Brush shopping, what are your basic requirements?

[Badger in the Sun]

My priorities are:

Super-soft tips with zero scritch or scrub.
Easy splay, no lather hogging.
Fast drying (I keep my main brush in the shower. Yes, I'm a heathen.)
Comfortable, good-looking handle.
22-26mm

This has led me to a Rudy Vey Beagle interpretation loaded with a Motherlode synthetic knot.

 

[Lane101]

Effectiveness, quality, feel and value. I've settled on three Razorock brushes from Italian Barber all acquired on sale for under $10 each that work amazingly well. These include Monster and Big Bruce Plissofts and a Blondie (rebranded Zenith 80N) boar. Key characteristics include:

• 26mm knots (same for all three brushes, identical Plissoft knot in the Monster and Big Bruce) that make it easier to quickly load and build plenty of lather
• Effectiveness across all my soaps an creams. Plissofts for most, stiffer boar for my hardest soaps. Effectiveness includes ease of loading and ability to build quality lather.
• Quality, knots that hold up over time. All of these brushes show little wear after 2-4 years of use. Resin handles on the plissofts look and feel like premium products.
• Feel, both luxurious face feel from the plissofts and handles that are easy to grip.

These are great value brushes that punch well above the weight implied by their selling prices.

 

[WThomas0814]

1. Has to be premium or select boar, bleached or unbleached, without a stripe.
2. Must be a minimum of 24 mm diameter.
3. Loft must be not more than 60 mm.

Preferred knots are Semogue SOC (24x55) and Zenith 507 (27/28x57). I'm eagerly waiting to try the new Semogue Pegasus (26.5x56).

 

[ajkel64]

My main concern is the shape of the handle. I will buy what I like. I don’t care much what type of bristles and I do not care on lofts and widths. My grandfather who was a Barber just bought brushes and used them, my father just bought brushes and used them. I do the same, I buy a brush and use it. It is simple if we let it be simple.