I am completely new to straightshaving and am planning on purchasing my first brush. Should I go with boar or Badger bristles?
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I am completely new to straightshaving and am planning on purchasing my first brush. Should I go with boar or Badger bristles?
Seeing how you are new to the game, I would say Boar..THe cost is low and they are great brushes..Let it soak in hot water while you are in the shower and it will be softer than a badger when using it. What ever you do, don't get sucked into the hype right away. do some expermenting on your own. Watch who you pay heed to on these sites. Folks are well intentioned, but also very opinionated in the belief that their way is the "only" way to get a good shave..... Walmart sells a cheap boar brush..I personally have an Omega...But the Wally world one is the one I used prior to that one....I have Silver Tips, Best Badger and Boar. I like the boar the best...I could have saved money by just staying with that one...... One thing I have noticed is that some soaps seem to work better with certain brushes...I prefer the Boar when I use MWF, and I use the Silver Tip Badger when using Proraso..
+1^^
I agree entirely with what has been said. Badger brushes are definitely a great tool, and there are some excellent ones out there. But they are pricey, and it is not an absolute necessity. I get great shaves, and I am currently using a cheap boar hair brush from CVS, and I even use a synthetic brush for travel because it dries so quickly.
I think that the lather in the first few shaves is often sub-par, because it takes experimentation to create a good lather. I believe that some people just starting out get tied up in the notion that the poor lather is in regard to the brush, when it just takes time to find those perfect measurements and what works for you.
All in all, IMHO nice brushes feel great and work well, but they are not an absolute necessity, especially for a beginner.
Initially reacting to the question with detestable pomposity (its asked frequently and a search will cover the standard issues), I reconsidered & thought - this and other frequent questions are in many ways very good. 'New guys discovering the art and facing the right questions. I face-lather w/ hard soaps, and that screams for backbone - stiffness in the brisltes. Jimmyhad says he's used Badgers that had more backbone than boars, but I have to trust him there, 'cause I just can't make peace with the prices on the Badgers - especially knowing that most use low-cost Asian knots. 'Seems like romancing the canine to me. So I with the hard soap and face-lathering, I seek the most backbone. Of the new production, I've loved the Semogues, and we now have a real US outlet for them in NY (lee's safety razors), which is where I got the Semogue 620. Its the most satisfying new brush so far. I have found some vintage brushes that mock the new stuff. They make the stiffest of the new stuff seem rather flacid & floppy. Badgers hold water better. Period. There's a stage in face-lathering w/ a boar where you're prone to decorate the bathroom w/ flying lather. Its in the stage just after coating the face w/ soap and before the lather has built any loft. You'll know its coming when you see excess soap accummulating around the perimeter of the brush. This means you're about to decorate. Simply wipe that excess off on the face and keep working it until the lather builds loft, and you've got it licked. Again, congrats for choosing quality. You'll likely do well and get cranky when you don't have time for a proper shave w/ a str8. Its a great part of the day.
I'm a newbie too but I really like my boar brush from Rite Aid. They seem to lose a few more hairs than the badger but for me they do just as good a job with lather.
I agree with Wintchase, you can always upgrade if you wish.
You can also go synthetic. I was recently turned onto the Men-U Premium brush. It is a great and cost effective brush.
I have one of the cheapo boar brushes that is exactly like the one at Walgreens, mine just happened to be used and worn in when I acquired it, it works great for me with the Art of Shaving soap in wooden bowl. I also face lather and really don't know what I am doing, but it seems to work great and gets the job done.
I don't think it's rocket science despite what those who think you need a $300 brush would say. Mine was .50 cents at the flea market and I use it every time. Yeah I don't know any better, but what does it matter, it works.
Yep. Agreed. For what it's worth, I have a nice badger brush and I find myself using my cheap Walgreens boar brush much more often. Part of the reason is that because it was so cheap I don't obsess over it. For example, after I use my badger brush I feel the need to gently squeeze liquid water out, delicately dry the tips of the hairs out on a towel, and splay them out in a nice bloom so that capillary action can promote good drying. The boar gets violently whipped free of water into the open shower and left on the counter. Saves me a good minute or two.
If you like a softer feel, I find that the longer I soak the boar bristles in hot water the softer they feel. Try leaving it in hot water for the duration of a shower. Plus, with some age, they tips seem to soften and split considerably. I may not replace my badger brush if it ever poops out.
To sum up, I like my brushes like I like my women. They need to perform, but low maintenance is really really nice.
I don't think it's possible to recommend you one or the other based only on the fact that you are new. It depends on what your priorities and tastes are. I wouldn't presume that low cost is your top priority which seems to be the line of thought in the previous posts.Quote:
Originally Posted by FiremanFlounder
In my opinion you should buy the highest quality brush you can afford, and depending on your budget it may be boar, badger, or synthetic.
Yes I assumed it was a top priority. Guilty! But how often do you see recommendations given to new members for top-of-the-line equipment? Do we tell new members to buy 3 Kanayamas to start out with? (in case they nick the first two)? Grab an Escher on Ebay? Custom Damascus razor with MOP scales? Should a guy's first piece of any equipment in this hobby be high on the cost spectrum? I'll answer that hyperbolic list of rhetoricals with a probably not. Additionally, he may not like wetshaving at all; he could find himself with a used (gross!) shaving brush.Quote:
Originally Posted by gugi
I'll concede that brushes are not exactly like those other things...he's less likely to nick a brush, or damage it from dropping for that matter. But in this economy it's not a stretch to assume that price is a key factor. Plus, at least we didn't punt on the question.
