Thread: Looking to buy a brush

http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...silvertip.html

Originally Posted by xChris

Crabtree & Evelyn carries the brush which is considered the standard in affordable but quality badger -- best badger grade in this case.

The good thing about it is (f you have a C&E shop close) you can check it out before buying. Plus you can get some samples from the store while you're there.

Cream Best Badger Small Shave Brush | Shaving Brushes & Kits | Men's Grooming | Bath & Body | Crabtree & Evelyn

+1 good brush!

Originally Posted by vgod

try a tweezerman silvertip brush. $15 plush shippinng unless you can get it locally. i use this over my dovo for everyday. i keep trying to go back to the dovo, but i just get reminded how nice my $15 brush is.

www.tweezerman.com

you can also find them from time to time on ebay. kenrup sells them with his starter kits. good times.

vgod

I have a tweezerman and love it!

is the brushes I use daily - rooney finest. It's worth every penny for me, yet that is very expensive brush, with a very specific feel, so it shouldn't be anybody's first brush, unless money is not a concern at all.
My other brush is a custom shavemac and again while it's absolutely worth for me I wouldn't suggest anybody start with that.
I find a significant performance difference between the <$70 brushes and >$100 brushes, and the later make the experience a lot more enjoyable for me, but again most anything will work just fine, so the best is to just stick with your budget.

I just skimmed most of the replies so I don't know if someone has mentioned this before, but I started (and am continuing) with a Vulfix that I got for about $35 on classicshaving.com. (I think it was the #849)

After more than 6 months it's showing now signs of falling apart, and is actually getting a little bit smoother. If you're not sure that you want to lay down $100 for a brush, I'd definitely say that in my experience the Vulfix was definitely worth the $35.

I started out with a cheap boar brush many years ago when I was just playing with shave soaps and wanted an occasional shave with a different ritual. It does make good lather. I still have that brush and was using it when I took the str8 razor plunge. I have since moved to the Vulfix pure badger from classic shaving for had shaving soaps and a shavemac silver tip (super badger) for shaving creams. My lady friend now uses the boar brush to lather her legs and she likes it. If you are just starting out I would suggest starting with the boar brush and see if you like the experiance and really want to invest the time in your shaves. I'm sure we've all wasted ten bucks here and there and this wouldn't be a waste, just an other brush. If you like the experiance it will only get better with a badger brush. If you don't it's only ten bucks.

I have for sale a set including the finest silver tipped badger brush you'll find, a Georgetown Pottery scuttle (winner of many polls) and a beautiful stand. This will set you up with quality that you will pass on to future generations. Check it out: Shave Set Named Connie - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Don't waste your money on commercial, mass produced mediocraty. Invest in a true, unique work of art.

I just picked up a Crabtree and Evelyn brush (130271) because it had good reviews. It was pretty confusing to find the right one ("pure badger, "best badger" and "super badger"). I have not used it yet but I presume at $35, it would be hard to find better value. Although I read that there is no difference in the quality of the bristles between the "pure "and "best", to me, they look and feel different. Granted, I do not have any prior experience. I do not find the handle small as others have reported but I do not have big hands. Overall, this brush was the best one that I was able to find in the mall including, some sold by The Art of Shaving. I do not have a feeling for the quality of manufacture of the brush but the label says: "hand made England". I would think that is better than: "made in China". If this brush looks and "feels" this good, I cannot imagine what those that cost around $200 would be like (assuming that there is, at least, a linear function between quality and money). Please feel free to comment on my initial impression of this brush.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by Alraz

I just picked up a Crabtree and Evelyn brush (130271) because it had good reviews. It was pretty confusing to find the right one ("pure badger, "best badger" and "super badger"). I have not used it yet but I presume at $35, it would be hard to find better value. Although I read that there is no difference in the quality of the bristles between the "pure "and "best", to me, they look and feel different. Granted, I do not have any prior experience. I do not find the handle small as others have reported but I do not have big hands. Overall, this brush was the best one that I was able to find in the mall including, some sold by The Art of Shaving. I do not have a feeling for the quality of manufacture of the brush but the label says: "hand made England". I would think that is better than: "made in China". If this brush looks and "feels" this good, I cannot imagine what those that cost around $200 would be like (assuming that there is, at least, a linear function between quality and money). Please feel free to comment on my initial impression of this brush.

Al raz.

You got a very good brush for the cost, IMO. Yes, it would be harder to find better value, and is one of the reasons for all of the good reviews. The handle shape, persian jar "esque", is pretty good for everyday use too (again IMO).

There is some linear function between cost and quality. But around $100, it starts to really diminish. Up over $150 and more, you're really looking at particulars specific to your own tastes -- super soft, super dense, slightly scritchy, hair guage, hair color, yada yada. It takes time, a lot of money, and a lot of trial to figure it all out at that end. But for many of us aficianados, that's what makes the hobby so great.

xChris, I really like my brush. Other than my old boar hair brush, I have no other brush to compare it to but it works and feels great. Perhaps people that have tried very good brushes feel that this one does not compare to them. I read about the poor density and size of the handle as the main problems with it.

Al raz.