I was in a retail store and discussing brushes with the salesman. I am still learning and he seemed to have some good insight. They had 3 levels of brushes, good, better and best. He said the very fine high-end brushes can last decades if cared for properly. It's this really true? Can a brush last that long with daily use?
Brush life?
- Thread starter Drbo
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I don't see that as unreasonable - just like many other things, if you take care to break in the brush, and clean it periodically to get rid of soap scum, dry upside down, etc., and the things that break down hairs, then yes, I can see a brush lasting a very long time.
I know mine will, but that's because I have a brush acquisition disorder...
I know mine will, but that's because I have a brush acquisition disorder...
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Absolutely, it is true. This is also true, the lower end brushes can also last decades, like this $25 Parker best
The pricing has more to do with the softness of the bristle tips and marketing. Not how long the brush lasts. If you like expensive brushes, get one, but don't let the salesman talk you into thinking price is related to longevity.
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Let me guess...you were at Art of shaving store?
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I wandered in there while my wife went to Gap.
Not entirely true. Maybe for badger, but I have a $13 Boar that is softer than my inexpensive badger. MUCH softer. As in, I don't even want a softer brush!
Badger get too expensive for this wetshaver!
I used the same brush for over 40 years with no problems.
If taken care of a brush will last a long time regardless of the quality.
10-20 years is typical unless it is abused.
If taken care of a brush will last a long time regardless of the quality.
10-20 years is typical unless it is abused.
I've been wet-shaving for almost 6 years now, and my SBAD has resulted in a collection of 20-some brushes. I've only had one wear out on me, a Semogue 1305, and wouldn't you know, that was my favorite, go-to brush out of all of them. Its still usable, but after 3.5 years of use, it lost a lot of its backbone and water-holding ability. I replaced it with a Semogue 620.
Unless they start shedding a lot right at the beginning, most brushes will last a long, long time. Reasonable care and cleaning will prolong the life, but you don't need to be anal-retentive about it. Shampoo it once or twice a year and make sure it gets a good rinse and drying after every use and you should be fine.
Paying more doesn't buy you greater longevity, except if we're talking about super-cheap brushes like a VdH Natural or a Marvy. But you probably would get tired of their scritchyness and poor performance long before they wear out, and upgrade to something better.
Whichever brush you get, worry more about how it performs on a daily basis rather than how many decades it will last.
Unless they start shedding a lot right at the beginning, most brushes will last a long, long time. Reasonable care and cleaning will prolong the life, but you don't need to be anal-retentive about it. Shampoo it once or twice a year and make sure it gets a good rinse and drying after every use and you should be fine.
Paying more doesn't buy you greater longevity, except if we're talking about super-cheap brushes like a VdH Natural or a Marvy. But you probably would get tired of their scritchyness and poor performance long before they wear out, and upgrade to something better.
Whichever brush you get, worry more about how it performs on a daily basis rather than how many decades it will last.
Brushes can, and often do last a life time. Making them last that long is up to you.
The salesmen you encountered at AOS was discussing the different grades of hair, here is a link that should explain what is going on,
http://www.shaving101.com/index.php...erstanding-hair-grades-of-badger-brushes.html
Although typically associated with price the various grades are more about characteristics than cost. The "higher" the grade typically the softer and more "luxurious" the hair is.
First and foremost AoS is a nice place to look at products but they can be obtained on the web for much much cheaper than AoS sells them. You also have a much larger selection on the web. Anyway back to the point.
I have found that brushes wear in a few ways.
1. The handle wears out or breaks, this is the least common source of wear but still creates issues in some cases. Some materials simply dont stand the test of time, break when dropped or crack for one reason or another. Brushes from someone like Simpson are still in use after more than 50 years for some people here.
2. The center of the knot wears out. This is the most common thing I have seen on used brushes I have bought. My best guess is that this comes from excessive pressure and the user pushing the brush against the face or soap puck to hard. This in turn causes the outer ring of hairs to fan out and the center hairs to either fan or bend in ways they should not.