I have several boars and 3 badgers and badgers are what I use the most. 1 in best, 1 black, and 1 silvertip. I paid $142.00 for the silvertip, $44.00 for the best, and the $10.00 black badger that was gotten at Target a year and a half ago I received as a gift. The black badger is by far my favorite brush. I face lather exclusively and that brush just whips up the quickest lather out of any that I have and holds a great amount for subsequent passes.
Yes, indeed, brushes are not like these other things as they are very resistant to abuse from just normal use, and are one of the lower cost equipment.
And boar brush isn't the lowest cost either. The lowest short term cost is no brush and using a brushless cream, or even just oil.
I also don't recommend using hand soap just because it's the lowest cost, and who knows if one would like this type of shaving.
As far as punting, it should be pretty obvious that my response is the furthest thing from that. It asked for additional information, so that we can provide a recommendation that is actually appropriate and helpful to the person asking the question, instead of the recommendation being all about the responder.
Finally I do not understand how setting up a straw man argument is helpful. Nobody ever suggested that the most expensive equipment is necessary or recommended.
that can be difficult advise to follow for a beginner,Quote:
Originally Posted by gugi
the more experienced users say expensive brushes are needed. The less experienced users who use cheap say buy cheap.
Who is right and who is wrong, usually I tend to believe the more expierenced user would know better, but with this hobby I think the lines are blurred. And my opinion brushes are more status symbol than any thing else.
Which is cool too.
As far as brushes go, quality and cost are not directly correlated. I've had brushes from $5 to $350 and a $20 brush can be of better quality and deliver better performance than a $70 brush, or a $50 brush be better than a $100 brush. I have ended up with just two brushes, both cost about $200 and have very different feel (hence the two of them), but if my budget would not allow for a $200 brush the next one I'd have would probably be a particular $50 brush, or a particular $90 brush, or a particular $20 brush, and not any of the $70 or $125 brushes that I've had.Quote:
Originally Posted by sidmind
But I know what I like in a brush and what I don't care much for, somebody with different preferences will like slightly different brushes than me, at different price points too.
Obviously I don't treat my brushes as a status symbol, or I'd have kept my more expensive ones, rather than reselling them at a loss, or even gotten a $600, or a $1000 brush. I may still get a $500 brush made for me, some day, but that's only because this would be in my estimate the cost of something very specific that I may really like to have.
As a noob who has spent for more money than he should have on this, I say: listen to these guys!
I have a few brushes and I like them all differently, so far.
Not really & I'll try to make it even easier. High quality does not necessarily mean high cost.Quote:
Originally Posted by sidmind
One of the Omega boar Professional series brushes 48, 49 or 98. should run less than $20 delivered to your front door.
As an experienced user I like these & think they would also be a very good starting point with no great financial loss should another preference develop later.
My Omega 10005 cost me $15 at the drug store and it holds its own against brushes that cost 5 times that, easily.
I am just another beginner like the OP but that sounds like some good advise. I think I should order one of those.Quote:
Originally Posted by onimaru55
FYI. Giving model numbers of low cost brushes that an experienced user recommends really helps alot.
Edit: do you have better model numbers than 48 49 98 I could not find those on amazon.com all the model numbers are about 6 digits and several end in 48
Completely new tells me that I should recommend a budget starter.Quote:
Originally Posted by FiremanFlounder
Van Der Hagen Premium Shave Set (Soap, Bowl, Brush) -- about $12
Then hunt in your local markets for a puck of Williams shave soap.
The boar brush in the set is not the best but if you worry your way
through a puck of Williams ($1.50) you will learn a lot about making
a lather and at the same time soften and break in the brush.
Yes, yes, yes you will want to upgrade the soap and the brush but this
will get you started.
The better boar brushes (Omega is one) are darn fine brushes.
Badger hair brushes are expensive but worth it.
A well made brush lasts a long time.
As a beginner pay attention to the knot size of brushes as
you shop. A tiny knot is false economy. Most folk
find that a 19mm to 22mm knot is about right.
The boar brings you more quality of latherability for your money, but silvertip badger have the best feeling in your face. I have both, and I use both, I get great lather with both kinds of hair. My advice is a Semogue 1305, a great boar hair allrounder and, later, if you want , a decent (not expensive) silvertip in 22-24 mm to feel the softest brush in your face.
"To sum up, I like my brushes like I like my women. They need to perform, but low maintenance is really really nice." Jimbo - you be THE MAN!!! Seriously, a boar brush, for me, is well worth the use. The badgers are good, no doubt, but the real issue is how easy it makes lather.:beer1:
Sorry always abbreviating. Place a "100" in front of the nos. I gave.Quote:
Originally Posted by sidmind
More choices here OMEGA, shaving brushes, bristle shaving brush
Thanks everyone for all the insightful suggestions. I think I am going to start with an Omega Boar bristle and then move to badger as I get my technique and everything established.
I've got a Silvertip from Whipped Dog with $24 shipping to EU included. It works great but it doesn't lather as well with some soaps as a cheap Vulfix bristle, for example. Each type of brush works well with some types of soap, but it's not a general rule that a good brush works best with ANY soap. For example, I'm using Nanny's Silly Company soaps, which lather extremely well with Vulfix, but with the Silvertip they do a poor lather job. They're soft soaps, more like creams.