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First Brush Recommendations

@bmac00 welcome to B&B!

Brushes are one of the most personal choices in traditional wet shaving and exploration is really the only way to find your long term preferences.

To help your journey…send me a pm with your address and I’ll send you a broken in Boar brush, a Badger brush that hits way above it’s price point, and two synthetic brushes with different knots.

This will give you the chance to try all sorts of brushes and start to develop your preferences without spending money on brushes you might not like.

Standing by…

Tim
 
First of all, welcome to B&B. You'll end up meeting some very kind and informative people here.

Brushes.... They were one of the first things I investigating after joining. I bought quite a few less expensive synth brushes but I've either given most of them away or sold them here, after my first 45 days were up and I had access to our BST forum. (Buy Sell Trade). Lots of people love their synth brushes. One thing you very quickly discover here is.... all of us have different kinds of skin, some more sensitive that others and there are so many different feels we like on our faces when we use a brush.

If you want to try a natural hair brush what won't break the bank and yet will have a nice feel right out of the box, I'd recommend the Semogue Owner's Club (SOC) Mistura brush. They are a mixed bristle brush: badger and boar. They are excellent on first use and only get better as time goes on. i just checked the pricing on eBay, YourShaving and Gifts and Care.... They are around $80 depending on the supplier. That might be more than you want to spend initially. I'm only mentioning them because they were the first brushes I truly liked other that a fairly expensive synth brush I started with... and that one is moot since it's no longer available.

The other brand I'd take a look at is Zenith. You can find them on eBay. I have one of their Manchurian Badger brushes... 27.1mm in their 506 solid copper handle. It's a great place to start with a badger brush... They are around $100. Zenith makes very nice boar brushes as well and those are considerably less expensive. They also feel quite nice right out of the box.. for me, at least.. and do improve as they break in.

I do think you are on the right track with the STF fiber synth brushes. My wife is using the one I bought with a Rudy Vey handle he turned for me. It was also in the "not inexpensive" category. AP Shave Co now has access to the STF fiber knots as well. I'd choose the 25mm instead of the 21mm but that's a personal preference.

That's probably more of my opinions than you need to read. You'll have to find your own way, of course. One thing you can do is read the various journals posted here. They sort of map out the journeys many of us have taken. I got most of the shaving brush advice I ended up following was from @Chan Eil Whiskers journal (Damn Comfortable Shave - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/damn-comfortable-shave.526419/page-642#post-12155806) He posts almost every day so it will be easy for you to find his posts. I read his journal from start to finish, along with a few other of the threads he started along the way. It turns out, we like the same face feel in brushes. I wasted quite a bit of time and money before I started reading his posts. That will be your best bet... try to find someone who shares your preferences for the face feel of a brush and make select purchases as you go along.
I agree with the “finding my own way”, but you definitely laid out a good guideline and ways to try other styles of brushes without sinking in a bunch of money. Feel like brushes would be something you probably stick to one or two of your favorites and the rest collect dust.
 
@bmac00 welcome to B&B!

Brushes are one of the most personal choices in traditional wet shaving and exploration is really the only way to find your long term preferences.

To help your journey…send me a pm with your address and I’ll send you a broken in Boar brush, a Badger brush that hits way above it’s price point, and two synthetic brushes with different knots.

This will give you the chance to try all sorts of brushes and start to develop your preferences without spending money on brushes you might not like.

Standing by…

Tim
Oh wow, I commented earlier how great and kind the community seems, but that goes way above my expectations! It does seem like brushes are all trial and error or personal preference so that would obviously be a tremendous help. Unfortunately like @T Bone said I think I’m too new to message anyone as I just made my account this morning. Either that or I just don’t know how to PM 😆
 
Oh wow, I commented earlier how great and kind the community seems, but that goes way above my expectations! It does seem like brushes are all trial and error or personal preference so that would obviously be a tremendous help. Unfortunately like @T Bone said I think I’m too new to message anyone as I just made my account this morning. Either that or I just don’t know how to PM 😆
Message sent!

