Thread: My Brush is Shedding Like Crazy

I'm new to SR shaving and put together an ill thought out set of gear when I got started. The brush was inexpensive and labeled as 100% Pure Badger. I've used it daily for 12 days now and have experienced shedding every day. It started out losing long hairs and now has moved onto increased loss with small broken hairs in the mix. It's irritating to see the shaving cream bowl filled up with hairs and then I end up picking them off my face as well.

I read some older threads about what could cause this and since I hang my brush upside down to dry, don't mash my brush down in the bowl or on my face, and don't use overly hot water that would soften the glue, I think I just have a bad brush.

Any other thoughts on this as I begin my search for a new brush? I wouldn't think this is normal for a decent brush.

Kevin,

Many variables will cause a brush to shed. First, though, we need to know the brand of your brush as we as specific details about it.

What caused it was a bad knot not something you did. Buy from trusted sellers and never buy anything from the place you got that one again :<0) If you read the brush section you will find many others have used with success.

It's an Escali purchased through Amazon.

Kevin,

Thank you for the information. Escali is a low quality brush. It will shed. It will not last long. Get rid of it and buy yourself a better brush. Remember, starting on the cheap will often result in a cheap shave. If I may suggest, try a Semogue boar bristle brush, or an Omega boar. If you want a good badger for the price, try the Simpson Commodore, sizes 1, 2 or 3. The 3 is the biggest and more expensive, around $70, but it's worth it.

You usually get what you pay for. Spend a little more and you will get a quality brush. Obie has given you some great suggestions.

Thanks, guys. I'm looking over my options now. I really wish I'd have found this site before I put together my gear list. I hate buying things twice just to get it right once.

Kevin,

I am glad you found this place. By the way, welcome. In truth, all you need is one good brush, and the good ones will last many years, if you take care of them. Avoid sight unseen shaving sets with the promise of a good brush. Know what you're buying. Here are some quality brush brands:

Thater, Simpson, Rooney, Kent, Vulfix, Edwin Jagger, Muhle, Semogue, Omega and Plisson, among others. They come in various grades of badger hair or boar bristle. The knots vary in size, as do hair heights. Also, badger hair comes in generally four grades — manufacturers vary their categories and descriptions — pure, best, super and silvertip. Generally. Prices vary.

Look around. Enjoy your search. Again, don't start on the cheap; rather, spend a few extra dollars on a quality brush. If you have more questions, please ask away.

I do have another question. I've been looking at your initial recommendations and really like the looks of the Simpson Commodore X3. I've found them sold on several sites but have found 2 variations of the same brush.

Both say "Best Badger X3" and underneath that have a gold seal. However, inside the gold seal one of them says…

Simpson
Made in England
Sterilized

…and the other says…

Simpson
Hand Made
Great Britain

That second one also says "Commodore" on the reverse side. The first one doesn't have a picture of the other side so I'm not sure if it says it too.

Any idea why the difference? Is one normally an export version and the other for domestic sales? Was there a design change and someone's just still got some NOS?

Thanks again.

Kevin,
The Commodore 3 in best badger is a good choice, and I think worth the price. The different designations could mean different dates of manufacturing. It's no big deal; it's the same brush. Get your brush from a reputable vendor, many of whom are listed on SRP.