Silvertip brush

[Azza]

Hi gents,
Are silvertips for creams because they are soft and are they just for face lathering? To those of you that do have silvertip brushes, what were the reasons for buying one and what benefits to your shave have they provided? I have a pure/best badger and have seen posts saying that super badger is the way to go for a new brush. I'm curious about the silvertips though, what do they add to the actual shave?

- Aaron

 

[murchmb]

I'll resist classifying one hair type over another as they differ between manufacturers. That said, the softness of the tips does not make a brush more suited for creams, soaps, face lathering, etc. It is a combination of density, loft, knot size, and hair type that give a brush certain characteristics.

I like a medium to large, dense(ish) brush with resilient, but soft, tips. Shavemac Silvertip brushes fall into the category as do Simpsons Supers, Rooney Finests, and Plisson High Mountain Whites. You get the picture. These offer, for some, a more enjoyable shaving experience. Others prefer a brush that has a bit more scritch and scrub to it such as with your pure/best brush.

In the end, you won't know until you try a few. You may end up preferring a boar brush to an uber-expensive Plisson HMW.

 

[bythbook]

I use all of my badger hair brushes for both creams and soaps. I don't want any hurt feelings in the shave den. (I use mostly soaps, for what it's worth.)

I am also softening up some bristle and badger-cased brushes... gonna give those a spin with creams, sooner or later.

Whatever feels best/works best for you (trite but true!).

 

[andrew98]

I'll resist classifying one hair type over another as they differ between manufacturers. That said, the softness of the tips does not make a brush more suited for creams, soaps, face lathering, etc. It is a combination of density, loft, knot size, and hair type that give a brush certain characteristics.

I like a medium to large, dense(ish) brush with resilient, but soft, tips. Shavemac Silvertip brushes fall into the category as do Simpsons Supers, Rooney Finests, and Plisson High Mountain Whites. You get the picture. These offer, for some, a more enjoyable shaving experience. Others prefer a brush that has a bit more scritch and scrub to it such as with your pure/best brush.

In the end, you won't know until you try a few. You may end up preferring a boar brush to an uber-expensive Plisson HMW.

+1 (except I prefer small brushes). Silvertip brushes vary a lot, depending on manufacturer and can be floppy, firm, luxuriously soft, and a few are even a touch scritchy.

Tell us what characteristics you think you'll like in a brush, and we can suggest a couple good options. For instance, I like a small-is diameter knot (21mm or less), dense, short loft (45 to 50mm). That combination results in a firm brush, which suits my needs. I only use soaps and almost always face lather, but I have no problem bowl lathering with the type of brush I described.

-Andy

 

[rbaloha]

Silver tips are wonderful for creams. A low cost method for trying silver tips are the Chinese brushes from Virtual Village on ebay.

The brush performs well but obviously is not as good as higher priced brushes.

 

[moonshine44]

The only brush I currently have is a silvertip with a deer antler handle that I put together myself using a 20 mm knot and about a 50 mm loft. I wanted the soft tips and some backbone, and I got what I think is an ideal soap brush. Plus, I face lather and it feels good on my face...

 

[Azza]

Tell us what characteristics you think you'll like in a brush, and we can suggest a couple good options. For instance, I like a small-is diameter knot (21mm or less), dense, short loft (45 to 50mm). That combination results in a firm brush, which suits my needs. I only use soaps and almost always face lather, but I have no problem bowl lathering with the type of brush I described.

-Andy

I would like a small brush. Probably more of a cream user but do have a few soaps. I was going to use my pure badger brush on the soaps and the silvertip on the creams but after reading that silvertips can be great to use with soaps I just don't know now. I want a brush that is soft and luxurious on the face and small. I don't know enough about density or loft but I think a short loft would be better. The advice seems to be I actually need to use them and try them out, so this could be an interesting challenge to find the right brush. I hope I get it first go.

No one has really told me what the silvertip brush adds to the shave, I guess it brings out the best in the lather because it retains more water?

- Aaron

 

[huntmol]

I don't think that a different brush will result in a better shave - you can get pretty damn good lather from almost any brush on the market, regardless of hair type. What it really comes down to is personal preference.

For example, I like dense brushes with lots of backbone and soft tips. So my top 3 brushes are my custom short-lofted D01 Shavemac, my Simpsons Two-band CH2, and my Rooney 2/1 in Finest.

 

[andrew98]

+1 to Hunter. I can create great lather with my C&E travel brush with pure hair, even face lathering soap. I like using it, even though it's floppy and scritchy. It's vastly different from all my other brushes.

I also like tons of backbone (makes me think I need a Rooney Finest). I think a good place to start, if you want a great silvertip (especially for the money), is a Rooney size 1 Super Silvertip with whatever handle you like. It's most folks' baseline standard and an exceptional value. It builds lather quickly and efficiently with both soaps and creams, bowl and face lathering. It's really dense, and has the power to cure/prevent SBAD for some people. After some use, it will become quite soft, too. I feel everyone should try a Rooney Super Silvertip, and I think most people that do buy one will hang onto it.

That's my case for getting one.

-Andy

 

[Malacoda]

... I want a brush that is soft and luxurious on the face and small...

- Aaron

I'm fairly new to wet shaving myself and have only one brush -- a silver tip. That said...

My first time lathering up the most immediate and unforgettable sensation that hit me was how good the brush felt. It was like soft, tiny bubbles were massaging my face (was definitely the brush and not the lather as the sensation was only present while the brush was moving across my skin). I didn't want it to stop and could've easily stood there just lathering with the brush for an hour.

So, in my book, the silver tip brush does indeed feel luxurious. Of course YMMV. Keep in mind it's the only brush I've used so I can't really compare it to pure, best, or broken-in boar. Your cream/soap and facial sensitivity will no doubt have at least a little impact as well.

...No one has really told me what the silvertip brush adds to the shave, I guess it brings out the best in the lather because it retains more water?

- Aaron

Another +1 to Hunter. While size, stiffness and backbone can make a difference in the amount of effort/convenience it takes to build a lather, particularly if face lathering, hair grade alone probably won't have much impact, if any. From what I've, it sounds like all it really affects is the type of sensation you feel on your face from the brush.