Badger knot quality

[vyse933]

Hello gentlemen, can we gather around the fireplace for a nice discussion to help inform a newb (me!) about knot quality?

I recently picked up a medium EJ in super, my first badger. I enjoy this brush very much, and it inspired me to start face lathering. I found out quickly that I have girly sensitive skin and I get brush burn. This super badger brush felt quite scratchy to me. Not as much as a my semegogue 2000, but the 2000 is almost new, while the EJ has been broken in.

How does the knot quality of my EJ super compare to the super of another company? Does EJ super match Simpson super?

Are there brushes that have no scritch whatsoever, without costing $200? I would like to be a face latherer once more, and frankly could do without too much backbone as long as I got scritch free.

What are your thoughts on knot quality between brands, and what might be a reasonably affordable next step for me? ( I scower the B/S/T religiously, so I can usually pick up a good deal)

Thanks in advance,
Kája
(And yes that is totally a guy's name...in the Czech Republic)

 

[blzrfn]

I'm not sure if Whipped Dog ships to the CR, but his Silvertips have no scritch and are very affordable. You could also go with Frank's Shaving silvertip as they too are very soft and inexpensive, if not a bit shaky on loft consistency. That 2000 will soften up a great deal after about a month of regular use, mine is almost as soft as my SOC boar with less splay making it more enjoyable for me overall. There are many other options, I'm sure, but these are ideas that popped immediately to mind when affordable and silvertip are mentioned together.

 

[mblakele]

It sounds to me like you would enjoy hair with curled tips. Vintage Blades sells brushes like that, and my TGN finest knot also has them. The tips curl back, so your skin feels the side of the hair instead of the point.

 

[vyse933]

Should clarify that I am in the states, just have Czech parents. And this whole curled tips is not something I have heard of yet. Time for me to start digging.

 

[blzrfn]

In that case I definitely recommend getting a Whipped Dog in a size and handle of your choosing. Ask Larry to set the knot low for face lathering.

 

[vyse933]

Does he epoxy the knot into the handle for you?

 

[alaskazimm]

Yes he does. My 24mm silvertip is very soft and one of my favorites.

 

[Galhatz]

You have a lot of options and it all boils down to budget.
The cheapest softest brush is a basic synthetic (Frank Shaving, whippeddog, tgn, etc) at $20 or less. Then as you upgrade through the synthetics you meet the Muhle's, etc.
Stay away from Simpsons in best.
Whipped dog silvertips are very soft and not too expensive.
I just received my Kent BK8. It is an extremely soft brush. I used it for face lathering, and it is requires a different style of lathering, meaning working gently and not mashing it into the face like I used to do with the whippeddog silvertips.
For some reason the US retailers charge 190 bucks for it but you can get it shipped from the UK for less than $110. If you have an extremely sensitive skin, that would be the one. The BK4 is smaller which is not bad for face lathering.
Another excellent brush in that price range is Da Vinci 293 (there is a sale throughout june with 33% off). Not as soft as the kent (but the Kent is an extreme example), good backbone and amazingly ergonomic handle.

Now I'd like to note a few things about skin irritation. About a year ago my skin got very irritated after shaves and the scrubby tweezerman brush did not make matters better. Now the tweezerman is a piece of junk, but my technique had room for improvement. Make sure your lather is good: it should be slick, protect the skin from the blade but soften the hair as well. If it dries on your face while you shave - it is not wet enough, if it is running with big bubbles- too much water and not enough product. You will figure it out, if you can make a decent cup of coffee you can make a good lather but it does take practice and there are a lot of youtube videos just on that (and making coffee). Some products work better than others and it is skin specific. So you will need to experiment. Last, remember to use as little as pressure as possible.
Good luck.