a stiff and coarse shave brush?

[beardsareforcavemen]

I have been daily DE shaving without a shave brush and after reading about shave brushes on B&B I decided that I really wanted/needed to get one.
Ok, so I have been looking and looking at online stores for a short-medium loft brush with either the pure or best grade badger bristles. It sounds like that's what may work good for me, as well as in a nice price range, being that I'm not looking for it to be a "collectible". In the mean time I ended up locally buying a Van Der Hagen boar brush and so far it's been working just great.

Now from what I've read online it sounds like badger bristles are softer than boar bristles? I can't imagine using a brush with softer bristles than my boar brush. I wouldn't mind having a bit stiffer and coarser brush.

Do I have this correct?
Boar=stiff & coarse
Pure & Best Badger=very similar grades / soft & fine
Super Badger= softer & finer
Silver Tip Badger=softest & fluffiest & finest

It just sounds like maybe badger bristles would be soft and floppy? More like a feather duster instead of a brush? From reading here on B&B it sounds like most people prefer a badger brush. Am I getting this right for the most part? or are some of the badger bristle grades stiffer than boar bristles? I want to lift hairs and exfoliate not tickle my cheek.

There just seems to be so many "myths" about brushes and lather. Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly.

Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[mblakele]

Unfortunately no two badger brush makers agree about hair grade terminology (see http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Shave_Brush_Hair_Grades). Also the knot size and loft are important. It is possible to increase the backbone of a badger knot by increasing its density and by mounting it at a shorter loft. So face-latherers who use badger brushes tend to prefer a short loft with a very dense knot.

On the other hand boar bristles split as they break in, resulting in more bristle density. In general a broken-in boar brush is very soft, and a dense boar has a lot of backbone. I don't have a VdH myself, but I have three other boars and a silvertip badger (see signature link for details). Each brush is different, and I like them all.

 

[dpmtherrien]

If you're happy with the brush you use now there's no reason to switch, stay with what works for you.

Somehow I get the feeling that you'll probably be getting other brushes, and that's O.K. too. You can always have a brush rotation. I've been using nothing but silvertip and super badgers since I started DE shaving. I just got a badger boar mix brush, and I love it. I have 7 brushes I use in my rotation, so jump in and have fun. But if you like that brush you use now, stay with it.

 

[DSB]

If you're happy with the brush you use now there's no reason to switch, stay with what works for you.

Somehow I get the feeling that you'll probably be getting other brushes, and that's O.K. too. You can always have a brush rotation. I've been using nothing but silvertip and super badgers since I started DE shaving. I just got a badger boar mix brush, and I love it. I have 7 brushes I use in my rotation, so jump in and have fun. But if you like that brush you use now, stay with it.

+1! You might want to try another boar brush, too.

 

[du212]

I have been daily DE shaving without a shave brush and after reading about shave brushes on B&B I decided that I really wanted/needed to get one.
Ok, so I have been looking and looking at online stores for a short-medium loft brush with either the pure or best grade badger bristles. It sounds like that's what may work good for me, as well as in a nice price range, being that I'm not looking for it to be a "collectible". In the mean time I ended up locally buying a Van Der Hagen boar brush and so far it's been working just great.

Now from what I've read online it sounds like badger bristles are softer than boar bristles? I can't imagine using a brush with softer bristles than my boar brush. I wouldn't mind having a bit stiffer and coarser brush.

Do I have this correct?
Boar=stiff & coarse
Pure & Best Badger=very similar grades / soft & fine
Super Badger= softer & finer
Silver Tip Badger=softest & fluffiest & finest

It just sounds like maybe badger bristles would be soft and floppy? More like a feather duster instead of a brush? From reading here on B&B it sounds like most people prefer a badger brush. Am I getting this right for the most part? or are some of the badger bristle grades stiffer than boar bristles? I want to lift hairs and exfoliate not tickle my cheek.

There just seems to be so many "myths" about brushes and lather. Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly.

Any advise would be appreciated.

I am not agree at all

The boar brushes can be soft in the tips, when boar broken the tips they are soft, but the bristles are stiff, great to work with soaps

The european Badger (used by Plisson and Vie-Long) is stiffer than chinese badger. My 2 band vie-long is stiffer than any other badger brush that I own.

 

[beardsareforcavemen]

Being that shave brushes are new to me, and seem to have many characteristics (variables?), it's all a little confusing.
Guess I could just get a badger brush, see how I like it and go from there.

 

[Confilo]

Manufacturers use different names to describe their brushes hair. It is not a standard thing. For example Rooney's Finest their top grade has soft tipes but a very strong, resilient backbone.
I'm a soap user and like strong backbone and you can find it in some of the cheaper grades. For ex: Simpson's pure and best are excellent for soap particularly the brushes with not a very lage loft. The Simpson's pure is not very soft in the face but is good at exfoliating and turning soap into lather

 

[beardsareforcavemen]

Manufacturers use different names to describe their brushes hair. It is not a standard thing. For example Rooney's Finest their top grade has soft tipes but a very strong, resilient backbone.
I'm a soap user and like strong backbone and you can find it in some of the cheaper grades. For ex: Simpson's pure and best are excellent for soap particularly the brushes with not a very lage loft. The Simpson's pure is not very soft in the face but is good at exfoliating and turning soap into lather

No standard grading, oh I guess that's makes for some confusion. Also it seems that brush descriptions are vague. And a million brushes to select from!
Ok, I use shave soap, so then I know to look for a knot with a shorter loft (strong backbone).

 

[beardsareforcavemen]

+1! You might want to try another boar brush, too.

I was eyeballing some of the Omega boar brushes too. Those look nice From reading online, for the most part it sounds like boar is more stiff and scritchy than badger. I'm hoping my boar brush doesn't get much softer as it "breaks in", as I like how it is now.

It sounds like the majority of brush users prefer a badger brush. And of course the site name here... it's not Boar & Blade. I guess really the only reason I want to try a badger brush is to see if it's better, or traditional, or what.