Badger & Blade

Good review. Thanks! Can you tell us where you purchased it?

Hey @cytus I picked it up from AliExpress on their once-a-year Nov 11th (11.11) sale. Regular price is $30 but for the sale it was just $13. I picked up four badger brushes for the price of two basically! Be aware that they sell out fast at the sale price and that shipping is slowwwwww. Like one month slow. But hey, it was a great deal

A few months down the road from your review. Do you still favour the two band over the silvertip? Nice review. I also ordered that handle for a boar knot.

@JoWolf Oh that handle with a boar knot is gonna be superb. Nice call.

Yes, a few months down the road and I think I prefer a two-band knot for the added scritch, and when placed a bit deeper into the right handle, better backbone.

The Yaqi 24mm Metal Handle silvertip I have is quite floppy. Looking at the photo you can see there is less of the knot going into the handle. I also have a 24mm Yaqi Red Resin silvertip and the backbone on that is much better. That knot appears to be placed a bit deeper into the handle.

You gotta post a pic of that aqua handle with a boar knot when you get it!

@MrBeez The red brush is a real beauty. Two knots and two handles have arrived and I’m waiting for two more of each. The depth on the handle seems shallower then I would like and I cannot drill them out. If I’m not happy with the loft on dry fit measure I’ll probably use silicone rather then epoxy. If I like the knot and performance, and not the handle. because of loft, I’ll order a custom handle. These two are the seven dollar handles. No engraving on the bottom. They are a collar epoxied onto the bottom stump. 26mm

@JoWolf That's a good plan to first see what kind of loft you get based on the initial placement. I think that aqua would look beautiful with a un-dyed knot Of course, the performance is key though. You got a cool project going on there. Keep us posted!

@MrBeez I have two boars a Zenith Chubby and a Semogue 2000. In performance they are opposites. I just ordered some o rings and I am going to put one onto the Semogue just above the handle to see if that can snug up the loft and not look too cheesy. I shaved with it yesterday and even a three finger barber pinch couldn’t butch-up the loft. It is strictly a painter. My hope is the two boar knots I have coming will fall between the two I have now performance wise.
Do you have any boars?
My other two knots and handles will be done after practicing on the boars. They are a little more exciting a 26mm OUMOBRUSH-SHD SILK HMW slivertip shaving brush knot gel tip and 28mm Finest Two Band Chubby Fan Badger Hair. The handles are also quite nice. I copied and pasted the descriptions which I’ll never remember

@JoWolf Yes big difference between those two boars. Will be interesting to see how that O-ring will shore up the Semogue knot. I only have one boar and I love it. It's a Semogue 820 and has just enough backbone but still splays when needed. My guess is it's somewhere between the Semogue 2000 and the Zenith. Some pix attached. That Zenith you have there looks like it has some nice backbone though.

@MrBeez Very nice bloom on the 820, which from most Semogue photos I’ve seen they usually all have a wide bloom. I’m posting a more recent photo of the Chubby which I’m thinking is about 90% broken in, the same with the horse. This horse has all the same stuff as the Chubby but with a longer loft and a totally different kind of hair feel in a very good way. The horse was three times harder to break in then the Chubby, and the Chubby was a monster. The Semogue hardly needed any breaking in. Both my boars have a soft luxurious feel when painting just short of my Silvertip. The horse is good in all respects and is a better painter then the Chubby but a completely different feel. The boar which is highly praised on B&B is the Omega Jade from Connaught UK. That would be the consolation if my knots don’t work out for me. Sorry for rambling, right now brushes really excite me.

@JoWolf Great info thanks. I didn't know about the Omega Jade until now. Will have to check that out. I really like the look of the Chubby though. Seems like a pretty large knot too. 26mm? Maybe 28mm?

MrBeez
I’m sorry I had not responded. It is a 28mm knot with a 55mm loft. I consider the brush 95% broken in. It’s softness just short of my silvertip, but scrub is very nice, shorter loft also a tick off for painting comfort. I’m starting to understand boar brushes a little better and love them. They also reaffirm my fondness for a Silvertip. My knot and handles had arrived from my January order and have dominated my attention and time. I’m embarrassed I had not responded. Please accept my apology.