Best badger hair vs super badger hair
- Thread starter Steve1981
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Best is scritchy vs super being soft. Super varies from firm to firm offering it but generally all supers are much softer against the skin.
The only way to know what works for you is to experiment.
Chris
The only way to know what works for you is to experiment.
Chris
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- #3
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- #4
Honestly, the grades aren't standardized at all, and "best" and "super" can mean different things between brands. Simpson's best, for example, is quite soft, with a nice bit of scrubbiness, but other brands' best can range from soft to scratchy. "Super" can be a mid-grade like Best, but it can also mean silvertip, like Simpson's. It's just all confusing...I just tend to just assume one brand's hair isn't necessarily anything like another brand's hair of the same name, and just look for reviews of the hair of the brand you're interested in.
Badger hair grades are not somehow defined by an international standard, so every maker can name his own "grading names".
One company's best can be very nice and soft, another ones can be scritchy like hell.
Often best is just a grade above pure.
One company's best can be very nice and soft, another ones can be scritchy like hell.
Often best is just a grade above pure.
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- #7
I also read with the Simpson's brushes in best or super, they need 48 hours drying time. So it's good to have a second brush on hand. Which I do. It won't be used everyday, but every other day
a lot of people use only one brush, and it really doesn't matter that the brush is dried completely.
My granddad had one brush only as far as I remember.
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- #9
+2! Each company has their own definitions of badger hair grades! Very confusing indeed!!
I think that has less to do with the hair than the density of the knots. I know that, e.g., the Major intentionally has a less dense knot, since it's a travel brush and needs to dry quicker. Something big & dense like a CH2 or CH3 probably would take a good 48 hours to fully dry.
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- #13
The face feel of a brush is determined not only by the type of hair/fiber used, but also by the knot diameter, knot loft, knot shape (bulb vs fan) and packing density. Thus, two brushes made with the same grade of fiber can perform differently and feel different. Because there are some many different skin types and lathering methods (bowl vs face lather), each person has to chose what works best for his own needs and preferences.
As for drying, yes, none of them are completely dry after 24 hours, even Kent’s smaller BK4 inside is a bit damp. Forget about Chubby, that one takes a long time even after towel dry and such. I do rotate tru them to let brushes dry as makers recommend.
Boar brushes and triple milled mug soap work best together if used daily, constantly kept moist. Dense badger knots not so much.
Also soap scum in the base of the knot will kill a badger brush much faster than boar. Back then men just shaved and weren't scrubbing their faces for 10min thinking its exfoliating and lifting day old stubble.
I've never had a Simpson in best that felt prickly or "scratchy." Soft with a bit of scrub has been my experience with best. The one brush I have in Super (the Emperor 3) has almost no scrubbiness or face feel, it feels like a mop. That said, I'm really curious if the density of a Chubby 2 in Super would make up enough of a difference to offer a completely different experience?
The old Two-band super is their best hair ever!! Have a Polo 8 with it and it is my favorite Simpson brush. The best I had were all shedders and scritchy, unusable. The three band Super, I have a T3 in it, was quite a bit scritchy initially, but has finally softened up. Manchurian is also a great grade....don't bother with best.
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Simpson Best is like Merino Wool and Super is like Cashmere.
My Chubby 2, Duke 1, Duke 3, and Wee Scott in 'best' are all fantastic brushes. I guess I lucked out with my Duke 3 and Chubby 2 in 'best' as they feel as plush as anything I've ever used. I used to have an Emperor and a Tulip in 'super 3 band', but didn't really like them – they felt too much like a mop. I ended up letting them go, but my Chubby 2 in 'super' is now the star of my collection.
Currently, I have a Case in 'best', which feels a bit prickly and scrubby, but I reckon that's because it's too dense for its short loft. I also had the Eagle in 'best' from the forum group buy, but I wasn't too pleased with it. The dimensions seemed off and it felt like shaving with a stiff hairbrush. Again, too dense for the short loft. 10 years or so ago, this forum used to be all about very dense and short lofted brushes
I also once had an Emperor and a Tulip super in a 2 band from way back. I really didn't enjoy those brushes, the hair had too much backbone and felt scratchy. Couldn’t hold a candle to my Rooney 2-band
Currently, I have a Case in 'best', which feels a bit prickly and scrubby, but I reckon that's because it's too dense for its short loft. I also had the Eagle in 'best' from the forum group buy, but I wasn't too pleased with it. The dimensions seemed off and it felt like shaving with a stiff hairbrush. Again, too dense for the short loft. 10 years or so ago, this forum used to be all about very dense and short lofted brushes
I also once had an Emperor and a Tulip super in a 2 band from way back. I really didn't enjoy those brushes, the hair had too much backbone and felt scratchy. Couldn’t hold a candle to my Rooney 2-band
