I'll say upfront that my Silvertip is one of those very cheap De Long brushes from China. Nonetheless, I hope you’ll agree that if my points below applies to my cheapo brushes, they have to apply doubly—quadruply— to the very best Silvertip brushes.

Before starting up with straight razors about 11 months ago, I had used a boar’s hair brush for about 20 years. It didn’t make the greatest lather, but that was less about the brush than the fact that most of the time I was using scraps of hand soap rather than a decent shaving soap. Terrible, I know, but good enough for a quick shave with my Trac II or Mach III or—more often—whatever disposable was on sale that week. After a few months of using the boar brush with a straight razor, I upgraded to a best badger brush from Voltex. It wasn’t just softer, it made much better lather and was definitely a jump up.

I’m pretty much a cheapo about shaving—my goal isn’t just about a great shave, it’s about keeping things simple and cheap. But I was of course attracted to those gorgeous Silvertip brushes and the De Long brush seemed like a cheap way to see if they were “all that.” And it was all that—maybe not compared to a Shavemac or the other great brands, but it was definitely another step up, a big one from the best badger.

Or at least it was once I’d figured out how to get a decent lather with it! The move from the boar brush to the best badger was effortless; the move up to the Silvertip required changes in my technique and real attention to what I was doing. It wasn’t simple, it wasn’t quick, but I did finally get to a point—after several weeks—where the lather was very good most of the time.

But you know what? When I rinsed the brush after the second pass, I always felt like I was also rinsing away enough soap for at least one more shave, maybe two! I’ve read enough comments on SRP to recognize (I think) that this isn’t exceptional—that’s part of the reason a Silvertip is such a luxurious brush. But the frugal part of me was offended by this. And when I put a solo puck in my grandfather’s shaving mug, I was shocked at how quickly it went!

So I got another best badger brush (having gifted the first to a friend) and used it for the first time today. It makes lather quickly and simply, with minimal attention on my part. It’s soft, it works, and when I rinse it after the second lathering, it doesn’t expel pints of lather, going right down the drain—just a little residue of soapy water. No, it’s not a deluxe brush, it doesn’t feel like a Silvertip, but it’s much more like the tool I want.

Sorry to make this so long!

Dan

p.s. I’m keeping the Silvertip, though. Nothing wrong with a bit of luxury every once in a while!