What to buy: cream or brush?

I've got a gift card to C&E and I'm trying to decide whether to try one of their shave creams or get a badger hair brush. I'm still new to the straight world, currently I've been shaving with a burma boar brush and williams soap w/ palmolive creams.

I see that they have a Best badger brush online for $35 dollars, which is odd because all the others are $75.00 and up. Would it be worth it to save up for a better badger brush?

I've read that C&E soaps aren't that great, and I've been wanting to try a shave cream anyway, so I may pick up a jar of my favorite scent.

So which way to go? I'm hoping to get another gift card soon from credit card reward points, so worst case is I'll have to wait a few months.

So... BRUSH or CREAM?? :shrug:

~Jim

The C&E soap and creams are just ok - you can do better for less money.

The C&E $35 brush is widely recommended as one of the best values out there and is one of the brushes most commonly recommended to people looking to move from a boar to a badger on a budget. (FYI, I don't have one of these brushes, but here's a link to the reviews over at B&B:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...p?ltr=C&t=5867

The only other C&E product that is consistently praised are the aftershaves. I have the Sienna and its quite nice. The aftershaves are expensive (around $30), but they are very good on the skin and the scents last a long time - I almost never wear cologne when I use the Sienna.

So, to answer your question, go for the $35 brush - of the items C&E sell, you will get the most enjoyment and most use from the brush (not to mention the fact that you will be totally blown away by the difference between a decent badger brush and your current boar brush).

My 0.02.

While I am fond of the Nomad, Sienna, and Sandalwood soaps from C&E, I would agree with Suzuki and say get the brush. Its something that's better to have sooner rather than later. After you get the brush, get some soaps from Colleen and/or Mama Bear and you'll be all set...for now:D

Jordan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by suzuki

(not to mention the fact that you will be totally blown away by the difference between a decent badger brush and your current boar brush).

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I'll attest to that. Had my first shave with my Vuflix #2197 last night. Big difference from the cheap boar brush I've been using. Better lather, faster and felt better on my face.

Of course now I want a nice silvertip since my wife got one as part of her new Merkur set and it feels even better *sigh*

Ant

I say get the brush as well, I have it and it works very well for soaps and creams. If you have a TJ Maxx or Marshalls store nearby they often will have C&E Sweet Almond Shave Cream in a jar for $8-9 dollars and sometimes you can find a puck of the shave soap there for $3....

It's worth trying them in my opinion.

Just a note: there is nothing wrong with a Burma brush. I have one and love it, and will keep it for variety. It feels different and still gets the job done, and done well - at least for hard soaps. I also have had good results with the Proraso (Target - Omega) boar for creams (better than Burma brush for creams)

(Admittedly, I have tried numerous more expensive brushes and plan to use such brushes for most of my shaves)

I love the scent of Nomad but it's not too good for my skin. I also think that you might be better off with the brush. Enjoy!

Cheers
Ivo

Well thanks for all the input. It was a pretty one sided debate... ha!

I do plan on keeping my burma brush, I have no issues with it, and it works well with the williams soap. But it will be nice to compare it to a badger, especially once I get some creams.

Thanks again!

P.S. - and if anyone else uses Discover Card, you can get double your cash back bonus as a C&E gift card! Not bad!

How much is the gift certificate for? Brush AND small tube of Sienna would be a nice compromise.

X

In my humble opinion you can't beat C&E's Nomad shaving cream also their Sienna or Sweet almond. These are great scents and super creams. I don't like the sandalwood scent much and I have not tried their soaps but I have a big old jar of Nomad shaving cream and Nomad after shave balm which I use regularly.

Go for the brush, man!

I just got mine about a week back, and couldn't be happier with it. The best badger brush of theirs is probably the best value (performance vs. price) around. Its a nice scritchy sort of badger hair, too - great for exfoliating with lush lather.

Maybe it's just the soaps, but when I smelled Nomad, Sienna, and Sandalwood, the sandalwood was the most bearable of the bunch. The others were just plain *ugh* for me. I'd really like to find a nice bergamot cream, though, as I'm a huge fan of Earl Grey tea.....

I'm using the EJ BB brush from C&E and it rocks. The only reason I commissioned a new one from Matt is that I wanted to have a unique piece with a complete creative input, backed by his top-notch workmanship. Once I get the one I ordered from Matt, this one will still be my regular traveller and occasional change of pace piece.

Well, I personally love the C&E creams, especially the Sweet Almond Oil, which, for shave quality I would rate equal to or even higher than some of the other creams people rave about, like Taylor OBS Avocado.
All that said, I would say get the brush. It is a bargain as far as I can tell, and a badger brush will allow you a noticeable improvement with ALL your creams and soaps as a general rule, instead of just providing you with "one more scent" like buying a new cream would do.
Don't get me wrong, the Burma Brush is fine, and I actually like a boar brush on some soaps for the "scrubby" feel it gets, (I'm a face latherer, generally) but especially with creams the difference is usually day and night.
Get the brush...
Then, if you still want one of their creams, get it later, or if you want the Sweet Almond Oil version, get it cheap at TJ Maxx or Marshalls...
John P.

I like the sweet almond oil cream myself. But, I would still suggest you get the brush. You'll see a major difference in your shave if you have a better brush, regardless of what soap you use, and the brush will last a lot longer than any tube of shaving cream.