I used to put thought into all of that, and I still do to a degree, but I just know what I want to use now without putting too much thought into it. It all comes down to preference. Any brush that isn't missing half its knot will do just fine in creating lather. May take a bit longer, but it's marginal to me. Might not be someone else's experience though.
Favorite brushes and why - detailed
- Thread starter JKaboom
- Start date
NOT all TALLOW based soaps are hard. I use PRORASO (White) - Cella - Arko and Tabac soaps. All of which
can be mashed and pressed into a shaving bowl ( I bowl lather). The ARKO has to be sliced -up first. Of the above mentioned soaps only TABAC has to be grated first before forming onto a soap bowl.
Proraso is non-tallow based and of course the new formula of Tabac isn't either, but maybe you're talking about the old version.
You can mash Arko straight into a container. Just requires good hand and finger strength. I've done it on several occasions sans slicing.
I like synthetic brushes that have thicker fibres because I like the face feel as compared to very thin fibres that make the knot feel like a wet cotton ball.
The thicker fibres are Muhle STF, Apshave G5x, Lansky HD and Frank Shaving G7.
Unfortunately, there's not much more choice than these as the majority of synthetic fibres are thin.
For badger, I only have one that I wanted to keep: Simpson Commodore X2 Best. It's from 2013 and I feel it's the pinnacle of the Best grade...I guess I won the Best badger lottery!
Feels like a soft silvertip but with face feel.
I also love the Commodore handle, my favorite from Simpson.
The thicker fibres are Muhle STF, Apshave G5x, Lansky HD and Frank Shaving G7.
Unfortunately, there's not much more choice than these as the majority of synthetic fibres are thin.
For badger, I only have one that I wanted to keep: Simpson Commodore X2 Best. It's from 2013 and I feel it's the pinnacle of the Best grade...I guess I won the Best badger lottery!
Feels like a soft silvertip but with face feel.
I also love the Commodore handle, my favorite from Simpson.
I've tried horse, badger, synths and boar, and for my money horse beats all. Badgers felt so mushy to me I felt like I was throwing a mop on my face. Synths were the opposite - too boingy. I do like boar and have a TurnNShave shoat knot that I really like - it's actually softened up quite nicely. Given that it's a fairly large brush, I use it on wide-tin soaps and is very good with tallow types - a Barrister & Mann type soap is right up this one's alley.
But my favorite brush is a Shave Forge 24mm horse knot that I put onto a Whipped Dog resin handle. I usually lather in the bowl then use the brush to paint. By far the most comfortable type I've used, with no tangles, floppiness, anthrax or any of the other foolishness horse-haters like to whine about. I'm actually thinking of doing another horse knot into an AP400 handle. For readymades, Zenith is supposedly the one to go with.
Jump off the badger train. Give the horse a ride.
But my favorite brush is a Shave Forge 24mm horse knot that I put onto a Whipped Dog resin handle. I usually lather in the bowl then use the brush to paint. By far the most comfortable type I've used, with no tangles, floppiness, anthrax or any of the other foolishness horse-haters like to whine about. I'm actually thinking of doing another horse knot into an AP400 handle. For readymades, Zenith is supposedly the one to go with.
Jump off the badger train. Give the horse a ride.
- Thread starter
- #27
@Bjlefebvre my Vielong black horsehair did very nicely with Arko on this past shave. Do you have any experience with Vielong or that brush in particular? Thanks for chiming in
My first horsehair was a Vie Long Cachurro. I very much liked the brush and the handle, but that particular brush just shed waaaaay too much. I was getting like 2-3 hairs on my face or on the puck per shave. I'm right now enjoying a Shave Forge 24mm knot. I may try transferring that to a PAA Rubberset 400 handle.
I've had badger and boar. They were good, compared to the old timey synthetics I had. However, once I tried some of the newer synthetics I got rid of all badger and boar brushes. I like good synthetics for all soap and cream types. For me, there is no comparison.
I kept one synthetic in 22mm because it was a good brush (Yaqi Cola). However, I have come to like knots of 25mm to 28mm.
My favorite is a Rudy Vey with 25mm Muhle STF knot. Spectacular brush. My next favorite is a Shavemac 28mm Fiber. My third favorite is a APShaveCo G5A, and my forth favorite is the previously mentioned Yaqi Cola (discontinued). I have other brushes that I like, one being a no-name shop brand, but these four are my favorite, especially the Muhle knot RV.
I kept one synthetic in 22mm because it was a good brush (Yaqi Cola). However, I have come to like knots of 25mm to 28mm.
My favorite is a Rudy Vey with 25mm Muhle STF knot. Spectacular brush. My next favorite is a Shavemac 28mm Fiber. My third favorite is a APShaveCo G5A, and my forth favorite is the previously mentioned Yaqi Cola (discontinued). I have other brushes that I like, one being a no-name shop brand, but these four are my favorite, especially the Muhle knot RV.
- Thread starter
- #31
I'm going to have to get one of those, looks and sounds great! It'll have to wait until 2024 though
I have a Yaqi 26 mm Rainbow brush. I have used it for 3 different soaps; 1 vegan and 2 tallow. I bowl lather only and it works very well. All the soaps I have used are soft. The Yaqi brush has soft bristles yet has a good backbone.
