Has anyone used the same brush everyday for years? Pics please

[azwetshaver]

Browsing a different forum, a member asked about the longevity of brushes and what is normal wear. He posted a pic of a Simpson pure and it had a doughnut in the middle. I've seen this before but mostly on synthetics. My immediate thought was he was applying too much pressure. He stated it was his only brush and that he used the brush every other day for four years.

Today during my shave I wondered, do I use too much pressure? Maybe one of my brushes might be 4 years old. With my rotation of 8 brushes, it would take me around 16 years (shave every day) to get the same usage. I wondered what my brushes would look like after the same use.

So, has anyone here used the same brush everyday for years? If so, what does it look like? Did it develop a doughnut hole? Pictures would be awesome.

 

[genuinestyle]

used 4 years 2x a week a Muhle Kosmo Silvertip Fibre, still looks like new as it was just opened out of the box

 

[Atlantic59]

Browsing a different forum, a member asked about the longevity of brushes and what is normal wear. He posted a pic of a Simpson pure and it had a doughnut in the middle. I've seen this before but mostly on synthetics. My immediate thought was he was applying too much pressure. He stated it was his only brush and that he used the brush every other day for four years.

Today during my shave I wondered, do I use too much pressure? Maybe one of my brushes might be 4 years old. With my rotation of 8 brushes, it would take me around 16 years (shave every day) to get the same usage. I wondered what my brushes would look like after the same use.

So, has anyone here used the same brush everyday for years? If so, what does it look like? Did it develop a doughnut hole? Pictures would be awesome.

You can prolong the life of the brush with some maintenance. Comb the damp brush out fairly often before hanging it to dry. Every now and then, put it into a storage tube with both ends open when still damp. Etc.

Too many brushes to help with the picture request, sorry!

 

[tube_guy]

Years ago, I used a badger brush every shave for maybe 5 years. That's right around 1500 shaves, and that brush still looks like brand new. I face lathered with it, but I don't use circular motions. Only straight back and forth motions.

 

[pdieten]

I have a badger brush I used every other day for more than 8 years. It doesn’t look new but it most certainly does not have the kind of wear in the center described in the first post. I’ll post a photo when I get home.

 

[azwetshaver]

Years ago, I used a badger brush every shave for maybe 5 years. That's right around 1500 shaves, and that brush still looks like brand new. I face lathered with it, but I don't use circular motions. Only straight back and forth motions.

You load back and forth as well? Are you mindful of pressure?

 

[tube_guy]

You load back and forth as well? Are you mindful of pressure?

Yes, I load my brush using back and forth motions. Even when I use a round soap. I do apply pressure in some cases, and I certainly pump my brush on my face.

 

[azwetshaver]

Yes, I load my brush using back and forth motions. Even when I use a round soap. I do apply pressure in some cases, and I certainly pump my brush on my face.

Do you do this to prevent damage to the brush or is it just your technique?

 

[jmudrick]

A Plisson Synthetic is the only brush I use. Head and face so equivalent to about 12-15 years of use for a beard only shaver.

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

Great thread! Can't wait to see some P I C T U R E S

 

[Tanuki]

This is a fine artistic rendition of my first shaving brush, a cheap banded boar that rested damply in a mug, on top of a series of pucks of Williams Mug, for about 15 years.

Why the plastic plug at the bottom warped, I do not know. The knot was entirely unbeautiful, but it lathered Williams efficiently. Perhaps barely even rinsing it was a key technique. If it ever shed a bristle, I didn’t notice.

My wife replaced it with a Plisson badger (with a brush stand) shortly after we were married. It had a run of about 25 years, shaving 3 or 4 times a week. Still with Williams Mug. It seems to have held up well.

A rotation of boars (carefully dried and hung in brush stands) has taken over, so my longevity test is finished.

 

[azwetshaver]

This is a fine artistic rendition of my first shaving brush, a cheap banded boar that rested damply in a mug, on top of a series of pucks of Williams Mug, for about 15 years.

Why the plastic plug at the bottom warped, I do not know. The knot was entirely unbeautiful, but it lathered Williams efficiently. Perhaps barely even rinsing it was a key technique. If it ever shed a bristle, I didn’t notice.
View attachment 1049775
My wife replaced it with a Plisson badger (with a brush stand) shortly after we were married. It had a run of about 25 years, shaving 3 or 4 times a week. Still with Williams Mug. It seems to have held up well.
View attachment 1049776

A rotation of boars (carefully dried and hung in brush stands) has taken over, so my longevity test is finished.