Let the fun begin!!!!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Oh wow, I commented earlier how great and kind the community seems, but that goes way above my expectations! It does seem like brushes are all trial and error or personal preference so that would obviously be a tremendous help. Unfortunately like @T Bone said I think I’m too new to message anyone as I just made my account this morning. Either that or I just don’t know how to PM 😆
Lucky you, your going to enjoy using brushes is my guesstamation:laugh::001_rolle.
 
I think you're going to have to try all the types at some point. For example, it's true that synthetics are easy to use. So I got one, and it is easy to use, but I haaaaaate the feeling of plastic on my face. Then I got a boar.

But it ate lather so it frustrated me. So I got back to the synthetic. But then I learned more about boars and how they're meant to be broken in. So I use boars now. But then I bought a horse brush out of curiosity and I like it also very much. So it's really hard to say what might fit you, it's all very subjective.
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
Many great suggestions, I wanted to throw another on the pile: Larry over at Whipped Dog. Send him an email via his website (just google up "Whipped Dog brushes") and he can recommend, or you can scroll through his handle/knot combos. A Silvertip knot set into a handle of your choice for $40? Or less depending on selection? It's a wonderful price to value ratio. Linked you below:

Whipped Dog
 
Pretty new to wet shaving and have been using Cremo. I want to get into soaps and brushes so I’m looking to get my first brush. I’ve done a fair bit of research and there’s just so much information out there, almost too much… I have fairly sensitive skin so I think I want something with not a lot of scritch to it which seems to be between badger and synthetic.
Synthetics seem easier to follow with a lot of people overall seem to like the Muhle STF and Simpson.
Badger brushes seem to be just all over the place with all the different types.
So I wondering if I could get some recommendations on a brush that would be overall soft with maybe a mild scritch. I’m unsure on backbone preferences. I also plan on bowl lathering if that makes a difference. I know the best thing to probably do would to buy one of each to see what I like more, but I have a bad tendency to go crazy when getting into something new so I’m trying to buy one and be done… for now. I don’t have a real budget as I know it should last me years and years and years and the price range between badger and synthetic is very different.
It doesn't get any better then a Simpson Duke 2 or 3, Berkely 46 or a Chubby 2 (any in best badger). I'd start with one of those as they are of the highest quality, craftsmanship and will spoil you when it comes to brushes and you'll eventually get one anyways.
 
Pretty new to wet shaving and have been using Cremo. I want to get into soaps and brushes so I’m looking to get my first brush. I’ve done a fair bit of research and there’s just so much information out there, almost too much… I have fairly sensitive skin so I think I want something with not a lot of scritch to it which seems to be between badger and synthetic.
Synthetics seem easier to follow with a lot of people overall seem to like the Muhle STF and Simpson.
Badger brushes seem to be just all over the place with all the different types.
So I wondering if I could get some recommendations on a brush that would be overall soft with maybe a mild scritch. I’m unsure on backbone preferences. I also plan on bowl lathering if that makes a difference. I know the best thing to probably do would to buy one of each to see what I like more, but I have a bad tendency to go crazy when getting into something new so I’m trying to buy one and be done… for now. I don’t have a real budget as I know it should last me years and years and years and the price range between badger and synthetic is very different.
Since returning to DE shaving 3+ years ago I've settled on three brushes that handle everything from shaving creams to my hardest soap pucks. These include two synthetics for most shaves and a boar for a couple of my hardest soaps. The brushes are as follows:
  • Razorock Monster 26mm x 63mm synthetic plissoft
  • Razorock Big Bruce 26mm x 63mm synthetic plissoft (same knot as Monster, different handle)
  • Razorock Blondie 26mm x 63mm bleached boar (rebranded Zenith 80n)
These brushes all sell for under $15 and under $10 when on sale. They work so well that I've never seen the need for anything else. At these prices they are an excellent starting point for someone looking to explore more premium brushes once they hone their technique. The reason for two synthetics is that I use them for most shaves and like to allow my brushes an extra day to fully dry between uses.
 
