Black Badger | Why Not? | There's Precious Little Info On Them

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My brush collection is plenty large and plenty good, but I don't have a black badger brush. Not that I've spent much time considering getting one, but I was messing around this morning exploring the Omega site and discovered Omega makes a good many black badger models. I wasn't able to find many for sale anywhere, but I didn't look too very hard.

Anybody know anything much about any of these Omega black badger brushes or about any other quality black badger brushes (from experience please)?

Anyone know where they are sold retail?

I might buy one in the right size knot with the right handle.

Thank.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[WoS_]

I have Omega 6783.Y. Really nice brush with a dense knot. Vie Long also makes nice black badger brushes.

 

[karacha]

I have this brush by Parker:



I like it very much. Picks up soap very easily and quickly and gives a good scrub when I am in a mood for one. Absolutely no complaints. Never shed a hair. That faux ivory handle is very comfortable. $20 well spent if you ask me.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

If I remember correctly, Semogue also made a black badger brush, and it went by the name '2 Band Badger' or Semogue 2020?

Or is this an altogether different variation of badger brush?

 

[Big Jim]

In general, Black Badger fits in the Pure Badger category which is the bottom end of Badger. Almost all if not all modern Pure Badger is trimmed to shape, leaving scratchy tips. They tend to whip up lather well and if you are careful to paint your face with lather and avoid splaying the brush you probably won't get scratched much.

 

[Shavely Manden]

I remember my old Shea Moisture brush I started out with was black badger. Scratchy, floppy, didn't hold much water, but for $10 from Target, there's only so much you could expect. It was pretty standard beginner's kit in 2010. Ended up giving it to a friend after I'd upgraded to something nicer. I don't think Target sells those anymore...kind of a pity, since it was a very decent brush for the price.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Dear sir, i happen to have the Omega 666. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same knot. If you don't mind some prickliness (although i have much pricklier black badgers), it is a very good brush, in the sense that it has medium to medium-high backbone and lathers very well. It is a very well performing knot. I use it in this month's rotation. I have pure badgers with better handles, but this might be my best performing pure badger.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

In general, Black Badger fits in the Pure Badger category which is the bottom end of Badger. Almost all if not all modern Pure Badger is trimmed to shape, leaving scratchy tips. They tend to whip up lather well and if you are careful to paint your face with lather and avoid splaying the brush you probably won't get scratched much.

I can swirl with black badgers just fine. But i don't have sensitive skin. They are prickly, but if you don't have sensitive skin, you enjoy the shave just fine. It is a badger, you are a man! Who should win?!

 

[karacha]

^
The badger, of course.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

^
The badger, of course.

Not if you are an African!

 

[Shavely Manden]

^
The badger, of course.

Reminds me of an old post that's still stuck in my mind years later. Not sure if man or badger won in that case, though.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

To Mr. @Chan Eil Whiskers. Since you aren't African, i have to give you a fair warning. If you do like to swirl and you have sensitive skin or you think you don't have sensitive skin, but you often have irritation when you shave, then, it is better not to buy a black badger for swirling. If you only paint, you will only momentarily feel some light pricklyness.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Reminds me of an old post that's still stuck in my mind years later. Not sure if man or badger won in that case, though.

A species of badger exists in africa, but i don't know what they are called. Trust me, they avoid man. They are simply not good or abbundant meat for most animals or men to go chase and fight them. But a hungry cheetah or leopard, can attack a badger and kill it, no matter what fight the badger might give. It is just that the badger as meat has a very low worth both as tastiness and as cost-performance, both for man and for other predators. There are other animals that give you more, better tasting and easier to get meat. African hunters can kill anything you want.

 

[lancre]

In general, Black Badger fits in the Pure Badger category which is the bottom end of Badger. Almost all if not all modern Pure Badger is trimmed to shape, leaving scratchy tips.

Even the pures from Simpsons, Semogue and the like?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Even the pures from Simpsons, Semogue and the like?

Shavemac?

I have just this one Pure, but it's a Rudy Vey Shavemac. I like it well enough. It certainly seems like a quality knot to me, and not trimmed, but I'm no expert.

I've not ever used a black badger that I know of.

I have used a couple of really bad brushes long ago, and they could have been black badger but I'm not sure they were.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Reminds me of an old post that's still stuck in my mind years later. Not sure if man or badger won in that case, though.

↕↕↕↕


Back in the 80s we had a guy turn up at the mill in his car and asked if we would buy a badger off him that he had just run over in his car and killed - he had loaded it into the boot(trunk) of his car and headed down to see us. We had to explain to him that we didn't use British badger hair as

• it was protected and
• it was too coarse to use for brushes.

We gave him a guided tour of the mill and then headed for the main door to walk him back to his car. As we all approached his car you could see the whole chassis rocking from side to side and coming from the boot was the sound of a pretty pi**ed off badger which had obviously come round from being knocked out from being hit by a car! Not much advice we could give the guy apart from trying to devise some method fo opening the boot from the safety of the roof of his car! To this day we still don't know what the outcome was...!

He shaves with a chain saw.

 

[lancre]

Shavemac?
I have just this one Pure, but it's a Rudy Vey Shavemac. I like it well enough. It certainly seems like a quality knot to me, and not trimmed, but I'm no expert.


View attachment 1252971

I've not ever used a blade badger that I know of. I have used a couple of really bad brushes long ago, and they could have been black badger but I'm not sure they were.

Jim, I was questioning the blanket statement that virtually all pures were trimmed. I have a Simpsons S1 pure and a Case, and a Semogue 740. none of which feel trimmed to me, as well as a vintage Ever Ready pure.

What has felt brutal was an AoS travel badger, which I can easily believe was trimmed.

 

[Tanuki]

This is my black badger knot from Shave Forge in a black walnut stubby handle I turned. The knot (and the handle) look much lighter in the photo than they do to my eye. It is definitely the prickliest of my limited selection of badger knots.

I just inspected the hair pretty closely. It does not appear to be trimmed, but there is quite a bit of variation among the hairs, with a few looking pretty coarse and blunt. So there might be some trimmed hair mixed with untrimmed.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Jim, I was questioning the blanket statement that virtually all pures were trimmed. I have a Simpsons S1 pure and a Case, and a Semogue 740. none of which feel trimmed to me, as well as a vintage Ever Ready pure.

What has felt brutal was an AoS travel badger, which I can easily believe was trimmed.

I was questioning the same statement.

 

[Owen Bawn]

I believe our friend @malocchio has several Omega black badgers in his rotation. He may be able to tell you something about them.