Full Circle. Passion reignited for Badger

[guitarslinger]

So, I've been using various brushes for 12.5 years. They have been tools. I was never a big brush collector. I used what worked. My journey has been:
Cheap Vulfix Badger - small, floppy, splayed too much. Stinks. Pokes my face horribly.
The Body Shop Synthetic - small. Stiff. Didn't really hold lather well. Used this for years.
Various Proraso/Omega Boars. - Big, fairly stiff. not pokey. good lathering. Stinky.
Various Razorock/WCS synthetics. - This was the aha moment. Soft, big, stiff enough. not smelly. awesome lather. Etc. I've been pretty happy with these for about a year. REALLY love the RR 400 and 24 Barrel Handles.

But, something was missing........ My lather felt kind of "cold". then I stumbled on a post where people were talking about natural hair brushes retaining heat. I saw the 24 barrel pure badger and silver tip badgers were both on sale. I bought both.

THERE. IT. IS. - Perfect for me. I like the way the natural knot expands and stiffens up when lathered. I love the way it holds heat. These are nice knots that don't poke me, and they don't smell bad. I am truly over the moon. FWIW, I like the $18 pure badger as much or more than the silver tip. I'm not seeing a double price advantage on the silver tip. I'm really stoked right now, because I don't get out of a brush rut very often. Thanks for listening.

TLDR version = be sure to give badger brushes a chance even if you've decided synthetics are the best thing ever. You may be surprised.

 

[FABarbuto]

Great stuff! Glad you've found your lather zen!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Merle]

Occasionally I find myself frustrated with the selection of brushes I'd acquired over my first days. Usually when I think I need to clear some space and I'm not the worlds most effective sales agent. But I realize I needed to know what the differences were so I could make an informed choice. Nowadays? Rarely pickup anything but a badger. That's not to say they all feel the same, they don't... but, in a way they do; I call it the sensation of 'satisfaction' and they All seem to say it when I use badger. Congrats on your journey! It helps make the daily living of life so much more interesting!

 

[Boar Fighter]

It's always good when you find what works for you. Contratulations. For less still boars, try the Omega 24x55 knots (possibly the banded variety) or Semogues. Completely different animals compared to the Proraso brush for example. More "badgery", with moderate backbone (some Semogues might even go too far) and super soft tips.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Any brush gets boring after a while: synthetic, badger, boar, horsie. IMO.

Enjoy your new ones!

 

[Merle]

Perhaps Mac, perhaps; but it really takes a long time to get there when you choose from 7 examples on any regular day and there are 7 or so more back in the shelves. (Plus all those other Omegas and Semogues / Epsilons)

 

[Boar Fighter]

Any brush gets boring after a while: synthetic, badger, boar, horsie. IMO.

Enjoy your new ones!

+1

Pearls of wisdom. 30 brushes is the cure.

 

[stone and strop]

Badgers hold both, lots of water and the heat.
Nothing beats Badger IMO. They are not all created equal though.

 

[BrianP]

TLDR version = be sure to give badger brushes a chance even if you've decided synthetics are the best thing ever. You may be surprised.

Yup! They must be given a chance.
I use boar most of the time, but I still have and use two badger brushes: A Wee Scot and a Plisson High Mountain White (Size 8) ... i like smaller brushes. They are unique, particularly the Plisson.

 

[EL Alamein]

Many roads to Rome, enjoy the one you're on. Glad you found one you liked best.

Chris

 

[Timeclo]

I love natural hairs but pure badgers are just not for me. It's way too scratchy for my face so I prefer 2-band/silvertip or boar knots.

 

[BigJ]

Congratulations!! From another ‘badger boy!’

 

[mawashi]

So, I've been using various brushes for 12.5 years. They have been tools. I was never a big brush collector. I used what worked. My journey has been:
Cheap Vulfix Badger - small, floppy, splayed too much. Stinks. Pokes my face horribly.
The Body Shop Synthetic - small. Stiff. Didn't really hold lather well. Used this for years.
Various Proraso/Omega Boars. - Big, fairly stiff. not pokey. good lathering. Stinky.
Various Razorock/WCS synthetics. - This was the aha moment. Soft, big, stiff enough. not smelly. awesome lather. Etc. I've been pretty happy with these for about a year. REALLY love the RR 400 and 24 Barrel Handles.

