Best face lathering silver tip or equivalent of a silver tip

[Dilettante777]

Gents,

I have been using synthetics and boars for a while now, but would like to add a nice silver tip to my collection. I made the mistake of not doing any research the first couple of brushes I bought and really got burned on some awful brushes, but I am doing my homework now. I face lather 95% of the time, and am looking for a silver tip with good backbone. I know this is such a cliche question, everyone wants a silver tip with good backbone for under $100. It's like when I sell cars, people always come in looking for a used 4WD 1/2 ton pickup truck with very low miles for under or right at $20k, and those cars just do not exist. Trucks are selling higher now that gas has dropped, and the used market has been affected by that as well. That being said, I make that point to say, I understand if my used 4WD 1/2 ton pickup truck with very low miles for $20k or less in the shaving world does not exist, but I do not know shaving like I know cars. So, I will tell you my price range is $130 or less for a silver tip (or something with the softness equivalency) face lathering machine with great backbone. Like I said, I do not know anything about high end badger brushes since I have never owned one, but I would like my first one to be an amazing face latherer with the softest tips for under $130. As said before, if this does not exist, I understand, just thought I'd ask! Thanks guys!

 

[Smattayu]

I have no experience with them, but the Savile Row 24 mm silvertips clock in right at $131 and there are a few people who swear by them. Just something that may be worth at least looking at.

 

[Axebreaker]

WhippedDog.com has various resin and ceramic handles with High Mountain or silvertip Knots; the top price on the largest 30mm in a ceramic handle is $56. I have both a silvertip from him and a 24 mm High mountain in a tall amber handle, the latter is plenty for me, the 30mm must be huge. I think High Mountain in 22 mm or 24 mm would work for you, it has good backbone for badger and softer tips that the silvertip. He also has the option of setting knots deeper in resin handles, I like 5 mm deeper on both, but you can pick up to 10 mm. I face lather too, and it works well for me.

 

[djh]

Don't tie yourself to the idea of a brush being a "Silvertip". The term is not uniform from brushmaker to brushmaker and it is almost impossible to compare brushes to one another. What are you actually looking for in a brush? Backbone? Flow through? Scrub? Feather soft tips?

It may well be that you can find a great brush for considerably less than your budget and it will possibly not have Silvertip written on it. To me performance is far more important than the arbitrary label which a brushmaker wishes to apply according to his assessment of the hair grade.

 

[Dilettante777]

DJH,

New to this site, and fairly new to wet shaving, I do not know how to copy your entire comment and have it in italics like some people do. But anyways, your right, I do not care about the "silvertip" name at all (reasoning for the "or equivalency" in the title of the thread), I put that in the title because I have heard traditionally they are known to have the softest tips, even though I know simpson does not even label theirs silvertip, just super and best, and those are some of the most highly regarded brushes around. To be honest, the first badger I had was a perfecto pure badger and it was awful. No backbone, scritchy bristles, and could not make a lather. So, I decided to do some extensive research before dropping around a $100 on a good quality badger. I have used some synthetics and boars since then, which I really like, but want to add a good badger in the mix. My favorite brush right now is a RR Plissoft 24mm. It has just enough backbone to face lather, but the softest tips, and good flow through. If I could find a badger brush with all these characteristics that would be great. Good backbone, very soft tips, and flow through are the biggest things I am looking for. I was extremely close to buying a RR Extra Chubby silvertip in the 27.5 mm knot, but after doing some research heard it may be kind of floppy, and afraid the knot may be a little too big. I just do not know where to start, because of the terminology and I cannot go over $130, and half of these sites, like Shavemac Americanas I really love the handles and have heard they are great brushes, but I have no idea what all the D01 and Silvertip Extra D01 and finest badger and Silvertip D01 2 band, I just do not know what they mean, and fan or bulb (which one is better for face lathering). I am very interested in the RR chubby, a thater, or a shavemac, but I have no idea where to start. All I know is I am looking for extremely soft tips, with good backbone, and good flow. Thanks guys! This site is great, and I wish I would have become a member before buying and throwing away alot of lemons! Lot of good people on here, thanks for your help guys.

 

[ackvil]

Shaving brushes are very much a personal preference thing.

First, you have the issue of shape. Some folks like a flat top for face lathering. Some like a fan and some like a bulb. I face lather about 90% of the time and I prefer the fan and bulb shapes the best. But what works for me might not work for you.

As David said above, brush there is not much standardization in the brush industry.

I have brushes in numerous configurations. Some are soft like the Kent BK8 and Plisson synthetic. Some have more backbone such as the Shavemac Finest or D01. And many are in between.

For me, the brushes that have ample backbone but are still gentle to the face would be the Duke 3 in finest, the Shavemac Silvertip and D02, the Uomo DaVinci (I have the models 290 and 293), the Shavemac 177, the Rooney 1/3. There are many more and I am sure others will chime in.

However, as I said earlier what I might consider gentle with backbone may not be what you consider brushes to have such a quality. For example, I have seen some folks who think the Plisson syn has backbone - but to me its floppy.

