Are natural hair brushes days NUMBERED?

[lancre]

So Ethics are different than environmental impact. Rocks never bio degrade they are fine being in landfill. Just because something doesn't biodegrade doesn't mean using them is unethical. But kill a living being when you don't need to is objectively unethical.

Responding to the philosophical questions regarding ethics:

Using your yardstick, Horsehair brushes are OK because the hair can be obtained without harming the horse.

I would also suggest that unless you also outlaw ham, bacon, and pork, then boar brushes are simply using product that would otherwise simply be wastefully destroyed. So again, not as unethical as some would claim.

Further, using more plastic than necessary and then land-filling or ocean-dumping can harm other creatures.

I'm not plumping for one over another, just pointing out that all of these brushes come with some sort of ethical issues if you look hard enough. There are no absolutes. It becomes a question of doing the least additional harm.

 

[Beefdrippings]

I didn’t use it. It wasn’t what I ordered and I already had several brushes so I gifted it to a friend.

Were you gagging while painting your face with lather?

 

[RicoSuave]

My sniffer isn’t what it used to be, but boars are a bit more robust than badgers.


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Im afraid I’m suffering from what the “kids” nowadays call “FOMO.”

WHAT exactly does boar hair SMELL like?

I’m thinking raw BACON?

I got my first boar brushes, both Omegas, about a month ago, and didn’t smell a thing.

 

[luvmysuper]

Im afraid I’m suffering from what the “kids” nowadays call “FOMO.”

WHAT exactly does boar hair SMELL like?

I’m thinking raw BACON?

I got my first boar brushes, both Omegas, about a month ago, and didn’t smell a thing.

Not like bacon.
Unless your bacon has a barnyard/sweaty animal body odor smell to it.

Some folks seem to be more adversely affected than others.
Never really bothered me, as the soap was usually enough to mask the smell, which went away quickly anyway.

 

[Hercule]

Hmmm...

All this manly man traditional man so I have to kill animals stuff is schoolyard psychology.
That's where it ought to stay.

I think calling BS on someone else's reasoning is BS.
Assigning motivation for why you think others do things is silly. Unless they tell you why they are doing something, you have no clue whatsoever beyond your imagination.

Sorry for the tangent. I thought these two quotes looked good together and didn't want them to get buried.

As for natural hair brushes days being numbered, with regard to Badger, I would think the beginning of the end would be if there were to be an import restriction that included them. What is the domestic situation with regard to making badger knots? Not sure about the longevity of boar. They don't seem to have the harvesting issues that badger has so they seem to be largely under the radar. I'm still shocked that boar brushes are now actually appreciated. Quite a turn around from when I was last in the game.

 

[luvmysuper]

Hmmm...




Sorry for the tangent. I thought these two quotes looked good together and didn't want them to get buried.

As for natural hair brushes days being numbered, with regard to Badger, I would think the beginning of the end would be if there were to be an import restriction that included them. What is the domestic situation with regard to making badger knots? Not sure about the longevity of boar. They don't seem to have the harvesting issues that badger has so they seem to be largely under the radar. I'm still shocked that boar brushes are now actually appreciated. Quite a turn around from when I was last in the game.

Thanks, much appreciated!
Of course one has to recognize the difference between assuming someone's theoretical behavior and having witnessed someone's behavior personally.

Boars seem to have come back in style, I recall not too distantly many scorning boar brushes and seeking out the Magical High Mountain Snow White inside the left rear leg Snyder Cut Limited Edition 8 band badger.

 

[luvmysuper]

It just occurred to me that the resurgence in the popularity of boar brushes may be influenced by the improvements in synthetics and the high price of badger brushes.
Some, seeing extremely low prices on boar and synthetic, the latter coming from renowned companies such as Kent and Simpson, and comparing relatively high prices on badger have chosen boar and synthetic.
Those who prefer natural fibers would likely gravitate toward boar.

 

[ScottChapin]

Im afraid I’m suffering from what the “kids” nowadays call “FOMO.” [emoji53]

WHAT exactly does boar hair SMELL like?

I’m thinking raw BACON? [emoji848][emoji200]

I got my first boar brushes, both Omegas, about a month ago, and didn’t smell a thing. [emoji103][emoji848]

LOL. I’m thinking it smells slightly rendered. [emoji38]


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[Chris7495]

About ten yrs ago I came here asking what brush I should consider buying. I took the advice from Marco to invested in a Rooney silver tip badger brush. That brush has lasted me this long and still feels as good today as it did when I bought it. I have tried other brushes but I just don’t get the lather or feel from the Rooney. If anything happens to this brush looking for the same one.

