Do two brushes offer an advantage?

[uncletoad]

Does rotating brushes offer any advantage?
I know shoes last longer when you do not wear them each day.
So if you rinse well, shake and clean it once in a while, is there any benefit to having two brushes- aside form liking new toys etc.

 

[Kyle]

The design (shape, loft, density) and the quality of hair used in it make each brush a somewhat unique creation. Trying different designs and hair grades is the only way to find out what really works well for you as an individual. For this reason alone, you might want to sample a few different brushes.

The aforementioned qualities also determine whether a brush is better for soaps, better for creams, or satisfactorily good with both. If you use both mediums for lathering (soap and cream) you might want to own a brush that excels with each.

The most obvious reason would be that owning a second brush makes it a lot easier to justify owning a third, fourth, fifth, etc.

 

[rtaylor61]

Advantage=Variety. It's a good thing.

Randy

 

[mjsorkin]

Any benefits for the longevity of the brush? Maybe, but I'm not sure anyone could know for sure unless they used and wore out at least three brushes. First using one until it died, and then using two at the same time until they die out.

----Michael

 

[smithno]

I have three brushes in regular rotation with a couple more that get occasional use. The variety is important, but I like to give them time to dry completely between uses.

 

[Smedley]

I have four brushes, three for everyday and one travel brush that doesn't see much use. I like them for different things. My pure badger is my favourite for glycerine soaps. I have a vintage super soft "pure" badger (which I think is more like best badger by today's standards) which I like to use with creams and especially lathering directly on the face. And I have the elite B&B horn silvertip for when I just feel like pampering myself.

So, not to keep the brush from wearing out for me. More like I got a range of brushes for different purposes. My BAD isn't anywhere near as strong as my other ADs, fortunately. I think I'm happy with this set for a while.

 

[blantyre]

I expect that the main deterioration is in the adhesives used to hold the knot in place and then the handle materials. Unless the brush is subjected to extreme abuse (like using near boiling water), the deterioration probably occurs at about the same rate whether or not the brush is used regularly. UV light and extremes of temperature will accelrate the demise of anything with plastics in it. It is possible that real horn or ivory would deteriorate faster without regular use since it can dry out and crack.

 

[Amyn]

Here is the real truth about brush rotation

Anyone who says "BRUSH ROTATION" is afflicted with SBAD.

"I am going to make this part of my brush rotation" means "I am going to buy another brush because I have SBAD"

IMO
oh and I have SBAD and I love it

 

[uncletoad]

I guess what is really going on here is that we all enjoy collecting luxuries.
Very cool

 

[Thebigspendur]

All you really need is one brush. With proper care the one brush, if its a quality brush will probably last a lifetime. I see no reason to rotate brushes other then the fact the most here want to have many brushes.

 

[Doc4]

There may be something to the extra day's worth of drying, but who knows? It sounds sensible, so maybe that makes buying the second brush okay. I have three, and I prefer one for creams and the others for soaps, but that's just me. I try to rotate them and use each on every third day. If nothing else, it looks cool on my bathroom counter!

 

[Patrick D]

I like to use whatever brush strikes my eye that day.

This may sound nuts, but I've used two brushes at the same time, one of those gotta try it moments. I build the lather on my face and the other morning, after spreading some cream around, I grabbed my Merkur Vison brush, and built up a good lather before grabbing one of my Shavemacs which was already loaded with soap and went for it.

Wow, did I get some lather going that day and my Moss was large enough to hold both brushes. Second and third passes worked the same way and the results were great.

I'm going to try that act out again tomorrow with some TGQ combo and have some more fun!