Help me pick out a brush please
- Thread starter zzitop
- Start date
Welcome to B&B! What brush do you like? what do you have now?
+1
And I'd add the questions what, if any, experience have you had with brushes that you didn't like, and what's your budget?
- Thread starter
- #4
I'm pretty new to wet shaving. My budget would be around 70 $ (or 70 EURO), because I have not experienced. My experience is only Omega pro 49 boar brush (I live at the Italian border 
) and cheap HJM best badger. Until now I have used shaving bowl, but my plan for the future is also face lather.
For now, I do not want to spend 300 $ for Chubby 3, because I do not know what I want.
Thank you all
) and cheap HJM best badger. Until now I have used shaving bowl, but my plan for the future is also face lather.For now, I do not want to spend 300 $ for Chubby 3, because I do not know what I want.
Thank you all
Nothing at all wrong with an Omega boar brush. Are you settled on this next brush being a badger?
What do/did you like/dislike about the Omega and the HJM?
Would you be comfortable picking up a used brush on B&B's Buy/Sell/Trade Forum (where you can usually get more for your money), or would you prefer to buy new?
What do/did you like/dislike about the Omega and the HJM?
Would you be comfortable picking up a used brush on B&B's Buy/Sell/Trade Forum (where you can usually get more for your money), or would you prefer to buy new?
- Thread starter
- #6
I watched a few videos on youtube. And I have a feeling that the lather from Badger faster and better.
Omega is a really good, but I still want to try better budger than HJM. With HJM i have a feeling, that is not dense enough. And a bit too hard.
I did not have a problem with used brush, except with the European customs (22 %).
It would be good if the brush is in one of the European countries.
And of course thanks for the help!
Omega is a really good, but I still want to try better budger than HJM. With HJM i have a feeling, that is not dense enough. And a bit too hard.
I did not have a problem with used brush, except with the European customs (22 %).
It would be good if the brush is in one of the European countries.
And of course thanks for the help!
First, there's nothing wrong with your Omega Boar. My first good brush was an Omega boar that I bought new for less than $13. It did a plenty good job, and I had no reason to be dissatisfied with it. I still think it's a great brush, but like you I became curious to try a higher quality badger brush. I'd had a cheap Art of Shaving badger brush that came with a travel kit; however, I wouldn't have called it a good brush even before I learned from experience what that is.
You're absolutely right not to go blow $300 on a Simpson Chubby, or any ultra high dollar brush, until you gather more experience and sort out your preferences. My first really nice badger brush was a Rooney Style 3, Size 1 Silvertip, which was recommended to me by a friend I made on B&B soon after joining. It was fairly small (22mm base diameter). That was about two years ago, and they were priced at under $80 back then. They go for about $100 new these days, although with a little patience I expect you could pick one up on BST for closer to $60.
I think the most basic decision you have to make is what type of hair do you want to try first. Keeping things simple, I'd say the choices are Best (consistent what Simpson's grading practices), 2-band silvertip, or 3-band silvertip.
3-band is typically the softest and most luxurious feeling of the badger hair types. It usually doesn't exhibit a lot of backbone, and consequently isn't likely to be scrubby. Some are downright floppy. Many like 3-bands best by reason of those qualities. Many others don't like them by reason of those qualities.
2-bands characteristically have springier hair, and so tend to exhibit more backbone than a comparably dense 3-band brush. Less density usually means better release of lather. And the backbone makes 2-bands scrubbier.
In my limited experience, Best has had more backbone than ultra-soft 3-band silvertip, and so can approach (even surpass) 2-band in scrubbiness. I've found I don't do very well with Best-grade hair, though, not because there's anything wrong with it, but on account of the age and condition of my skin. Best badger can just be a little too harsh for me. So can 2-band hair for that matter. What I've found to be my favorite is soft 2-band hair.
My advice for you would to try out a well-made brush with high-quality Best grade hair. I'd go for a medium-sized knot, say 22-24mm base diameter with loft fairly close to 50mm. Then pay attention to what you like and don't like. Does it make lather efficiently? Does it release lather to your satisfaction? Is it either too stiff or too soft (let it break in a little before you decide)? Would you be happier with a larger knot?
