What is the best brush for dr Harris hard soap?
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What is the best brush for dr Harris hard soap?
I have never used DR Harris but the stiffer the brush the easier it will be to load the bristles. Boar is typically stiffer bristles then badger but I find that I like neither boar nor super soft badger. So I go for the "lower grade" badger it has enough back bone and yet still soft enough and can bloom out unlike boar which in my opinion doesn't really bloom when lathered up.
I find that hard soaps from Dr Harris and T&H load up better with a stiffer brush. I find that if I use a badger I really have to soak the puck with water to get it to a consistency where it gives me a good lather. But this is just my experience.
I have used boar, badger and synthetic brushes with DR Harris and all worked well. The technique is slightly different with each though. So really use what you have already and adjust your loading technique to suit.
Bob
What worked for me with Harris, and what I do with all of 'em, is put a bit of water on the puck and take a shower first, or find something to do for five minutes before I lather. Softens that top layer of soap up enough to make it easier for me. Badger or boar doesn't make a difference for me. YMMV.
I am with Bob and Jimmy on this one.
For hard soaps, both synthetics and silvertips work well for me.
I let let some water run over the hard soap before I prep the straight and when I'm done prepping I have no problems getting a nice lather with either type of brush.
If anything, it doesn't seem to take the entire time of shower, a few minutes of letting the soap soften up seems to be enough.
B.
Personally, I never match brushes with soaps. They all work for me no matter how hard the soap or how soft the brush. A stiff brush with hard soap may make things a tad easier however it's not enough for me to customize the lathering.
I use DRH soap puck with both style brushes. Have found that a bit of hot water on the soap an brush soak before starting to load makes it easier an badger works just fine for me as long as its in the pure or best badger range. Silvertip is a bit soft but I only own one so nothing to compare with.
Gentlemen,
I use silvertip badger brushes with medium backbone, 25mm-30mm knots and 50mm-60mm lofts. Soaps and creams (including Dr. Harris soaps, Mitchell's Wool Fat and other hard soaps) make little difference in what brush I use. The same rule applies to the boar bristle brushes I have used in the past. I don't match brushes with products.
Echoing what others have said. I haven't found a cream I like so I mostly used pucks.
I mostly just run really hot water over the puck for a couple of seconds and shake out the excess. Badger brushes need a water load up, couple minutes, then load her up with soap.
For my boar I run it under the water and start a load up immediately. If it needs more water I tap it very quickly under a running faucet, then continue the load up.
If a puck isn't giving its lather up then keep hitting the faucet for more water.
Brushes for me are more about the feel than the load up for me. My boar is 7 years old now and is almost as soft at the tip as the silver tips.
Same here, badger works fine with D.R. Harris.
Cheers, Steve