Should I Go Pure?

[xman]

The only two brushes I have ever used are the C&E EJ Best and a beautiful custom Super Silver Tip which I use for lathering creams. They're good and great brushes respectively, but I think I'm ready to graduate from the EJ Best which I use for soaps. The custom has a light bulb shape which is great for the rice bowl I use for lathering, a denser knot which really hogs lather which is a little annoying and silver tip bristles which are just heavenly really. I don't mind the Best Badger Brush at all. I find it almost as soft as the Silver Tip on my face, but it seems a bit too soft for the job of making lather from soaps.

I wonder if a Pure Badger Brush will work better on the soap bar and still retain enough softness to keep me pleased. As usual I'm looking around for THE right tool. Here's what I'm thinking; a quality brush should have a denser knot than the EJ budget line and also retain enough water to get good lather. I don't like making a ton of lather that I'm not going to use and I sometimes think my 24mm knots are too wide for face so a narrow knot should be best. I'm worried I won't like the Pure hairs though otherwise I would be happy dolling out for the good brush.

The Omega Pure Badgers look very nice, but it sounds like they're not as good as the boar bristles.
The Simpson's are a pretty penny, but I bet their knots are perfect.

Do my conclusions sound well, sound to you guys in the know?
From the pure brush users I'd like to know what brush you sue and why you like it?
Also, how different or similar in feel is your pure brush compared to some others that you've used?
What am I forgetting?

TIA

X

[mparker762]

The Rooney 1/1 finest is a really great soap brush. Very dense 21mm knot that doesn't hog the lather, short loft, and stiff bristles that build lather quickly but with soft tips that rival a silvertip. They're not cheap, but when i got mine it pretty quickly displaced all my other brushes. I've been using it every day for the last three years now, and can't recommend it highly enough.

[RayG]

I don't know if it is a "pure" but what I have is a European Gray Plisson. It is a very nice brush, especially for soap. Good backbone and nice scrubbing action. My favorite soap brushes though are the stiffer silvertips, be they 2band simpsons or rooney finest. Same scrubbiness or even moreso, but the tips are soft. You get just enough scritchiness, but not prickly or scratchy like a pure or even the EJ best badger. I hope that makes sense.

If not for the smaller knot size you prefer, I'd say you would probably like the Heritage Stubby 2 that Padron has on the Classifieds for an excellent price. Not cheap, but you seem to stick to very few brushes, like you mention. It would be worth it, and is not hard to resell if you don't lke it.

[gugi]

lol, i was going to say that the finest is the other option, but costs quite a bit more.
rooney 3/1 is my daily choice and i've got just one more brush, which is a custom shavemac rebristled vintage handle.

[Bart]

Hi X,

I'm certainly no brush aficionado, but I really can recommend the silvertip brushes by Semogue (Portugal). I have had the opportunity to compare mine with a number of others in different grades of badger, and I find this brush hard to beat when it comes to backbone, massaging comfort and lather-ability. The price of these brushes is incredibly sweet. SRP member Leon sells them, and for what they cost, it hardly hurts to try.
Here's my original review:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...silvertip.html

Kind regards,
Bart.

[JimR]

Don't discount boar--it's stiff and, if you get a good, untrimmed knot, it's smooth. And it only gets smoother over time. I'll never give up my Omega knots for badger...

[fpessanha]

I'd suggest you to look for a Semogue brush. Portuguese made, and they have had very good reviews on this forum. Our very own Leon sells them at his shop: Coming Soon...... Check them out. Plus, they are really very cheap!
My thoughts, only. I have a boar hair semogue brush and I'm very happy with it, though I am now preparing to teke the plunge into a nice badger brush...

[xman]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Don't discount boar--it's stiff and, if you get a good, untrimmed knot, it's smooth. And it only gets smoother over time. I'll never give up my Omega knots for badger...

As smooth as a good untrimmed pure badger knot? Could it be better. I'm assuming that nearly all boar brushes have substantially more backbone than any reasonably similar badger I guess. I expect that. I expect that bristle brushes are like the Wilkinson Sword I see at the druggist, at least in hair strength. I can see how some might like that. I can sure see how a professional barber would like how it responds. If a gentleman shaver would prefer something else, I would show him a catalogue and talk up the silver tips. I can see how someone like you digs they way they respond too. I'm just sceptical that it might be me.

I generally, really like using my EJ Best. It's a bit loose and floppy for me though and I find the the handle a bit uncomfortable. If I want to change the floppiness I can do it two ways right? I can get a denser knot or I can get a stiffer hair. Or both.

Those Semogue brushes look like quite a pick. If the budget line functions as smoothly as the one the guy in the Portugese news vid about them I might have found my next brush. The last thing I want to do now is change up on a brush and end up with pretty much the same issues, too floppy. I certainly don't want new issues either. I'll have to contact leon. scottlp sells them here in Canada too. Hm. ...

I'm also looking at the Simpson BK4, the Beaufort that they sell at SRD. I'll bet it's a though brush, my son. Could the Semogue 2010 be that well packed?

X

PS Hey Jim,

How good are the Omega Pure Badger Brushes do you know? I think I read they don't hold water. How much water do they need to hold?!?!

[theworldover]

Xman,

Have you considered the variable loft brush by Shavemac? It is supposed to be a pretty good little brush, and Mantic59 likes his quite a bit. You can adjust it for exactly what you're going for as far as floppiness, stiffness, or softness on a particular day. Supposed to be very high quality badger as well. Just a thought.

[xman]

Xman,

Have you considered the variable loft brush by Shavemac? It is supposed to be a pretty good little brush, and Mantic59 likes his quite a bit. You can adjust it for exactly what you're going for as far as floppiness, stiffness, or softness on a particular day. Supposed to be very high quality badger as well. Just a thought.

I don't really like the handle. I think it's more brush than I need too. My Les Paul guitar has three split pickups and I can get a host of sounds, but I only really use two or three.

X