My two cents. I'll leave it to others to recommend specific brushes.
Good luck.
You're absolutely right not to go blow $300 on a Simpson Chubby, or any ultra high dollar brush, until you gather more experience and sort out your preferences. My first really nice badger brush was a Rooney Style 3, Size 1 Silvertip, which was recommended to me by a friend I made on B&B soon after joining. It was fairly small (22mm base diameter). That was about two years ago, and they were priced at under $80 back then. They go for about $100 new these days, although with a little patience I expect you could pick one up on BST for closer to $60.
I think the most basic decision you have to make is what type of hair do you want to try first. Keeping things simple, I'd say the choices are Best (consistent what Simpson's grading practices), 2-band silvertip, or 3-band silvertip.
3-band is typically the softest and most luxurious feeling of the badger hair types. It usually doesn't exhibit a lot of backbone, and consequently isn't likely to be scrubby. Some are downright floppy. Many like 3-bands best by reason of those qualities. Many others don't like them by reason of those qualities.
2-bands characteristically have springier hair, and so tend to exhibit more backbone than a comparably dense 3-band brush. Less density usually means better release of lather. And the backbone makes 2-bands scrubbier.
In my limited experience, Best has had more backbone than ultra-soft 3-band silvertip, and so can approach (even surpass) 2-band in scrubbiness. I've found I don't do very well with Best-grade hair, though, not because there's anything wrong with it, but on account of the age and condition of my skin. Best badger can just be a little too harsh for me. So can 2-band hair for that matter. What I've found to be my favorite is soft 2-band hair.
My advice for you would to try out a well-made brush with high-quality Best grade hair. I'd go for a medium-sized knot, say 22-24mm base diameter with loft fairly close to 50mm. Then pay attention to what you like and don't like. Does it make lather efficiently? Does it release lather to your satisfaction? Is it either too stiff or too soft (let it break in a little before you decide)? Would you be happier with a larger knot?
My two cents. I'll leave it to others to recommend specific brushes.
Good luck.
I watched a few videos on youtube. And I have a feeling that the lather from Badger faster and better.
Omega is a really good, but I still want to try better budger than HJM. With HJM i have a feeling, that is not dense enough. And a bit too hard.
I did not have a problem with used brush, except with the European customs (22 %).
It would be good if the brush is in one of the European countries.
And of course thanks for the help!
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #8
This is an excellent comment! Many, many thanks!!!
And my apologies: I have HJM Pure Badger brush. Not Best Badger. This is probable the reason for my dissatisfaction. Really stupid mistake.
Now I understand much better. So I need Best or may be 2-band silvertip, and not 3-band silvertip. 22 or 24mm Knot, and may be allso 26mm. Loft about 50 mm. I also think that more than 55 mm is too big.
I have Cella soap. This soap is also my plan for the future. So i need the brush for soap. For the cream only occasionally.
Simpson Colonel X2L Best is within the specification. Can I find something denser in best-badger within these specification and for $70 budget?
Can someone compare Simpson Colonel X2L Best vs New Forest Tubby 2 Super Badger Two Band?
Thank you!
And my apologies: I have HJM Pure Badger brush. Not Best Badger. This is probable the reason for my dissatisfaction. Really stupid mistake.
Now I understand much better. So I need Best or may be 2-band silvertip, and not 3-band silvertip. 22 or 24mm Knot, and may be allso 26mm. Loft about 50 mm. I also think that more than 55 mm is too big.
I have Cella soap. This soap is also my plan for the future. So i need the brush for soap. For the cream only occasionally.
Simpson Colonel X2L Best is within the specification. Can I find something denser in best-badger within these specification and for $70 budget?
Can someone compare Simpson Colonel X2L Best vs New Forest Tubby 2 Super Badger Two Band?
Thank you!
Nothing stupid about starting out with a Pure Badger brush. Only stupid to stick with something you're not happy with if you can afford to buy a brush you would be happy with (which doesn't necessarily mean a better brush).
