to split it into two parts. I have another batch of brushes that I could not fit into this post, but will be featured hopefully next week. I’m super excited to share some news, updates, and some really nice pieces that have been completed this year so far. I should also re-visit the topic of The Varlet’s hair supply, as it has been some time, and I’ll do that here and hopefully expand on it in the coming months. Also, some unfortunate but necessary updates to the options pricing, but we’ll wrap things up with some nice photos to end the post on a sweet note.
The shop continues to run pretty well at the moment, and though we haven’t reached NorCal’s usual scorching temps quite yet the summer has been really enjoyable. I’ve updated the copper cutting machinery in the shop, and though the installation of the rod is still intensive, I’m happy to say that at least the milling process is much much smoother of stock copper rod. We’ve had quite a few brushes with the Copper Center option be finished lately so the timing could not be better.
On the knot-tying side of things, knot production was a bit slow in the spring as I took some time to dial in the hair supply, but once that was done production was a lot speedier. We’ve had a nice run of completions as the summer got started and I feel it’s only going to continue.
Alpine Grade 2026
I’m really excited to share a little bit about the hair supply that I’ve been working on sourcing for the past few months. Opinions about shaving brush hair quality and attributes are ever-changing and evolve constantly, from the shaving community’s obsession with Rooney Finest hair in the early 2010’s, to the gel tip mania of 2019/2020, it’s been crazy. However, I really feel that we are entering into a golden age of two-band hair during which shavers are cognizant of what the best attributes for a good shave are and also what guarantees the highest possible integrity of the raw material. I’ll talk about the latest hair supply and how I feel it sets the stage for things going forward.
As The Varlet has evolved over the years I’ve come to realize more and more the importance of sourcing the best possible hair and to try to find suppliers that will work with me to produce hair with certain specifications. This is not always easy at the scale of operation that The Varlet is, especially dealing with producers that are not domestic, as there really are none. The language and culture barrier, the difficulty in communication, and differing expectations have made this difficult in previous years, without mentioning the fact that I’m not ordering huge quantities of hair so I can’t have the benefit of bringing that to the table. However, with the philosophy of the brushes being honed more and more, the goal is increasingly inching towards offering the best possible experience while doing as little as possible to the raw material. With The Varlet’s brushes my aim is not artificial exclusivity but a deeper consideration of what components make up the final piece, and what their purpose is.
The current hair source features very minimal treatment at the hair tip. The treatment is meant to make the thick two-band hair more comfortable to use and give a slight brightness at the peaks, which are naturally quite amber colored for virtually all sources that I’ve previously seen. This slight improvement in aesthetics and to tame the roughness just a bit is all that is necessary. As my own preferences in shaving gear have evolved I’ve come to actually enjoy a bit of scrub at the tips far more than bristles that are extremely soft. This gives more feedback during the shave, the hair feels more natural and less processed, which I enjoy the idea of, and also yields much better results in the days post-shave. My stubble emerges smoother, and with less issues that I experience from time to time when I am unable to do as long of a shave prep as I’d like. I do know that some of my most beloved brushes in the past featured tips that were ultra soft, and that many folks came to identify The Varlet’s brushes for this incredible hair quality.
Going forward, as overall preferences gravitate towards a more balanced hair feel at the tips, I personally feel that the hair I’m sourcing now aligns with that, and my own shaving experience also bolsters this philosophy. In the coming months, I’ll think about options for those that still prefer the softest possible tips, but I’m always willing to work with folks so if you have a strong preference please let me know.
The current aim for the hair supply is also to source hair with a thicker shaft and longer tip length. This is usually hair that is a bit more rare, but gives stronger individual firmness for each hair and also I find the longer tips of these hairs very nice in the looks department. Since this is a natural material this is always subject to variance from season to season, but nevertheless this is the aim going forward and I think the brushes really benefit from this in a tangible way.
The lineage of the Alpine Grade moniker continues, and it embodies an idea that I’ve seen adopted by only those brush-makers that share my values, which is to optimize the hair that the Far East suppliers send to us by doing additional sorting steps in-house. When I first envisioned calling the hair “Alpine”, the goal was to let folks know that the hair was sorted in-house, one by one, so that the best possible hairs would be the ones to go in the knots. That is what the “Alpine” moniker stands for, the highest possible peak for a given batch of hair. As a result, the tips of the knots to this day continue to feature the nicest possible natural taper, which reduce irritation and cap off the entire brush properly.
