Favorite Brush Under $100

[Steve_in_CT]

I was going to ask about the "best" brush for under $100, but with brushes I find that best is hard to pick. I have, or have had, the following brushes (I may have forgotten a few):

Simpsons Duke 3 Best Badger
Simpsons Duke 2 Best Badger
Simpsons Commodore X3 Badger
Semogue Owner's Club Mitsura Badger/Boar Mix
Maggard 20 mm 2 Band Badger
Yaqi 26 mm Moka Express 2 Band Badger
West Coast Shaving 24 mm Silvertip Badger
Zenith Little Scrubby Boar
Zenith 24 mm EuroAl Boar
Zenith Big Scrubby Boar
Omega 11137 Boar
Semogue 1250 Boar
AP Shave 24 mm Tuxedo
Stirling "Kong" Synthetic
Yaqi Rainbow Brown Synthetic
Yaqi 24 mm Moka Express Mew Brown Sythetic

I wouldn't be able to pick a best from this list, and even a favorite is tough, since the badgers, boars and synthetics are all different, and I like the variety. All of them are under $100 (some were very good buys, like the Simpsons brushes). If I had to pick just one of those brushes and use only that brush, it would be the Yaqi Moka Express 2 Band Badger.

What is your favorite brush for $100 or less?

 

[shave/brush]

My favorite brushes are all synthetic:

RazoRock Big Bruce, Edwin Jagger, Muhle, and Chubby 2.

 

[musicman1951]

My favorites under $100:

SOC boar for bowl lathering
SOC badger for face lathering

 

[mata_66]

Out of your long list my pick for favorite would be the Duke 3 in Best. If you want to try some other great brushes that punch above their price tag I would suggest you the new Semogue Torga C5 (I'm in love, the closest thing to a hypotetical gel tips boar) and the Simpson Trafalgar T2.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Lots of good brushes under $100.

In addition to what you listed:

Edwin Jagger (25mm STF)
OMEGA Jade 011842 Premium Pure Bristle
PAA Peregrino 24mm Roswell Hybrid Synthetic
RazoRock Butterscotch Beehive (28mm Plissoft knot)
Zenith S10 26mm Synthetic
The Tech Hive Butterscotch Beehive (26mm Tuxedo)
Simpson The "Duke" 2 in Best
Epsilon Butterscotch 'Chubby' (26mm STF Synthetic)
RazoRock Barrel (24mm Silvertip)
Simpsons Trafalgar T2
Omega EVO
Mühle 35K256 25mm Silvertip Fibre

These all work great.

 

[PintoPlain]

My favourite brush is a no name boar brush. I bought it as part of a starter set when I finally got around to going back to de razors. Despite purchasing a few badgers and synths, I keep going back to the boar.

I like it so much I contacted the company I bought it from to see if they still sold them as it was no longer in their website. I received a reply stating they only stocked synths now and will no longer stock animal hair brushes. About a month later I got an email from the owner (small local business) saying he had found one of the brushes at the back of a shelf if I was interested. I now have one NOS no name boar waiting for when my current one eventually wears out. It cost €8 including delivery.

 

[Owen Bawn]

You can get 4 or 6 terrific boar brushes for $100. Or several synthetics. In fact, if you shop around you could get a Simpson Commodore, an Omega 49, a Razorock synthetic, and perhaps have enough left out of your $100 to get a sandwich and coffee.

If I were insistent on a badger, for $100 I'd either get a Simpson Duke 3 in Best or a Zenith Manchurian. I think if those were the only 2 badgers I was allowed to keep I'd be fine. Terrific brushes.

 

[BigJ]

Tons of options under $100 if you are interested in boar or synthetic.

Quality badger brushes are more expensive. If you are interested in ’pure’ grade (a bit ‘scritchy’ for my taste but many like it) I would consider Simpsons Eagle. My taste is more toward Simpsons ‘best’ (or ‘Silvertip’ from other makers), perhaps a Duke or Classic.

 

[dfoulk]

Pick up an Elite Manchurian Fan knot from Elite Shaving for around sixty bucks. These knots are excellent and perform well above their price point. Find a super cheap handle to install it in with a small amount of silicone and you've got an excellent knot in a serviceable handle that you can swap out for something better later on. You can find cheap resin handles from places like Whipped Dog, or at least you used to be able to get them from there. Shouldn't be hard to find several places that sell them with a quick search. You can also try different lofts as the silicone will allow you to remove the knot with a good tug but it'll stay in otherwise with normal use. Just don't overdo it with the silicone.