 

[lak611]

I have to weigh in on this. In the interest of a respectful counterpoint, I have to very much disagree with the people who say that synthetics are inferior. Of course YMMV is almost the slogan of wet shaving and finding the shave that makes you happy is the point.

And I get it, wet shaving is something that is picked up MOSTLY by a ‘more experienced, wiser’ market. The very nature of it appeals to people who appreciate methods, tools, and experiences of bygone eras. This means animal hair brushes are a built in aspect of practice.

But I do, respectfully, call BS on people saying they don’t preform as well or ‘feel’ right. Good Synthetic brushes create a lather as well as any animal hair brush. They dry out faster and they don’t smell. They can be as soft, they can be as firm (spine) and they, like I stated, lather at least equally or even better

When I hear people talk about ‘not having the same feel’ I read that as a) a little self inflation about be a gourmet of the wet shaving world and b) that it just isn’t old fashioned, which is the very reason many gravitate to wet shaving. Cause I’ll tell you I would put cash money on the table that if taken an HONEST Pepsi challenge (there one for the more experienced, wiser guys) that they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if the brushes were honestly matched up. And in non-blind tests, like lathering the same soap by two different brushes, you get the same results. As for ‘feel’ that’s a purposefully ambiguous description. After all these aren’t antique guitars that the subtle nuisances make a huge difference to a master musician. It’s a lather applicator.

Furthermore, and I say this respectfully, so hear me out, I feel the wet shaving universe attracts the manliest of men. I mean what else combines beards, and sharp blades, and animal fat and is dominated by nature by men? Definitely the red meat crowd dominates the hobby. And again, I am not saying that as a negative. I’m not judging. I eat meat, I drive a pickup truck, I watch football. But honestly, I think the perception that moving to synthetic brushes for ethical reasons is the precise reason why some resist them…a sort of ‘I don’t give a ****’ mentality that we embrace as freedom of choice. It’s in fact the essence of freedom. But let’s at least be honest about that aspect of it. Again, I am not judging if that’s your reason as long as you are honest about it.

That’s my two cents. I have switched over to synthetics for ethical reasons. I can choose ethical sources of the meat I eat but I am unable to choose the sources of the badger hair. And since I find that synthetics tend to be able to outperform animal hair, and are often cheaper, I made the switch. I was honestly expecting them to be like the awful plastic bristled paint brushes you see at the paint shop in the cheap section. But honestly, they are now just as good or better than high end animal hair shaving brushes.

I am not trying to change anybody’s mind or encourage a mass move to synthetics. What I am again, respectfully, addressing is the reasons I see given for rejecting synthetics. Which often don’t hold water.

I am a woman shaving armpits and legs, and I do notice a difference. Synthetic brushes dry too fast for me and are too soft. I also consider it worse to use something that is plastic, since using less plastic is one thing about DE shaving that is better for the environment than using cartridges.

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[Mitzie]

"...even the hairs on your head are all numbered" Luke 12: 7

 

[DaveHStone]

Many of those who are active on this forum are attuned to differences which most would either miss altogether or for which they would observe only a small and insignificant difference. Many also use hyperbole in making comparisons.

I have had a few badgers and one synthetic. They look pretty similar, work pretty similarly, and feel pretty similar. Sure, I can notice that the Kent badger splays more easily than the Simpson T2 synthetic, but the T2 and the Chubby 1 have more in common with each other than with the Kent. People talk about synthetics flinging lather, and I am not saying it does not occur, but it sure doesn't occur during the normal lathering process for me. Yes, the uniqueness of natural products is fun and worthy of appreciation, but even if some day all you can buy will be synthetics, wet shaving will still be fun.

A wee-bit off topic and more as a "side-note", in full agreement with your comments above:

I am totally puzzled when folks associate lather-flinging with the type of fiber, rather than their own incompetency and lack of lather-making proficiency... Lather-flinging... what the heck??

I've been using my Simpson Trafalgar T3 exclusively for the last couple of months with soft creams, hard creams, soft soaps, hard soaps, you name it... bowl-lathering, face-lathering, bowl-than-face lathering, swirling, mashing, painting... you get the idea ... and I have never ever experienced any lather-flinging, not even once

 

[luvmysuper]

Personally, I like lather flinging.
It's not a great shave unless there's suds all over the walls, the floors, the mirror and the ceiling
Maybe I should use my Gibbs synthetic more often.


Yes, I'm kidding, but a little spatter every now and again doesn't bother me.
It wipes up. It's soap not spaghetti sauce.

