Thread: Moving away from badger

Here’s my home lineup of brushes.

In order from left to right:
- Two Yaqi synthetics
- Fendrihan boar
- Omega boar
- Classic Edge badger



The small badger brush is the only badger brush I have ever owned and it came as part of a shaving kit that included a TI straight razor, a bench strop and the brush.

I always wanted a larger brush, but the price of decent quality badgers turned me off. I got the Omega boar bristle at a local drug store for around $10 and then got the larger boar from Fendrihan when it was discounted - still under $20. Then I picked up the orange Yaqi at a local meet up for $20 and recently purchased the large barber pole synthetic for Top of the Chain for under $40.

To be honest, I really can’t tell the difference in face feel or lather making between the badger, the synthetics and, now that they are broken in, the boar bristles so the direction of any future purchases will be determined by price.

IMHO - I understand that I have no experience with a high quality badger knot, but I can’t believe the cost is justified by any apparent improvement in lathering or feel.

I should try a synthetic. Tried an older one once and one newer one. Seems they would not accept any water at all.

Perhaps the new crop is better? What is the best one? For face-lathering?

I don't like synthetics, every time I use one I get water running down my arm.
I do like horse hair, Vielong and boar, Omega.
When I want a really soft brush I reach for the horse.

I now have over 30 brushes of all variety. There is a reason the top line badgers are... top of the line. My own recent trend is to set top quality knots into exquisite custom brush handles. To some a Lamborghini is just a car.

There is a synthetic in the “Tom” box here. You can try it in February.

I have a few synthetics, I still like my VS two band badger. I have never owed a really expensive badger. For the price difference between a shavemac two band and a VS, that shavemac would have to be magic. I have one old boar brush that I bought when I was in my late teens, and it has always been a little too scratchy for me.

One of the truly great things about this hobby, there something for everyone!

I would not compare a silvertip that came in a shaving kit with a good 2 band badger knot with the right loft to knot size ratio. That said, I have a 2 band badger from The Golden Nib that I set into a handle and 2 custom Shavemac 2 band badger brushes and while The Golden Nib brush knot is not up to the standard of the Shavemac knots it is a very good knot in use. Personally I could not justify the price difference based on performance alone. Personally, a lot of using a high end product, be it a brush or car, is making a statement to a large extent.

For me, there is a difference between the various knot materials in how they feel on the face when face lathering and how they produce a good lather. They will all produce a good lather though.

Synthetic knots do not hold water well but they do take it on only to let it run out of the knot and down your hand and arm. The trick is to stop trying to use them like a badger brush and forget about soaking them. Just wet the tips and load the brush adding a little water as you go to let the proto lather already in the brush hold the water. Then go and start face lathering with the proto lather again adding a little water as you go till you get the type of lather you want.

Only tried one horse hair brush and it did not suit my face lathering technique. Just too prickly for me but I guess if you were mopping on the lather from a bowl it might be just fine. I don't bowl lather so I don't use a horse hair brush.

Bob

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I should try a synthetic. Tried an older one once and one newer one. Seems they would not accept any water at all.

Perhaps the new crop is better? What is the best one? For face-lathering?

I have many good badger brushes, and I enjoy them all. There's nothing like the 'wall of badger' feeling on the face with a large, dense, badger knot.

Lately, I've been enjoying the synthetics more and more. Some of this has to do with the fact that when I'm not using an Italian soap, I'm using one of the newer artisan soaps that are full of tallows, oils, and butters.

In my experience, the big badgers-my Simpsons Manchurian Chubbies, the big M&Fs, etc. hold on to those lathers strongly. I suspect it has to do with the emollients.

The synthetics don't hold on. Yes, there is the 'water running down the arm' issue if you soak them, but soaking isn't necessary. Paint a 'dryish' lather on the face, dip the tips and paint on additional water, face lather, then repeat until the lather is how you like it.

The ones I like best these days are the Tuxedo knots-especially the original ones from APShaveCo, and the 'Black Wolf' knots from Wolf Whiskers and Envy Shave. But TBH, the copies from various companies and vendors are not far behind them.

It may be that since I have never really used a good badger brush, I don’t try to use my synths or boar brushes as if they were badger.

The synthetics and the boar bristles both lather well in my bowls and on my face. When face lathering, I don’t soak the brushes too much and build the moisture by adding a little water at a time until the lather on my face is the consistency I want. DItto for bowl lathering.

Badger has always been the brush of choice for the well heeled and that's probably 100 years plus of history talking.

I have one high end synthetic the rest of my brushes are all badger including some classic (and no longer available) true two banders. Personally I don't understand why someone would ditch a quality badger for any synthetic. To me the synthetic "gets the job done" but to compare it to a quality badger is like comparing a tub of Williams soap to Castle Forbes.

If your starting out and are using a pure badger then it's a different story and as usual this is all based on my opinion though history is in my favor. Now who knows maybe someone will come out with some super synthetic which eats a high end badgers lunch.

I have no intention of buying another brush soon. My Polo 10 is the end all be all brush for me. But I could never think of letting those good folks at Simpson’s go out of business. If I find a need or want for another, it’ll be another Simpson’s badger. Maybe the Polo 12!