Badger brush wear - is this normal?

[SirWhiskers]

I wanted to buy a Silvertip badger brush and good thing I looked at it in person. I was told the brush is 1 month old, was bought new and used under 20 times.

I looked at the tips of the badger hair and they seemed split and in a "J" shape (really looked like a "J" when the brush was in a brush stand upside down). Now don't think that half the hair was curled, it was only the very tips maybe 1mm or so.

Is this normal wear for a Silvertip brush or does it point to something wrong with the brush either the way it was used, dried (upside down), etc.?

 

[cfriend]

I believe this is what is referred to as "barbed tips," I once read it described as a symptom of being used in extremely hot water though I cannot confirm this. My 3/1 has tips similar to what you've described though I do not find it to negatively impact it's performance.

 

[ek.310]

pics?

 

[deshaveman]

I believe this is what is referred to as "barbed tips," I once read it described as a symptom of being used in extremely hot water though I cannot confirm this. My 3/1 has tips similar to what you've described though I do not find it to negatively impact it's performance.

My 3/1 has the same looking hair. As I recall it may enhance the scritchiness and is not necessarily a defect. I'll try to get a picture of it and post it.

 

[SirWhiskers]

Is this specific to the Rooney brushes or all Silvertips end up like this? The one in question I was looking at was a Rooney 2/1 Super Silvertip.

 

[GoldenMonkey]

Mine do that too (but not the Rooney Finest). They straighten out though after a good cleaning (mild perfume and dye free detergent with some white distilled vinegar). There's a thread floating around about cleaning brushes...check it out, and you should be all set.

EDIT: Here you go...http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=115800

 

[lax1mxr]

sounds like the tips have been over-heated. I did the same thing with a hair dryer......ala split ends. It's a long story, but my brush still works fine although the life of the hair has probably been shortened.

 

[SirWhiskers]

Aren't these brushes meant to be soaked in hot water before the shave? At least that's what I read everywhere.

 

[_JP_]

Hot water is not the cause of heat damage. Boiling water or some other high heat source, such as a hair dryer, can really cook the hair and cause damage.

 

[SirWhiskers]

OK, so this would be a sign of brush abuse not regular use in hot water from the tap. I'm worried because I do soak my brush in hot water (from the tap, not boiling water) and don't want it to end up like that, though in a perverted way I wouldn't mind, it would give me an excuse to go out and buy another brush. Ah, the itch ...

 

[Thebigspendur]

Any quality brush if properly cared for will last many many years. Like with anything else abuse and neglect will reduce the life.

 

[biomesh]

Tips can become barbed without a brush being abused. Some badger hair is just that way (I have a 30mm shavemac - bought directly from shavemac) that has these types of tips. The brush works great and does not shed whatsoever.

 

[napoleon]

I find the brushes even softer at the tips when they bend. I've never used boiling, or even hot water.

 

[deshaveman]

Tips can become barbed without a brush being abused. Some badger hair is just that way (I have a 30mm shavemac - bought directly from shavemac) that has these types of tips. The brush works great and does not shed whatsoever.

Thanks for that. My Rooney 3/1 has this sort of hair and certainly has not been abused in any way by its sole owner(me). All this talk of hair dryers and boiling water is way off the mark. Who does that kind of stuff? Honestly!

It was not too long ago I remember reading posts about how prized this sort of phenomenon was just because the hair was stuffed in a pre-Vulfix Simpson handle.

 

[cfriend]

Thanks for that. My Rooney 3/1 has this sort of hair and certainly has not been abused in any way by its sole owner(me). All this talk of hair dryers and boiling water is way off the mark. Who does that kind of stuff? Honestly!

It was not too long ago I remember reading posts about how prized this sort of phenomenon was just because the hair was stuffed in a pre-Vulfix Simpson handle.

That was the Manchurian grade of hair, I think. (Don't quote me)

 

[cactusbrush]

I have a Simpson's PJ2 (pre Vulfix), a Shavemac, and a Muhle-Pinsel that all have varying degrees of barbed bristles, and they all came that way. They have not been abused or mistreated at all, and they all work fine. Some bristles are just like that.

 

[dfoster]

And today, I ran across this statement from another forum website:

"If you look closely at the bristles on one of these brushes...you will see that they are barbed/split. This also increases the lathering capability, and is something that is found in Badger Hair in only the very top end brushes. You could almost get lather out of a stone with one of these!"

It leaves me to wonder what our commercial vendors think of all ours theories!