Thread: Time for a Better Brush

I've decided it's time for a better brush. I've been wet shaving for roughly two weeks short of ten years and it is time to invest in better equipment. My first brush was a Art of Shaving "Genuine Badger" brush of indeterminate size which has recently been pressed back into service. Also lurking in my collection (a very loosely used term) is an old Ever-Ready 100T, a Caswell-Massey "Pure Badger" travel brush, and a VDH badger brush.

The last member of this group was purchased as the test brush for my http://straightrazorpalace.com/misce...ush-stand.html project. Since I've been investigating how well the stand is going to survive the humid environment of my bathroom that cheap VDH brush has been the daily go-to for six months...until last week. Unsurprisingly the VDH shed its knot last week, which is what necessitated my return to the AoS brush. My plans are to repair the VDH and press it back into limited service at my mother's house for when I visit but my thoughts have certainly turned to finally investing in a better brush.

The reason I'm here asking for advise? I don't know all that much about brushes, which I'm sure absolutely no one is surprised by after reading about the ones I do own. Grade of knot? Size? Loft? These are all terms I now understand academically but are still totally alien to me in any real sense. That being said I can say that I'd prefer a badger knot with reasonable backbone and while scritch isn't a quality I'm seeking it also isn't one that I'm completely avoiding. Last but not least is budget, I'd like to keep my options in the $50-75 range as I'm still figuring out what I like and I see no need to shell out a bunch of money when I'm certainly likely to seek out other options in the future.

Given your budget, something like a Simpson's Colonel will fit your needs well. Take a look.

When I went for brush variety I went with the re-knot option. Buy an old brush with the handle you love and put a different type knot in it. Yeah it is some work but you can try more knots for a lot less that way. Depending on how you shop of course. Just another option to consider :<0) I didn't really go for the cheaper option as I re-knotted Dubl Duck brushes.

What characteristics are you looking for in a brush/knot? You have so many options now.

TGN 2-Band Finest knots are great for their price.

I would put a high-powered knot into the Ever-Ready 100T by all means. Shavemac offers stand-alone knots, and unlike various offers for aftermarket knots from China, theirs are hand made, and well worth the price.

Failing that, and by ways of full disclosure, and despite the fact that I have a variety of Thäter silvertip brushes (still the best in the market in my opinion), my daily brush is a Frank Shaving synthetic which cost me something like $2 in China. It works like a charm. Personally, if I had to retrofit a brush into a handle, it would definitely be a modern synthetic, because it's hassle free, cheap, and will last forever without its quality degrading.

How about the Viking Brushes? I was checking for a new brush also and the Thater brand is out off my price range but then I saw the Viking Brand and it looks like a good brush and it is affordable for me. Has anyone tried it or has one? I like the name because of my Viking blood.