A good brush makes a difference!

[Dfree]

I’ve been using a Wilkinson TTO (my first DE razor) for a little over a month now with Derby Premium blades and Nivea Shaving Cream. I was happy with the setup except for my brush. Up until today I was using the Wilkinson Sword brush (I believe it is a boar brush though I could be wrong). I noticed that the brush would feel a little bit prickly on my face after the first pass, and I could really only comfortably lather using “brush strokes” (I want to be able to mash the brush against my face) so I searched for something softer and found the Fendrihan Black and White Synthetic.

Today was my first shave with the Fendrihan. By simply changing the brush I noticed a significant difference in the enjoyability of my shave. It is pillowy soft (even after the first pass) and creates way more lather from much less cream than the Wilkinson. My face feels much more comfortable after the shave, too.

For me, upgrading my brush has been worth every penny.

Hope someone finds this experience useful!

 

[Tirvine]

I agree wholeheartedly. There are nearly as many preferences on this forum as there are members, but each preference has its reasons. Personally I like a brush that is soft but one that also has enough backbone to work that puck and build lather both copiously and quickly. Congratulations on your find!

 

[global_dev]

By simply changing the brush I noticed a significant difference in the enjoyability of my shave.

absolutely great!

 

[ackvil]

Yep.

 

[emwolf]

Completely agree

 

[BigJ]

Great move! A quality brush makes a huge difference IMO!

 

[bluesparkuk]

i agree, for ethical reasons i started off with all synthetics in my collection, but ended up giving in to temptation after hearing the benefits of badger, i now have a few various badger brushes and i must admit i do get the best shave from my silvertip badgers

 

[Invicta]

Up until today I was using the Wilkinson Sword brush (I believe it is a boar brush though I could be wrong). I noticed that the brush would feel a little bit prickly on my face after the first pass, and I could really only comfortably lather using “brush strokes”....

I think those are boar brushes but should have improved after a month of shaves, assuming you shave daily. It takes a few wet/dry cycles to break them in. They are very cheap with a small knot and any reasonable brush would be an improvement.

 

[Ed Gcom]

This is so YMMV. Soft. Scritch. Firm. Floppy. Pay your money, take your choice.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I have the same brush by Fendrihan a Black and White synthetic. It is extremely soft and creates great leather agreed. It is also the largest of my brushes. I think I prefer my natural hair brushes though. I have two boars that are very soft, no scritch whatsoever, but they are well broken in. Something about the face feel of natural appeals to me. It’s great when you discover a great brush.

 

[dmshaver]

It's a great feeling to begin finding out what works for us. Congratulations on finding a brush that gives you better results. Welcome, & enjoy!

 

[Al Bundy]

The Wilkinson Sword TTO razor is a great bit of kit.

Sadly, as you've found, the brush doesn't quite live up to the same standard. It was my first brush also and didn't realise how much better brushes could be for some time.

 

[samhain666]

You por devil! You actually brought that Wilkinson brush to your face? I used wire brushes that were softer than this monstrosity. And it's not boar. It's synthetic

 

[Al Bundy]

You por devil! You actually brought that Wilkinson brush to your face? I used wire brushes that were softer than this monstrosity. And it's not boar. It's synthetic

Not too sure where in the world you are but the UK version of the brush is boar, or at least mine and all the ones I've seen on sale are.

 

[ajkel64]

Yes it does make a difference. I was always a $2.00 brush man. The brush was just a tool for getting the lather on my face. I used a brush even with canned products. When I finally moved on and started buying slightly dearer brushes I noticed a big difference. Even going from a $2.00 brush to a $11.95 brush made a huge difference.

 

[rbscebu]

I was a $100+ natural brush man (mainly Badgers) for decades. I then tried a $2 synthetic and loved it. The $2 synthetic has been my go-to bush now for over 6 months.

 

[samhain666]

Not too sure where in the world you are but the UK version of the brush is boar, or at least mine and all the ones I've seen on sale are.

Continental Europe. Even if it is boar, it is just horrific and it shoud be banned with Geneva convention

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

One great thing about upgrading your brush is that nowadays you can get some very good performers for not that much money. This applies especially to synthetcs, but even some reasonably priced badger brushes are really nice. The very luxurious badger brushes might possibly be a bit better, but it's only by a small margin -- the law of dimishing returns definitely applies.

 

[musicman1951]

Everything makes a difference if you're sensitive enough to feel it.

But remember there is some shaver somewhere using stuff you would regard as substandard and he's getting a great shave. Some people can't feel the difference and some can but don't appreciate the difference enough to pay for it.

You have undoubtedly just made the biggest jump - congratulations. As you go up in price the differences get smaller and more expensive - so a $75 synthetic brush will probably be nicer, but not 5 times as nice.

Good work hitting a home run with your first upgrade. Enjoy it for a long time.

 

[Al Bundy]

Continental Europe. Even if it is boar, it is just horrific and it shoud be banned with Geneva convention

Absolutely no argument there.

The other inexpensive boar brush widely available is the Erasmic and, whilst not amazing, it's considerably better than the Wilkinson.