I was wondering if there is much of a difference between a superior badger and a silvertip badger brush? I am not talking about the $200+ brushes but the ones in the $50 range. I currently am using an Omega 005 brush and like the size but I think its time to step up to a better brush for home and move the omega to the travel kit.
A little brush advice
- Thread starter GeorgeMason
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There's no way to know. Makers grade hair differently.
+1 - Badger Hair Grading is not consistent across all labels. For instance, Simpsons "Best" grade can be better than some silvertips.
Get a Rooney 3/1 in Super Silvertip Badger from vintageblades... That should be your next brush. Tried and tested -its a great brush and I shope to own it again at some point!
If you want really soft silvertip hair, get a 23mm Shavemac!
Get a Rooney 3/1 in Super Silvertip Badger from vintageblades... That should be your next brush. Tried and tested -its a great brush and I shope to own it again at some point!
If you want really soft silvertip hair, get a 23mm Shavemac!
- Thread starter
- #4
Well I am fairly new here so I am not too sure on mentioning store names but I is the house brand from a store near toronto. I will be ordering some blades from them tomorrow.
best bet is to get an Omega silvertip. You can get this one for $45.http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Omega-636-Silvertip-Badger-Shaving-Brush_p_485.html
Or find ya a nice old handle and pick yourself out whatever knot you want. Handles can be found cheap and a decent knot is like 30 bucks or less. Plus its something that you can easily do yourself and bring some shaving history back to life.
If I was going to spend $50, I'd bypass the silvertips. My $50 Vulfix superbadger is a very good performer, but it turned out to be very bad shedder. A half-dozen hairs every time I use it, a problem that surfaced just a few months after I bought it. Constant hairs on your razor quickly become annoying.
Instead, I'd buy another EJ pure badger. You probably won't need to spend the full $50, and you'll have an excellent brush for both soaps and creams. Plus, they feel substantial in the hand due to the large handle, and they're really good looking IMO. I have a tortoise, and I'll pick up a black-handled version when I come across a deal.
Good luck.
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- #8
I was going to order a brush today but decided to wait it out a couple more weeks. I have a friend that is going to lend me a best badger brush for a week or so so I can use it side by side with my boar brush. I just may like the boar better and go buy another 005. I have no complaints about my current brush, but I do want to try a good badger to compair with what I have.
That sounds like a good plan. Simpson Best brushes are a great bargain if you can find one in your price range. Another great option might be a TGN Finest (two band) or Silvertip Grade A brush. I am a fan of the 24mm size in both, but the Finest is my favorite.
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my 22mm silvertip knot from TGN was shipped out today cant wait to try it out
The vanilla TGN silvertip is a touch scritchy when you get it, but give it some time and the tips will soften up. Most silvertips dont change much in terms of softness but the TGN's do break in over time.
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- #12
Well I finally got the badger brush from my friend, its an older Plisson prue badger, never been used. On first touch it was considerablely softer then my Omega 005 which has been used daily for 6 months. It made a beautiful lather with my L'Occtaine Cade soap, but when put to face it felt much more scrubby then the boken in boar hair brush, but in a good way, it put lather where I wanted it and I had a great shave. Aside from the mothball wet dog smell I liked it. By the end of the week I think it will soften up a bit and I will like it even more.
I think the next time I order some supplies I will grab the Vulfix 660S Medium Super Badger, combine that with some soaps blades and other things and I will have enough for free shipping
I think the next time I order some supplies I will grab the Vulfix 660S Medium Super Badger, combine that with some soaps blades and other things and I will have enough for free shipping
I concur with the Shavemac. I also have a Rooney 1/2 in Super and its excellent too!
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- #14
The problem for me with both those brushes, is that they are just a bit out of my price range right now. Not that I don't believe that you get what you pay for. I think I could be happy with a decent brush for now then after I get all the tooling for my knife making bought and paid for, and I sell a few more knives, I can look into the $100+ brushes. For now I think that $65 would be my max for a brush
I started with an Omega but found it too floppy. I upgraded to a Rooney 3/1 super silvertip at $75 which I've been using for a year. Great brush, that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. I'm now thinking of getting a second brush and looking at the Simpson Colonel X2L which is at the top of your price range at $65. It seems to have a lot of fans here.
So, if you got a plisson from your friend, use it for a bit. The smell will wear off.
I have a vulfix 660s med and my wife uses it on her legs a bit. I think it is a decent brush, but the density is not to my liking and I get a lot of soap that crawls up the hairs.
The plissons I have do not do this, but are 100+ hmw brushes
Vintage blades just put some rooney stubby supers on sale...might want to peek there.
Also check out the wiki, it has the hair grades by brush company....this helped me sort through the offerings...
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- #17
So after using the Plisson pure badger for a week I had to give it back today and use my Omega boars hair again, what a let down
The lather was just so much better with the badger hair brush and I had so much more control over where the lather went with it. The Omega just felt dull and floppy in comparison.
So I ordered a Classic Super Badger Shaving Brush tonight along with some Col. Ichabod Conk Bay-Rum Shaving Soap and Musgo Real After Shave Balm. The thought of using the Omega for a week while I wait for the new stuff to come in the mail almost makes me want to not shave for the week
The lather was just so much better with the badger hair brush and I had so much more control over where the lather went with it. The Omega just felt dull and floppy in comparison.So I ordered a Classic Super Badger Shaving Brush tonight along with some Col. Ichabod Conk Bay-Rum Shaving Soap and Musgo Real After Shave Balm. The thought of using the Omega for a week while I wait for the new stuff to come in the mail almost makes me want to not shave for the week
+2 on the Rooney 3/1 Super. It really is the best all around brush. Destroys soaps and lathers creams like crazy. I have hard water and it makes all the difference compared to my previous Vulfix 2234. I can't see the need for another brush.
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- #19
Well the better brush will have to wait till spring when business starts to pick up again, I am a full time bicycle mechanic, and I have a bit more money to spare. Right now I just ordered something that I felt was decent to last till then, and my extra money is going into tooling for my knife making right now. With any luck I will be able to live off of the full time job, and the knife making will pay for itself and the shaving habit I am developing. I still consider myself new to true wet shaving, I only have 6 DE razors, 4 different soaps, and one brush. Next week I will have 2 brushes 5 soaps an a few aftershaves, most of which was purchased in the last 2 months. Give me a few more months and I will have to start looking for a bigger place to store all my stuff.
