Badger brushes, are they really that good?

[musicman1951]

I have a half-dozen synthetics and they do what they do well. They were all under $25 except the EVO.

Cheap badgers are a whole 'nother story, and that's what you have. My badgers run from $65 to $195, and you can spend a lot more than that. There are people who are happy with there $25 badgers, but generally that's not the way to go for a budget brush. Boar, on the other hand, is a great way to get a nice budget brush.

I will say my $65 badger, Semogue SOC 2 band, is a great brush for face lathering.

Get what makes you happy. Use your synthetic and enjoy it. But I would not be surprised you're not thrilled with a $30 badger brush.

 

[BigJ]

YMMV for sure!

For me there is nothing like a quality badger brush!!

 

[BigJ]

My first car was a 65 Karmann Ghia...

But it looked like a Porsche.

What’s not to like (especially the memories)?

 

[Adjustingtolife]

After all these posts, I am willing to try a better badger. I don't mind spending, so what sghould I get? Simpsons? Which one? Where is the best place to buy?

Something from maggards with a 2band shd knot or silvertip

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Eastcoast30]

A medium size brush would be fine. Budget is not a problem. My basic concern is the ability to produce a good lather without much fuss.

 

[DaveHStone]

FWIW, I've been using both badger and boar brushes until my recent purchase of a synthetic Simpson Trafalgar T3. So, a more accurate description would be to say I HAD been, instead of HAVE been... not looking back.

I can't say I won't get another brush ever, but I can confidently say I won't get another natural hair brush.

 

[BrianP]

I've never used a synthetic, but I have my first on the way (PAA Periwhatever). I started with badger, my first being a Saville Row 18mm (I like smaller brushes). Later on I got a Simpsons Chubby 1 in best. It was the daily driver, but I never really connected with it, finding the bristles "pokey". Later on added a Plisson HMW... the smallest one, very nice. I've also got a Wee Scot. Fun brush love it.

Then I went for a shave at a barber and he used a boar brush, small knot. But it had the feel I was looking for. So since, then, I've been mostly using boar brushes. I have lots of options, but bottom line is that I reach for boar over badger ~5:1. I prefer the tips and the backbone. I face lather exclusively and prefer splay over paint.

I'm curious to see how the synthetic stacks up to the badgers, but I don't really look at it as "badger replacement" but more as a different tool. All that to say, don't overlook the boar.

 

[Cino]

A medium size brush would be fine. Budget is not a problem. My basic concern is the ability to produce a good lather without much fuss.

You might contact Rudy Vey. He can help you select a Shavemac knot and set it in a handle to your specifications. He made my first high-end brush, and I still love it.

 

[Jut]

A medium size brush would be fine. Budget is not a problem. My basic concern is the ability to produce a good lather without much fuss.

If I were in your shoes, and wanted a top quality and world famous badger hair brush, I would go to The Superior Shave website and get a Simpson Chubby 2 in Best Badger. They have them on clearance for a bit under $90 shipped ( if you use paypal you can avoid tax, unless you live in Florida, then you can add Florida Tax to it.) This is literally THEE iconic badger hair brush in the eyes of many, and you wont find a better deal. You should act fast because what stock they have left wont last long at this price.

 

[Scaramouche]

My first car was a 65 Karmann Ghia. First gear took me from 0 to 6 mph. Then it slowed to 4 mph as I shifted from 1st to 2nd gear. Second got me past 6 mph again and with years of practice I could get the car up to 12 mph in 2nd gear. It slowed back down to 8 mph, however, as I engaged the clutch to move from 2nd to 3rd gear. But third gear was the real power gear on this car, and on a good day I could rapidly accelerate all the way to 20 or even as high as 23 or 24 mph in third gear. Four gear was really special, and was used to move me right past 25 mph and up to the Karmann Ghia's maximum cruising speed of 31 mph.

But it looked like a Porsche.

A classic.

Not my first car but my college car (1964), and I got a little better than 30 out of mine. Downhill. What was a marvelous and wonderful thing to me, was how VW could make every. single. bolt. in the car a different metric size.

In an on-topic note, see @Jut's advice.

 

[Mr. Bonney]

When I started wet shaving 3 years ago I asked the salesman at WSP what was better. His description made me go badger brush. Mind you they sold both types, so, either way they were going to make a sale. The brush has done me well, having lost only a few bristles in that time. I've found that as my technique improves so does my lather.
Plus their Formula T soap is outstanding, and several of their splashes have nice projection and good longevity.

Guess I was lucky to walk into such a place on my first foray into wet shaving?