How much difference can a brush make?

[fistfullofbeer]

I recently got into wet shaving and have spent some money getting new soaps, brushes and razors. I spent money on good soaps and razors but the brushes I have are 2 Yaqi brushes (one synthetic and one badger) both of which were around $30. Its not that I don't think a brush is important, I just don't understand enough about them.

I am genuinely curious what a new brush adds to the shaving experience. Outside of the aesthetic value of the beautiful handles, can someone please explain what all can the expensive brush add? I totally get that a lot of us have shaving as a hobby and that is a very valid reason (in my eyes) to splurge on expensive brushes as well. So whatever the reason may be, I would be interested in learning.

 

[Atlantic59]

IMHO, expensive brushes are a luxury product that appeal to a niche group. These brushes are more about having a luxury experience than ultimate performance. You don't have to spend a ton to get a nice brush that works well.

As long as your brush can build a good lather with the type of product and methods you use, and doesn't irritate your face, you don't have to spend more.

 

[eezee]

A brush can make all the difference in the world.

The quality of the lather, the feel on your face, and product retention on the bristles are all a part of the experience of the brush. Having said that, you don't have top spend a fortune on a brush to get a quality shave. Some of those Super badger brushes from Simpson can get really pricey but are they THAT much better. For some people the answer is "yes," for others, maybe not. I have the Plisson synthetic that they used to make for L'Occitane and it was around $35. One of the finest brushes on the planet!!

I think it is another facet of the hobby that can get as expensive as you want it to be and the only person that has to be happy with it is you!! YMMV!! This goes for brushes as well as anything else.

Hope this helps.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I face lather and have spent what, for me, is a lot of money on brushes although an expensive brush may not be a better brush. Do they build a better quality lather? Doubtful, I don't really care about lather quality. Do they improve the closeness of the shave? Probably not, but I am not really interested in a close shave, it is merely an incidental bonus. So what are they for? When I face lather with one of my favourite brushes it makes me happy and makes me feel good about life and about myself. You cannot put a price on it. It depends what you are looking for and why you are shaving in the first place.

 

[ackvil]

For me, brushes vary tremendously in a number of factors. I have found a difference in the following areas:

• The ability to retain sufficient water to make a good lather.
• The ability to load sufficient soap.
• The quality of lather the brush helps make.
• The feel of the brush on my face, neck, and head.
• The amount of lather the brush makes and retains.

It is not the expense of the brush that matters to me. It is the above considerations.

 

[fistfullofbeer]

For me, brushes vary tremendously in a number of factors. I have found a difference in the following areas:

• The ability to retain sufficient water to make a good lather.
• The ability to load sufficient soap.
• The quality of lather the brush helps make.
• The feel of the brush on my face, neck, and head.
• The amount of lather the brush makes and retains.

It is not the expense of the brush that matters to me. It is the above considerations.

Thanks. That makes sense. To me the two biggest things I would definitely like to see better than my Yaqi's are:

- Lather: Both quality and amount of lather.
- Feel of the brush

As someone who has literally no idea where to begin, are there any decent options to start under $100? I am not a big fan of the 'fan' style and would prefer the 'bulb' style over it. Also, I have no clue about how the knot size matters? Truly clueless where to begin on this stuff. But some ideas would be great so that I can atleast try out a 'premium' brush.

Thanks.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

I have expensive two and three band badger brushes made by Shavemac, Morris and Forndran, Simpsons, Thater, Kent, El Druida and other highly regarded individuals and companies, and I enjoy using them all. They feel comfortsble in my hand and on my face, look stunning (at least to my eyes) and can all whip up a great lather. I don't regret buying them in any way.
However, I also have a couple of inexpensive Yaqi brushes with synthetic knots and they do just as good a job; if anything, they create lather with greater speed than most of the badger ones. They also feel pleasing on my face and look classy, although their finish might not be quite as perfect as that of most of the much higher priced brushes. When I use them I don't feel it detracts from my shaving experience in any way.
Buy an expensive badger brush for the experience and if you like the look of one, but I don't think it will alter the quality of your shave in a major way. But I could be wrong; after all, YMMV.

 

[fistfullofbeer]

I have expensive two and three band badger brushes made by Shavemac, Morris and Forndran, Simpsons, Thater, Kent, El Druida and other highly regarded individuals and companies, and I enjoy using them all. They feel comfortsble in my hand and on my face, look stunning (at least to my eyes) and can all whip up a great lather. I don't regret buying them in any way.
However, I also have a couple of inexpensive Yaqi brushes with synthetic knots and they do just as good a job; if anything, they create lather with greater speed than most of the badger ones. They also feel pleasing on my face and look classy, although their finish might not be quite as perfect as that of most of the much higher priced brushes. When I use them I don't feel it detracts from my shaving experience in any way.
Buy an expensive badger brush for the experience and if you like the look of one, but I don't think it will alter the quality of your shave in a major way. But I could be wrong; after all, YMMV.

