Thread: Help with picking a brush

I agree with JohnG10 that a good quality "Best badger" would be a good choice for a first brush. Simpsons makes some very good brushes in that hair grade - you may even find that they surpass silvertip brushes from other brands in terms of performance.

The problem with boar brushes is that they may take a while to break in before they reach their peak in terms of performance. The first few uses may not be optimal in that regard, so if you get a boar brush first, you may find your experience unsatisfactory at first, whereas a good best badger will give you better lathering from the start (and will improve after some time, as well)

Well there are many considerations for a brush. A silvertip isn't deadset the best brush. There are many quality brushes. And while most grades tend to be the same, there is no set in stone grading rules for badger hair which can confuse you.

Some folks like an exfoliating shave and find boar, pure, and best to be more their area of liking.

Some have a sensitive face and need a softer brush that won't agitate the brush. Super and Silvertip and even Boar can fall into this.

And it isn't deadset a given due to the grade. Simpson Best I feel can go toe to toe with many silvertips and win, along with others. I've also found their Pure to be better than others Pures and even Best.

I would probably ultimately recommend a Simpson Best brush of whatever suits your fancy. I feel it has a great balance of everything, plus a great character to them.

Agree with the comments of some members .
I have Frank Shaving Brushes a fine and a Silvertip and they both work properly.
For little money but a good brush.

I agree with everyone that it is a matter of taste, as everyones is different. When I started I picked up a brush from Target made by Shea Moisture. It's a boar brush, and does take some breaking in . But for 8 bucks it's a decent starter brush if you're trying to keep to a tight budget, but Simpson and franks have some of the best quality and best priced badger brushes hands down, it's all up to you, I now have a couple brushes, and I rotate them depending on the shave I want, they all work well. Best of luck.

I got my Tweezerman last week. I noticed the BIG difference in the amount of time it takes to build a lather. Also, the brush seems to work the lather deeper into the whiskers, thus softening them further.
I think I spent 17 bucks for it online. Love that brush!

Congratulations on converting to shaving with straights! In terms of brushes, your choice depends upon a couple of factors. First would be price.I started with an Everready boar brush from Walmart for around $5.00. That was quite a while ago. I do see the VanDerHaegan boar bristle ones for around $8.00. When you look into badger brushes, the price goes up.Second would be how stiff would you like the brush to be. Badger brushes are softer don't have as much "backbone" or stiffness. Boar brushes are stiffer. The different grades of badger are pure,best,super or silvertip. If you find you would like a badger, I would say go with the best grade. It is not as expensive as the silvertip.Starshaving has some for sale and they are reasonable.

When it comes to Badger Brushes remember that the different grades of Badger Hair have different properties and are suited better for some people or products. Based on a 3 grade system
1/Fine Badger - suited for hard shaving soaps and men who prefere a hard (stiff) brush and are not looking for the pampering luxury effects of softer brushes, that being said still works well for shaving creams.
2/Best Badger - the Best all rounder! Great with Hard soaps or soft creams and firm enough to do the job but still enjoy the luxury shave.
3/ SilverTip - the softer Brush and most luxurious and most expensive (only because the is less Silver Tip hair on a Badger) Most suited to Shaving Creams as often men find it does not have the stiffness or back bone for hard soaps. Can also be seen as too floppy and you paint the lather on your face, but I think that is like saying that driving in a Bentley or RollsRoyce is too comfortable.?.?.?
Sam

Since it has not been mentioned before now I would say a horsehair brush is also a brush to consider. They fall in the range of less stiff then boar and more backbone then badger brushes. I have been using them for awhile now and have not thought about going back to my other brushes. Some good sources for horse hair brushes are bestshave.net ( Shaving brushes : Bestshave.net, International supplier of shaving equipment ) and Vie Long ( Vie-Long Shaving Brushes -BullGoose Shaving Supplies )

Hope this helps and welcome to SRP good luck with your adventure

I've found brushes are another YMMV. I haven't found any love so far for badger. I though have minimal experience with them. A Vulfix pure (too prickly),Shea from target (too prickly and floppy) and a TGN overstuffed Silvertip (too soft and fluffy). I'm still working to find a badger that I like.

Of the brushes I've tried I find Vie Long horsehair brushes to be stellar performers. I also think as for Value brushes it's hard to beat the Vulfix 404 mixed. There's also the Bestshave horsehair brushes, but to me they seem to take a while to break in and are made of the stiffer mane hair. Have poor QC but IMHO better than most entry brushes.

The Best advice I think regarding brushes is to buy what you like the looks of and think you would like to use. And remember that price doesn't always correlate to quality, but sometimes it does. As with all things shaving related, it's YMMV.

Welcome to Straight Razor Place......I'll let the experts coach you on a brush..........Go Sooners !