1 Brush for Cream & 1 for Soap??? Your Thoughts Please

Warning...New guy alert, new guy alert!!!!

I realize that within short order I will probably have a bevy of different brushes, but for now I am just trying to wade through the plethora of excellent information here on the forums to try and decide what to order first. Do most of you use one style of brush for creams, and a different style for soaps?

You see, I am not sure if I wich I will like shaving with the best, cream or soap. I might go back and forth between the two, or even mix the two together like a lot of you seem to do. So, with that being said, how does one go about deciding on a brush to buy?

While I don't really want to spend $200-$300 on an individual brush right now, I do want to buy quality. Also, do the different grades of badger brushes come in different levels of stiffness?

Does one want a stiffer brush for soaps and a softer brush for creams? Any help you biys could offer would be appreciated. Oh, and I promise I have read a lot of the threads here, so I am not being lazy by starting a new one, I'm just a little confused. I also want to say that my brush purchasing decision is not solely driven by $$$ amount, I just want the right brush/brushes for the job to start off with without buying junk.

By the way, was thinking of ordering a Vulfix 2234 for creams. Your opinions on that brush would be of great help.

Thanks in advance!

24mm Silver Tip Overstuffed... 24 mm Best overstuffed

Stiff enough for soap plush enough for cream..
The size is about dead center...You can always adjust up or down on the high dollar one later (BTW my favorite in the upper ranges is the ShaveMac)

Check our vendors here first... should be about $80-$100

I know SRD has some...


ps: and no I am not just following you around the forum hehehe you just keep asking questions in my sections today :rofl2::rofl2:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

ps: and no I am not just following you around the forum hehehe you just keep asking questions in my sections today :rofl2::rofl2:

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Just when I thought you were stalking me:eek:!

Thanks for the info man.

You know, overall this straight razor thing is turning out to be really economical. I don't have all the stuff I need to actually shave yet, but I've only spent, uhmmmm, like $47,000 so far :roflmao:roflmao:roflmao:roflmao! YEEEEEHAWWWWW!!!!!!

24mm Finest Badger I think is a pretty universal size/type for both soap and cream.

I think that at least one brush for soap and at least one for creams is a good idea. I have that arrangement. It did not happen intentionaly but none the less it has and it works.

Hi, I'm a newbie as well.

I can't add much with regard to using soaps as I only like creams. I have a Vulfix badger that I got at a reasonable price from classicshaving.com and it is wonderful. Another brush that I just picked up is the synthetic shaving brush from the Body Shop. It's an $11 brush that is as soft as my badger and works almost as well. The biggest problem that I have with it is that it holds water different than the badger and it is easy to get too much water in the cream. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by Tolly

You know, overall this straight razor thing is turning out to be really economical. I don't have all the stuff I need to actually shave yet, but I've only spent, uhmmmm, like $47,000 so far :roflmao:roflmao:roflmao:roflmao! YEEEEEHAWWWWW!!!!!!

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It reminds me of reloading ammo, you start because you figure "Heck yeah I will save money" 2 weeks later you realize that you haven't saved a dime you just get to shoot more :)

I agree with gssixgun. Look at a ShaveMac or another high quality brush that can handle both creams and soap.

My first brush was a Vulfix 2234. I like the brush and feel it is a good value for the money. It fit my needs and budget at the time. It is more suited for creams, but I used it for both. As I started to explore soaps, creams and shaving scuttles I was ready to upgrade to a more dense brush. After reading the reviews and posts on SRP, I went with a 23mm ShaveMac silvertip D01. It is a great brush and handles both creams and soaps nicely.

I think you are better off using the money you were going to spend on two brushes and put it towards one higher quality brush with a dense knot that can handle both creams and soaps.

There is a lot of personal preference in brushes. I tried a nice silvertip and hated it. But i bought a $25 pure badger that I love. Its still enough for soap and soft enough for cream and great for face lathering. You might just have to try a few cheaper options and see what works best for you.

