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I bought this brush at an antique store for $12. I was wondering how to tell the quality of the badger hair. All it says on it is "Pure Badger Vulcanized Sterilized". I want to know if this is a decent brush or if I should invest in a better one. It feels soft and full. But im not sure what a good quality brush would feel like. Thank you for any help.
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Pure badger is the lowest end badger hair, though it's softer than boar bristle or synthetic brushes. That's not to say pure badger makes a bad brush, not at all. Generally, the better the badger hair the softer the bristles. A silvertip brush, which is top-of-the-line, is velvety soft but this can sometimes make for a floppy brush with very little backbone.
That brush seems to be in pretty good condition. I'd say give it a go and see how it feels, lathers etc, and let us know how it goes.
I have no idea, really, but I'm thinking maybe too much is made of the 'quality' of badger hair (maybe, feel free to banish me). I saw a brush online the other day for FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS. Now I know yours isn't THAT much, but the one I saw, and others that are pretty expensive, do maybe represent, in my MOST humble opinion, that there is maybe a bit of 'one up man-ship' going on in this particular market.
I bought a Windsor Pure Badger brush (my first badger) a few weeks ago and I like it, only 45 bucks. in fact, if I have any reservations about it, it is that it's a little wide, and hard therefore to apply cream to the area between my moustache and goatee thingy. It's a nice, soft brush though. I really couldn't imagine how good a brush would need to be for me to pay three times that for a silvertip, let alone $450.
BTW, I read an article the other day talking of a huge cull of badgers in Britain to stem TB in cattle (apparently somehow the badgers spread the disease) Badger cull proposed to cut cattle TB . Now I hear a lot of badger hair comes from China, but MAYBE (just maybe) this will result in cheaper products? Then again, if the shaving brush companies follow the lead of fuel companies it'll have no effect at all :-)
Twelve bucks, it feels soft and full, looks cool, what more could you ask for? If you don't want it, send it hither and I'll pay 24AU plus postage! :-)
And like Ryan said, soft is not necessarily better, I actually like some aspects of my supermarket $8 brush, it may not be as soft on my milky white super sensitive super smooth lovely soft skin, but being a little less soft actually made the lather easier to spread, in my MOST humble opinion :-)...
For $12.00...you did AWESOME! You bought a good looking brush, take it home and wash it a few times with your shampoo and put it to use. I have a badger, a couple of super badgers, and a silver-tip badger. My silver-tip is borderline floppy & seem to use the others more. It's one of those preference things on which one is "better".
Brushes are one of those things where one mans meat is another's poison. It's all a matter of what characteristics you like in a brush and unfortunately you need to be able to try them to find out which is a difficult proposition. Do you like soft or scratchy or floppy or with backbone or a combination of qualities? That doesn't even touch on size and handles.
Amen brother! I do remember that when I had my first brush, a VDH boar, I didn't get the wonderful lather others were getting, but when I got my first super-badger the thick & luxurious lather almost magically made itself. I do believe the next brush I get will be a shorter loft silvertip...maybe it will be MY perfect combination.
I tried it out last night and it was awesome! I just had a cheap badger brush from walgreens before and that one was super rough and just didn't produce a good lather. This one has just the right backbone/softness combination. I think I found myself a good brush gentlemen!!
I remember reading something awhile back that stated some badger hair was more expensive that others because it was rare, not necessarily better. I make brushes using TGN knots. I have one silvertip, one black, and the rest are all finest extra stuffed bulb shaped. It may (emphasis MAY) be that shape and the depth the knot is set is as important as the "quality" of the hair. Or not. My humble opinion is that a lot of what we believe about our hobby is more folklore than fact. That isn't bad, it just is. All of us are right, for us, though not necessarily for all of us. We could get by with one brush, one razor, using one brand of blades and one soap, but where's the fun in that? Ditto similar for straights - one razor, one strop, one set of stones, etc.. No _AD. ??????
Nuff' said. Rock on.
The whole reason I asked in the first place is that since I am still learning all of the ins and outs of straight shaving, when I browse through the forums I see a lot of emphasis on branding and what manufacturers are better. I guess sometimes the quality of the equipment might make it easier on someone who is just learning. It might put someone off of the experience if they are dealing with equipment that is hard to use. But from what you all are telling me, it really is about finding something that you like and works for you.
I still haven't been able to get a good shave yet. Its probably my technique but I also think I am not stropping correctly because my razor always feels like its pulling the hair out and i get really bad razor burn and the pain during shaving is almost unbearable. Im not sure what I am doing wrong but I just can't get the razor to shave smoothly.
I'm only a couple of months ahead of you on the journey, so I can identify with what you say. Good lather is essential. Also a good sharp razor. Was yours professionally honed before you started? Very important - at least then you know you are working with a properly sharpened tool. I find that when the razor starts pulling, I am not stretching my skin properly. A suggestion on the Forum about the time I started suggested just doing a with the grain pass until you got your technique figured out - then finish with a DE. I still haven't got my neck completely figured out, but every time it gets better. Good luck! The end result will make the journey worthwhile.
