Does a silvertip brush really make a difference?

[mistreated]

Hi guys,
I am new to the world of straight razor shaving and the B&B. I had a question about brushes.
I use a synthetic brush and I get a good lather and also a great shave with my Dovo Bismarck. I was told that a silvertip badger brush will improve the quality of my shave even further.
Is this true and why?
Your knowledge would be greatly appreciated. Eh!

 

[Throwaway]

No. If you get good lather with your current brush and you are happy how it feels on your skin, then there is no reason to purchase a silvertip brush.

 

[Occams_Razor]

No. If you get good lather with your current brush and you are happy how it feels on your skin, then there is no reason to purchase a silvertip brush.

haha, it's rare I see anyone recommend AGAINST purchasing new equipment on the forum! But in all seriousness, if you're happy, you're happy. My understanding is that a silvertip will be softer and potentially more luxurious, but I doubt it will improve the quality of your lather or shave.

 

[Barefoot Joe]

haha, it's rare I see anyone recommend AGAINST purchasing new equipment on the forum!

I'd suggest that you purchase at least three high end silver tips to compare to your synthetic; then get back to us with your impressions. (That more like it?)

 

[Throwaway]

haha, it's rare I see anyone recommend AGAINST purchasing new equipment on the forum! But in all seriousness, if you're happy, you're happy. My understanding is that a silvertip will be softer and potentially more luxurious, but I doubt it will improve the quality of your lather or shave.

There is a difference between someone who just wants a good shave, and a person who considers this as an hobby. There is no need to spend more than $10-25 for a brush if you just want a good shave.

 

[cessnabird]

Agreed, a silvertip brush is luxurious and is far superior to "most" brushes in the water retention/performance dept. However, if you are happy with your synthetic, there is no need to buy another brush unless you really just want to try one. You won't regret it if you do buy a silvertip though, they are wonderful!

 

[maxman]

It's fun to try different gear, but the truth of the matter is technique trumps gear every time.

 

[mistreated]

Your right Marc.
It is fun. I think I'll try the Badger & Blade Essential brush next.

 

[Marco]

Tony, a Silvertip brush will not improve the quality of your lather. It will certainly feel super soft on the skin, but this also is something that some like, some others do not. As already stated above, it's your technique that will make your brush work better regardless of the grade of hair.

 

[djh]

Welcome to Badger and Blade.

Whilst our standard advice here is to buy them all and hide the ones which don't appeal, in your case I will say: a badger brush will provide a different lathering experience to your synthetic. Whether it needs to be Silvertip or not is another question because one company's Silvertip is another company's Best Badger (ie there is no standard for grading Badger hair from one manufacturer to the next).

On second thoughts...... buy them all

 

[Silence!]

I think the only way a new brush will improve your shave is if has good backbone. If you shave with soaps rather than creams, having a brush with good backbone will help you to pick up more soap, allowing you to build lather more easily. So is your synthetic floppy or does it hold its shape well when you lather with it?

I personally use a Parker Synthetic brush, and it's got the most backbone out of any badger brush I had used previously. Granted, I'd still like to try a 2-band badger brush, but knowing how much backbone my synthetic brush has, I'm sure it'd be about the same.

 

[mistreated]

I think the only way a new brush will improve your shave is if has good backbone. If you shave with soaps rather than creams, having a brush with good backbone will help you to pick up more soap, allowing you to build lather more easily. So is your synthetic floppy or does it hold its shape well when you lather with it?

I personally use a Parker Synthetic brush, and it's got the most backbone out of any badger brush I had used previously. Granted, I'd still like to try a 2-band badger brush, but knowing how much backbone my synthetic brush has, I'm sure it'd be about the same.

Yes
My synthetic brush does hold its shape when i lather. It's very comparable to my sons Wilkinson Boar hair brush.

 

[Big Jim]

Both my son and son-in-law greatly appreciate that I introduced them to silvertips. They both feel that they get a superior shave using the silvertip brushes I gave them. This may not be all the picture though, as both used canned foam before.

I most certainly enjoy my silvertips compared to boar, black badger, and best badger. Although I rotate through all my brushes, I enjoy the silvertips the most. I even use a small silvertip for travel and I'm about to make myself another one. Knot and turning stock are on order.

 

[Dalejr]

My opinion is not really...

 

[Ducati Scotty]

Need? No. Will it improve things? Maybe. Good brushes of any type (synth, boar, badger) make better lather faster, are more enjoyable to use, and feel nicer on your face. You can make good lather with very modest equipment. I've had a synthetic, a few boar brushes, and a VDH pure badger. The pure badger was different and a bit nicer but not anything amazingly better than my other brushes. The silvertip really is another world, just super soft and luxurious. I'll still be using all my brushes but it is nice to have a silvertip.

Scitt

 

[mistreated]

Thanks for all the useful advise.

 

[Silence!]

Yes
My synthetic brush does hold its shape when i lather. It's very comparable to my sons Wilkinson Boar hair brush.

It sounds like you have a brush with decent backbone. With silvertips, you're paying for the softness of the brush tips. It's a luxurious experience, but the tradeoff is a lack of backbone. Your brush will be more than adequate, but really are we having a toilet tissue contest here about which is the softest? That's pretty much what it comes down to when you consider getting a silvertip.