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Three weeks in and I am ready to move past my $7 drugstore brush. I am fortunate enough to have a shop that sells a limmitted number of shaving suppies in town. can a few people chime in and give me say thier top 1-2 suggestions from this page?
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Sorry. I forgot to add that I have very hard water here in town. I think that may have an impact.
Thanks.
I think if it were me, and the store was local, I'd go and actually feel the brushes in my hand. I'm guessing the $7 brush is a boar brush, and if you like it that stiff, go with that. Otherwise, go feel them, hold them in your hand. If you bowl lather, take that with you so that you can see how it fits in the bowl (Is the handle long enough; is the knot too big; etc.) Anything else anyone is going to give you is personal taste. Hard water isn’t really an issue with the brush, but more with the soap.Quote:
Originally Posted by Moorefield1
When I was buying a brush, all I had was the internet, so I had to buy one and then see if I liked that. You have a real advantage in that you can hold it before you buy. Just keep in mind that, as a rule of thumb, the softer and bigger the knot, the floppier the brush is going to be wet. I like a floppy brush and if I were to pick one off that page, it’d be Parker Silver Tip black and silver handle. The problem is the site doesn’t give a knot size, so it’d be a shot in the dark.
First of all you don't give us enough info to recommend anything to you. Do you like a soft brush? A big brush? A stiff brush? What kind of handle do you like? Limiting yourself to the selections you have in town is really limiting yourself. There is a whole world of choices out there.
I have no idea what I would like in a brush as I have nothing but my $7 "wilkinson sword" drugstore brush to compare to. This is why I posted in the beginner forum.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
Side note thank you for your scuttle reviews. Read them all today. Well done.
Half of the fun for me is getting into this whole thing.
Of course opinions can sway me one way or the other, but the real motivator is what I FEEL is the best for me. Creams, Soaps, Bruhes, Razors, etc.
It is just plain fun to explore this and try different things. Live and learn. I know that each of us want to seek the knowledge and wisdon of those more experienced and I applaud all of the replies and information provided in this forum. A really great bunsh of members!
But - I really have to say that I have learned that it is exciting to slow thngs down a bit and try to blaze my own trail by simply exploring and trying options. Only I will know what is best for me. and learning along the way is really invaluable.
After all.. Have fun!
For the smaller badger knot sizes avoid the fan shapes and gravitate to the tighter shapes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Moorefield1
A large knot size boar brush by a name brand is a win for most folk.
I have a couple different brushes but the DOVO "Micarta" Silvertip Shave Brush is a clear
winner in its class. It is only bested by more expensive large knot Thater brushes in my collection.
For badger and boar brushes all the knots seem to have the same makers and the big differences
is the handle material, size and finish. If you can get one in your hand that will tell a lot.
I have a Vie-Long boar brush that lathers nicely and much better than their horse hair at the same size.
Good boar is not scratchy in my opinion!
If you have hard water the soap or cream is most important not the brush.
Proraso Shave Cream is one of the better creams for all types of water.
If the budget is tight a top of the line big knot boar brush is a bargain and the way to go.
If the budget has more room a good quality $110-140 badger brush ( 19-20mm knot size).
Crazy budget look at Thater and Edwin Jagger brushes with a knot of 24mm and bigger are way good stuff.
The prices are way up there too.
Note well (N.B.) a big brush like a 25mm brush wants a BIG lathering bowl
or scuttle so do match your lathering bowl to the brush you get.
My $7 boar VDH brush still gets used. I love it for face lathering when
I have a crusty salty face that needs cleaning as much as lathering.
My biased recommendation is to hunt a deluxe boar brush from the
likes of Omega, Edwin Jagger many many more.
Hey there, fellow beginner myself. I'm not entirely sure what your local store carries, but I hear nothing but good things about Omega brushes whether its their more expensive line or their cheaper line of brushes (most of which are about $10 - $13 depending on where you look online). There is also the tweezerman brush wish has mixed reviews on most forums i go to, but you can pick it up for $12 on amazon. As for having hard water most experienced shavers suggest buying a gallon of distilled water to use when making lather. I haven't tried it myself but it sounds legit. Hope this helps. Happy shaving.
I also am a "newbie" to this world. I currently have a Van Der Hagen Badger brush (not silvertip). It is a nice brush, but I am beginning to think I would rather have stiffer bristles, or a small brush. Especially for application on my upper lip. Anyone have any suggestions? Are silvertip brushes any stiffer, or thinner, or do they generally get thicker/wider and softer?
Badger seems to come in three grades. The name of the grades changes fromQuote:
Originally Posted by Artompkins
maker to maker so pay attention. There are a couple shapes from a fan to a bulb
some short some longer and thus softer.
The best not to be confused with "Best" badger seems to have very thin tips
and a nice even taper. The thin hairs of boar or badger seem to cut the bubbles
in half over and over to build the lather. The finer tips slice and dice the smaller
bubbles better making a thick dense lather at the same time that they have
a better (smoother) feel on the face.
The better boar brushes are as good as and in some cases better than
the entry level badger brushes. If you like a good scrubby brush the
best brush for your $$ may be boar. If you like a soft gentle brush
to build a lather in a bowl and then paint the lather on a tender face
the more expensive badger brushes shine brightly.
Stiffness can reflect the bristle, the density or the loft of the knot. A short
tight knot will feel stiffer. A knot with a lot of loft will feel softer. A long
bristle boar may feel smoother than a tight short badger knot.
The expensive badger knots are built from the longer guard hair fur
and have stiffness at the same time as they have length.
Some have split ends, and the result is a fine dense lather from a
brush with backbone in some cases or so some say.
Within limits the expensive knots are worth every penny IMO. the expensive
handle material is a personal thing but what ever the material, the key is that
it feels like and to some degree looks right.
Brushes last a long time.... shop to get what you want. I like my
SRP group buy brush a lot. It is not perfect -- so I am sure I will find
myself getting another brush some day but it is darn close to perfection.
I wish I had purchased both shapes... but then I might have no BAD left.
No matter the brush try lathering bowls of different sizes and a couple
of different soaps as well as a gallon jug of distilled or deionized water.
Some guy on Badger and Blade has a web site with near 100 brushes
compared and discussed...
I only have 3 brushes. The first was the VDH boar that came with a bowl and soap for 10 bucks at CVS. Still, I liked it and use it occasionally. The second was a AOS pure badger that came in the kit, a nice brush and I used that for almost a year. About a week and a half ago, my brother took me to Imperial Shaving and bought me, my older brother and himself a Thater 4125-2, 26mm kot and tips smoother than an angels kiss. Wow, I thought the gift generous beyond belief, but the price seems more reasonable every time the thing kisses my face. And lather just seems to explode...Gotta love them all though, experimentation is half the fun.
Wow... .that is a fine and generous gift!Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeSomebody
From this point there is no need for a better brush (IMO).
Like you I still use my VDH boar brush... It gets better
with time and scrubs like a champ when I want a good
scrub.
The Thater folk do make a fine brush. My two Thater
brushes have convinced me that a good brush is worth
each land every penny and also that I no longer need another
new brush (this week).
Thank you for this! I swear I learn something new every time I get on here. I will have to check out the Badger and blade site.Quote:
Originally Posted by niftyshaving
If it was me, I would go with the Parker Silver Tipped Pure Badger with Walnut Wood Handle. Its reasonably priced and it looks like its a good bang for the buck brush. But as many say, its all about personal preference.
I only have one brush - a Frank's Shaving best badger and I find it very good and reasonably priced.
When I can afford it I'll be getting a Frank's silvertip.
There is a lengthy thread on this one somewhere here and it makes for good reading.
Hope this helps.