What do I get for my first brush? Don't want to jump into the deep end but don't want to go too cheap either.
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What do I get for my first brush? Don't want to jump into the deep end but don't want to go too cheap either.
Sometimes, cheap brushes aren't nasty. The "Turkish 'No.6'" is possibly the cheapest brush you can buy ($2.45 minus shipping from bestshave.net) that's any good. It's horsehair, so it'll be on the scrubby side once broken in. It'll also smell rather nasty, but that *does* wear off... thankfully.
Failing that, any Semogue boar brushes or the Progress Vulfix 404 badger/boar mix. All not expensive, and have good reputations.
The amount of money spent on a brush does not necessarily mean more quality or longevity for a brush. If you can stand a stiffer brush an Omega 10066 boar brush @ about $9.00 will work just fine. It takes a few weeks to break in. I have used mine for soaps and creams. A dandy workable brush.
Bob
One of my two brushes is an $8 Kent VS80 boar brush from the CVS drugstore…the other is the $260 "Thumbprint" silver tip badger brush made for Tiffany & Co (don't panic, no one paid retail for that!).
I love them both, but use the $8 Kent more for its stiffer backbone and narrower profile.
High quality knots are quite reasonable, complete brushes, OTOH get spendy real quick.
If you are handy with tools and epoxy, buy a knot and stick in into...anything you care to make fit. I use vintage brush handles. The least I've spent on a knot is <20 bucks for "pure badger" which now lives in a vintage Rubberset "Pure Badger" labeled handle and looks great...I don't care for the pure badger, give me the good stuff!
I second the boar brush suggestion. I have two badgers and a boar and use the boar because I've come to like its firmness on my face. I find I have to be a little more aggressive when mixing lather, but the boar is a much tougher brush.Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
This is getting better and better...I didn't know you could make your own brushes. I am a tinkerer but I don't have a lathe.Quote:
Originally Posted by WadePatton
Can you tell the learning curve is very steep at the beginning?:y
I paid $15 for a handmade (apparently) badger brush on ebay and it's very nice and works well. I have no desire to change it. On even more of a budget, the suggestions above are good. Interesting about the frankenbrushes - i have a brush with a working handle but bristles that are so uncomfortable, its likely be more fun to have venereal disease than to shave regularly with ($3 ebay brushes are *not* worth it, so it seems)
It doesn't look too tough:Quote:
Originally Posted by grover
http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...-can-turn.html
Streaming video is blocked here at work but I'll check it out when I get home.
I truly recommend Semogue boar bristles (1305, 1800 are those i have and i love them).
Takes about 3 weeks to break them.
If you don't have much for tools, you can also restore an old brush, if you can find a good one at an antique store or flea market, you can drill out the old knot and put whatever grade of knot you want in it. A cheaper for badger brushes than buying new.Quote:
Originally Posted by grover
I have been using a $15 Tweezerman for 3 years now with great results on all soaps and creams I use, so you don't have to spend lots of money. I have seen many nice brushes I'd like to have, but can always find something more important to spend money on. There are many potential AD's in this hobby. I like to spend what money I have on razors when I can.
I have to be the odd man out here and say that you get what you pay for.
From the start i had a bluebeard brush that was a hand me down from my brother.
I thought it was perfect until i coughed up £90 for a Edwin Jagger silver tipped brush recently.
It was a great investment.
The cheaper brushes seemed to make the lather in the bowl , where as this expensive brush holds the lather withing the bristles alowing me to make the lather on my face.
I appreciate my new brush so much that i gave up pre shave oils because i didnt want to oil up the bristles.
We can all make do with cheap brushes but i think you get what you pay for in the brush department.
I am with Bob. I have a big, tall Pro Omega with a sweet handle. A good boar is tons better than a cheap badger and a good Omega is cheap enough and a fine boar brush as well.
Even as you later get some nice 2 banders, you will still reach for the Omega on occasion. It does it all. JMO
Yes, I "upgraded" my brush from the $20 generic badger one I received with my starter kit, got a nice Kent brush, put it away after three weeks, liked the short, stubby one that really dug in much better.
Oddly enough I use my cheap Omega boar brush to face lather as well as my Simpsons LE Manchurian badger but I will admit they feel differently on the face in use being different types of knots. I can generally load either with enough soap from a puck to get me through 3 passes but sometimes i flub it with either and had to reload some more soap.Quote:
Originally Posted by JOB15
Now there is a fairly big price gap between the two but both will do the job. Which I prefer depends on my mood and the day of the week. I do not use a pre shave with any of my small rotation of 6 brushes. I just can't bring myself to say that you automatically get better performance by paying more. You will get a different type of performance for sure and possibly a performance you enjoy more. From that standpoint it may be worth paying more but strictly speaking is not necessary to get a proper face lathering.
If you can afford to spend more by all means do so but do not feel that it is an absolute must is all I am saying.
Bob
You are rite , i think we are all rite.Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
I could probably get by without a brush (i'd figure some thing out)
But i would say if one day you can treat yourself, do so, it wouldnt be just a waste of money as i once thought.
Unless i just got lucky buying an excellent make of brush.
Im really impressed with my expensive brush.
Gotta add my two cents (or current day's equivalent) to this mix. Don't overlook synthetics. I have a vintage synthetic that is quite stiff and a new synthetic from the Body Shop that is soft. Both of them needed no breaking in and perform quite well. Not my only two but I go back to them quite often. And horsehair is also good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JOB15
No, not a matter of being right or wrong at all. I am not saying paying more is a waste of money either. I am not suggesting to not use a brush either. Just saying there is no need to feel hard done by if you don't have the cash flow to spend more. Conversely, you could also say you might have just got unlucky with you first brush.
Bob
Attachment 156230Yes , we are all rite but im rite slightly more :)Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
Joke.
Personally i think you get what you pay for with quality brushes , otherwise they are ripping people off.
If you cant afford a decent brush then just make do, life goes on ..
You could probably make a brush from dog butt hair but i wouldnt use it haha
Best wishes to every one. Happy shaving :)
You can get a quality badger brush for a reasonable price. Vulfix makes a decent brush, my first brush was a Vulfix Best Badger, and I still use it.
For your first brush , i'd say anything will do.
Then over time buy better and better until you have some thing special.
My advise .
Yea, any brush from a well established maker should have enough quality. Pick one in your price range that you think you would like. They all should make lather suitable for shaving, it's usually just a matter of finding the right technique to make them work. In the end it is a long search to find that perfect brush but you have to start somewhere to establish what you do and don't personally like in a brush.Quote:
Originally Posted by JOB15
Bob
I have boar brushes by Omega - less than $15 at Shoopers Drug mart a canadian chain store. I also bough semogue or two on-line both less than $25 with shipping.
Ive also made brushes - I have a lathe and have turned handles. I have also bought old brushes from ebay etc and have replaced the knots. The Golden Nib has some of the best knots.
I my opinion I should say begin with a good cheap Boar brush. After a few years of using this you might start to think to buy a badger.
Omega is a great brand that had great cheap brushes.
I have been using a $12 no name badger hair brush from ebay for 5 years now. Its handle has lost some color and varnish due to water but the bristles are still in great shape and it's been a great brush. Since I spend so much on razors that there's no $$ left for collecting brushes! :-)