Thank you for your thoughts. Yeah, I would definitely like to give it a whirl. I asked the same in my post above yours but am curious if there are any real options I can look at for under $100. A little more is fine too but I would prefer to stay under $100 if possible. I am neutral to either going the Synthetic or Badger route.

I definitely love the feel of my Yaqi badger brush on my face over the Yaqi synthetic but do feel that the synthetic does build the lather slightly quicker.

 

[Timeclo]

I've gone down the BAD rabbithole pretty rapidly. Had upto 50 brushes and right now, I'm slowly wittling down the collection to 40. For me, brush makes a big difference because I can feature them in my videos. Each one generates different discussion and they have their own unique look to them. The feel is important as well but as long as a brush splays well and is soft, I'll take it.

That said, Yaqi brushes do a plenty good job for me. I have great lathering sessions with them and I enjoy it a lot. Side note, I find that synthetics produce best lather for me all around.

I also enjoy artisan brushes and different types of badgers/boars. SHD badgers give a nice massaging feel with soft tips. Silvertips are soft with less backbone. Yaqi badgers give a good feel with good scrub. Omega boars are amazing when broken in. Semogues are rough at start but break into a nice scrubby boar.

So many variety and that's why I enjoy them. I like to go through my brush rotation and have great shaves with all of them.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

Honestly, most any synthetic brush under $25, heck down around $12 even will more than do the job and can easily qualify as a favorite brush. I have recently thinned down my synthetics from 5 to 3, 2 yaqis and one razorock. I love the cheapest of the 3. A little 22mm Yaqui tuxedo. I could stick to this one brush and get rid of everything else I have. As long as I stick to face lathering.

I struggled to find a badger that I liked. The reasons for badger is it adds some luxurious sensations to the shave if you are looking for that. Most notably, the ability to have a warm brush or warm lather, as badger has good heat retention. I have tried silvertip and yes it’s soft, but synthetic is softer.

Boar, is not really luxurious by most people’s standards. But there is an element to boars that I equate as sweat equity. They get better with use. I have a few boars that are awesome. It’s my preferred knot. In some instances, once broken in, they are as soft as a badger and have better backbone or scrub without the cost and without being fragile. I would say that some soaps will load and lather better when using a boar over a synthetic or badger. Thats one area I think a brush makes a real difference.

 

[fistfullofbeer]

Honestly, most any synthetic brush under $25, heck down around $12 even will more than do the job and can easily qualify as a favorite brush. I have recently thinned down my synthetics from 5 to 3, 2 yaqis and one razorock. I love the cheapest of the 3. A little 22mm Yaqui tuxedo. I could stick to this one brush and get rid of everything else I have. As long as I stick to face lathering.

I struggled to find a badger that I liked. The reasons for badger is it adds some luxurious sensations to the shave if you are looking for that. Most notably, the ability to have a warm brush or warm lather, as badger has good heat retention. I have tried silvertip and yes it’s soft, but synthetic is softer.

Boar, is not really luxurious by most people’s standards. But there is an element to boars that I equate as sweat equity. They get better with use. I have a few boars that are awesome. It’s my preferred knot. In some instances, once broken in, they are as soft as a badger and have better backbone or scrub without the cost and without being fragile. I would say that some soaps will load and lather better when using a boar over a synthetic or badger. Thats one area I think a brush makes a real difference.

Thanks for chiming in. Appreciate your thoughts.

That is the only synthetic I have and bought it about 2.5 months back. It works pretty well. Like you pointed out, its not as luxurious as my Yaqi badger but does its job really well. Main reason I go to the badger is because it has better feel and some of my soaps build up lather as quickly with it as the synthetic.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

A brush isn't even necessary. It's just a convenient way to get soap on the face.

 

[fistfullofbeer]

A brush isn't even necessary. It's just a convenient way to get soap on the face.

Well .. if we went with necessity all we would need is food, water and air ..

 

[dfoulk]

Thank you for your thoughts. Yeah, I would definitely like to give it a whirl. I asked the same in my post above yours but am curious if there are any real options I can look at for under $100. A little more is fine too but I would prefer to stay under $100 if possible. I am neutral to either going the Synthetic or Badger route.

I definitely love the feel of my Yaqi badger brush on my face over the Yaqi synthetic but do feel that the synthetic does build the lather slightly quicker.