 

[OkieStubble]

I think you can use whatever you want for whatever reason you want.
I think calling BS on someone else's reasoning is BS.
Assigning motivation for why you think others do things is silly. Unless they tell you why they are doing something, you have no clue whatsoever beyond your imagination.
You also have no idea what something "feels like" to another person.
Because you don't feel a difference doesn't mean no one can feel a difference.
Use what you want to use.
Let others do the same.
And that goes both ways.

Excellent point and truth. Thanks Big Guy! It is really great seeing you post again.

 

[OkieStubble]

Just kidding about the plastic. I don't care how much plastic they make. If humans can put a man on the moon with a computer less powerful than a modern calculator but can't figure out how to properly collect and reuse plastic, then we deserve to choke on it.

This post is greater then you realize. Especially the last sentence.

 

[OkieStubble]

My dog gets really rank from time to time.
Her other qualities convince me to wash her rather than dump her! View attachment 1307972

She’s a beaut!

 

[OkieStubble]

It just occurred to me that the resurgence in the popularity of boar brushes may be influenced by the improvements in synthetics and the high price of badger brushes.
Some, seeing extremely low prices on boar and synthetic, the latter coming from renowned companies such as Kent and Simpson, and comparing relatively high prices on badger have chosen boar and synthetic.
Those who prefer natural fibers would likely gravitate toward boar.

This makes sense to me. I have had many badgers over the years. But now that my preference leans towards synthetic, I do still keep and use a modern and a vintage boar which I still do try to enjoy for their individual differences that they are not synthetic.

The only badger I have and use however, is an Omega mighty midget which is boar mixed. In my personal preference for synthetic, I wonder if I’m just mentally equating a comparison between synthetic and badger and not boar?

Like when people say, “synthetics compete with the best badgers”. I don’t ever here much the statements of boar and synthetic comparisons?

 

[luvmysuper]

This makes sense to me. I have had many badgers over the years. But now that my preference leans towards synthetic, I do still keep and use a modern and a vintage boar which I still do try to enjoy for their individual differences that they are not synthetic.

The only badger I have and use however, is an Omega mighty midget which is boar mixed. In my personal preference for synthetic, I wonder if I’m just mentally equating a comparison between synthetic and badger and not boar?

Like when people say, “synthetics compete with the best badgers”. I don’t ever here much the statements of boar and synthetic comparisons?

I love the feel of a good boar.
A few fairly recent purchases have included two different brands of boar/badger blend and I seem to want to use them a lot.
Good water and heat retention, fantastic "scrubbiness", but not lather hogs at all.

 

[OkieStubble]

I love the feel of a good boar.
A few fairly recent purchases have included two different brands of boar/badger blend and I seem to want to use them a lot.
Good water and heat retention, fantastic "scrubbiness", but not lather hogs at all.

It’s definitely the scrub of a mixed brush that draws me and why I keep it. I think for me, in my head anyway, at the synthetic brushes I use, gives me close enough comparisons to badger in my mind in regards to softness, but I have to admit that I went thru a few synthetic brands looking for that right amount of splay and trying to find that middle ground between not being too floppy or too springy.

It definitely does bare the question, of why not just get a badger if you’re going to search high and low to find a synthetic that compares to badger?

But again, I stated my personal reasons much earlier in this thread. Catching up on and reading this thread has been very interesting in learning others how’s and why’s we have what we have and do what we do and use what we use.

I have really enjoyed reading them all. However, it’s disappointing that some will use a thread like this to argue and debate not what they use and why, but in what others do.

True acceptance is to do both, not just one or the other. Why we will all say, we accept others differences in what they use, After reading some posts in this thread, it makes me want to suggest, that we also have to remember to also not just accept the fact that they do, we also need to accept the why’s of why they do.

Someone here in an earlier post simply said, “it sure is great to have options.”

Best truth of the day! I absolutely love my synthetic brushes. But I also would dearly miss my boars if I couldn’t switch them now and then to break up the monotony.

After this thread, I think I need to look into seeing what newer badgers are out there now. I wouldn’t mind having one of those to change up with either.

 

[ScottChapin]

I love the feel of a good boar.
A few fairly recent purchases have included two different brands of boar/badger blend and I seem to want to use them a lot.
Good water and heat retention, fantastic "scrubbiness", but not lather hogs at all.

Good boar is key. I think my father wanted to find a badger, which was hard to do in the day, because Everready brushes were OK, but not impressive.

I have a Semogue 830 boar and it is a very nice brush. They always do look ratty though. The hair is always splayed out in clumps no matter what I do.


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