reading some of the how to make lather posts and someone posted that they thought they had badger and then found out it was boar! ack! bought mine off ebay - how can I be sure I've got a badger brush?
how know it's badger?
- Thread starter BuckeyeMark
- Start date
G
gone down south
Can you share the link you bought it from?
Well, boar hair is very stiff. Badger is only stiff if it is very densely packed. Even cheapo pure badger doesn't come close. Most boar bristles are very light in color as well, unless they have been colored to look like badger. Badger brushes usually splay out without having to press down hard at all. They usually flop over when wet. A boar will not.
- Thread starter
- #4
think I'm good - real badger. first, whenever I shave it growls at me and shows me its claws. think that's a good sign.... 
seriously, it is very soft, dark colored and flops over when wet.
can't share the link because I bought it several years ago on ebay - can't remember who I bought it from.
seriously, it is very soft, dark colored and flops over when wet.
can't share the link because I bought it several years ago on ebay - can't remember who I bought it from.
I don't understand this sentiment. I think you're "good" if you like the brush, whether it's badger or boar doesn't enter into it.
- Thread starter
- #6
dude - being deceived by a seller who charged me a premium for a "badger" brush that turned out to be boar would be VERY not good, whether I liked the brush or not! I would be ---->
further, if I liked the brush and it was boar think how much MORE I'd like a real badger brush!
This point I can see, and I'll concede it.dude - being deceived by a seller who charged me a premium for a "badger" brush that turned out to be boar would be VERY not good, whether I liked the brush or not! I would be ---->
In my opinion, this particular point is actually based on a prejudice or bias rather than on fact. That was kind of what I was trying to get at in my first post.
In other words, there's no guarantee that you'd like a "real" badger brush more than a boar brush. In point of fact, some people actually prefer boar brushes.
Just FYI.
The bottom line is know who you are buying from and then have confidence. if you go looking for bargins well you know what happens.
Agreed. Deceiving buyers is not gentlemanly. But badger vs. boar is a matter of choice, and a lot of shavers prefer boar for its better exfoliating (read: scrubbing) properties.
I just find it amusing that for purposes of creating and applying that nice soft face lather, wetshavers turn to two of the most ornery, vicious animals on the face of the planet. Once Wolverine-hair brushes catch on, the irony will be complete.
I have both a nice quality Badger, and an Omega #49 Boar Brush. One is not clearly superior to the other, and they both receive about equal usage.
If I were extremely budget minded, and had nothing but the $10 Omega boar, the quality of my shaves would not suffer, as both brushes are capable of producing a high quality luxurious lather.
I am actually finding this now. I enjoy my badger brush a lot but boar brushes have found a place in my rotation. It is not a matter of one being better than the other IMO. They are different.
Doesn't help that I enjoy my badger brushes with dense knots and lots of backbone.
