Thread: Anyone have an opinion on their shaving brush?

Hi everyone.

This post is useful for me as I'm considering buying a brush too. I've heard quite a lot about the vulfix brushes and have been looking at one or two models. Interestingly, although you tend to see Vulfix brushes in 'pure badger' and 'super badger', they also make 'silver tip brushes. I live in the UK so have been trying to find a UK retailer for Vulfix and found the following:

http://www.vulfixoldoriginal.com/pro...ry.asp?CatID=1

Even if you don't live in the UK there is still some useful info on that site - for example, I never realised that silver tip hair comes from the badgers neck, or that the Chinese eat badgers .

Ed,

For what it's worth I have the Vulfix silvertip 374. I have been
quite satisfied with it. BUT the only thing I had to compare it
to was a Burma Shave brush. But I still lke the Burma Shave and
will use it for a travel brush.

Good luck on selecting a brush.


Terry

Somebody recommended the Crabtree & Evelyn brush. I picked one up in Charleston, and couldn't be happier. Granted, I don't have a lot of brushes to compare it to, but it works magnificently, and I really don't see a reason to try another one. For $35, I gots no complaints. I've got a $26 pure badger I got from Norva Barber Supply, and it's ok, but it's too "moppy". I still kinda like my Burma Shave boar brush, but the C&E's just about perfect.

While I have always been a Burma Shave brush fan I hate to admit I am now using a Tweezerman almost exclusively now <g>. I have discovered cremes instead of cake soap and the badger is much better for these than a bristle brush. I have all thre that Crabtree makes, travel, medium and the big beast too. I have several of the William Marvey bristle brushes and they have a great feel to the densly packed bristles. Sadly they smell much like a wild beast when wet I I will leave what end of the beast to your imagination <g> (hint, it ain't the end that barks at you).

Tony

Tony,

Give those brushes a good shampoo, or two, or three! Or, try Borax (20 Mule Power, available at Wal Mart) and give it an hour long soak, using 1 tsp to once cup of water. That should tame the beast!

RT

I did a good shampoo on mine a few weeks back. It seemed like the brush wasn't retaining water like it used to. Just grab whatever you use on your noggin, squirt it into a coffee cup, add a little water and whip it up. Rinse and repeat. You can use conditioner too -- after all, brushes are just hair.

I have a small Rooney's Best and absolutely love it. I also have a Kent and a couple of Vulfix's and a Maestro Stag Horn. The Rooney is a stiffer Best Silver Tip Badger and I love the way it holds and spreads the lather without flinging it all over the place. Wish I would have gotten the Medium size though. Lynn

During my winter vacation, while traveling, I packed a Simpson Major Best Badger (turnback style) travel brush and found it a real pleasure to use. The brush is particularly small, but like all Simpson brushes, it is very densly packed, so much so, that they say that you don't need to hang them in a stand to dry after use. At home I have an SMF brush (a fine Shavemac brush), a 377 Vulfix, and a couple of Kents (BK4 and a larger huge T-12). Nonetheless, after using the Simpson for the past couple of months while on the road, I now find my other brushes too floppy. I intend to sell most of my brushes and purchase another Simpson (either a smaller knotted Harvard or Persian Jar) in best badger for use at home.

Hal

Hal,

You raise a good point about the smaller brushes. There is a thread at BadgerandBlade about this very topic!

Since this thread started, I have changed up my brush inventory. I said goodbye to a Savile Row 241, a 30mm knot brush that was huge. And I've added a couple of custom brushes.

Left to right: Shavemyface.com Brush I, SMF.com brush II and the third brush was a brush that SMF rejected. Yeah, the handle screams "get a wrench", but guys, it's the easiest to use brush I own. Brushes 1 and 3 have a 26mm knot, the middle brush a 24mm knot. I believe that once you pass 26mm, you aren't using a brush, your are dabbing lather on your face.

RT

Check out this guys brushes. He made me a great brush.
http://stores.ebay.com/Thomas-Anthon...Q3amesstQQtZkm