I find it better to ask why not.
Why the need for multiple brushes?
- Thread starter ksjp2008
- Start date
I used to think a certain kind of brush worked better for creams than soaps, and vice versa. Then, after buying many different brushes, I discovered the brushes I liked best worked equally well for both. Out of about 13 or so brushes, I discovered two that I really liked, and used almost to the exclusion of the others (a Somerset Simpson CH2 Super two-band and a Plisson HMW 16 horn two-band). I can't choose between those two, so alternate between them to extend the lives of each. Given that the Simpson is no longer made (I don't like the Vulfix-made CH2 as well, unfortunately), I figure from now on, I'll only ever seek to replace the Plisson with another one when the time comes. At that point, I will be a one brush guy, for all intents and purposes. I have no interest in acquiring any other models. I've sold off a good chunk of my other brushes, while holding on to some just because - but they don't get used very much.
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Good idea. I guess I'll need to buy two Plissons when the time comes. Then I'll be two-brush/one-model guy.
If you were to ask me how many brushes I need, I'd answer 'at least 30'. 
If you ask my wife, she'll answer '1'.
It's a matter of perspective, I guess.
-- John Gehman
If you ask my wife, she'll answer '1'.
It's a matter of perspective, I guess.
-- John Gehman
My though exactly. I have three boars in rotation. I don't know if it's as important with badgers but boars soften during the wet/drying cycle.
Because brushes are awesome.
Well it looks like I need about 32 more brushes.....
Marketers have always viewed men as suckers for believing in the value of product features that offer subtle, if any differentiation. We fall for whatever line of BS they feed us. We buy scores of products that are essentially the same and we "trade up" for product features that offer diminishing returns. This is our weakness.
Brushes are comical in this regard. If you're using any of the commonly recommended ones here, another will do nothing to improve your shave.
Just wondering. For those of you old enough to have Dad's that shaved regularly with DEs, did he have 20 razors and 20 brushes and a drawer full of soaps and aftershaves?
Brushes are comical in this regard. If you're using any of the commonly recommended ones here, another will do nothing to improve your shave.
Just wondering. For those of you old enough to have Dad's that shaved regularly with DEs, did he have 20 razors and 20 brushes and a drawer full of soaps and aftershaves?
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True, and not. True, I don't get any better shave using my $500 Plisson than I do using my $250 Simpson, or my $140 Kent. Also true, once I found what worked best for me, going with other options didn't provide any benefit.
Not true, in the sense that "trading up" did provide me greater returns. The Kent BK8 was my first really good brush, and while I still like it, I can definitely feel a difference in performance between the Kent and the Plisson, and the Kent and Simpson.* The Kent is softer, less dense, and splays out more, whereas the Simpson and Plisson are denser, more resilient (without being harsh), and more responsive. I just like using the Simpson and Plisson more during the shave, even if the result after the shave is no different than when using the Kent. To me, that's worth the buy-in. That's got nothing to do with marketing or hype. I made these observations completely on my own, based on having bought and tried many different brushes. The CH2 and the Plisson 16 HMW were the two brushes I kept using over and over, while the rest (including some that were even more prestigious and expensive) gathered dust.
*As I said above, I can't really choose between the Simpson and the Plisson in terms of performance, so if Vulfix were making the CH2 as well as Ron Carter's company made mine, I would feel little justification paying the extra money for the Plisson when it comes time to replace them. However, I did buy a Vulfix CH2 as a back-up and didn't like it at all, so I'm sticking with Plisson for future purchases.
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All good points Ron.
My first ever FS brushes are still excellent brushes (I paid less than $5 for one of them) I could live with just one of them as my only brush and same goes for a $15 Gillette tech and a stick of Arko. But for me the most enjoyable part of this hobby is having a selection and variety YMMV
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Yup but the heart wants what it wants.
My dad also rotated between two brushes. He had one razor (I also have one), used one soap (I use three), and one aftershave (umm yes ...)
Apart from the aftershaves, my shaving routine is not very different from his.
Exactly. As someone else said above, need vs. want.
I'm in your club too. I own 4 brushes, but I only use one. I still have the first EJ badger brush I bought for £10 on amazon, but it hasn't been out of the cupboard for over 6 months, and I probably ought to chuck it out but there's nothing actually wrong with it. I have a B&B Essentials boar, which looks kinda cool but doesn't work well for face lathering and I don't use a bowl any more. I have a Muhle Silvertip Fibre synthetic which I use every single day. It's perfect. Soaps, creams, face, bowl, warm, cold - it just works. I also have a HJM black fibre synthetic which is now my travel brush.
The same with razors, too. I own 3, but the only one I use is the R41. The DE89 sits in a drawer, it was my first razor and it's still in perfect condition but it takes 3 passes to get close to what the R41 delivers with one. I have a Gillette super adjustable which I won in a PIF, and that's the same. Nothing wrong with either of them, they're just not as good as the R41, and I don't want to use anything which takes more work to achieve the same end result.
I have multiple brushes due to restorations. I view it as bringing back lost and unloved treasures to a useful state. I don't necessarily use all of them, but it is an art form that I take pleasure in. I do usually have 3-5 brushes in m rotation but really only 2 heavy lifters, a finest and a silver tip. Depending on how sensitive my skin is I use one or the other. But for the off days I will use my SOC or go really scritchy and use my semogue barbear cerda. Ultimately are 12+ brushes needed, no, but if you view it as a hobby and an investment in enjoying life to its fullest, then enjoy the relatively minor splurge in life.
Anyone else find it a bit odd that Klovgren knows so much about women's shoes? Didn't know Al Bundy was a member here!
I'm guessing cause "he" is actually a she.
If you don't mind me adding, brushes and accessories are like women with shoes. How many black patent leather heels could one possible need? flat for day, kitten heel for a change, the whole heel size thing 2",3",4", strappy back, cut out, lace up and on and on if we're talking about price points toowe/I love em. I think it's the same as brushes. Each one has its merits, some for sentimental reasons and others just because you are treating yourself.
I'm glad that this is universal and not just a guy-thing, or that we're the only suckers. I've got 8 guitars right now, could easily justify 3 more, and when I thought I was going to sell one that was seeing little use, I found a way to rationalize keeping it.
I envy all the minimalists on this thread.
Variety my good man. Variety.
You don't need multiple brushes, you WANT multiple brushes. I only have 1 brush and have only had one brush for the past 6 months since I started DE shaving. I have bought a couple different brushes, a really cheap one to start, an EJ BB after a little while and then had ShaverJoe custom make me one. Each of my older brushes have been sold or given away. I'm happy with 1 brush, 1 razor, 1 soap and 1 blade type.
With all respect, 6 months is simply not long enough for a long term perspective, imho. Take it from someone who wetshaved for 30 years. You need at least two brushes.
24 hours is not always enough to fully dry a brush, especially a boar! Using the same (boar) brush each day may shorten its lifespan considerably.
