I'm lost in a sea of choices....

[truth]

This is all kind of new to me.
I like traditional things and don't mind spending the extra $$$ if it is worth it.
I would love to use a straight razor but I'm sticking to a DE for now (will be ordering a Merkur 38C HD).

I will try C.O. Bigelow shaving cream. (open to recommendations)
I need recommendations on a brush.

Thank you.....

 

[denim]

For brushes, I suggest badger such as the ones at http://www.westcoastshaving.com. I like my Simpsons Colonel and Wee Scot, especially the Wee Scot, but you might want a bigger one.

 

[luvmysuper]

Welcome to B&B, glad you're here.

The brush is largely going to depend on your budget.

A good Omega Boar brush can be had for less than 20 bucks.
A Tweezerman Badger (a good starter badger brush) is about the same.
A SheaMoisture black badger brush can be bought at Target for about 9 bucks.

There are escalating brushes all the way up into the hundreds of dollars.

My advice: Get an Omega Boar brush and a Decent but inexpensive Badger brush like the Tweezerman just to see what your preferences are, and then keep your eye on the BST here for an upgrade for what it is that you like.

 

[truth]

Thanx guys....
Phil, I appreciate your welcome and suggestions.

I was looking at the Edwin Jagger Best Badger brush as a starter.....but I'm lost as to the degrees of quality (pure/best/super/silver badger) and how they make a difference when shaving. I don't mind spending extra, I just want quality and something that I will be able to use for a long time.

Thank you...

 

[luvmysuper]

I've got an old curmudgeonly face, but I can't tell that much difference between the Best Badger and the next grade or two up, especially for the price break.

I have several Best Badger and they feel very luxurious to me.

EJ makes some quality gear.
You can often find examples of EJ brushes at your local Crabtree&Evelyn shop. Not all of them carry, but the larger upscale ones do.

 

[NavyHopeful]

If you're looking for something to last a long time, you may want to avoid the Simpson Wee Scot. I've been using it as my daily brush for the past 4 months as a face latherer. I love it, and it's a terrific brush, but it began giving my hand cramps because of its small size, and I don't have large hands by any means.

I just ordered a New Forest 2201. It's $42 shipped to anywhere in the world, and from what people are saying, it's one of the absolute best bang-for-your-buck brushes you can get, although I can't give my official opinion on it yet. But many highly respected members on here say it's a great brush.

 

[michiganlover]

I've got an old curmudgeonly face, but I can't tell that much difference between the Best Badger and the next grade or two up, especially for the price break.

I have several Best Badger and they feel very luxurious to me.

+1

I have no desire to buy a super high end brush. I have a $40 Penworks in Finest Badger, and 2 Omega boar brushes. The Penworks feels plenty soft to my face, so I can't see how spending 100's of dollars on a brush would be that much of an upgrade.

In case you were wondering, Badger vs. Boar is a personal preference, not an issue of performance. My two boar brushes perform just as well as my Badgers, and actually get more usage then the badger brushes.

You can pick up an awesome Omega boar brush for $10-$20, and spend the extra funds pampering yourself with shaving cream/ shaving soap, and aftershave.

 

[FL shaver]

I use the EJ Best Badger from C&E. I think it was about $35 a few years ago. Good value. It is a nice upgrade from the VDH boar I started with. If you have the funds, I say go best badger right away.

 

[BladeRunner001]

This is all kind of new to me.
I like traditional things and don't mind spending the extra $$$ if it is worth it.
I would love to use a straight razor but I'm sticking to a DE for now (will be ordering a Merkur 38C HD).

I will try C.O. Bigelow shaving cream. (open to recommendations)
I need recommendations on a brush.

Thank you.....

"Being lost in a sea of choices" will not end my friend...as soon as you think you have made your choices, more opportunities will present themselves to make you want to get more ...it's called RAD . it will become part of your shave life

As for recommendations, all the ones given above are great, but if $$ is not an option, I would go with Silvertip badger and in this regard, both Thater and Shavemac offer fantastic value for the money. both are ranked amongst the best quality brushes...IMHO, of course.

Cheers and welcome to B&B,
Robert

 

[steveclarkus]

Here is a link to an excellent article on brushes on the Classic Shaving site:

http://www.classicshaving.com/articles/article/590351/5618.htm

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Truth,

As you start to find yourself knee deep in products, remember to read the tutorials and learn the basics of the wet shave. I'm a firm believer in limiting your variables up front while you get your technique down...then, as things progress you can branch out.

So many Newbs buy a ton of product up front, start massive rotations and then wonder why they are getting irritation...but truthfully, if you rotate a ton of products, there is little chance of figuring out what is causing the irritation until you limit your variables! Best of luck.

Oh, and my recommendation for your first brush is a Semogue Boar brush (I have the 1305...around $20 bucks or so before shipping)...fantastic soap or cream latherer that is still in my rotations!

 

[Go West Young Man]

My standard advise : stop sweating the details. Get a brush, some soap/cream and a razor. Doesn't matter which ones, as long as they get generally good reviews on the board.
You don't know enough yet to make any judgments about their quality, you just need to get started using them. Over time you can refine your tastes, but you're going to screw up your first shaves one way or another, no need to get yourself tied up in knots trying to buy the perfect kit right away.

 

[truth]

Thank you all for the rec's.
I capiche. I will limit my variables and concentrate on technique. I will order a Merkur razor and try out a locally available face soap/cream (C.O. Bigelow shaving cream or Weleda Shave Cream).

 

[BlackBard]

I've got an old curmudgeonly face, but I can't tell that much difference between the Best Badger and the next grade or two up, especially for the price break.

I have several Best Badger and they feel very luxurious to me.

EJ makes some quality gear.
You can often find examples of EJ brushes at your local Crabtree&Evelyn shop. Not all of them carry, but the larger upscale ones do.

+1 on the EJ Best Badger brush. I have one and can tell you that it is first rate.

 

[Rumbaldi]

When I started I used a VDH boar brush, VDH glycerin soap, the white pack ASR blades and a aristocrat that I got at an antique store for about $10.00. The only prep I did was a nice hot shower and the only aftershave treatments I used were some witch hazel and Polo black aftershave that I already had. I had better results than I did with my fusion and canned shaving cream. I say keep it simple and cheap at first, work on your technique and find out what works for you. You can upgrade later or stick with the basics. I will say that if you try the ASR white pack blades to do so in a mild shaver. Anything aggressive and the nick me up a bit.

I've since branched out and upgraded but I still use the VDH soap and brush in my rotation.