Differentiating Between Badger and Synthetic?

[SyndicateShaver]

Hi Everyone

Just a beginner looking for some advice.

Anyone have any tips on how to differentiate between a Badger and Synthetic brush? I'm going to be buying a Badger soon and just want to know if its really a Badger.

Also, anyone willing to share a good price to expect to pay for a Best Badger? I know a lot of them are overpriced, hence the question.

 

[Atinofpeas]

Hi Everyone

Just a beginner looking for some advice.

Anyone have any tips on how to differentiate between a Badger and Synthetic brush? I'm going to be buying a Badger soon and just want to know if its really a Badger.

Also, anyone willing to share a good price to expect to pay for a Best Badger? I know a lot of them are overpriced, hence the question.

A Badger brush is expensive, Smells terrible for the first few years of use, Needs equally long period of use to break in and then wears out, Requires soaking before use, needs to be tendered and cared for and is made from roadkill.

A modern synthetic brush is cheap, Has no smell at all, Works great from day 1. Has an exceptional lifespan, isn't made from roadkill and can be used and abused.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

Some badger brushes are expensive. Some smell a bit for the first few uses. The best ones start good and quickly improve to the point they are wonderful. They can benefit a bit from soaking in warm water for a couple of minutes, but it's not really necessary. They need to be well rinsed with clean water after use to stop them getting gunked up with soap, but who wouldn't do that with any brush?
I'd say a good badger brush will be firmer feeling on the face, with the hairs somehow being distinct rather than just part of a light and cloud-like mass. It shouldn't feel scratchy or rough, though, but luxurious, almost like a massage.
Not that many synthetic brushes aren't also good, and probably perform better than all but very few cheap badger brushes. YMMV. You'll have to try to find which you prefer.

 

[Twelvefret]

Hi Everyone

Just a beginner looking for some advice.

Anyone have any tips on how to differentiate between a Badger and Synthetic brush? I'm going to be buying a Badger soon and just want to know if its really a Badger.

Also, anyone willing to share a good price to expect to pay for a Best Badger? I know a lot of them are overpriced, hence the question.

Consider a recognized brand like Omega. I've considered an Omega Stripey from Amazon for $30.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

First, use a recognized vendor such as West Coast Shaving, Maggard's, Connaught, Shaving ie, Italian Barber.

Good synthetics can be purchased for $11 on up. They are easy to use. Just make sure not to overwet em or they will fling lather. Yaqi is a popular low cost maker; many private label brushes are made by them.

Badger brushes are more expensive. The really inexpensive ones are pretty bad. Plan on spending at least $25.

Another option is boar. Omega and Semogue and Zenith and Mondial all have their fans. The Proraso Professional boar is actually made by Omega and is well regarded by those who like big brushes. Connaught sells it, among others. Boars need a few uses to break in.

 

[bluesman 7]

Badger hair has a natural taper and belly. The hair will be pointed on the tip, then get thick just below the tip, then get thinner further down towards the handle. That belly is part of what makes badger hair hold liquids like paint or water and one of the things that make badger hair good for making brushes.

Synthetic brushes mostly accomplish this liquid holding feat by incorporating some kink or zig zag in the fiber below the tip. The tips are still tapered to a point to make them soft. It's amazing to me how well modern synthetics have been designed to mimic natural hairs properties by a completely different mechanical shape.

I'm no expert on badgers, but I think that 'best' is the bottom or near the bottom of badger hair quality.

 

[musicman1951]

A Badger brush is expensive, Smells terrible for the first few years of use, Needs equally long period of use to break in and then wears out, Requires soaking before use, needs to be tendered and cared for and is made from roadkill.

A modern synthetic brush is cheap, Has no smell at all, Works great from day 1. Has an exceptional lifespan, isn't made from roadkill and can be used and abused.

A good badger brush is waaay more expensive than a synthetic. The rest of this is the exact opposite of my experience.