 

[djh]

DJH,

New to this site, and fairly new to wet shaving, I do not know how to copy your entire comment and have it in italics like some people do. But anyways, your right, I do not care about the "silvertip" name at all (reasoning for the "or equivalency" in the title of the thread), I put that in the title because I have heard traditionally they are known to have the softest tips, even though I know simpson does not even label theirs silvertip, just super and best, and those are some of the most highly regarded brushes around. To be honest, the first badger I had was a perfecto pure badger and it was awful. No backbone, scritchy bristles, and could not make a lather. So, I decided to do some extensive research before dropping around a $100 on a good quality badger. I have used some synthetics and boars since then, which I really like, but want to add a good badger in the mix. My favorite brush right now is a RR Plissoft 24mm. It has just enough backbone to face lather, but the softest tips, and good flow through. If I could find a badger brush with all these characteristics that would be great. Good backbone, very soft tips, and flow through are the biggest things I am looking for. I was extremely close to buying a RR Extra Chubby silvertip in the 27.5 mm knot, but after doing some research heard it may be kind of floppy, and afraid the knot may be a little too big. I just do not know where to start, because of the terminology and I cannot go over $130, and half of these sites, like Shavemac Americanas I really love the handles and have heard they are great brushes, but I have no idea what all the D01 and Silvertip Extra D01 and finest badger and Silvertip D01 2 band, I just do not know what they mean, and fan or bulb (which one is better for face lathering). I am very interested in the RR chubby, a thater, or a shavemac, but I have no idea where to start. All I know is I am looking for extremely soft tips, with good backbone, and good flow. Thanks guys! This site is great, and I wish I would have become a member before buying and throwing away alot of lemons! Lot of good people on here, thanks for your help guys.

Welcome aboard. Hitting the "Reply With Quote" button at the bottom right of a post will give you this ^.

I would suggest that you read the Stickies at the top of the Brush Forum to familiarise yourself a little more with terminology and take the time to read some of the Brush Chronicles as well. They are in-depth reviews of some of the more popular brushes from the viewpoints of experienced shavers- very cool stuff.

As far as your wishes are concerned... in brushes (as in most things) there are compromises to be made. Density is often the enemy of flow-through. Backbone is often the enemy of ultra-soft tips. Budgets are often best forgotten (that is not meant in a bad way) as often the best brush for any particular job is much less expensive that you imagine or conversely, by spending more initially you may save money in the long run.

If I'm hearing you correctly, you are looking for something along these lines...

Handle- comfortable for face-lathering
Hair- grade not important, but softness of tips is
Flow-through- is important
Density- enough to provide reasonably backbone

It wasn't too many years back that a 24mm brush was considered quite large but these days there are any number of 30mm (and larger) brushes on the market. I would suggest that you stick with 24mm unless you wish to shave your head as well as this is more than large enough to do the job and keeping the size down helps keep the cost of your brush down. If you want something unique, ask Rudy Vey (who is a member/Vendor here) what he would suggest and he will be able to make you a terrific brush. Should the idea of a "name brand" brush appeal more- start looking at Savile Row and Vintage Blades and see how they compare.

Most importantly... take your time and keep asking questions. The more you learn, the better your chances are of finding the right brush next time. Good luck!

 

[Royce]

You can't go wrong with Shavemac 2 Band Silvertip Badger imo. The hook tips are like a cloud on your face, decadent I tell you. Plus, Bernd is a good man with exceptional customer service and attention to detail. I'm partial to fan knots though there is no denying that Shavemac bulbs are some of the prettiest on the market.

 

[paintflinger]

I have used some synthetics and boars since then, which I really like, but want to add a good badger in the mix. My favorite brush right now is a RR Plissoft 24mm. It has just enough backbone to face lather, but the softest tips, and good flow through. If I could find a badger brush with all these characteristics that would be great. Good backbone, very soft tips, and flow through are the biggest things I am looking for.

You're really looking for a 2 band silvertip with a knot around 24-26 mm. Probably lofted to 46-48 mm for the 24 and 50-52 mm for the 26 for a fan knot.

I was extremely close to buying a RR Extra Chubby silvertip in the 27.5 mm knot, but after doing some research heard it may be kind of floppy, and afraid the knot may be a little too big.

It might be slightly floppy, but it is a big, dense silvertip. It won't be that floppy. I imagine the knot is very close to a whipped dog 30 mm badger.

As a side note, I own the Zenith Manchurian, which is the RR extra chubby with more backbone. It's a decent brush, but the tips are not super soft.

I just do not know where to start, because of the terminology and I cannot go over $130, and half of these sites, like Shavemac Americanas I really love the handles and have heard they are great brushes, but I have no idea what all the D01 and Silvertip Extra D01 and finest badger and Silvertip D01 2 band

D01 pretty much signifies that it will have strong backbone. The 2 band much more than the three band.

The finest badger is a mix of pure and silvertip, so it will be soft, but not as floppy. I am not a fan of finest.

The 2 band silvertip is quite good. Gel-ish tips with strong backbone. Unfortunately it is out of your price range. If you can wait, I would save up and shell out for a 2 band silvertip.

I just do not know what they mean, and fan or bulb (which one is better for face lathering).

