Brush Advice for a Friend

[Deleted member 48987]

I recently converted a friend of mine to the wet side of shaving, and he's currently looking for a better brush to replace his cheap badger brush. I'm not quite sure what it is, but he describes it as too small, prickly, and not dense enough. He's a face latherer, using soft soaps and some creams. I recommended a Duke 3 for his price range but he wants to spend no more than 80 dollars. I feel like the Duke 2 may be too small. Anyway, it doesn't have to be a Simpson, but I think he prefers one. Any ideas guys?

 

[njpaddy]

A Duke 2 with a 42mm handle should work fine if he's a face latherer. The handle may be short, but it's a little wider (37mm) than most handles that size so I found it comfortable to hold. If you think he wants a taller handle, look at the Rooney 3/1 Super with a 50mm handle. Not as dense as a Duke 2, but still a good brush. Anything over 50mm is big hands or bowl lathering territory. If it was me, I'd go with the Duke. I only sold my Duke 2 because it was too close in size and feel to my Rover.

 

[ImTheGluestick]

Whipped dog silvertips have been getting a lot of attention on here lately. I replaced SO's tweezerman with one and he seems to be very happy with it.

 

[BigBull]

I recently picked up an SOC 2-Band from vintagescent.com which I find near perfect. Good backbone, soft tips works well on soaps, croaps and creams. Not many reviews out there, but those that are rave about it...and I do too. I paid close to $70. Handle is perfect imho.

 

[Absolute Mustard]

SOC 2 band is a good call

Shavemac Finest is always worth a look

 

[Marco]

What about a Colonel?

 

[Face&Head]

What about a Colonel?

+1 you might also consider the Keyhole2 which comes in very close to your price with the 10% West Coast discount. Jim at Vintage Blades has some very nice Rooney's for less than$80.

 

[BrookR1]

I would take a look at the H.I.S. synthetic or a quality boar. Both offer great bang for the buck. The HIS is very soft, very big, but has lots of (too much?) backbone. I recently purchased an Omega and Semogue boar brushes and both are great brushes.

For $80, you're not going to get a lot of badger. If badger is a requirement, I would check out a Rooney 1/2 or 3/2...it's $10-$20 over his budget, but well worth it.

 

[hon]

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Silve.../B0085IBU12/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1342422495

Is this a good choice?

 

[BigBull]

I'm curious to see what others say. I've never heard of that brand, and would assume this falls into the category of you get what you pay for. All brush manufacturers seem to rate their hair differently..just because it says Silvertip doesn't mean its good.

I'd tell ya to spend half the money on a good boar, save $20 and start a fund for high quality badger. I'd all but guarantee the Simpson Best grade would serve you better for just a bit more money. Like I said earlier, I'm curious to see what others say.

 

[Deleted member 48987]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your ideas. I think these are all great brushes, my only concern is that they'll seem small to him. He's really limited himself wanting a good sized brush for cheap. I'm thinking the colonel might be the best value out of the bunch.

 

[The M]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your ideas. I think these are all great brushes, my only concern is that they'll seem small to him. He's really limited himself wanting a good sized brush for cheap. I'm thinking the colonel might be the best value out of the bunch.

Well How about a Omega 10049 they are great boar brush that is soft out of the box and they are not small brushes at all. I think that the omega 49 is realy large and im not that big ( Im five foot two inches tall so i dont have a big face) but it works very well for me. As far as face lathering goes i belive that it is good for face lathering but I typically bowl lather. Also the Omega 49 is only $9.00 on WCS so your friend could buy a bunch of other stuff with some of that saved cash.