Thread: Why is boar so much cheaper?!

So I've really been enjoying some older boar brushes these days that I bought on eBay, so much so that I'm thinking about selling my old stand-by Rooney brush and just going with boar from now on. The boar just makes better lather and feels better on my face in the morning. To cap things off, I even found a cool, new Semogue brush to purchase at Vintage Scents (photo below).

Now here's what's bothering me. To buy a silvertip badger brush that is even considered "middle of the road" costs $75-125, and many people seem to buy brushes that cost $200 or more. But this new, supposedly top-of-the-line Semogue that I bought cost about $30 including shipping, and most of the other brushes were $20 or less.

So how can a silvertip badger brush cost 5 to 10 times what a similar quality boar brush costs? I understand that many people like badger rather than boar, of course, but does that mean that the price disparity is entirely based upon "whatever the market will bear"? If so, that is kind of shameful, innit?

well boar are bigger
badger isnt hunted as much(as far as i know)and not domesticated(partially)either
also if i recall correctly some badgers dont have suitable hair for a good brush

in addition to this a lot of the prize lies in the handle and the brand name

hmm. given the number of badger products out there, they MUST be farmed. but A) boar are bigger MUCH bigger, especially the fat monsters bred industrially. B) badger are also just rarer - boar hair is used for many more things, and more parts of the boar are used, so greater supply will always bring price down. though now that I think of it, you gotta wonder how they manage to rear boar as livestock - I mean, isnt the difference between a fuzzy pig and a hairy boar that the boar is *wild*, i.e., by definition, NOT farmed? maybe they have some nasty hormones or something they give to farmed pigs they want to get hair out of....also, I have to disagree that a "middle of the road" badger is $75-$125.you can get a GREAT badger brush for $40-$50 (vulfix has really good value), and an *excellent* one for $70ish - I have been *thrilled* with my Rooney Super and my Simpson's Duke, both under $75. do you really find the boars you have as soft and pillowy as the badger? I can imagine that they would lather up just great, but that they would feel as yummy on the cheeks? I have heard that there are boar enthusiasts out there, but I figured they just didnt care as much about the yumminess.

Its about supply and demand. Having looked around at so many brushes, I do scratch my head at the price points of what I see. But, the customer knows what they want and suppliers are willing to give it to them.

The same with straight razors and disposable straight razors. What we should be thankful about is that there are a lot of choices for all types of straight razors.

Glad to hear that your boar brush is meeting your expectations. If it is your winner at that price range, then you are doing well and thanks for sharing. My first experience with a boar brush was less than desirable, so its good to hear from you about your boar brush.

Pabster

Boars are farmed for food, thus an enormous supply of hair. Badgers are illegal to hunt/trap in Europe, and badger hair of good quality is hard to get from China (the main source of hair) where they are hunted (not, as far as anyone knows) farmed.

That, and cache'.

Sources of brush hair

Because badgers are a protected species in North America and most of Europe, virtually all commercial badger hair comes from mainland China, which supplies knots of hair in three grades to brush makers in both China and Europe. In rural Northern China, badgers multiply to the point of becoming a crop nuisance, and village cooperatives are licensed by the national government to hunt badgers and sell the hair to processors.

Boar bristles are available cheaply from many sources. Brushes made in China or India with boar bristle are supplied wholesale for less than $1 each, while even the cheapest wholesale Badger brush costs at least $10; even the cost difference between badger brushes with resin handles vs. expensive horn handles shows that, except with exotic materials such as sterling silver, badger hair is the costliest element of a brush. And while it is common for boar-hair brushes to have part of the bristles dyed to resemble badger hair, at least one Chinese company has begun offering a badger-hair substitute made from small horse hair. Brushes with nylon-only bristles are made in India.



Have to Love Wikipedia

That said, I love my boar brushes, yes they may take some time to break in but once you do. Man are they soft. They get great split ends and that Semogue 830(pictured above) is a wonderful brush. $26.95 plus shipping from vintagescent.com. One of my daily brushes is my VDH Boar from walmart. Great back bone for face lathering and on its way to softening up nicely.

whoa now, are we saying that ALL the badger hair for ALL the brushes comes from chinese hunters? I find that hard to believe. I (would have) bet money that given the size of the industry - granted, not huge, but still - there has to be some farming/rearing going on of badgers, even if maybe only 1-3 quality suppliers in the world. Also, there are definitely companeis that sell (e.g. Plisson) European badger hair, and if they are protected then it must come from some set of cages *somewhere*.

Originally Posted by janivar123

well boar are bigger
badger isnt hunted as much(as far as i know)and not domesticated(partially)either
also if i recall correctly some badgers dont have suitable hair for a good brush

in addition to this a lot of the prize lies in the handle and the brand name

Boar is a male pig, Wild Boar is also farmed for the meat.

Wild boar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Badgers and their market are not as well supported for their meat.

Badger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Mijbil

whoa now, are we saying that ALL the badger hair for ALL the brushes comes from chinese hunters? I find that hard to believe. I (would have) bet money that given the size of the industry - granted, not huge, but still - there has to be some farming/rearing going on of badgers, even if maybe only 1-3 quality suppliers in the world. Also, there are definitely companeis that sell (e.g. Plisson) European badger hair, and if they are protected then it must come from some set of cages *somewhere*.

protected species in North America and most of Europe. Badger hunting is not completely outlawed in a handful of European countries. So there is still a source of badger hair in Europe

There's a lot more hogs out there.