Oh, go ahead. Other's "this might be something to consider" is still useful to me, even if it isn't something you directly relate to. I'll consider it still, but it would be too confusing to edit the list now. I think, for no more reason than my badger is a somewhat stubby handle with full bulb brush, that that is what I have gravitated towards (also, possibly, the fact that the longest handle I tried,with the tallest brush (loft?) was horsehair, and I really disliked it, but that was probably more due to the horsehair then anything else. Had a hard time lathering. That said, I pretty much suck at lathering, which seems a stupid thing to say for 7 years DE shaving. Just not my strong point...definitely more of an issue with soaps, not brush, but does make me curious what other brushes would be like, especially synths. When I was around on the forums seven years ago, there was a lot of resistance/negativity about synths, but I'm not seeing that now. I'm presuming its just a case of improvement over the intervening years.
Looking for a new brush
- Thread starter Potato777
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Yeah... Synths still have a bad reputation with those who tried them years ago. But the modern ones are pretty decent. I got my first one after watching the owner of Executive Shaving Co. use it in several YouTube videos, so I ordered one with my first order, along with my razor and a few other things (shaving bowl, etc.). I love the way it feels.. and it's a great latherer too.... The Atomic Rocket is the closest other one I have.... same feel on the face that I think you'd like. I'm used to the long handle now.... and I've only used it three times. I don't shave every day and just got the PAA Atomic Rocket and their Peregrino, so they've both been used 3 times now. I don't think you'd like the Peregrino, but that's also just a guess... it's not quite as soft, but it still lathers well... has the same handle dimensions, give or take.
I can recommend Semogue 2000. My initial feel was it's kinda small but it blooms and blooms after each use. I do face lather with puck-soaps mostly but for creams I do bowl lathering. No issues either way. Handle is so comfortable to hold and use, and the loft is indeed rich. I bought Razorock Silvertip BC in same round and cost me with shipp. ~30eur total, so Semogue went about 13eur if I remember correctly. Both brushes are great, not only for "beggining" but also to buy once and use for years on.
I started with boar brushes (no name, cheap ones) and each had great job on lathering coarse beard, as they really push lather into whiskers and exfoliate nicely, so I sticked to boars for ~ decade. Had Nom pure badger for 3yrs and recently upgraded to synth Razorock and Semogue as "final boar".
I did ruin some old boars by wetting the knot-glue, using too hot water (anything above body-temp is wrong IMHO) or not soaking before use. Last one served me for 8yrs so I went to full upgrade
and I think that high quality boar-brushes will meet your expectations. Bristles are higher in quality, dense-packed, hand-made, you'll get the worth of extra $ spent, trust me. My advice for boar would be (as I did with my Semogue 2000):- soak for 3hrs in tap-water (it seemed enough to bloom)
- shake/squeeze all water as much possible
- dry it on draught or by window naturally
- use first 5-10x bowl lathered
- continue with your prefferences (bowl/face...)
I'd say that quality brushes break more easily and bristles themselves are much softer. They also lather better as their tips blooms more, so be aware of that. My Semogue 2000 bloomed after 5-6 face lathers instantly and quite unexpected, so maybe it's already pre-treated somehow I don't know, but it does feel like a pillow on the face. I'll post some lather images so you can check it out, but you won't mistake much with Semogue IMO.
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Razorock Blondie boar brush for $8.99. Rebranded Zenith 80N brush with a 26mm knot and 63mm loft. Works well for me on all my hard soaps and comes pre-broken in (bleached). Same knot is also available in nice wood handles for $20 -$30. Between the blondie and my 26mm synthetic Razorock Monster brush (8.99 on sale, else $13.99) I can easily lather any type of soap or croap. Have had the Blondie for 6 months so far and the Monster for 2 and a half years and both perform well. Purchased both from Italian Barber.
I've created new post How to make perfect lather with any brush type* - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/how-to-make-perfect-lather-with-any-brush-type.624011/ with my current brushes being used, so it might help on making decision what to use and what to expect with each brush type. Hope it helps
