Best Brush For A Tough Beard

[Mythrol]

Hello fellow B&Ber's,

I'm really new to the finer way of shaving. Been using a brush and cream/soap for about two months and a DE for a month. I started the journey with an AOS Sandalwood kit that my wife bought me for my anniversary. It came with the full size Pure Badger Brush that I've been using as my main and daily shaver. The sales person at AOS told me that because of my beard that Pure Badger was better for me because of having such a thick, coarse beard. He said that anything with less backbone wouldn't really work any better because the soft tips would just give out compared to the coarseness of my hair.

Well, two months in and I'm just curious if his information was true and what options do I have with my beard type? I primarily face lather to help work it into my beard but sometimes on the weekend I will bowl lather. I don't have an issue with my current brush but I am curious about what options there are for someone like me.

is a silver-tip even worth it for me or do I need the extra coarseness? What about boar and synthetic for face lather? I'm also looking for something on the cheaper end of brushes.

Thanks.

 

[Mick]

Have you tried any brushes in Pure badger?

They are on the lower end of the badger price scale.

Many of Simpsons brushes are available in Pure Badger.

 

[Mythrol]

Have you tried any brushes in Pure badger?

They are on the lower end of the badger price scale.

Many of Simpsons brushes are available in Pure Badger.

Lol. Yes. My current brush is a pure badger from AOS. . .i thought I wrote that in my post. Maybe I didn't make it clear. I'm sorry.

do you have experience with synthetic and boar? Would they be any better than pure?

 

[Mick]

Lol. Yes. My current brush is a pure badger from AOS. . .i thought I wrote that in my post. Maybe I didn't make it clear. I'm sorry.

do you have experience with synthetic and boar? Would they be any better than pure?

"Better" is subjective. "Different" is a better word

Yes, I have Muhle synthetic brushes and have had Omega and Semogue boar brushes.

Both of these options will be softer than a pure badger brush.

Do you not like your pure badger brush?

What are you looking for? Something similar to your existing pure badger? Something softer? Something firmer?

 

[Mythrol]

"Better" is subjective. "Different" is a better word

Yes, I have Muhle synthetic brushes and have had Omega and Semogue boar brushes.

Both of these options will be softer than a pure badger brush.

Do you not like your pure badger brush?

What are you looking for? Something similar to your existing pure badger? Something softer? Something firmer?

im not 100% sure what I'm looking for. I guess that's why I'm asking. I like my brush and I don't mind the firm, "scratchy" because I have a tough beard that it doesn't really hurt or bother me.

i guess I'm just seeing a ton of options and a bit curious if there might be something a bit better for my use. So I thought I'd ask the experts what they thought.

i never realized that boar and synthetic would be both softer than pure. I always thought boar was the toughest, then synthetic / pure up to silver-tip.

 

[KodiakAttack]

Just because a brush is silvertip, doesn't mean it has a weak backbone. Backbone is achieved two ways: Coarse-ness of hair, and depth of the knot.
Silvertip's can have some great backbone when set at a lower depth.
If you're happy with your current brush, keep it. If you'd like to branch out and experiment with other options I highly recommend a deeper set silvertip brush. I have a coarse beard as well as sensitive skin, and they feel fantastic.
There are boar options as well, but I am not well versed on them personally. Good luck!

 

[Mythrol]

Just because a brush is silvertip, doesn't mean it has a weak backbone. Backbone is achieved two ways: Coarse-ness of hair, and depth of the knot.
Silvertip's can have some great backbone when set at a lower depth.
If you're happy with your current brush, keep it. If you'd like to branch out and experiment with other options I highly recommend a deeper set silvertip brush. I have a coarse beard as well as sensitive skin, and they feel fantastic.
There are boar options as well, but I am not well versed on them personally. Good luck!

Thank you for the knowledge. How would you go about telling how deep a knot is set on a brush?

And yes I am happy with my current brush, I'm just looking for other options out there. For example the B&B boar brush, would that be good for me?

 

[mwhitcraft]

You might want to try a Vie-Long horsehair brush. The one I have is my favorite brush.

 

[KodiakAttack]

The loft measuring on a brush is from where the knot peaks out of the handle, to the very tip of the bristles. This is distance is commonly measured in millimeters.
Personally, I would consider any brush with a loft 49mm or lower to be deep set.
I've only ever used badger brushes, so I'm afraid my opinions on boar wouldn't be adequate.

 

[aihpcfl]

I have experience with cheap boar brushes, a Col. Conk pure badger brush, and now the medium Edwin Jagger silver tip.

I'm not an expert, but I doubt your salesman was either. Sounds like he (or she) was just trying to sell you stuff.

If you are happy with the pure badger keep using it. There may be reasons you would like another brush better if you gave one a try, but I bet the pure badger brush is just fine.

For what it's worth, my pure badger brush is what I call mushy. I use a hard soap and face lathering, but the pure works fine. The silvertip is much more dense, more hair, in comparison, and very, very soft. It is nice to use. But my shave is the same.

