Shaving Friends,
Help me tie the knot with my third brush.
A little background: I'm six months into traditional wet shaving and having a ball. Inspired by growing frustration with ever crappier ever more expensive Gillette Sensor shaves, I started with a van der Hagen $8 boar brush in late December. I was grooving on that brush, and, as with boars, the more you use them, the better they get. But, I had occasion to PIF that to my teenage cousin who's just beginning to shave, so I set him up with my starter kit, and ended up trading up to the B&B Essential Boar (green handle) brush a couple months ago, and am lovin it. So, I'm good for boar for the moment.
My next brush I got doing research on assembling what I'm calling my Super Cost-Effective DE Shaving Starter Gift Kit. I'm trying to put together the best possible DE shaving starter kit for ~$20, which I think will be a very popular and compelling price for a wide part of the market. That's a price most guys wouldn't have to think twice about as a gift for a birthday, a holiday, etc. I think that price can provide an enticing DE shaving experience which will awaken and inspire the desire for more in most who try it. Anyway, in pursuit of the best brush I can find for under $8, preferably for about $5, the best I've found thus far is the BestShave #6 horsehair for $2.45. At about 75% as good as the VDH $8 boar, but 30% the price, this is a surprisingly decent brush for a phenomenally low price, a great value. If anyone has any other candidate brushes for around $5, please let me know. Especially, I'm thinking, boar and synthetics -- the BestShave horse hair has a strong and enduring horsey aroma, which I've gotten used to, but total beginners I'd like to provide as few challenges to enjoyment as possible.
Now comes the question of the moment: I'm looking for something different. Inspired by the Best Value thread in this forum, I've put together a little list of brushes and knots from there and elsewhere.
My criteria:
Please vote on the below ideas, comment, make suggestions about these, link to the best deal on them, or offer suggestions for others! Perhaps there's some great deal available on the B&B BST Mall? One idea: The VL Peleon $18 plus one of the Frank Shaving Silvertip would come in just slightly over my budget, but then I'd get two very different experiences for cheap. Or, is the Zurito or the Whipped Dog (or something else) so superior to the downmarket options, to just go with the quality, get one and wait a few months for the next?
Help me tie the knot with my third brush.
A little background: I'm six months into traditional wet shaving and having a ball. Inspired by growing frustration with ever crappier ever more expensive Gillette Sensor shaves, I started with a van der Hagen $8 boar brush in late December. I was grooving on that brush, and, as with boars, the more you use them, the better they get. But, I had occasion to PIF that to my teenage cousin who's just beginning to shave, so I set him up with my starter kit, and ended up trading up to the B&B Essential Boar (green handle) brush a couple months ago, and am lovin it. So, I'm good for boar for the moment.
My next brush I got doing research on assembling what I'm calling my Super Cost-Effective DE Shaving Starter Gift Kit. I'm trying to put together the best possible DE shaving starter kit for ~$20, which I think will be a very popular and compelling price for a wide part of the market. That's a price most guys wouldn't have to think twice about as a gift for a birthday, a holiday, etc. I think that price can provide an enticing DE shaving experience which will awaken and inspire the desire for more in most who try it. Anyway, in pursuit of the best brush I can find for under $8, preferably for about $5, the best I've found thus far is the BestShave #6 horsehair for $2.45. At about 75% as good as the VDH $8 boar, but 30% the price, this is a surprisingly decent brush for a phenomenally low price, a great value. If anyone has any other candidate brushes for around $5, please let me know. Especially, I'm thinking, boar and synthetics -- the BestShave horse hair has a strong and enduring horsey aroma, which I've gotten used to, but total beginners I'd like to provide as few challenges to enjoyment as possible.
Now comes the question of the moment: I'm looking for something different. Inspired by the Best Value thread in this forum, I've put together a little list of brushes and knots from there and elsewhere.
My criteria:
- as good a brush as I can get for up to $30 (shipped), although I am very price sensitive, and if I can get a really good experience for $20, all the better.
- I tend to mostly mug lather, although I like to mix things up, and let's see what a new brush experience inspires.
Please vote on the below ideas, comment, make suggestions about these, link to the best deal on them, or offer suggestions for others! Perhaps there's some great deal available on the B&B BST Mall? One idea: The VL Peleon $18 plus one of the Frank Shaving Silvertip would come in just slightly over my budget, but then I'd get two very different experiences for cheap. Or, is the Zurito or the Whipped Dog (or something else) so superior to the downmarket options, to just go with the quality, get one and wait a few months for the next?
- Horse. I've been so impressed with the performance of that little, lightly horse-haired super-inexpensive BestShave brush, and reading about the rebirth and rapid rise of horsehairs, and how many guys are getting jazzed and great results, this is a direction worth further exploration, and there's a sale on...
- Vie-Long Zurito 13061 (Knot: 23mm, Loft: 57mm, Overall Height: 100mm) is on sale at BullGoose $40 down to $25 and gets some raves on B&B. Is this the best horsehair that I can get for that price or less? If so, the fact that it's 37% off is compelling. http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/vishbr.html
- VL Gonzalo (horse & boar)
- VL Cachurro
- VL Peleon (reportedly a bit stiffer due to higher concentration of tail over mane hair)
- Badger.
- Whipped Dog Silvertip 22mm $26 shipped seems to get a lot of love on B&B as one of the best values. http://www.whippeddog.com/products/view/silvertip-badger
- The Golden Nib 20mm Finest Badger Knot XH $18.95 is also praised. Plus $6 for Locktite epoxy, and then I just need to find a super inexpensive handle, perhaps at a flea market? Any suggestions? http://thegoldennib.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9_43
- Frank Shaving Manchurian Badger knot 20mm loft 49, $17. "defective handle" deal. Gets some love on B&B, and can't argue with the price. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Defective-h...275?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257ed6a98b
- Frank Shaving Silvertip knot 21 loft 49, $14. "defective handle" deal. Gets some love on B&B and can't argue with the price. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Defective-s...177&pid=100005&prg=1088&rk=1&sd=161041787275&
Last edited:
