Now that I've been wet-shaving for awhile, I am getting the itch to get a new, bigger, better brush. A lot bigger, and a lot better. I'm currently shaving along with either my Omega B&B Essentials or my gifted Vulfix 404. I like both, but they are both (at least partially) boar, and I want to move up the luxury ladder. I have a $100 Amazon gift card, and a BK12 is $199, so for a $100 investment I could get a pretty serious brush.
I only bowl lather at this point, and I use a mixture of creams and mostly softer soaps (Stirling, etc.) I have a WCS shaving bowl that hasn't seen much duty lately, and a Dirty Bird 1.5 scuttle.
Part of my worry is that I've never cared for a badger brush, and I don't want to unknowingly beat the crap out of it. My scuttle has web lather-building ridges - Will they rip up the tips of the brush? I worry about applying too much force while lathering, too.
I guess I'm just worried. What's it like moving up to the big leagues? Should I start smaller/cheaper? Are there guides somewhere for making sure you don't hurt your brand-new $200+ silvertip brush?
I only bowl lather at this point, and I use a mixture of creams and mostly softer soaps (Stirling, etc.) I have a WCS shaving bowl that hasn't seen much duty lately, and a Dirty Bird 1.5 scuttle.
Part of my worry is that I've never cared for a badger brush, and I don't want to unknowingly beat the crap out of it. My scuttle has web lather-building ridges - Will they rip up the tips of the brush? I worry about applying too much force while lathering, too.
I guess I'm just worried. What's it like moving up to the big leagues? Should I start smaller/cheaper? Are there guides somewhere for making sure you don't hurt your brand-new $200+ silvertip brush?