How long do 'shedders' last?

[Ignatius]

Let's say a brush loses an average of 1 hair/bristle per shave, and is used daily.

How long before it goes to the brush shelf in the sky?

 

[blantyre]

I recall reading that there are about 10,000 bristles in a decently dense 22 mm knot. At that rate complete loss of the knot would take about 27 years at a rate of 1 hair per day. Assuming that the brush would still be usable down to 50% initial density, about 13 years of daily use.

If this estimate is correct, it probably means that a brush that loses a even a few hundred bristles is still perfect good.

 

[OldSaw]

I recall reading that there are about 10,000 bristles in a decently dense 22 mm knot. At that rate complete loss of the knot would take about 27 years at a rate of 1 hair per day. Assuming that the brush would still be usable down to 50% initial density, about 13 years of daily use.

If this estimate is correct, it probably means that a brush that loses a even a few hundred bristles is still perfect good.

From personal experience, I would say this sounds fairly accurate. My first badger brush is probably at the 50-75% mark and was used daily for about 15 years.

 

[Rudy Vey]

There are about 1000 single hairs in one gram of Badger hair knot. A 22 mm knot (Saville Row 3322, silvertip) contains 15 grams of hair, so 15000 hairs, so if my math is right, this will be over 41 years.....Now, a larger knot weighs more and also has more hair, so would last longer. The question is only, how good would it lather after 40 years of daily use, with only a few hundred hairs left

 

[Ignatius]

There are about 1000 single hairs in one gram of Badger hair knot. A 22 mm knot (Saville Row 3322, silvertip) contains 15 grams of hair, so 15000 hairs, so if my math is right, this will be over 41 years.....Now, a larger knot weighs more and also has more hair, so would last longer. The question is only, how good would it lather after 40 years of daily use, with only a few hundred hairs left

Interesting.

How about boar bristle?

 

[oscarbowman]

Interesting post!

My 30 year old Simpson Eagle, which I am restoring at the minute, didn't lose individual hairs per say but lost a fair bit of loft. It looked like a recruit out of "Full Metal Jacket!"

In a similar vain I once sat in the local park in autumn. Surrounded by trees. Every direction I looked there were golden brown leaves falling to the ground. After about half an hour I left thinking. This can't last for long but no next day you wouldn't have noticed any difference in the trees!!

Its a marvelous world we live in! Badgers included.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Am I wrong in assuming that the rate of loss would increase as the knot became less densely packed?

 

[Greybeard]

Am I wrong in assuming that the rate of loss would increase as the knot became less densely packed?

Shouldn't make any difference unless you're bending and mashing your brush at enough of an extreme angle to stress the hair or bond. Less density will make it easier to do this. Hair will dry out over time as well (many years) and become more brittle. If the glue plug was executed properly when the brush was made, then hair shedding from an old brush would mostly be breakage.



- Peter

 

[SliceOfLife]

Thanks, answered a lot of questions I had.

 

[Ignatius]

I recall reading that there are about 10,000 bristles in a decently dense 22 mm knot. At that rate complete loss of the knot would take about 27 years at a rate of 1 hair per day. Assuming that the brush would still be usable down to 50% initial density, about 13 years of daily use.

If this estimate is correct, it probably means that a brush that loses a even a few hundred bristles is still perfect good.

From personal experience, I would say this sounds fairly accurate. My first badger brush is probably at the 50-75% mark and was used daily for about 15 years.

There are about 1000 single hairs in one gram of Badger hair knot. A 22 mm knot (Saville Row 3322, silvertip) contains 15 grams of hair, so 15000 hairs, so if my math is right, this will be over 41 years.....Now, a larger knot weighs more and also has more hair, so would last longer. The question is only, how good would it lather after 40 years of daily use, with only a few hundred hairs left

Guys, this all makes perfect sense. The thing is, I have used a brush almost daily for most of 2010, and its shed about a hair a day. I could swear it has lost density to the point its noticeable, just in this short time. It is, by the way, a boar brush.

Perhaps they jsut have far fewer hairs/bristles to shed.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Guys, this all makes perfect sense. The thing is, I have used a brush almost daily for most of 2010, and its shed about a hair a day. I could swear it has lost density to the point its noticeable, just in this short time. It is, by the way, a boar brush.

Perhaps they jsut have far fewer hairs/bristles to shed.

I believe that Boar brushes have only a fraction of the hair as compared to a badger knot of the same size. The boar hair is much thicker at the stem where it goes into the glueplug/handle. This could be possible that you feel there is now much less hair. I do not use boar brushes, so I cannot say anything about it. The badger brushes I have are either self made with TGN Knots, Rooney, Saville Row or Simpson. My Saville Row lost a so far maybe 5 hairs, the T+H Rooney 1/1 maybe 10 altogether. The Simpson lost quite a few and still gives up a hair or two per shave, so I am really disappointed, and also the quality of the brush is not even on par with the Rooney or Saville Row brush. My TGN knots holding up superbly, I use finest in both shapes, Silvertip and Silvertip Grade A.

 

[hathela]

truly intresting post..

 

[Permit]

10-15000 hairs? Good! I was worried my best badger from EJ wouldn't last long because of the 1-2 hairs it looses every shave. At about 1.5 hairs/shave that means 5000 (probably acceptable) shaves!