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I consider upgrading to a good quality badger brush,opinions needed...

Hello gents,
as the title says ,i am on my way to buy a good quality badger brush and use it as my one and only.
I thought of asking your opinion first though,so i will form a list of the ones that are under consideration, let you know what i would expect out of it and what i consider as my first choice.
Please don't take the price difference into consideration and treat the list as if all cost the same. Performance is my main concern and if a cheaper brush is known to perform better than a more expensive one i would like to hear it.
i only use hard soaps and so far my main brush is the Omega 10019.I also own a Yaqi white knight 22mm synthetic and a cheap ,pure badger brush ,from a brand called London 1541, but i am not totally happy with them.
i appreciate the backbone that i'm getting from the Omega and i would like my new brush to carry a good amount too. I also enjoy the amount of water that my badger brush holds ,but it's too floppy and looses a lot of hair.
i face lather only ,so I guess that should be taken into consideration also.

The list:

Truefitt & hill wellington super badger
Zenith 506 copper handle silvertip
Davinci 293 silvertip
Simpsons Duke 3 best badger
Simpsons commodore x3 best badger
Simpsons colonel x2l best badger

I'm sure there are other options ,from other brands out there , equally good or even better than the ones on my list, but these are easier for me to find near by , so i will pick one out of those.
My preference, in terms of looks is the Wellington brush from Truefitt & Hill.
i like the handle, the overall size and the fan shape of the hair. What do you think?
 
If you like scrub and backbone then you should look for the Zenith Manchurian 27mm knot.
Mine is a 506AK
029F4B24-53D3-4B56-801C-9B56A15E6D48.jpeg

The Semogue Mistura Finest Boar/Badger mix is also great if you like a scrubby performance
2DB84D51-5BCB-4F2D-981C-262A75203443.jpeg

both options punch way beyond their price tag
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
I would also point out the Semogue Soc, mine has good backbone and the tips are oh so soft, and the price is right.

But, I think you stated you were wanting to consider the ones on your list, I have the Davinci Silvertip and Duke 3 best, I would recommend the Davinci. It is a very well rounded brush for both face and bowl (I know you said face only, it performs). But don't take my word for it, do a search, its name comes up often in "if you only had to choose one..." convos and such. Thats not to say the Duke is a -poor- choice, just the 293 is my pick.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
The da Vinci would be my choice on your list. The SOC 2 band badger is a very nice face lathering brush - good backbone, soft tips - for only about $65.
 
I don't own any of the brushes you mention so the truth is the following is worth exactly what you paid for it. It's just my analysis based on what I think owning Simspon, Semogues and shavemac.

From Simpson Website;
Simpsons Duke 3 best badger; 23x46 @ £97.20
Simpsons Commodore x3 best badger; 24x46 @ £69.80
Simpsons Colonel x2l best badger; 21x45 @ £58.50
Based on my experience with a Duke 2 and a few other Simpsons I would hazard a guess the Duke 3 may have a more dense knot and maybe POTL in Best hair grade. Regardless if it was my first Simpson I'd go Commodore. The handle shape screams face lathering machine the price is begging you to buy it.

Regardless of price:
Semogue C5 Mistura; 24x50 @ £42,83
Semogue C5 Finest; 24x50 @ £57,36

These two Semogues for the price of one Duke 3 (and as far as I can tell the de Vinci 293 also) would be my suggestion. The company linked above ships free. If you like a smaller knot the Torga or Galahad C3's from the same site are 22x50 and will save you some money over the C5's. These are exceptional price notwithstanding.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
You mention the Wellington from Truefitt and Hill. I don't know who makes them now, but I have one from 2010 that was made by Rooney. The same as their style 1, size 2. A terrific brush. I know Rooney no longer makes them, but I don't know who does make them. Probably Vulfix, in which case you'd likely be better off with the Simpsons Duke 3.
 
You mention the Wellington from Truefitt and Hill. I don't know who makes them now, but I have one from 2010 that was made by Rooney. The same as their style 1, size 2. A terrific brush. I know Rooney no longer makes them, but I don't know who does make them. Probably Vulfix, in which case you'd likely be better off with the Simpsons Duke 3.

I have a brush from T&H at about that same time. I had asked T&H who made the brush but they would never tell me. The brush is great but a tad small for my taste.
T&H Silvertip.jpg
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
I have a brush from T&H at about that same time. I had asked T&H who made the brush but they would never tell me. The brush is great but a tad small for my taste.
View attachment 1243543
That looks just like mine. Now that you mention it, I only believe mine was made by Rooney because of things I read on forums like B&B. No one from either T&H or Rooney told me that it was a Rooney brush, so I may indeed be all wet!
 
Thanks for the replies so far! From those i understand that any of those brushes that i mentioned would not dissapoint really, right?
 
Thanks for the replies so far! From those i understand that any of those brushes that i mentioned would not dissapoint really, right?
I still doubt that Best or Super will give you comparable backbone and scrub to your boar but you might find something that you like even more. Who knows - only you!
 

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
My choice would be the DaVinci 293 (have it...) or a Zenith Copper Manchurian. Best grade from Simpson can be hit and miss, better go with their Manchurian (excellent quality hair) or a Super.
 
I bought a Semogue Mixed hair LE once. Liked it so much I ordered a backup as well as the same brush in boar and Badger.

The Badger was good, but I never used it because the Mixed (Mistura) was better.

The Boar got a bit of use (was my most used boar) for a couple years until I got a Zenith I liked better.


Semogue's badger brushes are just fine and dandy, but the mixed brushes are special. I'd save my money and just get the Mistura vs buying both. A Semogue Mistura would be my recommendation.

I've tried a few Da Vinci's and I prefer Simpsons, but again they aren't bad. Simpsons are just more to my taste. I'd go with the Duke of the ones you listed, but they're all good. A Simpson In best would be my second recommendation.

Haven't tried a Zenith Manchurian but I hope to soon.
 
I'm a big fan of my Colonel X2L, though I've heard that Simpson's Best has gotten more inconsistent over the years, which is a real pity, since it used to be by far my favorite hair. The Colonel is still an excellent brush, though...owing to the short loft, it's got some good backbone and scrub for face lathering (which is what I use it, and all my brushes, for), but still a good all-rounder if you still want to bowl lather. If you're already set on solely face lathering, the Duke might have a slight edge over the Colonel, though.
 
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