If But One . . .

[Obie]

Gentlemen,

If you had but one brush, what would it be?

A good brush is essential in the wet shaving ritual. I dare say, lathering with a luscious silvertip brush and a luxurious soap or cream is often the best part of my daily shave. That's why, through the years, I have spent a fortune on brushes, soaps and creams to feed my shaving feast.

The boar bristle brush does little for me; synthetic is fine for travel; and horse you can have. I prefer badger to all others. Not just any badger, though. Because of an ultra sensitive skin and a heavy beard, my brush must be a silvertip with tips as soft as Kim Novak's lips in the film Vertigo — oh, but such sweet dreams.

What's more, my perfect brush is a 28mm silvertip knot with about a 55mm to 57mm loft and about a 56 to 60mm tall handle. I also like a brush with medium backbone that is not overly dense. Even though I face lather, these measurements are ideal.

Having tried everything from a Plisson silvertip to a Viet-Long horse, my brush lineup now is down to four slivertip brushes: Thater 30mm two-band bulb, Thater 28mm two-band bulb, Savile Row 28mm bulb; and Thater 28mm three-band bulb.

That brings me to the Heinrich Thater 4292/6, a finest badger silvertip brush in the 28mm bulb — my ideal shaving brush. It is everything I want in a shaving brush. I love the way the brush devours my Hollywood face — ah, Kim Novak. If I were to have but one brush, this is it — for now, anyway.

And you, gentlemen?

[AntiqueHoosier]

I was once a shaving brush fiend. If push came to shove for sentimental reasons as well as satisfying performance, I choose my Somerset era Duke 3 in Best Badger with fading lampblack markings.

[Birnando]

Here she is, my very favorite brush



Close runners-up are my Simpson Polo and Chubby, my Langness in Mandchurian badger, Rooney's Finest, my Thäters and my Shavemac D01 and....

[MrMagnus]

Own made. I love this brush.

[gooser]

i prob spent more on razors and not enough on brushes , but of the silver tips , black badger , and synthetics i have , i have always loved my Thater 4411in fine badger !! it has just seemed to be the brush that has felt right in all aspects for me .. my daughter has since obtained it and i wil never see it again so i just ordered a 4419 in fine badger to replace it .. hope it suits me just as well

[cubancigar2000]

I simply love the Thaters

[Grazor]

Picked up an Aramis pure badger about a year back, guessing made in the 70s or 80s. In very good condition, and by far my favourite brush, in fact, the only one I seem to use now.

[Hirlau]

Obviously I know who made this brush, but I really don't know what type of badger it is,,, just that it is the best cream brush I own & works a puck just fine in a bowl.

[RobinK]

Blyme, Obie, that is a tough one to answer, and you probably know it. Right. Let me begin by saying that I started wet shaving in earnest about a decade ago. My first brush was a Mühle silvertip badger with a nickel plated handle. I bought it because of its looks. As long as I stuck with Castle Forbes, it did not cause any issues. When I tried to switch to soaps, its floppiness became a problem.

A fact finding mission ensued, and back then, objective information was easily obtained in here. So I bought a Simpson badger. It was better, but only marginally so. Interestingly, it was almost twice as expensive. And it shed. So I "branched out", meaning I went on a wild goose chase for several months.

While I was busy buying Rooney, Savile Row, Plisson, and whathaveyou, I chanced upon my first Thäter brush. I thought it looked horrible. Back then, I was still easily impressed by fancy handles. And I was wrong.

Several months, and a few thousand €, later. I bought my first Thäter. Tried it. Was intrigued by the ergonomics of its otherwise brutally ugly handle. Was mesmerised by its performance.

Since the in-laws live near Nuremberg, I took the opportunity and visited Herr Schuldes on site. He has probably forgotten more about brushes than all users in here will ever learn, because he has been in the business for a very long time. Got in touch with SRD, and the rest is history.

Form the things that I have learned, one stands out: Never, ever buy a brush, or knot, made in China, if you want top quality. And that matches what I found out myself, and at my own expense. Thäter, Shavemac, Rooney, in that order. Plisson had massive QA problems which they seem to have got under control by now, but, like Rooney, their brushes are far more expensive than Thäter or Shavemac, without offering better performance. If you want fancy handles, they are a sure bet, and they will deliver value for money.

Chinese brushes, however, are worth $30, max. If you pay more, your vendor does not know how to source efficiently. And either way, they are simply not as good as the Europe made brushes. Given that a properly cared for brush will easily last for twenty or more years, the seemingly steep difference in price between a Chinese brush and a European brush become more than just negligible.

So, to answer your question, my one brush would be this Thäter 4125-6 two band brush. It probably is the pinnacle of brush making, it works like a charm, it is big enough for me to never drive the suds into its core, and will therefore probably outlive me. Yes, it is a bit big, but then again, shaving soaps and creams do not cost much, so who cares?

So here goes, a Thäter 4125-6 with a custom made Revisor and the latest in "burn some cash for fun and scent", Bayolea by Penhaligon's. Simply good stuff, and if forced, I could easily live with that setup for the rest of my life.

PS Kim Novak, right? Smart choice. But I think Rita Hayworth would be more fitting.

[KarloT]

I've stuck to badger and synthetic after giving boar and horsehair a fair shake. I've also noticed that all of my knots, natural hair or otherwise, are German.

I prefer a smaller brush in the 24mm range, in badger hair with tips as soft as possible, but with enough backbone to load from a puck. If I could keep but one of my brushes, it would probably be this :



I have a few brushes in the mail so this choice isn't written in stone. Nonetheless, my inbound silvertips will have a hell of a time trying to dethrone the 49125.