But, something was missing........ My lather felt kind of "cold". then I stumbled on a post where people were talking about natural hair brushes retaining heat. I saw the 24 barrel pure badger and silver tip badgers were both on sale. I bought both.

THERE. IT. IS. - Perfect for me. I like the way the natural knot expands and stiffens up when lathered. I love the way it holds heat. These are nice knots that don't poke me, and they don't smell bad. I am truly over the moon. FWIW, I like the $18 pure badger as much or more than the silver tip. I'm not seeing a double price advantage on the silver tip. I'm really stoked right now, because I don't get out of a brush rut very often. Thanks for listening.

TLDR version = be sure to give badger brushes a chance even if you've decided synthetics are the best thing ever. You may be surprised.

It's great that you found something you can enjoy. Brushes and soaps to me aren't stuff I'll go all out to get the best there is but I will find decent knots are good prices.

Congrads,

Mawashi

 

[ajkel64]

Thanks for sharing. I’ve just starting exploring the world of brushes. I used cheap all my life. Just staring to splurge on brushes that cost more the $5.00.

 

[PreachTheWord]

My brushes range from a $10 Razorock Bruce to a CH2 in Super. I love them all and use them all. The ability to retain heat is a really good feature of the badger that the synths don't have.

 

[naughtilus]

I don't see any photos posted. What's the hold-up?

 

[mawashi]

So, I've been using various brushes for 12.5 years. They have been tools. I was never a big brush collector. I used what worked. My journey has been:
Cheap Vulfix Badger - small, floppy, splayed too much. Stinks. Pokes my face horribly.
The Body Shop Synthetic - small. Stiff. Didn't really hold lather well. Used this for years.
Various Proraso/Omega Boars. - Big, fairly stiff. not pokey. good lathering. Stinky.
Various Razorock/WCS synthetics. - This was the aha moment. Soft, big, stiff enough. not smelly. awesome lather. Etc. I've been pretty happy with these for about a year. REALLY love the RR 400 and 24 Barrel Handles.

But, something was missing........ My lather felt kind of "cold". then I stumbled on a post where people were talking about natural hair brushes retaining heat. I saw the 24 barrel pure badger and silver tip badgers were both on sale. I bought both.

THERE. IT. IS. - Perfect for me. I like the way the natural knot expands and stiffens up when lathered. I love the way it holds heat. These are nice knots that don't poke me, and they don't smell bad. I am truly over the moon. FWIW, I like the $18 pure badger as much or more than the silver tip. I'm not seeing a double price advantage on the silver tip. I'm really stoked right now, because I don't get out of a brush rut very often. Thanks for listening.

TLDR version = be sure to give badger brushes a chance even if you've decided synthetics are the best thing ever. You may be surprised.

Thanks for sharing. I’ve just starting exploring the world of brushes. I used cheap all my life. Just staring to splurge on brushes that cost more the $5.00.

My brushes range from a $10 Razorock Bruce to a CH2 in Super. I love them all and use them all. The ability to retain heat is a really good feature of the badger that the synths don't have.

I live in the tropics, heat is something I don't need more of, in fact I would dip my brushes in cold water as it seems to feel better. Perhaps badgers are better at keeping the cold... Now that's a great thing for me.

As for cheap vs better brushes, there is a lower and upper limit where if you get less than you pay for at the opposite ends of the spectrum. For boars most of the $6 to $20 omegas are worth every cent. $10-$20 for syns and for badgers, $20-40 is the max I'll pay. The stuff from yaqi is really as good as much more expensive brands.
Add their on sale prices and it becomes a no brainer.

Happy shaves,

Mawashi

 

[RayClem]

I have a modest brush collection that contains badgers, boars, horsehair, and synthetic brushes. The badgers are primarily two-band or silvertip. Pure badger brushes are way to scritchy for my face; even best badger is a little irritating.

When paired with the right soap, I enjoy using each of the brush fiber types. The synthetic brushes tend to be the most versatile. When I am lathering a new soap for the first time, I generally select a synthetic as I know I will be able to develop a decent lather. If I had to give up half my brush collection, I would keep my high-density silvertip badgers and a couple of synthetics. If I had to choose only one brush, I am not sure whether I would pick a badger or a synthetic.

 

[Earcutter]

Coming full circle is fun!

 

[Leverspro]

I've collected a half dozen different synths recently which have sidelined my Shavemac badgers. But I just bought my first fan brush and it is in badger. I'm really liking it.