Thread: Brush Selection Guide?

I'm often asked by people wanting a new brush made which spec to go for so I decided to put something together to hopefully make the selection process a little easier for for people who want to venture into the world of wet shaving or who are looking to upgrade from a supermarket type purchase but who may not have any experience or knowledge of the finer things in life.
The following is based on my own experience and observations over the years only and is by no means the definitive guide to brush selection.
I'd be interested in people's views and any input is welcome...I intend to eventually use the guide in an online store I'm currently developing so if this in any way infringes any forum etiquette I apologise unreservedly and would request that a Mod / Admin remove this thread..

Nice chart but where is the YMMV column? Lol. I love pure badgers even though I have 1 best and 1 silver tip waiting that never get used.

Is no taking loft settings into consideration,is a major componant in brush construction.

It's a nice graph and all but ....... you have only 2 rows for horse and boar which would be close to third of your customers. And you make neither of them sound good. Like Pixel said most of the equations are missing unless you have 3 pages of explanations on how loft or even mixtures of hair can change the results. Opinions are very hard to graph :<0) They change with the wind.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Is no taking loft settings into consideration,is a major componant in brush construction.

To be honest its not really aimed at those who would be familiar with terms like "Loft" etc.. its more aimed at the novice getting into wet shaving to select the basic properties they desire in a brush or the good lady seeking to pick out that special gift for her hubby / boyfriend etc but not knowing where to start... but I take your point and might include it anyway...Roll on AL1..lol

I've been using this brush guide for 3 years & I'm very happy with it.

To be honest the main reason the guide was aimed at the "Basic" user or gift buyer was that the people who are aware of terms like "loft" etc already have at the very least some insight on the subject and more likely still an indepth knowledge of the subject.
Such people probably frequent a forum such as this and are likely to already have an idea of what they prefer or even dislike, these people would more than likely have no need or desire to refer to a guide when purchasing a new brush but would do their research (if required) on a forum such as this before making an informed decision based on all the contributing factors such as materials, design, construction method, durability, price, desirability, shipping costs etc.

One other "Problem" not with the graph but with the Knots themselves is their names

There is no "Standard" for the names, when it comes to the Badgers

One makers Super is another makers Best, not very long ago there was no such thing as High Mtn. White, so basically the "Names" are made up as the makers feel like

Good effort to qualify them but, just so many variables to try and nail down, even something simple like "Overstuffed" knots throws the whole thing out of whack


ps: I would have to whole heartedly disagree with your Black Badger being not Exfoliating, my Finish BB will scrub yer face raw if yer not careful

In reply to that I would say, someone new to it all would do better with a brief description of each brush. It all starts with price range really. what can I get for 20 bucks. I want something nice and willing to go 70. I get that your looking for a short and sweet answer to someone new making a decision. The best web sites I have used have columns on the right to narrow my search. Brand , Price range, Type (as in what kind of fur) Etc. By your same example what is a new person going to know about water retention or lathering with a cream or puck. How will they know they need something stiff or not to make lather let alone what amount of (using a highly technical term ) scritchy they will like. The graph idea is cool but I think you need something more between yours and Hirlau's. Use the kiss principle. Keep it simple stupid ! Not that your stupid but you are trying to cater to that. :<0) I kind of go with Hirlau's method but stopped at Black badger in an old DD handle. I found what I belive to be a middle of the road brush that works for me. A 5 on a 1 to 10 scale. What would go in that column with it and what happens if I go either way in the scale ? I can kind of see that in your graph but the left side is weak and looks bias to me. Just saying.

And My Black badger holds more water than I could use to shave a horse .

All fair points well taken gents, thats the problem with trying to pigeon hole something that until recently many people didn't know there was a choice in!
Your comments also show that not only are people calling different things by the ssame names (& vice versa) but that the standard can vary wildly as well as the Black Badger observations clearly demonstrate!

Some great input so for guys, really appreciate it and would welcome any & all points..