How many brushes do you have in your rotation?

[BigJ]

I have around 10 brushes that really get used, plus a few others that come out from time to time!

 

[SharpieB]

I have over 30 but about half of them are inexpensive from when I started accumulating brushes... Yaqui, Omega, Rockwell, etc. I am going to PIF and sell a bunch of those in the near future as they are collecting dust.

My main rotation is below but it is also too much. I want to get down to 8-9 and be done with it...

• ShaveMac Silvertip
• Spiffo High Mountain White Manchurian
• Spiffo Super
• Razorock Barrel 24 Silvertip
• Kent BK8
• Simpson M7 Best
• Simpson M7 Synthetic
• Simpson M7 Manchurian
• Simpson Emperor 3 Super
• Simpson Tulip 3 Super
• Simpson Colonel X2L
• Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic
• Simpson Beaufort B6 Pure

 

[SharpieB]

Ten. Not counting the EJ synth that lives in the shower and the SOC boar that stays at the beach. That’s me done. Too many brushes, too little time.

View attachment 1232678

Hey,

What is the backbone and softness like with the Plissons and Thaters vs. your Simpsons?

I will be ordering a 4125/4 and considering one of the “lower end“ Plissons in my quest to try everything out there.

 

[P-51G t]

4 boars total
3 Omega and 1 Zenith
I’d like to get a badger one of these days

 

[OhioBob]

I usually do 7 or 8 in my rotation but I am still breaking in my Semogue SOC boar so using it every day.

Brushes I normally rotate between:

Simpson's Trafalgar T3
Simpson's Commodore X3 Best Badger
Simpson's Persian Jar P3 Best Badger
Zenith Kotibe Silvertip Badger
Zenith 506A Manchurian Badger
Semogue 1305 Boar
West Coast Shaving Beacon Badger

I have way too many brushes as I at one time got crazed and bought several inexpensive synthetic brushes and they are now collecting dust and should be PIF or sold. I haven't counted recently but think I am approaching 20 brushes or more.

 

[Dovo1695]

Just two. Razorock Monster synthetic and a Shavemac badger. I prefer face lathering with my hand to using a brush though.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I have a handful of preferred boars, two badgers, one horse and one synth.

 

[Mustard Seed]

8 boars in rotation.... 4 Zeniths, an SOC Cherry, Proraso Pro, Omega Jade from Connaught and an Omega 49

 

[Kaldane]

22, though some come up more often than others.

8 badger
6 boar
5 synth
3 horse

...so far this week...

 

[Owen Bawn]

I have way too many but it will never be enough.

 

[bjm]

Apparently, too many; last week my wife commented I seemed to have gone from three to thirty in no time at all. This picture was taken before a few recent additions...



I guess it's time to thin the herd.

 

[Tomo]

Hey,

What is the backbone and softness like with the Plissons and Thaters vs. your Simpsons?

I will be ordering a 4125/4 and considering one of the “lower end“ Plissons in my quest to try everything out there.

I sold my Thäters in favour of Shavemacs. The Thäters were too soft for me. I didn’t know you could get too soft but they were. No face feel at all and very low backbone. If you like soft these are the ticket.

The Plisson’s are great. I love the high loft. You don’t get any soap riding up the handle with these which is a pet peeve of mine. They aren’t big backbone brushes but they are no mops either. They just work. I’m surprised they don’t get more love around here. Both are plenty soft with zero scritch. The European White is a touch softer and the High Mountain White has a touch more backbone.

 

[dmshaver]

A few dozen. A dozen, or so, I use regularly & the rest to get rotated in on occasion.

 

[Smooth and Sharp]

11 : 5 synths, 5 badgers, 1 boar

 

[coolcanuc]

3 Omega boars and 1 Pinaud Clubman synthetic.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

I currently have 19 with one in the mail (Yaqi Moka Express). I don't really use the Burma Shave or Rubberset Gillette Travel brushes though - they are more for display. Some get used more than others but I try to work my way through all of them.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

I have a fifth but it needs a new knot. I’m not sure if I’m going to invest in replacing it and I may just throw it away. It doesn’t have that much of a sentimental value to be honest. That brush is about 30+ years of age and was my primary brush for about eight years before I got additional ones to rotate with.

What brand/model is it?

 

[Messygoon]

I have a rotation of one, a Zenith aluminum boar.

Complete disclosure though... I have a half dozen highly touted badgers in the minors awaiting call up, including 2 Shavemacs. Also have two vintage handles awaiting restoration and new new knots.

 

[sexy beast]

Its an Caswell and Massey made in England. Don’t know or remember if ever had a model designation. I bought it in a cigar shop three decades ago for 25 dollars.Pho tortoiseshell I would guess on the handle. I would be 24mm knot if I were to guess. The middle of the brush is where most of the hairs fell out.

 

[Multum in parvo]

The high BAD fever is slowly going down and the weeding out process is started.

Thanks to B&B I switched from Omega boars and one gifted though not overly liked badger to this (6-7 not pictured):

View attachment 1232679

So I will try to a) to find my favorites out of the bunch and b) to rotate out/sell/PIF 2 for every new addition. As with soaps (4-6) 10-12 brushes seem to me currently the optimum between familiarity and variety.

As to b) I recently gave away 3 brushes (1 horse, 2 boars) so I ordered yesterday another Shavemac a 24/52 regular Two Band Silvertip Black/Brown Beehive.