Order an Elite Manchurian fan knot for around sixty bucks. Find a cheap resin handle that you can put it into with a small amount of silicone that you can get from the local hardware store. The silicone will dry overnight and it'll hold the knot just fine. Whipped Dog used to sell inexpensive resin handles for around six or eight bucks. Just don't go crazy with the silicone as you're going to want to pull the knot and reset it a couple times.

Use a set of calipers (mine were like twelve bucks from Harbor Freight) to set the loft to around 50mm for a 24mm knot. A larger knot maybe set at a slightly lower height. If it's too floppy then pull the knot with a good tug and reset it slightly lower maybe a millimeter or two. Too much backbone then raise it up a bit. After you have the loft where you like really it then use it and enjoy it for a while. You have a really nice brush for around $70. Maybe at some point spring for a custom handle from Wolf Whiskers or Mozingo Brushworks for around $80 to $100 or so. Send them the knot and share the loft height and they'll install it more permanent with some epoxy. Maybe get the handle as a Birthday gift to yourself or something to celebrate a special occasion (anniversary, a promotion at work, birth of a child, etc). This way you'll have an excellent knot in an outstanding custom handle. Around $60 for the knot and around another $100 or so for the handle. You'll have a really, really outstanding brush and you can split the payment up over time to make it much more affordable.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

Well .. if we went with necessity all we would need is food, water and air ..

I was responding to the question is all. Some will talk about exfoliation or how the brush lifts the hair enabling a closer shave. I say piffle. I'm not knocking brushes or expensive brushes in any way. I have some. I don't get a sub par shave with my 10-15 Buck brushes though. Ergo...expensive brushes don't contribute to the quality of the shave. They are nice to own and use though.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

Thank you for your thoughts. Yeah, I would definitely like to give it a whirl. I asked the same in my post above yours but am curious if there are any real options I can look at for under $100. A little more is fine too but I would prefer to stay under $100 if possible. I am neutral to either going the Synthetic or Badger route.

I definitely love the feel of my Yaqi badger brush on my face over the Yaqi synthetic but do feel that the synthetic does build the lather slightly quicker.

Just a couple of thoughts. First, if you want a truly luxury brush then perhaps you could wait a while and save up for a model by the likes of Paladin, or maybe a Shavemac two band silvertip knot in a handle custom made for you by Rudy Vey, a fine craftsman and B&B member. The latter option would be both luxurious and unique to you.
Second, although I'm from the UK and so perhaps not best qualified to advise on sub-$100 brushes, I've been very impressed by a Manchurian knot I bought from Elite Razor and fitted in a handle a local craftsman had made for me. Elite Razor also make some very nice handles in various materials, but you'd have to check what the price of a complete brush would be.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

Luxury is part of the equation, but a brush can make a big difference. Sometimes the brush can be the deciding factor for whether or not a soap or cream works for you. Take MWF for example. I have very hard water where I live. I have found that with my water, MWF is very difficult to lather with the majority of brushes. Throw a Simpson’s Chubby at it and it lathers beautifully.

To me, a good brush is as important as a good razor. It absolutely affects the quality of my shaved. If a brush is too scritchy it can actually give me “brush burn.”

Synthetic brushes make a mess in my experience. They like to fling water and proto-lather all over the place in use. They also let lather get cold really quickly as the synthetic fibers don’t retain heat.

In comparison, a quality badger holds water and lather in the knot and releases it beautifully. If the knot is made well, it can load any soap you throw at it and keep the lather you build warmer in the knot for subsequent passes than other types. This is my preference. YMMV.

 

[karacha]

A brush can make a world of difference to me, but that does not mean it has to be expensive. Good synthetics and boars are inexpensive, but they can be some of the best brushes you've ever used. I really like Simpson Trafalgar series and Zenith's boars.

 

[Billy T.]

My top brush right now is a 30$ Yaqi brush. And when I use it I get a feeling of luxury. Soft tips, strong backbone, dense knot. It might not have the fancy 200$ custom handle but It has all the qualities of a luxury brush. Luxury doesn't have to be expensive.

 

[Invicta]

- Lather: Both quality and amount of lather.
- Feel of the brush

As someone who has literally no idea where to begin, are there any decent options to start under $100?

The first has a lot to do with water quality and the soap you use. Soft water will give a much creamier lather and quicker but you can compensate partially for hard water by just loading more product.
Feel can also vary depending on loft but I also do like a badger brush. Have you considered a Simpson Commodore X3 which is well within your price bracket. For a really soft brush the Vulfix 2235S is also worthy of consideration and very soft.

Main reason I go to the badger is because it has better feel and some of my soaps build up lather as quickly with it as the synthetic.

The silvertip badger brushes give the best feel but that tends to come at a price. You should find a good badger brush from the Simpson range.
Have a look at the BST section too.