Thread: Brush question

At the risk of being overwhelmed by "IMHO" comments, I have a question. What exactly is the difference between regular badger, silver tip, or boar brushes? Im new and only have an el cheapo brush that came in a green box with soap and a dish from Walmart.

Before I sink money into a new "better" brush I want to understand how a brush can change my shave experience. I know a lot shaving opinions are subjective but I would like honest, measurable, explained answers. Answers like- I have a silver tip, its the best brush Ive ever used.... Dont help me very much.

debay:

Badger brushes come in four general grades: pure, best, super and silver tip. The grading varies with some manufactures, some of whom combine best and super. Make mine a silver tip.

The characteristics of these brushes are:
Pure — a bit scratchy and good for starters.
Best — softer
Super — softer even more
Silver Tip: Rolls Royce

The backbone will also differ among brushes: some brush hairs will feel sturdy and strong against the face and some will be floppy like a wet noodle. Brush quality will also differ among manufacturers. And so on. There's a lot to cover. The brush you're currently using sounds like the Van Der Hagen boar bristle with the rubber tip. It's time to move on to a better brush.

Boar bristles are generally stiffer and hold less water. Some are more scratchy than their badger counterparts. Some gentlemen love them, some accept them. I don't particularly care for them. It's a personal choice among all these brushes, badger and boar.

Horse hair brushes are also popular with some shavers. I find them too scratchy. Be prepared for a heavy odor for several weeks.

Synthetic brushes are also a consideration. Some can be of quality, providing good lather, but some are bombs. They do dry faster than the others. They make good travel brushes.

Thater, Simpson, Rooney, Shavemac, Vulfix, Kent, Semogue, Omega, Edwin Jagger, among others, are good names for brushes. Now start your research and see what best strikes your fancy.

As a general rule, I go for stiffer brushes with soaps and softer with creams. There is no set rule. Do what works best for you.

Brush sizes also vary. The most popular, from my experience, are between 20 to 24 mm. Here, too, personal choice dictates what you should choose. Some gentleman like the big brushes. My preferred size is the 22 mm. I especially find them conducive for face-lathering.

Originally Posted by debay

At the risk of being overwhelmed by "IMHO" comments, I have a question. What exactly is the difference between regular badger, silver tip, or boar brushes? Im new and only have an el cheapo brush that came in a green box with soap and a dish from Walmart.

Before I sink money into a new "better" brush I want to understand how a brush can change my shave experience. I know a lot shaving opinions are subjective but I would like honest, measurable, explained answers. Answers like- I have a silver tip, its the best brush Ive ever used.... Dont help me very much.

Obie gave a good description. This might also help with some other info.
Shave brush - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for the info. The wiki was most informative. Ill be ordering a silver tip from whipped dog here soon.

Obie's post was quite thorough, especially on the badger aspects. I'll try and give a little more detail on horse, synthetic, and boar "grades."

Boar has a lot of backbone and takes time to break in ( a few weeks of regular use) Some guys like the stiffer scritchier feel, especially on soaps, and some don't, but what is important to know about boar, is that you want to buy a brush from a reputable brushmaker like Semogue or Omega. Cheap and offbrand boar brushes never break in (but do fall apart) and give bad shaves until their early and unlamented death.

Horsehair brushes aren't as still as boar ( and don't have the same break in issues), but tend to be stiffer and scritchier than higher grades of badger. it is roughly on par with "best" badger, and, unlike boar and badger hair, is generally harvested without killing the animal. Most horsehair brushes are made by Vie-long, although there are a few very rough looking horsehair brushes made in Turky and India. The rough brushes are much scritchier, and entirely different in most ways from the Vie-long horse, but, unlike off-brand boar brushes, tend to perform well, if you don't mind the stiffness and very rough looks.

Synthetics really do vary a lot. They have a bad rep, because, until recently, most synthetic brushes were pretty bad. In recent years, they've begun to benefit from technological innovation, and the recent offerings from companies like Omega, HJM, and Muehle have reached a level of performance that makes them worth considering on their own merits, rather than soley for their vegan nature.

I too used to use the van Der hagen brush, just received a fine grade badger from SRP and the difference is amazing. Much more enjoyable!

Think I will stick with badger silver tips for now. I have been struggling with making foam on anything but the Soap that came with it. Im new enough to know that its most likely skill related not brush related. But I figure if a new brush can help , why not.

Also, check out the brush primer thread at the beginning of this forum.

In regards to making lather once you know how, you can make good lather with a 2 dollar supermarket brush. I've had maybe 5 brushes max in my life (so clearly no expert), but the observation I can make is the Windsor Pure badger brush I have is soft on the face and the bristles stand apart. However, the Semogue 1438 boar brush I have is equally soft if not softer. I soaked this brush really well, for hours in hot water and then for an hour or so in a bowl full of watery, warm lather. The boar brush's bristles seem to clump together more than the Badger; they don't stand apart, but this adds a little to the softness...

Like I said; limited experience; I'm not one who would buy 50 brushes :-)

Originally Posted by Obie

debay:

Badger brushes come in four general grades: pure, best, super and silver tip. The grading varies with some manufactures, some of whom combine best and super. Make mine a silver tip.

The characteristics of these brushes are:
Pure — a bit scratchy and good for starters.
Best — softer
Super — softer even more
Silver Tip: Rolls Royce

The backbone will also differ among brushes: some brush hairs will feel sturdy and strong against the face and some will be floppy like a wet noodle. Brush quality will also differ among manufacturers. And so on. There's a lot to cover. The brush you're currently using sounds like the Van Der Hagen boar bristle with the rubber tip. It's time to move on to a better brush.

Boar bristles are generally stiffer and hold less water. Some are more scratchy than their badger counterparts. Some gentlemen love them, some accept them. I don't particularly care for them. It's a personal choice among all these brushes, badger and boar.

Horse hair brushes are also popular with some shavers. I find them too scratchy. Be prepared for a heavy odor for several weeks.

Synthetic brushes are also a consideration. Some can be of quality, providing good lather, but some are bombs. They do dry faster than the others. They make good travel brushes.

Thater, Simpson, Rooney, Shavemac, Vulfix, Kent, Semogue, Omega, Edwin Jagger, among others, are good names for brushes. Now start your research and see what best strikes your fancy.

As a general rule, I go for stiffer brushes with soaps and softer with creams. There is no set rule. Do what works best for you.

Brush sizes also vary. The most popular, from my experience, are between 20 to 24 mm. Here, too, personal choice dictates what you should choose. Some gentleman like the big brushes. My preferred size is the 22 mm. I especially find them conducive for face-lathering.

+1 Fantastic information, here, by Obie. Good luck.