3. The hair dries out/gets old. Some brushes I have clearly sat around unused for many years. I find the hair gets almost dry and brittle. Some say you can restore life to these brushes with some hair conditioner but I have never tried as I usually just reknot them.
4. Excessive swirls causes issues with the hair. This had been discussed a lot recently and I have yet to see anything convincing on the matter. There are lots of threads here on the matter so I wont go into detail but the issue does seem to exist.
5. The brush sheds its self to death. Maybe you got unlucky, maybe to much hot water broke down the resin either way the hair simply sheds at an unusable rate.
A well made brush that is used often if not every day should last you at least a decade if not many more. This is some what irrelevant to the hair grade. The above issues are independent of hair grade and are mostly manufacturing and user issues. The more expensive brushes will last just as long as their less expensive counterparts if treated the same. My advise (if you are looking for a new brush) is to post your price range, are you a face/bowl latherer?, what size knot would you like?, soaps or creams?
Regards
Dave
The salesmen you encountered at AOS was discussing the different grades of hair, here is a link that should explain what is going on,
http://www.shaving101.com/index.php...erstanding-hair-grades-of-badger-brushes.html
Although typically associated with price the various grades are more about characteristics than cost. The "higher" the grade typically the softer and more "luxurious" the hair is.
First and foremost AoS is a nice place to look at products but they can be obtained on the web for much much cheaper than AoS sells them. You also have a much larger selection on the web. Anyway back to the point.
I have found that brushes wear in a few ways.
1. The handle wears out or breaks, this is the least common source of wear but still creates issues in some cases. Some materials simply dont stand the test of time, break when dropped or crack for one reason or another. Brushes from someone like Simpson are still in use after more than 50 years for some people here.
2. The center of the knot wears out. This is the most common thing I have seen on used brushes I have bought. My best guess is that this comes from excessive pressure and the user pushing the brush against the face or soap puck to hard. This in turn causes the outer ring of hairs to fan out and the center hairs to either fan or bend in ways they should not.
3. The hair dries out/gets old. Some brushes I have clearly sat around unused for many years. I find the hair gets almost dry and brittle. Some say you can restore life to these brushes with some hair conditioner but I have never tried as I usually just reknot them.
4. Excessive swirls causes issues with the hair. This had been discussed a lot recently and I have yet to see anything convincing on the matter. There are lots of threads here on the matter so I wont go into detail but the issue does seem to exist.
5. The brush sheds its self to death. Maybe you got unlucky, maybe to much hot water broke down the resin either way the hair simply sheds at an unusable rate.
A well made brush that is used often if not every day should last you at least a decade if not many more. This is some what irrelevant to the hair grade. The above issues are independent of hair grade and are mostly manufacturing and user issues. The more expensive brushes will last just as long as their less expensive counterparts if treated the same. My advise (if you are looking for a new brush) is to post your price range, are you a face/bowl latherer?, what size knot would you like?, soaps or creams?
Regards
Dave
I have used brushes with +30 years still in perfect shape. Hence, yes it's true.
Don't overlook the sitckies:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_Clean_a_Shaving_Brush
How often is going to vary based on usage and water hardness.
In my experience this is true.
Thanks. How often should a brush be cleaned?
I had a customer come in yesterday who told me that they went to the local AoS store, and the sales clerk there told him to replace his brush every 6 months.
In my experience, 5+ years is not unreasonable.
In my experience, 5+ years is not unreasonable.
One thing that also partially accounts for price is density because of how much hair is used. Example: Simpsons Chubby 1 vs. 2 in any grade of hair.
I have a no name boar brush that has traveled around the world with me. From Antarctica to deserts and jungles, often used and put away without drying and after 40 years it's still good.
Check out shavenation.com. There is a really good video on cleaning and keeping your brush in good condition.
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