I don't know about badgers, but good synthetics are cheap and easy to find. I'll pass on the advice that I was given when I was looking for my first synthetic about a year ago: Find any 26mm Plissoft (Italian Barber), Yaqi, or Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements brush that you like the look of and get that.

Most synthetics are between 24 and maybe 30mm. Personally, I think 26mm is too big, but big brushes seem to be trendy, so 26 is a good medium size to start with. Any of those should be $25 or less and good quality, and give you an idea of what you like - bigger/smaller, softer/scritchier, more/less backbone - without spending too much to find out.

edit: I see this is your first post. Welcome!
Agree with what T Bone has stated.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought the Plissoft and called it quits. Would have save both money and space.
 
@bmac00 welcome to B&B!

Brushes are one of the most personal choices in traditional wet shaving and exploration is really the only way to find your long term preferences.

To help your journey…send me a pm with your address and I’ll send you a broken in Boar brush, a Badger brush that hits way above it’s price point, and two synthetic brushes with different knots.

This will give you the chance to try all sorts of brushes and start to develop your preferences without spending money on brushes you might not like.

Standing by…

Tim
What a gent!!!
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
You have already had tons of advice and been the beneficiary of extreme generosity, but I have one more idea. Kent has gone from badger brushes to synthetics. So if you buy one of their badgers, it is not as if you are supporting the making of more badger brushes. The remaining stock is already made, and it does not seem there will be more. The Kent BK4 is a terrific little brush, as is its black handled twin, the BKB4. They are small enough to not be floppy and are luxuriously soft.
 

Chef455

Head Cheese Head Chef
@bmac00 welcome to B&B!

Brushes are one of the most personal choices in traditional wet shaving and exploration is really the only way to find your long term preferences.

To help your journey…send me a pm with your address and I’ll send you a broken in Boar brush, a Badger brush that hits way above it’s price point, and two synthetic brushes with different knots.

This will give you the chance to try all sorts of brushes and start to develop your preferences without spending money on brushes you might not like.

Standing by…

Tim
Another example of what makes B&B such a great community. Well done @GNR !

@bmac00 , welcome to the forums. I'll not burden you with another brush suggestion, others have already provided you with a lot to chew on.

I look forward to reading about the results of GNR's generosity and how things progress from there.

Happy shaves!
 
If I were starting out I would get one synthetic and one boar. You could get both for about $30 and rotate brushes. That will help you understand your own preferences and get the feel of a natural brush. For the boar I would recommend the Semogue 1305. It breaks in more quickly than other boars and has softer tips from the beginning. The Razorock and Yaqi synthetics are very good values.
 
Pretty new to wet shaving and have been using Cremo. I want to get into soaps and brushes so I’m looking to get my first brush. I’ve done a fair bit of research and there’s just so much information out there, almost too much… I have fairly sensitive skin so I think I want something with not a lot of scritch to it which seems to be between badger and synthetic.
Synthetics seem easier to follow with a lot of people overall seem to like the Muhle STF and Simpson.
Badger brushes seem to be just all over the place with all the different types.
So I wondering if I could get some recommendations on a brush that would be overall soft with maybe a mild scritch. I’m unsure on backbone preferences. I also plan on bowl lathering if that makes a difference. I know the best thing to probably do would to buy one of each to see what I like more, but I have a bad tendency to go crazy when getting into something new so I’m trying to buy one and be done… for now. I don’t have a real budget as I know it should last me years and years and years and the price range between badger and synthetic is very different.

Buy the best brush you can afford, whether it be badger or synthetic. I did that forty years ago and it’s my dedicated travel brush, it’s an English Pure Badger and still performs well. Enjoy your search.

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