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A medium density badger brush?

I have two badger brushes, neither of which is quite right for me. The first is a finest from Stirling. It's very wide at the top and very dense. I find myself pushing against the proverbial "wall of badger" when I press the knot against my face to lather. I want a little more give, a little more splay when I work the lather into my whiskers. So I went too far in the other direction. I bought a Vulfix 660S. The hairs are very thinly woven and the brush has more splay than any synthetic I own. Dry, the brush seems like it would maybe have just enough backbone, but it turns to mush against my face when it is wet.

I would like something in the middle. I turn to the collective shaving wisdom of B&B to suggest the "Goldilocks" brush.

I lather with creams more often than soaps, although I use soaps, and I face lather more than I bowl lather.

I want to be clear that I am not putting the Stirling or Vulfix brushes down. They are excellent brushes for the right person, but not precisely for me.

Thanks to all in advance.
 
Sounds like you need a Truefitt & Hill Wellington.

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Are you interested in something custom made?

Are you interested in Chinese brushes from Ali Express?

Do you like the size and shape of the handle of the Vulfix and the size of the 20mm knot?

How about the Stirling? Is it one of these 24mm fans?

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Thank you for the replies. I'll try and answer peoples' questions.

do you like backbone and scrub or softer and almost floppy?
I'm trying to split the difference, so softer but not floppy with some scrub. I have floppy. That's the Vulfix.

Have you set a budget yet?
No, but USD $100 has always been a mental limit.

Are you interested in something custom made?

Are you interested in Chinese brushes from Ali Express?

Do you like the size and shape of the handle of the Vulfix and the size of the 20mm knot?

How about the Stirling? Is it one of these 24mm fans?
I'm open to custom but it's probably too expensive. Chinese is fine. The Vulfix handle is good, the knot is too small. The Stirling is a bulb (24mm); the handle is like the green one in the middle only the stripes are black.

And thanks again everyone. People are very nice here.
 
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Personally I would get a Shavemac 2 band fan or a 3 band bulb.

I would not get a D01 knot - too dense and too much backbone for you.

Cost - higher than your budget unless you buy used.

Rudy Vey will make you one to your specifications for a reasonable price. I have probably 20+ of his brushes and love them. He is also a great community member and I would rather buy from him than a website.

The inconsistency from a few of the brushes is evident to me (from China) in the knots. It’s true badger hair comes from China but it’s also true not all knots are tied there.

If this isn’t something you would swallow Semogue mistura knot would fit the bill.

Good luck!
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
At around the $100 price point, I have a Semogue Pegasus Mistura...... It's bigger than their SOC Mistura and I like the size much better... Around that same price would be the Zenith Manchurian badger in a handle of your choice. I seem to like the 506 copper handle, but there are lots of choices....

I really love the Rudy Vey 28mm ShaveMac Two-band Silvertip I just got but it's a bit more expensive. Still, you don't always get what you pay for.... but you seldom get that for which you do not pay....
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With a higher budget, I would get a Rudy Vey with a 22mm or 24mm Shavemac 2 band fan, or bulb if you like a bulb better. Really I would get 22mm for myself, but a lot if people seem to prefer 24-26mm.

With $100, a Simpson X2L in Best Badger, or whatever other budget Simpson handle you like.

If you just want a nice brush, a DSC 2 band. Maybe the Amber smok. I like that handle.

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This is a great one, too:

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I also love the Semogue Finest Badger brushes. I have an SOC in Cherry and a Galahad in Finest. I also have a Mistura SOC, but prefer the Finest. They are close, though. I wish Semogue would make a 22mm with an SOC, or Pharos handle. Rudy can make something similar, but he would probably use a Shavemac knot for a 22mm brush. I think Rudy has 24mm Semogue Mistura knots.

Simpson Duke 2 Best badger is another good one.

Boar tends to get floppy, and Mistura gets a little floppy with break-in. The best part of the Mistura knots is the Finest Badger component, IMO, and I think a lot of people who love the Mistura would be just as happy with Finest. They are very close, but if you are worried about flop, I think standard density badger is a better way to go.
 
22mm Chinese brushes: DSC 2 band, DSC Amber Pure, Yaqi Sagrada Familia 2 band. The DSC 2 band is the best of these for your taste, I think

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Semogue owners club and Galahad are within your budget. My favorite knot from them is the 22mm c3 Finest Badger (center) but I like the SOC handles better. The SOC cherry / Finest (rt) is one of the best bargains on a European badger brush

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The Simpson X2L and Duke 2 in Best are around your budget, and fantastic. The Duke is a real classic... and on the right is a bespoke RV 50 series in Disco with a Shavemac 22mm 2 band, not way out of your budget. Rudy can make you anything you like.

if you got your own cheaper knot from Alix, like a DSC or Boti knot, you could probably get Rudy to make you a handle and be only a little over $100.
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I actually like the scrubbiest pure badger knots from DSC, Yaqi, and Boti, as well as Simpson Best.

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And I adore the scrubby black badger knots from DSC and especially Boti

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The Semogue black is too floppy for me and most 3 band knots, too velvety soft

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Some of these are vintage handles I cleaned up.
 
Semogue owners club and Galahad are within your budget. My favorite knot from them is the 22mm c3 Finest Badger (center) but I like the SOC handles better. The SOC cherry / Finest (rt) is one of the best bargains on a European badger brush.
I've got the Semogue Torga c3 Finest, and it's wonderful. Also 22mm, but 50mm loft as opposed to the 55mm loft on the Galahad. Better handle too, IMO.
 
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