Thread: First Brush: Recommend a good silvertip?

Hello,

I have yet to begin purchasing anything and so am brand new to the straight world. Everything I have read thus far all says that for the best quality in a brush Silvertip is the way to go, however I am seeing a range in Silvertip brushes from 70.00-500.00. That is a huge range, I'm not looking to break the bank on my first brush but am ok with spending in the 100.00 range, obviously under that would be great.

So, can anyone here recommend a brush they have personally used and or a place for me to look?

Also what I see they com in various sizes from 20-30mm... what is the pros and cons of the sizes? Is bigger better?

Lastly is there a big difference between normal or "Best Badger" compared to teh Silvertip?

Thanks,

Josh

Josh Welcome to SRP
what I did is bought everything I thought I needed first, only to find out I didnt have what I needed to shave.

I would say you first need a razor and a strop to get started. I bought the strop last and had everything else and couldnt do anything till I had enough money to buy a strop, I actually had to borrow a strop ( that I still have BTW and is still in useable condition). It seems like a lot of money to get started, you could easily spend hundreds of dollors. I would first shop for a razor in the clasified section of this forum, there are lots of good razors here and they are comming from members who are knowledegable, and most likely they will get them shave ready for you. Secondly you need a strop, there are vendors here that will set you up with quality products from around $40 up to around $120.

You can buy samples of shave creams and soaps from the forum vendors, or even buy from the classsifieds. There are even members making creams and giving away samples.

You can buy a brush as cheap as $12 to get started , and there are plenty of guys using $12 brushes or you can spend $300 on one. Im still on a $12 brush and will probally upgrade to an $80 silvertip soon. Hope this helps you a little.

God I dont know what possessed me to go so far off topic, Sorry Josh lol.

I gotta lay off the double shot expresso's on the weekend.

TJ,

I have had wonderful luck with both Shavemac and Rooney brushes. Jim Ayars at Vintage Blades has a nice selection of both brands and I can highly recommend his service. Look at the Shavemac 177 and 429; they are very similar but have different grades of hair. The 429 hair will be slightly stiffer and "scritchier" on the face. Rooney also makes some very nice brushes and the Style 2 size 1 and Style 3 size 1 are worth checking out.

The knot size is the diameter of the brush's hairs where they enter the handle. In my experience, when the knot gets much over about 23mm and the hairs get much over 50mm, the brush can get to be a bit of a lather pig, which means that it will create lather just fine, but also will seem to want to keep all the suds for itself.

While this is outside the budget you alluded to, if I had to have only one brush, it would be the Rooney Heritage Emillion. For me it is the perfect combination of stiffness for good, not floppy, body with luxuriously soft tips for that "let me caress your face this morning" lathering.

Straight Double Edge Razor : Shaving Products Supplies : Dovo Safety Razor : Badger Shaving Brush : Men's Grooming Products : VintageBladesllc.com

good shopping, good shaving

In that price range, rooney hands down. Look at the style 3, size 1 in super, or, if you plan on mostly face lathering and you want a fantastic soap brush, the rooney style 1, size one in super.

Thanks for all the info guys, and Mike no need to apologize at all! I need to hear all of that.

PJRAGE what do you mean by "if I'm only looking for a brush to use for face lathering? What else would I be using the brush for? You also mention the style 1 size 1 brush is a great soap brush. I still haven't worked my way to researching soaps and cremes yet. Are there certain brushes better for soaps and some for cremes?

Josh

Josh

"Face Lathering" as opposed to making lather in a bowl, it's a matter of preference.

I started lathering on the face but now I like making my lather in a bowl and keeping the bowl sitting in hot water in the sink to keep the lather warm.

Some brushes may be to soft and floppy for soaps, While a soft floppy brush will be great for creams. See how it works ? I really have no first hand experience with different brushes but this is what I have read so far. Hopefully others will chime in on this.

I purchased the Semogue badger hair brush with the oak handle from the Vintage Scents Co. web site. Came in well under $100.00 with shipping. This is my first Badger hair brush and what a beauty. Feels great in my hand and it is far superior to the boar hair brush I was using. No comparison at all. The feel of the brush on the face, how it makes lather. Changed my shaving world.
Dannyr

As mentioned, yeah, by face lathering I meant building the lather on your face as opposed to in a bowl or on your palm. This is definitely a personal preference thing, though. The Rooney style 1, size 1 makes for a good face lathering brush because it has a small handle. This also makes it tougher to bowl lather with. The 3/1 on the other hand, has a bit larger handle, so you can face lather, bowl lather, or anything else. For your first / only brush, I'd go with the 3/1 super!

I got my Stephen's woodworking brush from Straight Razor Designs. Great brush- you can read some reviews in the forums. Under $100, and just plain good.
If you're handy- you could get a knot (just the hair part) from goldennib.com and make your own handle- that'll keep the whole thing under $25.
That said- you absolutely don't have to start with a silvertip. Brushes, just like razors are completely a matter of preference. You'd be better off just starting off with something basic and upgrading as you feel the need to explore. Some guys like scratchier brushes and are fine with a basic badger. Some love big gigantic floppy silvertip. Some like a coarser boar hair. Just get whatever sounds interesting and go for it.
Size, as everything else, is just preference. I started out fairly big (28mm), and I think will be downsizing for my next one to the 20mm range. I think I want a stiffer feel and enjoy the sensation of lathering up too much to cover all of my face in an instant with that big brush.
...boy that's just full of innuendo.