Options Pricing
I’ve managed to keep prices relatively the same since early 2020, which was before the massive surge of inflation that the pandemic ushered in and that still continues in 2026. A lot of these additional costs have been absorbed on my side for as long as possible, and I do still think the brushes will eventually settle at prices that are a bit higher. One of the things that I’m committed to is the uncompromising nature of the pieces, which means any cost cutting/time saving measure that signifies even a small departure from what the brushes are supposed to be is off the table. As I’ve honed my work further and further in recent times I have a more accurate understanding of what is possible from a production efficiency standpoint, and many options that present themselves to be able to make these brushes faster either mean compromising on the smaller details or design choices, or the fully hand-made nature of the brushes. I still hand-shape every handle, without templates or any aids whatsoever, entirely free-hand. So, in the not so distant future if this is going to be a brand that stands the test of time, I’ll have to re-align things even more.
I don’t think we are quite there yet but it’s just something that I wanted to mention for perspective. I have, however, made some minor price adjustments to the additional options to more closely reflect production time as well as R&D costs that I’ve incurred already for some of these options to be executed to a high degree. I’ve kept price increases for options as modest as possible but they are truly necessary in today’s economic climate and also will help me to hit construction time estimates more accurately going forward.
Price Change info
Base prices are remaining the same for all brushes. The new prices for options are outlined below. I do anticipate that in the near future, pearl colors as well as any color that is not Somerset Ivory will need an additional minor upcharge. However, for now I will hold off on adding these extra charges though they are most likely coming. This is the nature of working with urethane resin, which is notoriously difficult to cast precisely, as it is very sensitive to temperature and humidity, and has very limited compatible dyes which are cumbersome to work with. However, no other material has the durability and the brightness, ability to be polished, and the warmth which is why I see no other handle material being adopted any time soon.
With that said, I will be adding a Custom Color fee effective today, which will hopefully help cover some of my more extensive production time spent over the past few months. Originally, custom colors were not meant to be available at all, but in the interest of building up the portfolio I have been pretty liberal in accommodating custom color requests. However, with the extensive time and effort needed to get colors dialed in, I need to add a substantial fee to be able to continue to offer these. What is defined as a Custom Color is any color that I have not done before, with details on that below.
Options prices as of 07/19/2026:
(for deposits placed on or after said date)
Hash: +$45
BLK / WHT Marble (or similar marble): +$45
BLK / WHT Beveled (or similar joint): +$45
Terrazo: +$45
Multi-piece handle: two-piece $65, three-piece (ring) $95
Add Copper Center: One-piece handles +$25, two-piece handles +$45, three-piece handle: varies on case by case basis
Engraving options (no extra charge): Gloss Black TimeMark™ Engraving, Pearl White TimeMark™ Engraving, Gold TimeMark™ Engraving, Silver TimeMark™ Engraving
Custom Engraving (+$50)
Custom Color: +$95 Custom colors are defined as colors not previously displayed anywhere on The Varlet’s website or on The Varlet’s Instagram page. Custom color fee may be waived or reduced based on production time necessary. Any fee waiver/reduction will be granted after the handle is made, and is up to the discretion of The Varlet. Your custom color will be intellectual property of The Varlet, and may be offered in the future or become part of The Varlet’s usual offerings. Custom color option DOES NOT guarantee the right to exclusivity of your color choice to you or your brush(es) only.
**Since I don’t display every brush on my Instagram or the blog, if there is a color that has been done before that is pictured by someone else, please let me know and I can see if it’s possible to do again without any additional fee.
Photos/Closing
Finally, here are some of the highlights from 2026. Super happy with the results on these pieces and if your brush isn’t pictured here, I do regret it immensely as I love them all, but the blog had to be kept manageable. I hope everyone is enjoying their shaving process and also enjoying the summer in general. I’ll try to have Part II this coming week, but I will play it by ear as I don’t want to overwhelm everyone as this has been a long post. I will, however, be definitely reaching out to folks individually regardless.
I’m still enjoying the challenge of this craft and also still pushing myself to improve my skills, thanks to everybody for your patience and understanding the process, and I hope the results are paying off for everyone during their shaves. I’m extremely thankful to be able to make pieces that can bring some joy to a daily task, and even help to make a grooming task be closer to a personal ritual and a way to relax and take care of oneself. I’m extremely honored to be of service in this small way.
Custom availability will be open now on the Custom Order page until slots are full. Thanks everybody!
-Aldo