Thanks for the advice! When you say grain pass, do you mean with the grain? I haven't been stretching my skin so that is probably what I am doing wrong. And yes, the razor was professionally honed. I bought a started razor and strop from Ken Rupkalvis here on the forums. So I am eliminating the possibility of a badly sharpened razor. I know I am probably not stropping it right. Although, I was able to shave the hair off my hand without any trouble or pain. So....it is most likely my technique. I am probably using the wrong angle and not stretching my skin enough.
Yep - that's what I said - with the grain - abreviated WTG. Usually that is the easiest, although it doesn't get you to the holy grail - BBS (baby's butt smooth) -that takes against the grain, and possibly across the grain. Did you "map" your face to see which way the grain goes, and where? It won't be the same all over. Sounds like you are figuring things out. I just read something that suggested it takes two weeks (!!!) to six months to get reasonably good at the process, so enjoy the journey.
That's exactly the problem. Good stretching is integral to a great SR shave. For a WTG (with the grain) pass you stretch in the opposite direction you are shaving; likewise, when going ATG (against the grain) you are stretching and shaving in the same direction. I hope this helps. With proper stretching you'll find yoiur shaves will improve by leaps and bounds. You just have to make sure your skin is taut.Quote:
Originally Posted by ladavis89
Whoops sorry. I guess my eyes skipped over that part...lol. I haven't really mapped my face completely however, I know the direction of my cheeks and neck. I got in to this 3 years ago but got discouraged after only a couple of attempted shaves. At one point i sliced my face on accident...haha. I recently got back into it because my fiance bought me a ~150 year old Wade and Butcher that is in fairly good condition. I am having it restored and it will be my first "real" razor. Every one on here keeps saying how straight shaving is supposed to be comfortable so I am just going to have to keep at it until it feels as comfortable as my mach III. I definitely appreciate all the helpful tips and you all will be responsible for any success I have. If I have any!Quote:
Originally Posted by skipnord
You need to stop where you are at and have that blade touched up on the stones. Sounds like you may have rolled the edge...we have all done it & it's no big deal...it just won't shave right until the edge is corrected. It shouldn't take much to get the edge back right.Quote:
Originally Posted by ladavis89
I did an up close inspection the other night and did a few tests on it to feel for any abnormalities and everything looked fine. Didn't see any rolled edges or chips or anything like that. It didn't pass the hair test though...but the edge looked perfectly straight.Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter74743
The hair test doesn't mean much anything. It won't cut the hair on your face...so it fails the hair test. If the razor is pulling like you mention, you might take it to a pasted strop around 20x, then to the leather for 50-60x. If it still pulls after this, the razor needs touched up on the stones as their is something wrong with the edge.
For reference: A razor that starts to tug a bit needs to be touched up...a razor that feels like it's pulling hair out more than likely needs honed as the edge has severely deteriorated....or been rolled.
You more than likely can't tell what it is unless you look at it under magnification, even then you have to know what you are looking for.
Do you have a barber hone or any other hones?
Ya I tried stropping about 50 passes last night and then tried shaving again. I lowered my cutting angle and pulled my skin really tight. The horrible pain went away with this adjustment but its still not cutting much hair off. I am definitely not getting a baby butt smooth shave thats for sure. I have 2 stones I use for sharpening my knife. One is as stone that im not sure what the grit is and the other is a fine Arkansas stone. Do you think I should try honing with these?
I would say you need to reset what you are dong there. You should never use a stone you know nothing about with a razor unless you are advanced and are experimenting. Do yourself a favor and get a stone or two designed for straights.
No, don't use knife hones on a razor. Where you finish off a knife that is fantastically sharp is where we start with honing a razor. I would recommend sending it to a honer in the classified's so that it will have a proper edge for you to learn to shave off of. First learn to shave, then look into learning to hone. The majority of the stones used for honing are either Naniwa, Norton, or Shapton waterstone's. There are some naturals that are great...but I would recommend learning to hone off the synthetics first.
Well I don't wanna dive into honing just yet. Since I am still learning, I want to get the shave down first before I move onto something else. Besides I spent $165 already this week on a strop, cream, and razor restoration. Not sure I wanna push past that $200 mark in one week haha. For now I will just send my razors off to be honed.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
That's a beautiful brush, at a heck of a good price. Enjoy!
Thank you! It has worked very well for me so far!
Good call on send out for honing. With a properly sharp blade, you'll only think you're removing lather from your face. The barbs should come off without any extra sensation.
Hones are a slippery slope all their own. At the minimum you'll want a 1000-grit bevel setter and a 4k/8k or 3k/8k. As Shooter74743 says, it's best to learn on synthetics. They're consistent and lots of other folks are using the same stone, so it's easier to get your questions answered. But that's all for later, and a budget all its own.
BTW, that IS a very nice brush you scored.
Happy shaving!
Actually, the setup you've described is better for edge repair. If all you want to do is maintain a shave ready blade the minimum would be either a barbers hone, high grit finisher or pasted meduim. No need for more than that if shaving is your main objective.Quote:
Originally Posted by roughkype
Sorry to hijack a thread in the Brushes section...
