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Concerns with first brush, insight please

Hey, I'm brand new to the "art" of shaving, I'm waiting for my straight razor to show up and I've been looking at brushes. I want to get a good quality badger brush. I was at the mall tonight and went to house of knives and they had a silver tip made by ice shave for $100. I am concerned with this because arent quality silver tip brushes like a few hundred? I am concerned by the cost, I really do not want to buy sub par quality that I will be unhappy with in six months. Please let me know your opinions
 
I'm not familiar with that brand, but you can get a silver tip for as low as $100. It just depends on the brush maker. Cost of the brush has more to do with the size of the knot too. A larger knot will cost more than a smaller knot. BTW, silver tip means different things to different brush makers. There's no standardization as to what silver tip is, but usually a silver tip brush will be softer. If in doubt, buy a brush from a reputable vendor. The Savile Row 3824 is a fantastic brush for just over $100.00. You can get them from QED USA. Also, the Rooney 3/1 is another great choice. That's going to be just under $100.00.

Welcome to the confusing world of shaving brushes.

Let us know what kind of characteristics you think you might like in a brush. The members here can help you by suggesting some proven brushes based on your criteria.
 
Welcome aboard. A few thoughts, in listicle form, not necessarily in order of importance.
1. I have never heard of that brand. I wouldn't spend 100 bucks on it. No how, no way. 2
2. The 2-300 price range is pretty elite, and you don't have to get anywhere near that to buy a good brush. 100 is actually kind of a sweet spot.
3. You can get a nice silvertip for under 100 bucks. Whipped Dog has a good reputation (I've not used one).
4. Badger grades are largely meaningless across brands anyway, there are no real standards.
5. There are lots of ways to make a nice brush, and it doesn't have to include silvertip or even badger. I bought a custom brush a while back, and the maker suggested that, for what I wanted, the most expensive grade wasn't ideal anyway (I got a "finest" whatever the heck that means). Boar brushes offer a phenomenal value. I have a 25 buck semogue that is absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, they take a long time to break in compared to badger.
6. I heartily second the Rooney recommendation. They are fantastic and right around 100 bucks.
 
$100.00 is a common price for a good silvertip in a name brand.

You can get good silvertips for much less. Whipped Dog provides a silvertip that punches way above its price point, and you can get them off their web site for roughly $30.00. It is an excellent starter brush. It is so good you may never want another. I have five brushes with Whipped Dog knots.

I recently bought another fabulous brush down in that price range for my son's father-in-law. It is a Liojuny Alaska Silvertip with Faux Horn Handle. It was about $36.00 including shipping on ebay. The new owner treasures it, as would you if you bought it.

If you really want to spend $100.00, you can. An excellent source is West Coast shaving. He has lots of premium name brand brushes.

If you look around, you can spend as much as you want. Plisson catalogs one, with a genuine ivory handle, for 2000 Euros.
 
Welcome to B&B!

I have nothing substantial to add to the comment above. I would hesitate to give you an opinion on the brush without seeing it or even handling it myself. It is possible to make a good badger brush for less than $100 - sometimes much less. But you might not be able to tell how good the brush is without some background knowledge, mostly by handling well-made brushes.
 
I don't have any brushes that cost "a few hundred dollars", nor do I have any desire to own any.

For me the sweets spot of Quality and Dollar meet around $130 (to $150). Sure there are some that cost more and some less, many don't have any brushes that cost more then $50 and can whip up lather like nobody's business.

As for the brush from House of Knifes, I'd pass and look to purchase from a reputable source and a known brush that has some positive feedback.

No need to spend hundreds on a brush. I'd also think your first brush will likely not be your last. Tastes change, lathering methods change (bowl to face etc), so brushes will change also.
 
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Another consideration would be to have one of the craftsmen that frequents this forum custom build you a brush. Have the handle made to your liking and built with a premium knot.
 
the only downside with custom is that as a beginner, it may be hard to know what you want. Rudy is extremely helpful, but it is good to have some reference points from other brushes first.
 
Silvertip is highly overrated, IMHO. I have a couple of Silvertip brushes in my collection, but find that I prefer Finest/Best grade badger knots much more than Silvertip. And I prefer a good quality Boar brush over most of my badgers, too.

As you step up above $100, you're often paying a lot for the handle. It may be an exotic material like antler horn, or be inlaid with mother-of-pearl. These look beautiful sitting on your counter, but they add nothing to the shave.

My recommendation as the perfect starter brush is the Edwin Jagger Medium in Best. Around $40. It hits the middle of the bell curves for all the specifications we look at when describing a brush. Knot size / Handle Size / Softness / Density / Water Holding / Backbone / etc.
With this brush as a starting point, you'll be better able to decide if you want your next brush to be Larger or Smaller / Softer or Sctitchier / Stiffer Backbone or Floppier / etc.
 
Thank you all for your helpful responses, I am looking forward to purchasing my first brush now that I have some knowledge behind me:)
 
Frankly, I'd try a Whipped Dog badger, an Omega or Semogue boar, and a Muhle silvertip fiber (and maybe a Vie Long horsehair) before spending $100 on a brush. You could try the first 3 for $100, roughly.

Once you have a feel for the differences between the types, then I'd consider buying a fancy brush if I really wanted to.

Full disclosure - I have never tried a badger brush, just synthetic silvertip fibers (and boars).
 
^ Most, if not all the brush makers on B&B have access to Finest. TGN sells FINEST 2 band and it's a great knot for about $30-35
 
What is it that you wanted that made the brushmaker suggest Finest grade? Who was the maker?
It was rudy vey, and I wanted a face lathering brush with a fair amount of backbone. I think he uses the same TGN knots so many others use. I will say, it is pretty much exactly what I wanted. Strong backbone, but no prickliness. Silvertip can, depending on how it is packed, be kind of floppy. I guess that would be true of all, but I think finest generally has more backbone, all else equal
 
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