Cheap Shaving Brushes

[mantic]

I just posted a new video about cheap shaving brushes:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LCctLMf_EA[/youtube]

Pretty basic stuff for the chaps who have been here for a while, but I wanted to make it so newbies could understand they don't *have* to spend $100 (or even $50) for a brush to get them started. I also encourage those of you who have used any of these brushes to leave a comment with your experiences with them.

 

[honed]

YES!
A new mantic vid!

 

[Captain Flint]

Great video! (As usual)

 

[dpmtherrien]

Very good video. Great for someone just getting into wet shaving and not sure its for them or not.

 

[michiganlover]

Excellent video Mantic!!

I have two Omega brushes (the Omega #49 pictured in the video, and a much smaller Omega 21139), and both are at least as good as my badger brushes that cost 4x more. For the $10 price tag the Omega #49 is a phenomenal brush, and performs well above it's price point.

My two favorite brushes are the Omega #21139, and a 20mm finest Badger brush with a knot from The Golden Nib. Both receive about equal usage.

 

[wazazzle]

nice vid... all a good brushes but imo there are better brushes worth recognizing for under $20. just my 2cents

 

[A_Jameson]

Great Vid! And perfect timing. I have three brushes, two VDH "natural bristle" brushes and a Rooney 3/1 silvertip.

I honestly use the VDH brushes more often because after broken in they do a pretty decent job, BUT!

Theres always a but at that price.

It lost multiple bristles before during and after each shave, and just two nights ago, the knot came out of the handle thus ending it's life. I bought it for maybe 5 dollars at Wal-Greens and used it probably a few times a week since last Nov. It did its job for six months and that's all it could do. So that's what you get with the least expensive Van der Hagen brush; a brush very capable of doing it's job, but inferior quality in nearly every respect.

That having been said, I was going to get a replacement for it until this vid came out, now I'm going to try a few other less expensive brushes and see how they perform.

Thanks

 

[wimbouman]

Nice!
But... no Semogues?

Wim

 

[Sparafucile]

I have an Omega 21047 which performs as well as my Simpson Chubby #1. Omega boar brushes (in the $20 price range) are really very good products, IMO!

 

[mantic]

nice vid... all a good brushes but imo there are better brushes worth recognizing for under $20. just my 2cents

Fair enough...which ones?

--Mark

 

[Stevestan]

Another great video! Congrats also on the Money Magazine article as well. I used (the same) VDH brush for at least a decade. This was back when I still used cartridge razors. I never even bothered to rinse it out since it was so cheap. (I just left it on the mug, full of foam and let it dry.) Eventually it failed and clumps of hair started falling out. Who knows, if I had taken proper care of it, it might have lasted for my lifetime. A great value in either case.

 

[GLteam]

I have used the Tweezerman brush, the VDH Natural Bristle Brush, and The Burma Shave brush. All three stack up pretty well for boar bristles. Here's what I find interesting... Popular belief is that badger hair holds more water than boar. There is a video on Youtube that proves different. It shows they both soak up the same amount of water, yet BOAR hair HOLDS onto the water longer. Meaning the badger hair brush dries out quicker. I know, I know, it goes against everything we've been told.

I also have a synthetic brush from American Crew. I haven't ever used it, but am pretty sure it won't hold onto water well, due to the fact that its bristles are synthetic. Its bristles are VERY soft, almost like a make-up or powder brush feel.

The VDH brush works up a great lather, as does the Tweezerman badger. If you like a soft bloom, then the Tweezerman might be your choice. The VDH boar feels softer, and the Burma Shave boar seems a bit stiff.

 

[Trawlerman]

Thanks for putting your time into that Mark.

I love my Omega 10049 'Professional' Brush and the more it gets used the better it is. It was £8 here in the UK and a veritable bargain.

I intend to purchase a few more brushes to use. The Omega 10005 with Beech Handle gets a lot of praise. As does the 31025 with Two Tone Red/Clear resin handle. The 21047 is reported to be a mix of Boar Bristle and Badger hair so is a little unique in their lineup and again should be available for under $20


I'm looking at getting some of these very soon. I have a Parker Best Badger that I bought a couple of months ago. This is my only Badger and it lays pretty much unused as I much prefer to use the Omega 10049.

 

[jwhiskercut]

Nice video! I've been thinking of ordering the VDH badger brush just to have one.










....I really just wanted to post in a Mantic thread since his videos were the only initial training I had. They also led me to B&B

 

[Don]

I am very pleased with my Omega Pro 48. Been using it two weeks.

Got it on eBay and used bing.com and a rebate and delivered it cost less than $13.50.

 

[Latherdude]

Omega sells a brush of theirs with either a tube of shave cream, or a tub of shave soap and a stand for the brush.

Is that brush the #49? (10049)

 

[Latherdude]

Also, great vid! I espectially loved the greenscreen shots!

 

[aceofhearts]

I use the tweezerman and I love it. After a dozen shaves it has gotten much softer and it really holds water and lather really well. I have not used the other brushed mentioned but I would put my cash on this brush in a fight!

 

[Chester]

I just recently picked up a somewhat more expensive ($25) brush -- an omega stripey 100% pure badger. I like it a lot. The tuft isn't as round and poofy as my parker silvertip, and it's my preferred brush for soap lather. I'm curious to know if other folks here have a brush preference for soaps vs. creams.
-- Chet

 

[gobeavs]

ha! love it.. thanks mantic