I like fans, as I don't enjoy the pointiness of a bulb on the face. You can also get a smaller fan and still get a bigger facefeel to save a bit of money.

I am very interested in the RR chubby, a thater, or a shavemac, but I have no idea where to start.

Check the Buy/Sell/Trade to get better brushes for less. I can tell you that @Jarick has a listing for a 2 band Thater right now that he describes as:

24mm knot and 52mm loft. Long soft tips with good backbone and medium density. This particular Thater is one of the softer 2-band brushes that I’ve tried. One of the newer brushes with the silver coin in the bottom. Has never lost a hair that I recall.

This would fit your desire pretty well. He's also got a Shavemac silvertip, but that could be a bit floppy for you.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-Shavemac-Above-the-Tie-Georgetown-Becker-etc

 

[paintflinger]

Some of the brushes I was talking about. I facelather with all of these. As you can see, you can facelather effectively with just about any brush.

Zenith Manchurian ~$70

Whipped Dog 30mm silvertip ~$45

Shavemac 2 band silvertip

Shavemac Finest

 

[nelamvr6]

Another vote for Shavemac. You can't go wrong! Bernd will hook you up!

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard. Hitting the "Reply With Quote" button at the bottom right of a post will give you this ^.

I would suggest that you read the Stickies at the top of the Brush Forum to familiarise yourself a little more with terminology and take the time to read some of the Brush Chronicles as well. They are in-depth reviews of some of the more popular brushes from the viewpoints of experienced shavers- very cool stuff.

As far as your wishes are concerned... in brushes (as in most things) there are compromises to be made. Density is often the enemy of flow-through. Backbone is often the enemy of ultra-soft tips. Budgets are often best forgotten (that is not meant in a bad way) as often the best brush for any particular job is much less expensive that you imagine or conversely, by spending more initially you may save money in the long run.

If I'm hearing you correctly, you are looking for something along these lines...

Handle- comfortable for face-lathering
Hair- grade not important, but softness of tips is
Flow-through- is important
Density- enough to provide reasonably backbone

It wasn't too many years back that a 24mm brush was considered quite large but these days there are any number of 30mm (and larger) brushes on the market. I would suggest that you stick with 24mm unless you wish to shave your head as well as this is more than large enough to do the job and keeping the size down helps keep the cost of your brush down. If you want something unique, ask Rudy Vey (who is a member/Vendor here) what he would suggest and he will be able to make you a terrific brush. Should the idea of a "name brand" brush appeal more- start looking at Savile Row and Vintage Blades and see how they compare.

Most importantly... take your time and keep asking questions. The more you learn, the better your chances are of finding the right brush next time. Good luck!

Excellent advice IMO!

Now let let me stick my neck out for the Duke 2 in Simpson's best! This is a terrific brush IME that comes in (just) below your budget!

 

[Dilettante777]

Thanks david, the last bit of advice has been the most helpful yet. Leaning towards a savile row 3824 or a vie long lord Randall silvertip. Any idea where to purchase a vie long lord Randall silvertip?

 

[pax238]

If you want something unique, ask Rudy Vey (who is a member/Vendor here) what he would suggest and he will be able to make you a terrific brush.

+1 on contacting Rudy Vey. He's a real pro, and will work with you to create something that works for you. Other than a WD synthetic that I use for travel, I have sold off all my other brushes and only use 3 Rudy Vey silvertips, all fan shapes. 2 of them are older TGN knots and 1 is a Shavemac 2-band, and all 3 are fabulous for face lathering. I would also suggest that you stick with a 24mm brush and have Rudy set it at around 48mm, but you can work that out with Rudy. He can make pretty much any style handle that you want and find comfortable. If I sound like a Rudy Vey fanboy, that's because I am.

 

[paintflinger]

Thanks david, the last bit of advice has been the most helpful yet. Leaning towards a savile row 3824 or a vie long lord Randall silvertip. Any idea where to purchase a vie long lord Randall silvertip?

The Lord Randall was a LE for Bullgoose Shaving. Not sure if there are any new ones For sale. For Vie Long badgers, check out Gifts & Care, Epsilon.

My Epsilon

 

[Blade4vor]

I have a 2-Band Silvertip Shavemac that is great and would fit the bill, but it would not fit into your price range. That said, I also have two 2-Band Finest Vintage Blades brushes that have great backbone, nice density, and nice soft tips. I have one with a 22mm knot and the other is 24mm. Either one would cost less than $45 shipped in the U.S..(I'm not sure where you're at.)

As has been mentioned previously, Rudy Vey would be a good bet to correspond with directly and might be able to put something together for you that meets your criteria.

Good luck!

 

[Jopete]

I suggest checking out Semogue SOC 2 band super badger, I like it more than some of my brush that cost much more. It has excellent backbone and flow through and soft gel like tips. I got mine for around $70 on amazon, it also does not lather hog like some of my more expensive brushes, you don't have to spend a lot to get a good Badger, IMHO it is the best performing brush for under $150.

You can also try the knots from shave envy in particular the HMW they have some of the best backbone with soft tips, like others have suggested 24mm knot is a good size.

Good luck with your search.