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I just started out SR shaving a week ago, making a bloody mess of my face is bad enough, but now the centre of my brush is knotting up? It's a €20 badger brush (I hope, purchased it on ebay)
Is this the sign of a bad brush or am I shoving it into the bowl too hard trying to make a lather?? N.B It has been used about 4 times, getting worse each time!
THanks for any advice
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Who is the manufacturer of the brush. That asked I would say you are forcing the brush too hard into the bowl and your face.
Marconi is the brand...came in a nice little box... Have I screwed the brush in it's current state, or do I just need to give it a nice hair brush to unknot it?
Have you tried feeding it Viagra yet?
Viagra won't help, it needs to be euthanized. Marconi is a Pakistani brand that sells costume grade shaving implements. I wonder if that is really badger hair?
THAT is a funny looking brush.
If you are looking for an inexpensive badger brush, look on eBay for Liojuny shave brushes. They are Chinese but very high quality for the price. I own one of these. I use it all the time. Its better than my Rooney at five times the price.
LS - Luxury 100% Silvertip Badger Shaving Brush#Alaska Butterscotch Handle 24mm
I find the presence of two expensive scuttles in these pictures a little disturbing. But then again, maybe I am just paranoid.
I think it's the same scuttle Robin - but share your concers.Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinK
To the OP - a poor brush will hinder lather making - so you should maybe consider a decent synthetic as it will load soap easier and considerably improve the amount of lather. Judging from your scuttle, you are not making enough lather which suggests not enough product. Take a look at a few videos to get an idea of water and soap ratios.
Calm down now ;p It's the same scuttle and brush in both pictures...Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinK
Dam, "Badgister" just confirmed my worst fears, It's a pile of Paki poo..... Into the toilet it goes then...
..."OCDshaver" So these Dog haired dyed brushes from China are the real deal.....Sure I might give that one a go so...
But just to confirm with someone who knows how these things are constructed...once the centre starts balling up, there is nothing to be done?? ..
P.S Scuttle was €40, made in Poland by some lad...nice quality..but 40 is only twice the price of the paki brush :)
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/131403414665?...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Personally, I do not know if you can do anything to that brush to bring it back to life. Never had one go like that at least not yet.
I do think you are being a little heavy handed when making your lather. There is no need to mash any brush near flat to make lather. Regardless of the quality of the brush it is not good for any brush. A poor quality brush will die faster from being treated that way, almost immediately in the case of yours.
There are some very good vids on how to make a lather and it might be a good idea, as previously suggested, to watch a few of them. Even hard triple milled soaps do not need a heavy hand on the brush to load up the brush with soap and then make a lather with.
Bob
If you're willing to spend $45 plus shipping, get yourself a Semouge Owners Club boar bristle brush. I have quite a few brushes of the badger and boar persuasion and it is my favorite. Boar brushes are known for their backbone, but most are not as densely packed as a badger knot. The SOC is very dense and will lather like a demon straight out of the box. If I could roll back the hands of time, it would be the only brush I own.
If they are dog hair, I'm here to tell you that dog hair is as good as badger. As I said, I have a Rooney that is not nearly as good and it cost me a lot more money. Is it as good as some of the other high end brushes? Maybe not THAT good but then again you aren't paying $150 either. I find them to be exceptional value. Frank Shaving too. But FS brushes have gone up in price to the point that their value is not what it used to be. Poke around on forums to see what others might have said about them.Quote:
Originally Posted by magnethead
If you enjoy aggressive lathering and soap application, Try an Omega Boar brush. You can lather the snot out of it and it will only get better. Either way if you manage to destroy that one no harm done its about 10 bucks.
OCDshaver, I'm good with Dog hair too ;p It was only a joking reference to the way they eat Dog in China....THanks for the recommendation...I was about to pull the trigger on ebay when Wayne chimmed in :( ....Now I have to choose between the two..I'll do a bit of research now.
Thanks guys
I'd get a Chinese synthetic. Best bang for the buck right now. I've been using one for weeks, and it's a viable alternative. Much better than any boar brush I've ever tried.
I'm not a fan of boar. I'd actually rather have dog hair brush than boar. But that's my personal preference.Quote:
Originally Posted by magnethead
Well, you have 3 good choices for the type of knot to get, badger, boar and synthetic. You could also add horse hair too. I like and use the first three but I could not get along with the horse hair. All four made lather easily though.
It really does not matter what type of knot material you get since all will make a good lather. What makes the difference for me is how they feel on my face when I face lather. Unfortunately you won't know that until you have tried them what face feel you like. Badger generally require very little break in, boars need about 2 weeks of everyday use to have the tips soften up and synthetics are good to go from the start.
Do a lot of research on different brushes before you get another. Good luck in picking a new one.
Bob
I Love the passion in this forum!! LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
I was real close to getting the China version, but unfortunately It'll take a month to deliver :(
Found Waynes suggestion up the road in Irelandm and I have thick skin, never get rash...so the harder Boar might be ok....well at least I'll have gone there and know
Semogue Owners Club Boar Cherry Wood Shaving Brush
THanks again for all the advice and laughs :beer2:
I bought the Semogue Owners Club boar with the cherry wood handle and I love it. I used it exclusively for two weeks to break it in and keep using it. No smell when new and the knot is dense. Under 30 bucks; can't beat it. I used my Thater 3 band the other day and it felt like a cloud.
Still love the badger but have developed an appreciation for the pig (I mean I love to eat it, shouldn't be a surprise).
Soak the brush, get a wide toothed comb, and try to comb it out. Some hair conditioner or, even better, detangling spray will help. Be patient, work from the tips of the bristles to the handle, and don't force anything. Be gentle.
And going forward, you only need enough pressure to slightly flare the brush, you don't need to be mashing the handle down into the soap. It's the repeated motion that builds lather as you trap air in the wet soap...pushing harder will not speed up the process. Think of it as whisking eggs, as it's a similar technique.
[QUOTE=Moonshae;1562457]Soak the brush, get a wide toothed comb, and try to comb it out. Some hair conditioner or, even better, detangling spray will help. Be patient, work from the tips of the bristles to the handle, and don't force anything. Be gentle.QUOTE]
haha you are dead right, gave it to my sister who owns a heap of dogs, and she gradually unknotted it....and I mean, they were seriously compacted knots..It took a while, so I guess that the reason mashing it into the bowl is a bad idea :nono: lesson learned
and now I have the Boar, which is a totally different experience altogether, I like the rougher feel big time, very very different from Badger, It's a proper massage for the bristles, but I made a complete mess of getting a lather, it was much easier with the Badger...maybe I just need to break it in, or the head was too wet, only used it the once now
Thanks for your advice again
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