A few additional comments.
First, unless you know you won't be happy unless you get a larger brush, I'd aim for a brush in the range of 22-24mm for the reason that, with everything else being equal, a larger brush is likely to be priced higher than a smaller brush. I'd rather see you spend your $70 (or whatever you decide to spend) on the highest quality 22-24mm knot you can find rather than compromise quality to get a 26mm knot.
Second, don't let anything I've said steer you away from 3-band. I have several 3-band brushes that I like and enjoy using very much. I just happen not to enjoy using them as much as some of my soft-tipped 2-band brushes. My preference comes down to personal taste and should not be taken to suggest that 2-band is generally better than 3-band. That said, I can give an explanation for my preference. It comes down to two factors. I don't like the feel of very soft and floppy wet hair against my skin, and the density that 3-band typically requires to avoid feeling like that to me results in sub-optimal (by my standards) lather release. Also, I like a bit of gentle scrub. Don't take what I like and/or don't like as predictive of anything about what you may discover for yourself. I should add that it took me a while to figure out what I like most.
Third, with respect to models and sizes, I just checked and see the X2L is about 21.5mm. There's nothing wrong with that. I have an X2L in 2-band, and it's a terrific brush. I know the Duke 2 in Best has many, many dedicated fans here, and I believe it is knotted at about 21.5mm. Marcos (a B&B Steward and exemplar who lives in Rome) frequently touts the Duke. I only have to brushes with Best-grade hair, one a Chubby 2 and the other a Simpson 58. I like the 58 much, much, much, much better than the Chubby 2. It's simply a wonderful brush. It can be just a tiny bit scritchy, but I found that if I soak it a little longer before lathering than I soak my other brushes, I usually don't notice any scritch, or at least not enough to matter. It bears noting here, however, that not all Best hair -- not even all Simpson Best hair -- is created equal. I think my 58 is possibly an extraordinary brush. I picked it up on BST and that's what the Seller said.
Finally, Rooney makes brushes with Best grade knots, and they appear to be priced a tad lower than Simpsons. I've never tried one, so I can speak to how they might compare in quality. And I don't know how easy they are to find in Italy these days.
Again, good luck.
A few additional comments.
First, unless you know you won't be happy unless you get a larger brush, I'd aim for a brush in the range of 22-24mm for the reason that, with everything else being equal, a larger brush is likely to be priced higher than a smaller brush. I'd rather see you spend your $70 (or whatever you decide to spend) on the highest quality 22-24mm knot you can find rather than compromise quality to get a 26mm knot.
Second, don't let anything I've said steer you away from 3-band. I have several 3-band brushes that I like and enjoy using very much. I just happen not to enjoy using them as much as some of my soft-tipped 2-band brushes. My preference comes down to personal taste and should not be taken to suggest that 2-band is generally better than 3-band. That said, I can give an explanation for my preference. It comes down to two factors. I don't like the feel of very soft and floppy wet hair against my skin, and the density that 3-band typically requires to avoid feeling like that to me results in sub-optimal (by my standards) lather release. Also, I like a bit of gentle scrub. Don't take what I like and/or don't like as predictive of anything about what you may discover for yourself. I should add that it took me a while to figure out what I like most.
Third, with respect to models and sizes, I just checked and see the X2L is about 21.5mm. There's nothing wrong with that. I have an X2L in 2-band, and it's a terrific brush. I know the Duke 2 in Best has many, many dedicated fans here, and I believe it is knotted at about 21.5mm. Marcos (a B&B Steward and exemplar who lives in Rome) frequently touts the Duke. I only have to brushes with Best-grade hair, one a Chubby 2 and the other a Simpson 58. I like the 58 much, much, much, much better than the Chubby 2. It's simply a wonderful brush. It can be just a tiny bit scritchy, but I found that if I soak it a little longer before lathering than I soak my other brushes, I usually don't notice any scritch, or at least not enough to matter. It bears noting here, however, that not all Best hair -- not even all Simpson Best hair -- is created equal. I think my 58 is possibly an extraordinary brush. I picked it up on BST and that's what the Seller said.