I use two badger brushes: Kent BK 8 (large brush with better backbone than a synthetic, but very soft tips: bowl lathering - I purchased it 7 years ago and it looks the same today) and a Semogue 2 band (medium size with excellent backbone and fairly soft tips: face lathering). Neither had any smell when they arrived. I seem to remember the Kent at around $135, Semogue around $70.

A badger brush needs no break in or soaking - that's a boar brush. It requires no more care than a synthetic - shake it dry and put it on the shelf.

A cheap badger can be an unpleasant experience. A really nice one is unquestionably a level of luxury that requires some $$$. A really nice boar is way cheaper than a badger.

I have a handful of synthetic brushes that I use for travel. They work fine and they absolutely have the advantage of being cheap enough so I don't worry about what happens to them - but they never get used at home. They simply don't compare to my boars and badgers.

But some people like them a lot.

 

[BigJ]

Great question!

In the end, you need to give both a try to see what makes you happy! Plus, you should also try a boar or two.

That said, here is my summary: Synthetics are more uniform and are substantially less expensive. Badger brushes are natural products with a lot of variability. There is no standard for grading, so it is difficult to compare grading schemes from different manufacturers. My personal price point is substantially higher for badger than for other brush options. I enjoy the feel and backbone provided by a quality badger while face lathering, so the additional cost is money well spent! That’s for me as YMMV!

 

[TioFabi]

Ok, you wanna get a badger brush i'm not going to tell you about smell and that type of stuff but i will tell you that you have some options, but it all comes down to $, so you have tons of high end brushes, i'm sure i don't have to point you to any, you know them, but you do have some affordable options, if a bit of scrub is no problem you can try this one for about $15:
US $12.50 25%OFF | Anbbas Shaving Brush Luxury Shave Brushes 100% Pure Badger Hair Resin Handle Present for Men Wet Perfect Shaving Manual Shaver

It's a bit scrubby but well made little brush

Now, if you want a better experience, soft silvertip badger but you don't want yo spend a ton of cash, then you should consider the products from YaQi in the $30/$35 range:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/brehXovi

 

[meliahog]

Consider a recognized brand like Omega. I've considered an Omega Stripey from Amazon for $30.

+1

 

[GearNoir]

I think the major problem is not in identifying a badger vs a synthetic, but rather when selecting a badger, finding one that is good value but not poorly made or with hairs that are too scrubby.

 

[Bhugo]

Whipped dog and Stirling have nice affordable badger brushes for a beginner.

I use a synthetic for travel just like @musicman1951. They are cheap and disposable to an extent. I don’t use them at home. Badger and boar exclusively. Synthetic works fine, but doesn’t feel as nice to me.

 

[McNutt]

I've tried and loved countless badger brushes. Its easy to spend a lot of money on a brush before you even discover what kind of brush feels best. You might fine you gravitate towards stiffer badger (usually pricier) or you might like looser brushes with some flop.

My advice would be to test the waters with a boar brush. Much cheaper and provide fantastic shaving experiences. I reach for my boara as much or more than my badgers which cost 10x the money.

 

[Wtd1911]

I use both Badgers and Synthetics. They are all Simpson. I prefer the Badgers but the Simpson's Synthetic is a sweet brush. I use it a lot but It doesn't have the cloud like feeling of a badger or the soul. (It is Super soft). Can't explain it. My daughter had me order a Yaqi Moka Express 26mm Silvertip for her. Less than 35 bucks if I remember correctly. They are supposed to be nice brushes and I'm looking forward to trying it. I'm not expecting it to be like my Chubby 2s but it sounds like a good brush. I had a Parker Silvertip that was 60 bucks and it was a great brush. Sold it to a friend (who loves it) after I got my 1st Chubby 2. My thoughts are buy quality the first time, not necessarily the most expensive but not the cheapest. You can always upgrade later. Unfortunately I don't care for boar brushes. I have 1 that I can deal with. Everyone else love them. Hey... I'm a freak!

 

[jmturley]

You can tell. Even without a baseline knowledge of badger hair, you can tell when something is synthetic but just the feel. It's impossible to pass off any synthetic fiber as a natural one, no matter how good that synthetic fiber is.

