Thread: Badger vs boar water retention

When I use my silvertip badger, my lather is far superior. It holds more moisture and is way easier to shave and I rarely need to re-apply any soap or add moisture.
On my boars, I occasionally need to re-hydrate my lather because it dries out much quicker on my face. Even if I use a lot of moisture and let them soak well first, it’s just not up to par my silvertip. So I can get very wet thick lather from my boar, but it’s not of the same quality than with the silvertip.

I only face lather.

Do boars break in after a while and retain more moisture?
Or is this just why badgers are preferred by many?
My boar tips have broken in and are even softer feeling than my silvertip.
But the difference in the quality of the lather is rather big in favor of the silvertip badger.

Badger bristle is. Hollow

Boar bristle. Is solid

when using a boar I enjoy the ability to whip up the lather and make more lather faster. The Badger will have more tendency to hold or keep lather and not let it go as easy. Its a personal preference thing. I like boar and badger and synthetic. But they are all different. They act different. I cant say one is better than the other. Its more of what you like. Because the badger holds/soaks up water more it doesn't release the water as easy.

I've badger, boar and synthetic ones. Each has its own strengths and problems. But still I can get good lather off all of them in a shaving bowl and I don't really see much difference if there was any at all. To me, it's more about the make of the brush and the way you lather.

Originally Posted by TristanLudloz1928273

When I use my silvertip badger, my lather is far superior. It holds more moisture and is way easier to shave and I rarely need to re-apply any soap or add moisture.
On my boars, I occasionally need to re-hydrate my lather because it dries out much quicker on my face. Even if I use a lot of moisture and let them soak well first, it’s just not up to par my silvertip. So I can get very wet thick lather from my boar, but it’s not of the same quality than with the silvertip.

I only face lather.

Do boars break in after a while and retain more moisture?
Or is this just why badgers are preferred by many?
My boar tips have broken in and are even softer feeling than my silvertip.
But the difference in the quality of the lather is rather big in favor of the silvertip badger.

After boar is broken in its a nice soft brush but does not retain heat the same way Badger does.
Badger is king for me. I have had Badgers that did not release lather well and many that release it very easy.
I would say that most Badger releases fine but some doesn't and I attribute that to the way the knot is made. I think that certain hair cannot be too dense or it doesn't work well.
The very best hair in the right proportion is sublime!!
All Badger now in my house

Just my opinion I have zero evidence LOL

Badger cannot be beat when using shave cream, they do rather well on most soaps too

Boar are excellent after break in on Harder and Triple Milled soaps, they are very fast and lather on the face in a heartbeat

Synthetics especially the newer ones are pretty darn impressive, my SilkSmoke is becoming a goto brush it does everything well, maybe not "Better" but a Jack of all Trades

I am no expert on badger and boar. I have a well used Semogue boar, but I never cottoned to it. It is about like a cheap, scrubby synthetic on my face and it holds water and lather about as well. That is just my opinion only and I am not dogmatic about it. I had badger, which was very nice and held water and lather better than the boar, but it had to be soaked and then took two days to dry out completely. When I got a Rudy Vey brush with a 25mm Mühle Silvertip Fibre knot and got rid of my badgers and all but one boar. It holds water and lather really well, better than the boar, and close to my badger, but the overall feel for me is better and the performance is there. Not only that, but it dries out in a few hours.

I only use boar brushes and especially Omega.
I hate badger, I bought some many years ago and I gave them all to someone.
For me they are too soft, too feminine, they hold too much water, they fail to deliver the foam to the face, thay are too slow with some soaps, they are completely inappropriate for shaving.
But I know that I am alone in this matter, all wet shavers love badger brushes. I just don't get it.

Originally Posted by Slur

I only use boar brushes and especially Omega.
I hate badger, I bought some many years ago and I gave them all to someone.
For me they are too soft, too feminine, they hold too much water, they fail to deliver the foam to the face, thay are too slow with some soaps, they are completely inappropriate for shaving.
But I know that I am alone in this matter, all wet shavers love badger brushes. I just don't get it.

Actually i don't completely disagree.

I have a couple of badgers and a few synthetics but mostly boar.

I have a separate dedicated brush for each soap and the badgers are for creams, the synthetics are good because a decent one feels very good and they don't need soaking so nice and convenient but my boars are excellent when broken in, nice feel, good lather, and they get better with age.

My first boar is two years old and feels so soft its almost not boar.

Originally Posted by Slur

I only use boar brushes and especially Omega.
I hate badger, I bought some many years ago and I gave them all to someone.
For me they are too soft, too feminine, they hold too much water, they fail to deliver the foam to the face, thay are too slow with some soaps, they are completely inappropriate for shaving.
But I know that I am alone in this matter, all wet shavers love badger brushes. I just don't get it.

Nah, I have no preference between the 3 and if there has to be the best, I would say boar. I like my Omega, but have to say that they should clean the bristles better, the hunk is too much to me, although I managed to get rid of it.