After some time goes by, and your Birthday comes around, maybe purchase yourself a custom handle from Mozingo Brushworks, Wolf Whiskers or any other artisan brush maker that has your interest. Pair the knot with the handle and you now have something spectacular without dropping a couple hundred bucks on a brush all at once.

In my opinion, this is about as good as you're gonna do on a brush without spending a whole lot more money.

 

[old_school]

Simpson Eagle
Semogue Torga

 

[Chaucer]

Has no one suggested a Pure badger? I don’t think any of them cost >$100. If you don’t mind, or if you like, a little caress from the tips, a Pure may work for you. I have a brush with a Pure Shavemac knot and a Plisson no. 10 in Pure. They both lather like champs and feel nice on my face like a light massage. Simpsons has some nice looking Pure brushes too.

 

[Balthier]

Seems like you got a lot covered. How do you like the zenith scrubbies? I've been thinking about getting one of them. How scrubby is the mitsura and what do you like best about the yaqi 2 band moka? I would say pure, or black badger might be worth a try if you enjoy scritch and some scrub. For around $100 I think you can get a zenith manchurian badger I have heard good things about.

 

[old_school]

Has no one suggested a Pure badger? ...

uh yeah someone did. Top link in the post right above you.

 

[bigbrucefan]

Razorock Chubby (silvertip?) and Zenith Manchurian are incredible values and compare very favorably to my favorite brush of all time, Thater 4670/5 which costs more than twice (three times as much?) as they do.

 

[old_school]

Tons of options under $100 if you are interested in boar or synthetic.

Quality badger brushes are more expensive. If you are interested in ’pure’ grade (a bit ‘scritchy’ for my taste but many like it) I would consider Simpsons Eagle. My taste is more toward Simpsons ‘best’ (or ‘Silvertip’ from other makers), perhaps a Duke or Classic.

What about a Eagle G2 (22x45) in Best - hybrid shape knot?

 

[Chaucer]

uh yeah someone did. Top link in the post right above you.

I missed that one.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Seems like you got a lot covered. How do you like the zenith scrubbies? I've been thinking about getting one of them. How scrubby is the mitsura and what do you like best about the yaqi 2 band moka? I would say pure, or black badger might be worth a try if you enjoy scritch and some scrub. For around $100 I think you can get a zenith manchurian badger I have heard good things about.

I found the Zenith Short and Scrubby to be too scrubby. Perhaps it might have softened up after a while, but I gave up on it and sold it on the BST. The Big Scrubby, however, is my favorite boar brush. It has just the right amount of backbone for me and is extremely soft on your face. This is the one I have: Big Scrubby Zenith Pro Aluminum Handle XL Boar Shave Brush. 28x50mm knot. B14 - https://www.thegentleshave.com/collections/boar-brushes/products/big-scrubby-zenith-pro-aluminum-handle-xl-boar-shave-brush-28x50mm-knot-b14
The Mistura I have is the old one from several years back; I don't think it's exactly the same knot as the current Mistura. I tend to not use it as often as my other brushes, but every time I do use it I wonder why I don't use it more. It is quite scrubby, but like the Zenith boar it is not at all uncomfortably stiff.
The Yaqi 2 band Moka is just a pleasure to use and a pleasure to look at. It's the biggest brush I have and does everything well without having ever lost a bristle. It has more than enough backbone and has the softest, most luxurious feel on my face. It has clearly surpassed my Simpsons best badger brushes on all counts. Besides being my favorite under $100 brush to date, it is the biggest bargain (along with my Yaqi Rainbow Brown synthetic).

 

[never-stop-learning]

The RazoRock 24mm Silvertip, Barrel handle, is well under $100 and is quite good.

(Silvertip) RazoRock 24 Barrel Badger Shaving Brush - with Silvertip B – ItalianBarber

(Silvertip) RazoRock 24 Barrel Badger Shaving Brush - with Silvertip Badger KnotThe RazoRock 24 Barrel Silvertip is a brush we are very excited about, a...

www.italianbarber.com

 

[macintoshBR]

Simpsons Classic 1

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

For $100 you can score what I would consider 3 of the best performing brushes, among 3 different materials:

Synthetic: Maggard Timberwolf / $16
Badger: Simpsons Berkeley 46 / $50
Boar: Semogue 1800 / $20