I own a few boar brushes (but many more badger's) and when it comes to standards for grading knots...well there isn't any! There are quite a few different badger hair knots and different manufacturers have their own system. Choosing a boar is much simpler than choosing a badger because there are no agreed standards. In fact most boar brushes are simulated to look like a badger. Why? I only use for travelling because they dry out a lot quicker. Give me a Badger any day.
Boar brushes don't stack up
- Thread starter bazman
- Start date
Boar brushes are striped because it help them sell. You might not like a bagger but you might like the look of a badger and a stripe is more appealing to some folks than a blonde boar. I think a blonde bore brush looks like it's made of straw.
I'm sure you will find many threads here that will disagree with your assessment of boar brushes. It's great that you have found what works well for you.
Different strokes for different folks. Always good to see someone find their preference though!
While there are consistent labels for knots of certain type with badger brushes, I don't see how you can say there are agreed upon standards, because there just aren't. "Pure," "Best," "Finest," etc. if used at all, are relatively only to the same maker. "Best" for Maker A may very well not be the same hair as "Best" for Maker B.
I like 'em both, as well as horse hair brushes. In any event, I don't need to go swinging at a tar baby.
I like 'em both, as well as horse hair brushes. In any event, I don't need to go swinging at a tar baby.
Different strokes for different soaps too
. I prefer my badgers for many soaps, but I really love me some Omega boars with my Italian croaps.
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Not true - Semogue grades their boar hair knots. If you dig into it, you'll find that different models that look the same, perform very differently depending on the knot. Omega does not grade their knots, as far as I know. I agree that the faux-badger stripes on many boar brushes are a little goofy since it doesn't fool anyone and, frankly, the blond hair looks better anyway.
My first brush was a cheap pure badger. It sucked. For the same money, a boar brush is softer and performs better. I have no doubt that higher end badger brushes are excellent performers. But, you're paying for the privilege. Still there are plenty of guys that prefer boar to highend badger, especially for hard soaps and face lathering. Other guys prefer synthetic to any kind of natural knot. Synthetics dry even faster than badger for travel use. To each his own.
My first brush was a cheap pure badger. It sucked. For the same money, a boar brush is softer and performs better. I have no doubt that higher end badger brushes are excellent performers. But, you're paying for the privilege. Still there are plenty of guys that prefer boar to highend badger, especially for hard soaps and face lathering. Other guys prefer synthetic to any kind of natural knot. Synthetics dry even faster than badger for travel use. To each his own.
I prefer boar brushes without the faux-badger look, but it really doesn't matter much to me.
I find that I can make the same quality lather and enjoy the process with my $10 Omega or my $150 Simpson. I like badgers and boars, personally.
I find that I can make the same quality lather and enjoy the process with my $10 Omega or my $150 Simpson. I like badgers and boars, personally.
I prefer badgers myself but there are plenty for whom boars do stack up. Be careful making broad proclamations on subjective matters.
YMMV, for me I'd rather have a Boar and keep the Badger money in my pocket!
Semogue forever!
Tried many badgers. Price aside - I still prefer my broken-in boars. Sold all my badgers.
Tel 'ya what.....
If there are any unloved boar brushes out there just send them to me and I will PIF them to any new members/shavers that want a boar.
If there are any unloved boar brushes out there just send them to me and I will PIF them to any new members/shavers that want a boar.
If that were true, wouldn't that not just make it harder to choose a boar?
Standards or not, not all boars are created equal....
Never seen straw that was so pale.
I have several boar brushes, Semogue and Omega. They along with my horse hair brush are the regular brushes in use.
They re great to use.
I have a synthetic for travel, and a badger for when I am in a hurry and do not want to soak a brush for awhile.
I like the way the 1305 handle looks, and it preforms great, the only issue is the silly two-tone dye job to make look like a badger.
I was just thinking the opposite today. For the first time in a couple of years I shaved with a badger. It was a brush that I just got that was made with TGN Superbadger 24mm. Maybe I need a bigger badger brush to try. Maybe I need to keep trying for a while. But as of today I much prefer my Omega Pro.
It's been a long time since I read Joel's ancient Boar vs. Badger post in which he used some cheapo boar that wasn't dense or broken in and declared the badger brush the clear winner by all counts.
But the fact is, it's just not that clear cut, and I'm glad that, almost 10 years later, boars finally have well-earned respect in the shaving world. My own personal brush journey took me from badgers to boars to horses to synthetics and I enjoy them all...for the moment though, I prefer synthetics to anything else in my stable.
For some people, the backbone and scrub you get with a boar is just superior to anything badger can provide, unless you get a stiff two-band badger knot, but that may or may not be as cheap as a $25 top-tier boar. These days with knots you can buy and cheap Chinese-made brushes or makers that put a knot in a handle for you, the cost for a "high end 2-band" badger is *much* cheaper than it used to be. So it's easier to experiment and see which hair you prefer or best suits your needs.
In a purely subjective analysis, in 7 years of being in this hobby, owning more brushes than I'll ever need, and using everything in brushdom, the only real "advantages" badger has over a broken-in boar are (1) less soaking time is needed for optimal performance, (2) the knot overall retains a little more moisture, which may (or may not, depending on your technique) create a wetter lather, and (3) badger hair retains heat a little better.
That's it, if you ask me. And the advantage is not really that large. Face-feel and softness are comparable. Backbone is comparable between boar and a stiff badger. Lather-making is just as fast and easy with either hair. Thus, I use what my mood calls for. I no longer have a preference between the two like I once did (and I preferred badger, then boar, then...). I appreciate the qualities that both bring to the table.
But the fact is, it's just not that clear cut, and I'm glad that, almost 10 years later, boars finally have well-earned respect in the shaving world. My own personal brush journey took me from badgers to boars to horses to synthetics and I enjoy them all...for the moment though, I prefer synthetics to anything else in my stable.
For some people, the backbone and scrub you get with a boar is just superior to anything badger can provide, unless you get a stiff two-band badger knot, but that may or may not be as cheap as a $25 top-tier boar. These days with knots you can buy and cheap Chinese-made brushes or makers that put a knot in a handle for you, the cost for a "high end 2-band" badger is *much* cheaper than it used to be. So it's easier to experiment and see which hair you prefer or best suits your needs.
In a purely subjective analysis, in 7 years of being in this hobby, owning more brushes than I'll ever need, and using everything in brushdom, the only real "advantages" badger has over a broken-in boar are (1) less soaking time is needed for optimal performance, (2) the knot overall retains a little more moisture, which may (or may not, depending on your technique) create a wetter lather, and (3) badger hair retains heat a little better.
That's it, if you ask me. And the advantage is not really that large. Face-feel and softness are comparable. Backbone is comparable between boar and a stiff badger. Lather-making is just as fast and easy with either hair. Thus, I use what my mood calls for. I no longer have a preference between the two like I once did (and I preferred badger, then boar, then...). I appreciate the qualities that both bring to the table.
Well said Kevan
+1
For me there are times when I enjoy the luxury of a fine silvertip brush against my face. There are also times when I like the gentle scrub of a well broken in boar or horse or the featherlike light synthetic hair.
Why would I limit myself to only one of these great lathering experiences?
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