A good starter brush?

[Teemu]

So I've decided to go further into the world of DE shaving and get a brush and start shaving with lather. I've already ordered a tube of Old Spice Original shaving cream from ebay.
I also ordered a super cheap synthetic brush from the same seller just so I'd have something to generate lather with when the cream arrives. Despite that I'm still definitely looking to buy a quality brush. I'm hoping to pay around 30 dollars with my absolute maximum amount at 50. It would also be nice if the brush came with a stand or if you could recommend a cheap stand to go with the brush.
Hopefully I posted this in the right section, but if I didn't I'd appreciate it if some moderator would move this to the right one.

 

[Vlad]

I would grab a medium best badger brush from theenglishshavingcompany.com. They have free shipping right now, but maybe only for another day, not sure. Forget the stand, at least for the time being.

 

[Don]

A very good boar brush is the Omega Pro 48. You can get it for $15 and less, delivered, if you shop around on eBay.

 

[jwhiskercut]

Shea moisture brush (black badger) from Target ~$9 plus tax. I have a vulfix and others, but this one gets the most use. Here's a link to a thread discussing it:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=146397

there are better brushes out there but there aren't many(if any) that are better in this price range.

 

[Augustiner]

Shea moisture brush (black badger) from Target ~$9 plus tax. I have a vulfix and others, but this one gets the most use. Here's a link to a thread discussing it:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=146397

there are better brushes out there but there aren't many(if any) that are better in this price range.

Everything he said except I'll say that there definitely aren't any better in the price range.

 

[Vlad]

I love having cheap-skates on this forum to balance out the big spenders.

 

[fixcinater]

My Shea Moisture brush has been treating me quite well. It lathers Williams, VDH, Bigelow cream, and Real Shave Co cream with no complaining or difficulty. I haven't used a $100 silvertip or anything ranked as "better" than the cheapo options (VDH boar and this Shea Moisture), but I really can't see what spending any more money would improve aside from maybe slightly less "skritch" while applying the lather, and I've come to enjoy that part anyway.

I'm going to buy a couple more just so I'm "set" on brushes for quite some time.

 

[AJMiami]

I would grab a medium best badger brush from theenglishshavingcompany.com. They have free shipping right now, but maybe only for another day, not sure. Forget the stand, at least for the time being.

+1 ...excellent suggestion...

that's a sweet deal

 

[jwhiskercut]

I love having cheap-skates on this forum to balance out the big spenders.

I have a silvertip brush on the way from another member, but I traded to get that.

 

[Rocketeer]

More options from an unashamed cheap-skate ...

Badger: Tweezerman brush on Amazon, $15 , Vulfix 1000 at Lees Safety Razors for $24.


Boar: Omega brush, stand, AND bowl of shave cream for $15 INCL Shipping! , HUGE variety of brushes at shoeboxshaveshop.com, especially Omega boar brushes for under $12.

 

[Augustiner]

I have a silvertip brush on the way from another member, but I traded to get that.

I also own a smaller Saville Row silver tip and the biggest silver tip that Shavemac makes. This is hundreds of dollars in high-end shaving brushes and yet I have found that they don't necessarily give me better shaves than some cheap brushes (but they are better than most of them).

In all my shaving experimentation I've found that you do generally get better results by spending more money, but not always. You do stumble upon some "diamond in the rough" cheap products that surpass their more expensive counterparts. It pays to listen to other members on the forum. If I find something cheaper that works better for me than something more expensive, why would I use the more expensive one? Using an inferior product just because it is more expensive doesn't make logical sense.

BTW, smart move on trading for it. I wish I had done that more when I first started instead of spending so much money and stockpiling everything that I didn't use.

 

[Teemu]

Thank you for all of your great suggestions.
For now I've decided to go with the Tweezerman badger brush. How much do the badger brushes usually smell after one starts using them and for how long? I've understood that this is more of a problem with boar brushes but I've also read that there is a similar problem (although smaller in scale and longevity) with badger brushes.

 

[California Cajun]

Thank you for all of your great suggestions.
For now I've decided to go with the Tweezerman badger brush. How much do the badger brushes usually smell after one starts using them and for how long? I've understood that this is more of a problem with boar brushes but I've also read that there is a similar problem (although smaller in scale and longevity) with badger brushes.

I had good luck with the $15 Tweezerman as my first brush, and no smell problems.

 

[americanarmsdealer]

+1 on the Tweezerman. Only brush I own, and I'd be happy this way for a long time to come. It leaves more money for creams, soaps, blades, aftershave...You get the idea!

 

[Valkosipuli]

Hi Teemu! Do you live in Finland? Your name is Finnish anyway. If you live in here, i could sell you one of my brushes cheap if you want to ?

 

[Fozz7769]

Semogue 1305 or 830

 

[oversaturn]

Semogue 1305 or 830

If you want a good boar brush, you should try the Semogue 1305. Inexpensive and excellent performer with creams and soaps.

Other alternatives are Semogue 830 and Semogue 2000.

I own 1 Semogue 830 and I love it! Excellent with soaps and creams alike. It is similar to Semogue 1305 but it is 10% more dense and has a beautiful acrylic handle. I highly recommend it!

 

[Lux_Aeternitas]

Shea moisture brush (black badger) from Target ~$9 plus tax. I have a vulfix and others, but this one gets the most use. Here's a link to a thread discussing it:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=146397

there are better brushes out there but there aren't many(if any) that are better in this price range.

Oh of course no doubt about this awesome gem of a brush, it does wonders with lathering, and it's amazing too! It's my first go-to brush and you simply cannot go wrong!

 

[Loric]

I personally dont have one, but the New Forest 2201 2-Band Shaving ($40ish shipped) Brush is gets a lot of love around here. Also the Semogue Owners Club Brush ($38ish shipped us) is a boar brush that seems to be among the best available. I'm fighting my SBAD on picking up the Semogue... lol I'm 90% of the way to buying it.

 

[ScYcS]

I third the Tweezerman brush. Bought one approximately 4 years ago and it's still one of my best brushes. And i had brushes coming and going for over $100 several times in my shave den.