A lot of members really like boar brushes, and for the most part those are under $25

I just have one good quality brush that I use for both. I suppose you could use a brush for each (more brushes, always good!) but you dont NEED to.

I was wondering about getting another brush but I would only buy them now for the handle design, simply because I have one already and it works great. I'd rather spend the money on razors!

As Stubear says, you don't need multiple brushes, but it's nice to have options. I have seven brushes at the moment, all different grades of badger hair, different sizes, different lofts, but they all seem to work well with both creams and soaps. I simply like to vary my shave and having different brushes adds to that.

Boar provides nice water load, thus results in lather being well hydrated
The bristles are flexible. However the negative aspect of the boar is that bristles are rather brittle which is prone to breaking. To combat this it is generally advised to work lather in mug and use the boar on face via "painting" style method.

With badgers there are 8 species which can be found here for more detail.

In general there are 3 grades of badger: Pure, Best and Super. Other vendors refer to Best and Super in in finest or Silvertip but mean the same thing.

Pure accounts for 60% of badgers body. It tend to be medium in length, generally light tan but can vary to nearly black and less supple compared to other grades.

Best accounts for 25% of badgers body. It's a little longer generally light varying to darker tan and more supple.

Super accounts for 15% of badgers body. This is longest and most supple. Definately more luxurious compared to the other two. The hair is derived from the neck area of badger. The shaft is finer, tips are lightly colored and flaired. Flaired tips are designed to provide thermal insulation for badgers. With regards to brush, it allows it to hold greater volume of water when saturated. Water can then be infused into the lather thus creating a more moist better performing lather which allow for closer and of course less irritating shave. In essense, larger super tip = more flair tip = more water held = moist lather = better shave

Cost for these range from $55 to well over $800. The price difference is generally from different grade of bristle used, cost of handle materials and so forth. Supply and demand is also factor as well. Smaller manufacturers who "hand make" these tend to make them at lower volume and charge accordingly. Large manufacturers who employ more modern method employ more modern manufacturing methods can produce brushes more efficiently and consequently can sell them for less.

The issue here is, what are you buying, a badger bristle shaving brush or a status symbol? Think of auto manufacturers, why some sell $100,000.00 vehicles and others sell $8,000.00 respectively. Simply put, there is a buyer for every product.

What you as the buyer have to decide is what aspect of the brush is most important to you. A top quality brush that provides an exceptional shaving experience can be bought for around 100-200 by spending more than that you begin to enter into the question of diminishing returns regarding performance vs. cost. On the other hand, being able to tell your friends that you shave daily with an $800.00 shaving brush has its own value.

Most experienced brush users would agree in that you should buy the best brush your budget and your personal values will allow. One that you will never regret and the investment will repay you with a lifetime of superior quality enjoyable shaves.

I started out with Simpson B4 Pure Badger followed by Omega #21047 boar. The latter was more to my liking as it's nice short and compact. Not to say I dislike the Pure badger. It's just the 21047 is a lather monster to say the least. It's not scritchy, very soft on the face so long as it's been pre-soaked like I do with any brush.

I don't have any set brush for either soap or cream. I have brushes that vary from 18-28mm in badger and boar with few customs from Carbonsteel928 ( Mike ) which can be found HERE.

BTW Mike is local to you!

I've yet to go through them all as I've been using the #21047 as primary. However, soon I'll be using others in my rotation to change it up. It's indeed nice to have options.

Welcome aboard :beer:

From what i have read....The new Simpsons 2 band will fit your bill. Very soft tips with alot of backbone in the lower end.

A cheaper option would be a Semogue silvertip & a boar. Great brushes.

I only have one brush creams, soaps, whatever.

Semogue brushes rock! I have the 2000 boar hair model and find it just as soft as my C&E or col. conk badgers. The extra stiffness really comes in handy while lathering - the brush seems to do all the work.

Cheers!