Brush Confusion

Hi guys i wonder if you could help me. I have been using one of these since i started shaving men-u Pure Bristle Shaving Brush - Boots but would like something with a bigger handle.

The thing is i do like the feel of the brush on my face but i am confused as to what exactly the brush is. It is described as "pure bristle" and i dont know what that is exactly. Some reviews on synthetic brushes put this one on top which indicates it is a man made "pure bristle", however i would have expected it to mean its a natural bristle.........seriously confused !!

What i am after is the same feel of the brush itself with a longer handle and possibly a bit bigger brush. I am open to other suggestions though and the only thing i am fixed on is the longer handle though a soft feeling brush is also important :)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Usually that means it's a boar brush. That one looks like it might be a re-branded Omega (who makes some of the best boar brushes on the market). Check out the Omega and Semogue (another quality manufacturer from Portugal). between the 2, you most definitely will find something to your liking.

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Originally Posted by Phoenix51

Usually that means it's a boar brush. That one looks like it might be a re-branded Omega (who makes some of the best boar brushes on the market). Check out the Omega and Semogue (another quality manufacturer from Portugal). between the 2, you most definitely will find something to your liking.

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If it is boar hair would a badger hair brush feel softer ?

Seems Men - u makes two types brushes one synthetic and one boar. Normally bristle or pure bristle signifies boar hair. A boar brush tends to be stiff while a synthetic feels soft/floppy.

Bob

The other brush I have is a cheapo Wilkinson sword effort which does feel soft and floppy but prickly on the skin, not much going for it really. I'm guessing then that one will be low quality synthetic ?

The Men-U brush doesn't feel all that stiff and feels soft on the skin. The problem is I don't have any real reference point. I guess I might just have to buy a badger brush to compare :(

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Originally Posted by mike1011

If it is boar hair would a badger hair brush feel softer ?

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Yes and no...

Boar brushes all start out fairly stiff but after they are broken in (say a couple months at most if you use it a few times a week..maybe sooner), a good boar can get pretty soft. With badger, it depends. Pure badger can be nasty and scratchy and never get soft. Some guys like that texture though..I don't.

Finest or silvertip is progressively a softer knot. How much so depends on the manufacturer and the personality of the knot in question. Top of the heap soft will go to a synthetic. Omega's Hi Brush and the Muhle STF 2.0 are well regarded (the Muhle much more so than the Omega for some reason..I think the Hi Brush is grossly under rated).

My Vulfix 2236 is Super Badger (there is no "set" grading system per se for badger hair) and it is a lovely, silly soft mop of goodness which excels with a cream like AoS or Truefitt & Hill...totally decadent.

Only way to figure out for sure what will suit your needs is to give as many as you can a try. It does get to be rather fun......

Just to further the confusion. My Thater is stiff silvertip soft but good for soaps. I have a frank shaving 26 mm silvertip that I got cheap on eBay that is like lathering with a giant marshmallow. I use them both with equal frequency.

Check out www.thesuperiorshave.com this guy takes pictures of all the brushes he sells by soda cans so you can get a feel for the size a bit better than some dimension numbers

Badger is definitely softer than boar. I like a silvertip badger myself. Those are the softest in my opinion!

Mike,

Badger hair brushes generally come in four grades, although the grading is different among brands. The general badger grades are: pure, best, super and silvertip. Some manufacturers change the wording around, some combine the best and super grades under another name. And so on. As if life were not confusing enough.

Badger will generally hold more water and heat. Also, depending on the grade, the badger's tips will range from prickly to silky. Then you get into the two-band silvertips compared to the three-band. As I said, life is confusing enough.

At this stage in your traditional shaving life, keep things simple. Buy a badger in the "best" grade — I abhor the "pure" badger grade and never recommend it. If you have the funds, opt for a silvertip badger. Or to decide based on your own experience, you'll have to try the range of badger grades.

Most brushes, badger or boar, come in short handles. I, too, dislike short-handled brushes and always opt for the longer handles. Unfortunately not many are available in long handles. For a long handle, try the Simpson Polo 8 in either best or super grades. I dislike the best grade and, therefore, recommend the super grade.

The Savile Row 3226 has a long handle. Rooney has several long-handled brushes — and I dislike Rooney. Thater has some lovely long-handled silvertips. shavemac (shavemac spells the "s" in lower case) has one brush — I forget the model number — with an 82mm handle.

If you want a long handle, the 60mm to 70mm tall will serve you well.

There is a lot more to brushes, but I am keeping things general.

Or you might try a boar bristle brush: it will be generally stiffer than badger, with more prickly tips. These boar brushes, however, soften as time goes by, some becoming quite pleasant. Some gentlemen prefer the boar bristle over the badger, some don't. Here, too, the question is what do you like, and the only way you'll know is to try a variety of brushes.

The Men-U brush you show is, I think, is boar. I had one of those brushes and could not stand it. For boar, I have always opted for Semogue and Omega, preferably Semogue. For Semogue, try the models: 1305, 830, 620, and many others.

Try a variety of brushes and go with what you like.

Mike

If you want a quick answer try this brush Semogue Owners Club 2 Band Badger Shaving Brush, Cherry Wood from any vendor you please. It is not expensive relatively speaking and when broken in has soft tips but still plenty enough backbone.

Bob

Some great replies above and not much I can really add. But I will say also the Boots brush link in the original post looks to me like a boar bristle brush.

I was looking around on eBay & found a 28mm high density silvertip badger brush with a longer handle on it so I bought one & it's on the way. If you look up item #281418841115 on eBay you can see it. It is a very nice brush. Overall height is 4.5". For $79.95 I don't think I could go wrong.

You've gotten some good advice here, there's not much to add except that boars have bristles, badgers have hair. So if a vendor is accurately describing a brush as "bristle", it's a boar brush even though many are dyed to look like badger.

Cheers, Steve

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Originally Posted by JTmke

Just to further the confusion. My Thater is stiff silvertip soft but good for soaps. I have a frank shaving 26 mm silvertip that I got cheap on eBay that is like lathering with a giant marshmallow. I use them both with equal frequency.

Check out www.thesuperiorshave.com this guy takes pictures of all the brushes he sells by soda cans so you can get a feel for the size a bit better than some dimension numbers

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I have described my franks manchurian badger as a marshmallow too. I use a semogue and a no name bristle now. The badger just sits there looking bored.

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

I have described my franks manchurian badger as a marshmallow too. I use a semogue and a no name bristle now. The badger just sits there looking bored.

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With the description of feeling like a marshmallow, I'd venture to say that this frank-fella uses another kind of Manchurian badger than what I have in mine..
My Simpsons in Manchurian are the perfect brushes, solid backbone, densely packed and soft at the tips.
Perfect for soaps.
My Kent on the other hand does fit the marshmallow description very well

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Originally Posted by Birnando

With the description of feeling like a marshmallow, I'd venture to say that this frank-fella uses another kind of Manchurian badger than what I have in mine..
My Simpsons in Manchurian are the perfect brushes, solid backbone, densely packed and soft at the tips.
Perfect for soaps.
My Kent on the other hand does fit the marshmallow description very well

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I have no idea, I know I don't much like it though.