Sometime ago I got rid of a pretty substantial badger brush collection ranging from wald, turn n shave, declaration, mozingo, etc. Well I'm missing the feel of badger but am not really willing to spend all that money again on a few good badger brushes. Oumo seems to have really stepped up their game and are comparatively affordable. Any other suggestions on the affordable high end badger knot front?
Are Oumo the best affordable badger brushes?
- Thread starter Sethology
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Hard to beat Zenith IMO. Excellent brushes that are as good as many of the expensive artisians at a fraction of the price.
If I wanted one lower cost badger that would get me to 95% or so of the brushes costing near $200, I'd chose a Zenith Manchurian every time. I have a 27.5 M23 Zenith... it has the 506 copper handle... It was my first badger and it remains a stellar brush in my small badger collection.
For point of reference, since I don't have the very top badger brushes, I have 3 SV Manchurians with different handles, a Mozingo 28mm with a Rudy Vey custom handle, two handles I loved but whose knots I didn't enjoy reknotted by Rudy with ShaveMac Two-band Silvertips (26 and 28mm) and the aforementioned Zenith.. It easily holds its own against fairly expensive competition.
For point of reference, since I don't have the very top badger brushes, I have 3 SV Manchurians with different handles, a Mozingo 28mm with a Rudy Vey custom handle, two handles I loved but whose knots I didn't enjoy reknotted by Rudy with ShaveMac Two-band Silvertips (26 and 28mm) and the aforementioned Zenith.. It easily holds its own against fairly expensive competition.
Have you had top of the like artisan badger brushes¿
Yup. Paladin, M&F, Elite and a few others. I also own a bunch of Simpsons, Thaters, Shavemacs, Kents, Rooneys, etc.
Currently I have only one badger from Zenith, a 31mm 508XL Manchurian, and it is indeed one of the most enjoyable brushes in my den.
Same for their 31mm boar brushes, by the way.
I have a Yaqi Mojito two-band that is terrific. For context, my usual jam is Shavemac.
I think Yaqi 2 band badgers are great. I've had and sold several Simpsons Best Duke brushes, a Zenith Manchurian, and a Shavemac 2 band. I own 3 Yaqi 2 band brushes and a couple of Maggard 2 bands. My favorite brush is the 24 mm Yaqi 2 band Panda.
Aren't Maggard's knots made by Yaqi?
I've heard people say that, but I've never seen any official confirmation. That said, my Yaqi 2 band badger brushes and my Maggard 2 band brushes seem to have identical characteristics.
I have several Maggard badgers, while I am not impressed with the SHD Bulb (loft too short) and the Two Band knots (glue bump too high), the SHD Fan knots are simply amazing. The Silver Tip is excellent as well.
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I've been using an Omega Pro daily for about 14 years.
Both of my Maggard badgers were purchased as knots that I installed in handles that I purchased separately, so I didn't have any issues with the loft.
You didn't give a price range for affordable, but the Semogue 2 Band generally runs in the $60 range and is a lovely brush - great backbone and soft tips (which is my definition of a lovely brush).
Are Paladin really in the top tier? I’m a big fan, and they are my favorite badger brush by a wide margin. But always thought of them as more in the middle. There are much more expensive badgers.
Right. You have to set the knot by yourself. The problem with the SHD Bulb, in my opinion, is that it should have been 4-5 mm longer in order to allow a proper setting.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
Maybe Paladin should quadruple their prices, then they would definitely be a top tier brush brand
Maybe Paladin should quadruple their prices, then they would definitely be a top tier brush brand
It depends on what is meant by "top tier", doesn't it?
I don't go around looking for threads to crash that are nominally about other makers. But when they invite comparison and Paladin crops up in the discussion, it seems like fair game to join the party.
I remember when @edgerunner, posted this thread in May of 2013. His OP struck me at the time as very thoughtful and well balanced, but it omitted, or at least understated, a consideration that weighed very heavily for me in my evaluation and enjoyment of a shaving brush, that being signification.