 

[Mythrol]

The loft measuring on a brush is from where the knot peaks out of the handle, to the very tip of the bristles. This is distance is commonly measured in millimeters.
Personally, I would consider any brush with a loft 49mm or lower to be deep set.
I've only ever used badger brushes, so I'm afraid my opinions on boar wouldn't be adequate.

Is it basically the more loft a brush has the deeper the knot has to be set to support it? I'm still partially confused about how how much hair sticking out of the brush equals a deeper knot.

Thank you for being patient with someone new to brushes.

 

[Mythrol]

I have experience with cheap boar brushes, a Col. Conk pure badger brush, and now the medium Edwin Jagger silver tip.

I'm not an expert, but I doubt your salesman was either. Sounds like he (or she) was just trying to sell you stuff.

If you are happy with the pure badger keep using it. There may be reasons you would like another brush better if you gave one a try, but I bet the pure badger brush is just fine.

For what it's worth, my pure badger brush is what I call mushy. I use a hard soap and face lathering, but the pure works fine. The silvertip is much more dense, more hair, in comparison, and very, very soft. It is nice to use. But my shave is the same.

Thank you for the post. While I do agree the salesman was trying to make a sale, the fact that he told me to stick with the cheapest brush when he could have unsold me to the silver tip, makes me believe at least HE thought he was right. And yes I'm happy with my pure badger. This forum just has a way of making you evaluate your kit.

Btw I just checked and my pure badger from AOS has a 53mm loft to it.

 

[Mick]

im not 100% sure what I'm looking for. I guess that's why I'm asking. I like my brush and I don't mind the firm, "scratchy" because I have a tough beard that it doesn't really hurt or bother me.

i guess I'm just seeing a ton of options and a bit curious if there might be something a bit better for my use. So I thought I'd ask the experts what they thought.

i never realized that boar and synthetic would be both softer than pure. I always thought boar was the toughest, then synthetic / pure up to silver-tip.

That's one of the nice things about shaving brushes.

you have a lot of them to try out before you decide which ones you like

 

[ChiefBroom]

You could try something like this. Terrific backbone.

 

[Mythrol]

That's one of the nice things about shaving brushes.

you have a lot of them to try out before you decide which ones you like

You are not helping me! Lol. I'm one month in and I've spent over $300 on stuff already. After seeing that picture I'm afraid I might have to start "trying" things out.

out of that picture of stuff is there one that's decently priced that you think might be a good starting point?

 

[Mythrol]

You could try something like this. Terrific backbone.

lol. I do have a nylon brush that I use to clean deep set stains that maybe I can try. . . . .

 

[Mick]

You are not helping me! Lol. I'm one month in and I've spent over $300 on stuff already. After seeing that picture I'm afraid I might have to start "trying" things out.

out of that picture of stuff is there one that's decently priced that you think might be a good starting point?

If you want a one and only brush. A brush that can do anything and everything and do it respectably.

My suggestion would be the Da Vinci 293. If there ever were a jack of all trades category for brushes this one would be leading the pack

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/297253-Da-Vinci-293-Bead-Handle-Brush-Review

Right now they are running a 30% off sale on all products which includes their shaving brushes. Discount coupon code can be found in this B&B post

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/348873-ProMakeupBrush-com-Sale-da-Vinci-Brushes

Not to discourage you but that brush may very well be the last one you buy as you may not want anything else after using it for a while.

 

[ChiefBroom]

You are not helping me! Lol. I'm one month in and I've spent over $300 on stuff already.

That's hardly even a down payment.

Here's the way to think about it.

You invest in more product. Sell what you decide not to keep on BST. Whenever you come up short of recovering your cost, write it off as tuition and/or charitable contribution to the B&B community.

What you buy and keep are assets. You're just re-characterizing assets on your balance sheet, and so not really incurring expenses when you buy something. It's portfolio optimization.

See?

 

[branford]

If you want to try an inexpensive, high quality badger brush, in either pure and silvertip, check-out Whipped Dog. Larry, the proprietor, is very friendly and professional, and will gladly answer any questions and make fair recommendations. Many forum members own and enjoy WD brushes. For example, if you want a soft-tipped brush with a firm backbone for a tough beard, you may want to try a silvertip knot set deeper than standard in a resin handle.

I have a wiry beard, sensitive skin and primarily face lather, and I ordered a 22mm silvertip knot in a ivory resin handle set 5mm deeper for a total loft of 50mm. My brush is excellent and I am considering the purchase of a 24mm silvertip from WD.

Experiment with inexpensive brushes, including different grades of badger as well as boar, horse and synthetic. Once you have a better idea of your preferences of hair type, knot size, loft and handle shape, then you can really start make a dent in your credit card!

Oh, and don't forget to also try different DE blades, razors, soaps and creams! The fun never ends . . .

Good luck!

 

[musicman1951]

You don't shave with the brush - use anything you like.

Unfortunately, you won't know what you like until you buy one. A brush I'm happy to recommend is an SOC - it has nice, soft tips and I promise it won't run and hide from your beard. It's a good sized boar and it's only $39.

But you can make any brush work. The B&B Essential is highly regarded as a face lathering brush and is only $20.