 

[mawashi]

You can tell. Even without a baseline knowledge of badger hair, you can tell when something is synthetic but just the feel. It's impossible to pass off any synthetic fiber as a natural one, no matter how good that synthetic fiber is.

Absolutely agree,

You can't pass off a synthetic as natural hair no matter how good it is.
I wrote a recent review of Yaqi badgers and one of their newer brown Ferrari syn brushes.
Yaqi Triplets.

I would rate Yaqi syns as industry leading and their badgers as just below artisanal grade and about as good as some of the better companies out there.

Happy shaves,

Mawashi

 

[mrlandpirate]

razorock 400 $20 best brush I own and I have at least 30 including Simpson and other top badgers

 

[azwetshaver]

A Badger brush is expensive, Smells terrible for the first few years of use, Needs equally long period of use to break in and then wears out, Requires soaking before use, needs to be tendered and cared for and is made from roadkill.

A modern synthetic brush is cheap, Has no smell at all, Works great from day 1. Has an exceptional lifespan, isn't made from roadkill and can be used and abused.

I would disagree with this post.

Badger brushes can be expensive but do not have to be. I also dont consider a Simspon synthetic at $120 to be cheap.

Badger brushes do not require to be soaked. Boar brushes are the only ones I soak.

Some badger brushes have a smell. They typically lose the funk after 10 uses. Some higher end brushes in less time.

Stirling has some great badger brushes for around $40. Whipped Dog also has some good options for under $50. Another option is Maseto.

I only have one synthetic that I use for travel. Synthetics will dry faster.

To differentiate between the two, you can tell by the appearance. Also read the description and purchase from a reputable seller.

Badger brushes have a natural splay and feel more luxurious to me. They also retain heat better which keeps the lather warm throughout your shave. Others prefer synthetics, boats, or horse and that's okay too.

Many new wetshvers are drawn to synthetics because of the price. They seem to be the current trend. When it comes down to it, it's about personal preference. You never know unless your try both. I would not trade one good badger for 10 synthetics. That's just me.

 

[Wtd1911]

I would disagree with this post.

Badger brushes can be expensive but do not have to be. I also dont consider a Simspon synthetic at $120 to be cheap.

Badger brushes do not require to be soaked. Boar brushes are the only ones I soak.

Some badger brushes have a smell. They typically lose the funk after 10 uses. Some higher end brushes in less time.

Stirling has some great badger brushes for around $40. Whipped Dog also has some good options for under $50. Another option is Maseto.

I only have one synthetic that I use for travel. Synthetics will dry faster.

To differentiate between the two, you can tell by the appearance. Also read the description and purchase from a reputable seller.

Badger brushes have a natural splay and feel more luxurious to me. They also retain heat better which keeps the lather warm throughout your shave. Others prefer synthetics, boats, or horse and that's okay too.

Many new wetshvers are drawn to synthetics because of the price. They seem to be the current trend. When it comes down to it, it's about personal preference. You never know unless your try both. I would not trade one good badger for 10 synthetics. That's just me.

I agree. I've never had a badge stink after a few washings and use. Years??? I think not. Synthetics have their place, I like my Chubby 2 Synthetic but I didn't spend 120 on it. I do prefer my Chubby 2s in Super and Best. They will last a lifetime if taken care of. It really is YMMV. Give me dense badgers, soap is cheap.

 

[azwetshaver]

I agree. I've never had a badge stink after a few washings and use. Years??? I think not. Synthetics have their place, I like my Chubby 2 Synthetic but I didn't spend 120 on it. I do prefer my Chubby 2s in Super and Best. They will last a lifetime if taken care of. It really is YMMV. Give me dense badgers, soap is cheap.

I stand corrected. The Chubby 2 synthetic comes retails at $114 (£89.95) from Simpsons website. If you do some browsing, it can be founder cheaper on other sites. To be fair and transparent, these are the high end of synthetics.

I have also seen well worn synthetics develop that ring in the bristles from use. I am not sure its safe to say a synthetic will outlast a natural hair brush. Modern synthetics have only been around for two, maybe three years. I would say it's too early to tell their longevity.