First Brush Recommendations

[flask28]

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

I was coming here to post this very suggestion. Of course brother @Phoenixkh was way ahead of me. This is a fantastic brush!!

You also can't go wrong with a boar brush. When I started I avoided them like the plague but, oh, wow, a broken in boar is SO SOFT! But they take an investment in time to break in.

Welcome to B&B!

 

[GNR]

Brushes are on the way. I can’t wait to read your thoughts on these brushes.
Two tuxedos, 1 Timberwolf, 10049 Omega Pro, Stirling Finest, Rudy Vey Manchurian, and a RV/Shavemac.

This assortment will let you try most of the types (sorry no horse brushes in my den) and figure out what you want to pursue.

Recommend giving all of them a few test runs before you decide one isn’t for you.

Enjoy, my friend.

Tim

 

[ralph029]

Brushes are on the way. I can’t wait to read your thoughts on these brushes.
Two tuxedos, 1 Timberwolf, 10049 Omega Pro, Stirling Finest, Rudy Vey Manchurian, and a RV/Shavemac.

This assortment will let you try most of the types (sorry no horse brushes in my den) and figure out what you want to pursue.

Recommend giving all of them a few test runs before you decide one isn’t for you.

Enjoy, my friend.

Tim

2 things...
@GNR You sir are a gentleman.

I was giving this a lot of thought this weekend for some reason. I figured it was far too late to add this tidbit and then I saw your post.
I own 3 horse brushes. A traditional horse Zenith, a extra soft Zenith, and a Semogue Galahad-C3 Premium Black Horse. I would highly recommend the traditional if backbone is desired and the Semogue if softness is preferred. My regular brushes are well broken in boar, but these two horse brushes offer an excellent experience.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have started with one of these two brushes (plus a Semogue Boar) and skipped all the brushes that sit in the bottom of a bin of unused stuff.

 

[MartinKrpan]

My recommendations are the Razorock 400 Plissoft or Muhle STF.

 

[zeak]

Agree with plissoft and muhle rec.

 

[gpjoe]

Lots of recs for the Razork Plissoft, which would also be my best value synthetic brush recommendation. I prefer the 24mm or 26mm.

Besides that, every den should have at least a $10-15 Omega boar, and my favorite badger is also a boar: the Semogue Mistura.

 

[JCarr]

AP Shave Co has a number of good synthetic knots to choose from. I recommend the G5A, Silksmoke, Faux Boar and Synbad.

 

[know1special]

Yup, I'll jump on the RazoRock train.

Lots of suggestions for their Plissoft synthetic and I'll heartily agree.

FWIW, I've been at this for a long time, have had many brushes and that's the one I use every day.

You can certainly get fancier if that's your wish. But that brush might be the best $12.00 I've spent on my entire wet-shaving journey.

 

[AndyP]

Im relatively new to DE shaving also so have limited knowledge on this. I tried a medium Badger brush initially, but found it to be too soft for my liking. I then got a Proraso/Omega boar brush for cheap and much prefer it as it doesn't splay out everywhere and I find it easier to bowl lather.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Have a look at www.whippeddog.com. Larry sells some fairly nice silvertip brushes set to whatever depth you like, for chimp change. I have several of his 30mm beasts and I love them. They work just as good as high end brushes for about 1/5 the price. But you then are stuck with sullying your poor deprived fingers with <gasp> a molded plastic handle. BFD, I say. At his prices, I really must insist you get at least a 26mm brush, and do spring for the long handle. If you want a little extra backbone, ask him to set the knot a little deeper. If you like a nice fluffy puffy angel cloud brush, go with the standard set or even a bit shallower.

 

[robertzombie]

RazoRock Chrome Silvertip Plissoft Synthetic. Recently got this and am really impressed with the performance and build quality. I've previously had a Yaqi synthetic, which was fine, and the Omega synthetic, which was too scratchy and made a poor lather.

The RazoRock is soft on the tips but stronger at the base, feels great on the face and creates a thick lather. The chrome handle is pure quality and gives the brush a solid weight making it a pleasure to use!

 

[couch_potato]

1. Razorock Silvertip BC ~25$ (soft, synt, rich, gentle)
2. Omega S-49 ~10$ (bit narrow but longer loft, near same softness as RR)
3. Semogue 2000 ~15$ (rich, soft, blonde-beauty, will require breaking in, bit of lather eater, but once loaded - could shave entire barbershop)
4. Omega 10098 ~15$ (tall, firm, "size less" than Semogue, eat less lather, performs like magic)
I'd skip badgers and pick any of these (again)

 

[awk_m4]

Besides that, every den should have at least a $10-15 Omega boar

Totally agree. My $15 Omega boar is an incredible brush. It’s the one brush I have that I’m not afraid to be heavy handed with.

 

[DesertIguana]

Well I see Brushes on E-Bay all the time from price point, too very pricy.

 

[Keyvan]

I think that is the route I will take, other commenters seem to have the same take. I’ll start with something cheap and easy and branch out from there if I wish to. Thank you!

That's the best approach!

 

[bmac00]

Sorry for the late update, I was on vacation and not home for quite some time. Brought one of the synthetic brushes with me and it was amazing. I think so far my favorite are the synthetic brushes. The badger is really nice as well and is a close second, but the softness of the synthetic is amazing. I haven’t used the boar much. I’ll probably try it out some more, but as of now it’s my least favorite out of the bunch.