2 questions - Storing your shaving brush while on travel

[amit711]

Hi There,
A newbie on B&B, and foraying into DE shaving for the 2nd time.

Have 2 questions:
1. I have a job that requires travelling & frequent overnight trips to different cities. What is the best way to carry and store your expensive silvertip badger brush in a toilet case? I have a stand which I use to hold the brush upside down to dry after shaving, but I really can't use it because once I shave in the morning, it's time to pack your bag and checkout of the hotel and get to work, meet clients etc. So, its mostly moist by the time I get home in the evening and let it dry properly.

2. Do you advise having 2 brushes - (1) an expensive / good silver top badger brush to use at home and (2) a relatively cheaper but decent quality fine badger brush to be used when on travel?

Thanks for tips

BR,
amit711

 

[OldSaw]

Welcome to B&B.

I have an Omega 10049 boar brush that I use for travel. I kept mine in my dopp kit for about 2 years with no problems when I was on the road. I just dried it off with a towel after shaking it out a bit and tossed it back in the bag. Now that I'm off the road I only pack it up when I need it for travel.

 

[Mick]

You can get small brushes that have tubes to store them in.

ones that come to mind are the Simpsons Case brush. The Duke 1 and Special also fit into that tube.

You can also make a tube out of a pill bottle

 

[ackvil]

Turtle has hit the nail on the head. In addition, you can buy a decent (not a Parker) synthetic brush which will dry much faster than badger or boar.

 

[Ducati Scotty]

You can get an empty pill bottle from the pharmacist that fits your brush. Drill a few holes and it allows ventilation. A cheap boar brush is great, for $10 who cares if it has a short life. I use an inexpensive synthetic when I travel and palm lather so i dont need to take a bowl with me. It dries quicker than any organic brush and again, it only cost $10 so if it gets lost or ruined I can just get another.

Scott

 

[Elder Scrolls]

I use a pill bottle too to carry my Mighty Midget around....fantastic little brush that I use while traveling and at home.

 

[Big Jim]

I use a travel tube like the one pictured here:

https://www.detailsformen.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=910&gclid=CMKFk_fA9bQCFSmCQgod5lUAQA

It works extremely well. I travel very frequently, nearly every week, and often between places during the week. This tube works well with even my biggest badger (26mm). When I'm staying at least two days in the same hotel, I leave the brush out to dry, and when I arrive at a new hotel or home, I immediately take the brush out to finish drying. I also tend to not pack the same brush two weeks in a row. The smaller brushes (20mm) dry better.

TSA took a special interest in that tube with the brush on one occasion. The agent was surprised to find out what was actually in the tube, and commented that she hadn't seen a shaving brush since watching her grandfather shave. The TSA agent wanted to know if I was packing a straight razor too.

This past week I saw the same container in another application. It was used for packaging spare components for hydraulic pumps. There were several on the shelf where I saw it in different diameters and lengths. It is a high volume production piece for someone. I have seen similar ones, in color, used for packaging machine tooling (end mills and the like). So there could easily be more sources out there if you keep your eyes open. The ones I saw did not have a ventilation hole, which would be easy to fix.

Had I realized that a pill bottle would have worked, I probably would have approached my pharmacist and asked for one. However the one I have is probably more durable.

In a pinch, a toilet paper tube also works well enough for temporary use.

 

[2005xfr]

I found a butter keeper that will hold a brush I just drilled a few holes for ventilation and it's only $1.50!

SEE IT HERE

 

[Oscroft]

I carry a smaller brush around with me when I'm traveling - it's easier to find a suitable storage container for a smaller brush, and as you often have less-than-ideal drying conditions when you're traveling, they dry quicker than a bigger brush.

The one I'm using at the moment is a New Forest 1901 2-band fan - a great performer at a very modest price, and pretty small.

 

[OldGreyGuy]

I travel regularly for work also. I bought a Frank Shaving Travel Brush (Scarborough) which has been a good purchase and still seems OK, lathering qualities are not as great as say my usual Semogue or Omega Boars but it works well with a tube of shaving cream.

If I was doing it all over again I wuld probably buy one of the small Muhle SilverTip Fibre brushes and the travel tube as they dry really quickly and probably give a better lather than the brush I have.

 

[dpm802]

You can leave the brush at home. There isn't a single soap or cream out there that can't be lathered by hand. Neither your whiskers nor your razor will know the difference.

 

[Saxman11290]

There are a few posts about this on the boards already if you do a search.

I posted once before that I use a large sunglasses hard case for my brush, as pictured below, and a regular sized glasses case for my DE

 

[Oscroft]

You can leave the brush at home. There isn't a single soap or cream out there that can't be lathered by hand. Neither your whiskers nor your razor will know the difference.

OK, how about a video of you hand-lathering Mitchell's Wool Fat to show us how it's done?

 

[djh]

Welcome aboard. It's nice to have someone else from Switzerland on the boards.

I use a Mühle travel tube when I am on the road but there are many other options available- from turnback brushes, pill bottles, travel brushes in their own tubes.....

You should be able to find something which suits.

 

[_JP_]

I use a C&E travel brush that comes with its own tube.

You can acquire or fashion a tube for your brush. Or do what I hav done, which is I put the wet brush in a Baggie and pack it between some cloths. And don't worry about moisture. The brush can stay damp for days with no ill effects.

 

[celestino]

You could get a synthetic brush that dries much quicker or you can use a brushe-less shaving cream such as Kiss My Face! No need to worry about a brush. Good luck.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I have the Dovo silvertip stainless steel travel brush that fits into the steel handle. It only takes up a bit of space in my dopp kit, and its the perfect travel brush. Its not cheap, but well worth the price.

 

[mwhals]

I have used cardboard toilet paper rolls in the past, but I now have a Simpson Case and matching travel case on order.

 

[cb91710]

I have a cheap Frank's silvertip in a "turnback" handle (about $35-$45).
The handle is vented, so it can still air out to a certain degree while packed, but is fully protected.

It's far from my best brush, but it works, and I've not lost one of my nice Rudy Vey or Simpson brushes if it is lost or stolen.

 

[Snidely]

I travel with an inexpensive boar brush in a nice travel tube I got from west coast shaving. https://www.westcoastshaving.com/mobile/product.asp?itemid=336 I leave my fancier, denser, badger brushes at home. They seem to dry slower and I don't want mildew. I wipe the boar dry and pop it in the tube. Works perfectly.