I tumbled down the wet-shaving rabbit hole in November of 2011 and spent 2012 pursuing discovery of my grail razor and brush. About four months before Boris' post, I put up a Wiki page listing the gear that comprised my experiential frame of reference not quite a year and a half into the hobby. For some reason I neglected to include a butterscotch Frank Shaving brush I'd purchased early on. I think maybe I'd given it to my son so that it was out of sight and out of mind. But I do remember it as a visually appealing and functionally competent tool, priced new at about $35. Strictly in terms of fitness for intended purpose, that brush and an Omega Pro 10098 (for which I paid under $11) were probably the best values price-wise of any brushes I've ever owned. But they did not serve to elevate my shaving experience. I reflected on that as I read Boris' post on what to consider when purchasing a brush, and a memory that came to mind was my experience of Japanese Tea Ceremony in a Kyoto tea house during a business trip in the mid-80s. The tea would probably have tasted much the same had it been served in Dixie cups. But the experience, for me, would not have been anything like the same.
Of course, it's true that shaving is just shaving; however, it's equally true to say eating is just eating or sex is just sex. What I experience when I shave has both objective and subjective aspects. If the objective criteria of a good shave are not satisfied by a particular brush or razor, then subjective considerations probably won't compensate. (An exception might be if I were using a brush with a handle and knot made for me by one of my grandchildren, although chances are if I had such a brush it wouldn't get regular use.)
Prior to turning a handle and knotting it myself, the brushes that served best to elevate my shaving experience were all Simpsons, Rooneys, and Morris & Forndrans. I own and have used examples of each that didn't do it for me. But (again excepting Paladins) the brushes that did and still can all bore one of those three brands. And every brush we (my wife, our son, and I) have ever made took its inspiration from Simpsons, Rooneys, and Morris & Forndrans. I won't attempt further explanation here, except to say that for me the quality of a shave has as much, if not more, to do with what goes on between my ears as on my face. And when we make a brush, that's what we're aiming for: a brush that signifies something above and beyond brushness to who whoever uses it. That necessarily depends heavily on the user and what's already between his ears. Different strokes for different folks.
There's a lot more I could say, but this probably isn't the right place.
That was (somewhat) my point. Paladin brushes, as mentioned in my post above, are my favorite by far. But they are not the most expensive price wise. They feel the best on my face of all brushes I’ve ever tried. And when I got my first Paladin, I knew that my search for brushes was over. It was a real Brush Acquisition Disorder killer. And I have since sold all of my other badger brushes. The only problem was that it made me just lust after more Paladins!
But if one wholly enjoys a $20 synth brush, then by all means, that is great. This is a hobby that, for some, is driven by emotion and the hunt for the best of the best… whether that be modern or vintage. For others, it’s about gearing up with something cost effective that does an adequate job. And for another segment of our hobby population, it’s just a chore revolving around slicing hair off their face. And all of that is okay.
My question about Paladin being top tier was really generated by past commentary I’ve read on here about Paladin being a mid-priced brush. But yes, Paladin is absolutely my top tier.
I understood your point and took no offense whatsoever!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, to a great extent, is what one values.
I've never owned an Oumo shaving brush, but I've purchased over 200 Oumo knots, and I've had lengthy correspondence with Carry and his wife Anne. Carry is a studious, smart, and very aggressive producer and marketer. And I don't have any doubt that Oumo brushes would fare very well if ranked according to @edgerunner 's evaluation criteria. There's just more to a brush that matters to me. That's not something I decided. It's what I discovered in the course of trying a lot of brushes, digging into brush-lore, and eventually designing and making them with my wife and son.
The question what does it mean to be a Morris & Forndran, or Rooney, or Simpson is one that I've pondered at length. Still do. Same with Fender guitars and amps and Gibson banjos. It's not just the brand, and it's not just the product. It involves a concept of quality that goes beyond fitness for purpose, also taking into account factors such as history, vision, spirit, risk, sacrifice, integrity, etc. My own beliefs regarding what it means to be a Rooney shaving brush contribute to the quality of my experience every time I use one. I'm sure the same is true of being a Rudy Vey shaving brush for many B&B members. And I'm also sure it's true for many who prize Paladin shaving brushes.
Just the same, I completely agree with your statement that "if one wholly enjoys a $20 synth brush, then by all means, that is great."
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