Finally, Rooney makes brushes with Best grade knots, and they appear to be priced a tad lower than Simpsons. I've never tried one, so I can speak to how they might compare in quality. And I don't know how easy they are to find in Italy these days.
Again, good luck.
- Thread starter
- #10
Good luck with your choice. Hope I didn't steer you wrong.
I know nothing at all about Acca Kappa brushes.
Good luck. I love my Rooney brush.
Semogue 1305...the best of the best!!!!!
- Thread starter
- #14
I changed my mind. I wanted to buy a Rooney 3/1 Super Silvertip instead of Rooney 3/1 Best. 
But at the last moment I thought again, what do I get for that money. In this final step, I would like to once again ask for the opinion:
1.) Rooney 3/1 Super Silvertip:
http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=486&cat=156&page=1
2.) Simpsons Colonel:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simpsons-Colonel-X2L-Badger-Shaving/dp/B0043DXZ48
3.) Semogue Owners Club 2 Band Badger:
http://vintagescent.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=110
Prices are almost exactly the same.
Once again, thank you very much.
But at the last moment I thought again, what do I get for that money. In this final step, I would like to once again ask for the opinion:
1.) Rooney 3/1 Super Silvertip:
http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=486&cat=156&page=1
2.) Simpsons Colonel:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simpsons-Colonel-X2L-Badger-Shaving/dp/B0043DXZ48
3.) Semogue Owners Club 2 Band Badger:
http://vintagescent.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=110
Prices are almost exactly the same.
Once again, thank you very much.
I can tell you what I did. My first high quality badger hair brush was a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip. I used it almost exclusively for four months, and then at least every other day for another six, at which point I went over the SBAD edge. That brush gave me great service and never anything to complain about. I ultimately PIFed if to a B&B friend.
I have a Colonel in 2-band that is very nice. But I'd rather have a 3/1 in Silvertip than a Colonel in Best.
I've never tried a Semogue Owners Club 2-band badger brush, but if offered a choice between on of them and a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip, I would not hesitate in choosing the Rooney.
My 2 cents. Others will almost certainly express contrary opinions. Bottom line is you probably can't go wrong with any of those brushes. At the end of the day, you will have to make the choice yourself. I'd say go with your gut. Chances are that's the choice you'll be happiest with.
I have a Colonel in 2-band that is very nice. But I'd rather have a 3/1 in Silvertip than a Colonel in Best.
I've never tried a Semogue Owners Club 2-band badger brush, but if offered a choice between on of them and a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip, I would not hesitate in choosing the Rooney.
My 2 cents. Others will almost certainly express contrary opinions. Bottom line is you probably can't go wrong with any of those brushes. At the end of the day, you will have to make the choice yourself. I'd say go with your gut. Chances are that's the choice you'll be happiest with.
The Colonel was my first good badger brush and I enjoyed using it. I did later get a Rooney 3/1 Super and it is softer and more luxurious. I haven't tried an SOC two-band (yet). What country are you located in? Vintage Blades won't ship out of the US, FYI.
- Thread starter
- #17
Thank you again.
@jazzguy
I'm from the European Union. But there is no problem. I found a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip in the British and German online stores.
So the final decision is Rooney 3/1 Silvertip.
I am very happy and very grateful for the help!
Of course, special thanks to ChiefBroom (Ken) for a really useful tips!
@jazzguy
I'm from the European Union. But there is no problem. I found a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip in the British and German online stores.
So the final decision is Rooney 3/1 Silvertip.
I am very happy and very grateful for the help!
Of course, special thanks to ChiefBroom (Ken) for a really useful tips!
Last edited:
Thank you again.
@jazzguy
I'm from the European Union. But there is no problem. I found a Rooney 3/1 Silvertip in the British and German online stores.
So the final decision is Rooney 3/1 Silvertip.
I am very happy and very grateful for the help!
Good choice and one that you will happy with for years to come