Nice!!! Alright, as mentioned in this thread, do you use a circular motion or just back and forth? Are you mindful of pressure?

 

[azwetshaver]

Great thread! Can't wait to see some P I C T U R E S

Me too.

 

[EL Alamein]

I used a T&H turnback for about eleven years. I face lathered all during that time. I retired it because the crown wore away and the hairs in the center were too scritchy being shortened.

Chris

 

[tube_guy]

Do you do this to prevent damage to the brush or is it just your technique?

I would say both. Back around 2001 or so, a person from Simpsons was a member of the original Wetshavers discussion group, where I was also a member. She mentioned that, at Simpsons, they see many, many brushes that are sent in by their customers to be re-knotted, every year. By far, the most common problem they see is the middle of the knot missing due to twisted up and broken hair. She also indicated that circular motions are what causes the problem. The discussion with members there specifically asked her about pressure, and the lady from Simpsons indicated that it's OK to use as much pressure as you'd like, as long as it's applied using a back and forth motion instead of circular motions. She mentioned that pumping the brush on your face is fine. She specifically mentioned that shave brushes are very durable and can take a lot of abuse, but the circular motions are one thing that can ruin a shave brush knot.


So that is exactly how I developed my technique. With little or no circular motions. I have no idea if that's the reason or not, but I can say that all of my brushes still look like new, and some of them are twenty years old with regular use. I have seen shave videos on YouTube where the middle of the knot in the brush being used has been twisted up and damaged. And then the person in the video uses the brush with circular motions and heavy pressure. To me, it seems like there is a correlation. One of the videos was from West Coast Shaving, if I remember right, but I can't seem to find it again.

 

[azwetshaver]

I would say both. Back around 2001 or so, a person from Simpsons was a member of the original Wetshavers discussion group, where I was also a member. She mentioned that, at Simpsons, they see many, many brushes that are sent in by their customers to be re-knotted, every year. By far, the most common problem they see is the middle of the knot missing due to twisted up and broken hair. She also indicated that circular motions are what causes the problem. The discussion with members there specifically asked her about pressure, and the lady from Simpsons indicated that it's OK to use as much pressure as you'd like, as long as it's applied using a back and forth motion instead of circular motions. She mentioned that pumping the brush on your face is fine. She specifically mentioned that shave brushes are very durable and can take a lot of abuse, but the circular motions are one thing that can ruin a shave brush knot.


So that is exactly how I developed my technique. With little or no circular motions. I have no idea if that's the reason or not, but I can say that all of my brushes still look like new, and some of them are twenty years old with regular use. I have seen shave videos on YouTube where the middle of the knot in the brush being used has been twisted up and damaged. And then the person in the video uses the brush with circular motions and heavy pressure. To me, it seems like there is a correlation. One of the videos was from West Coast Shaving, if I remember right, but I can't seem to find it again.

Interesting, thank you for the response.

 

[azwetshaver]

Thanks gentlemen for sharing your experiences.

 

[Tanuki]

Nice!!! Alright, as mentioned in this thread, do you use a circular motion or just back and forth? Are you mindful of pressure?

Generally, to load the brush I gave it a short swirl, maybe 1/3 of a circle one direction, then back the other way, with light pressure. I never mashed the brush into the soap. To build lather in the mug I used a circular motion, but very light pressure. The bristles build the lather, I just give them time. Be aware, in my “all Williams, all the time” days the coffee mugs I used were narrow and deep, so any circular motions were small circles.

Now that I have some soaps that come in wide flat tubs, I might load with more of a back and forth motion, but I then build lather on my face or in a pretty small lather bowl. Now that my shaving is more playful than pragmatic, I very seldom lather on top of the soap.

 

[T.Orso]

From another thread:

I wore an Omega boar brush down to stubby bristles after 24 years of exclusive use. Still usable condition, but not what it once was.

Through most of that time I was not a daily shaver, and for a short while I was bearded.

The hunt for a replacement brought me to B & B.

View attachment 899464

 

[azwetshaver]

From another thread:

I would say you got your money's worth.